An exploration of experiences of foster parents raising African foster care children with absent fathers

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Social Work degree Social Development the department of Social Work School of Human and Community Development Faculty of Humanities at the University of Witwatersrand 2017The phenomenon of absent fathers is not uniquely a South African problem but it is a global issue affecting numerous countries such as Norway, the United States of America as well as other African countries such as Nigeria, Swaziland Botswana to mention a few. Levels of paternal absence in South Africa seem particularly high in comparison to estimates for many other African countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. The absence of fathers in their children’s lives leave children vulnerable after their biological mothers pass on and are subsequently placed in foster care as a measure of protecting and securing the child. The primary aim of this study was to explore the experiences of foster parents raising African foster care children with absent fathers in the Mpumalanga Province in Gert Sibande region, Msukaligwa sub-district. This study used a qualitative approach with an exploratory design. The research instrument that was used was an interview schedule and the data collection method that was employed was face-to-face semi structured interview. Data were analysed through thematic content analysis. The participants in the study comprised of 20 foster care parents aged from 25 years old and above. The main findings of this study were that foster parents seemed to perceive fathers as economic providers and most of them expressed that their absence seemed to be felt especially when it comes to the lack of financial provision. In addition to financial hardships, emotional and cultural hardships were also identified. The study recommends that more studies of this nature need to be done in order to come up with intervention strategies that governments need to use in order to release some of the strains faced by foster parents who are raising African children in foster care. The conclusion of the study is that South African families require attention, considering that father absence has taken a toll. The ripple effect of father’s failure to be present in their children’s lives and support their children will increase the number of children depending on state interventions such as foster care placements.MT 201

Remote Data Integrity Checking in Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is an internet based computing which enables sharing of services. It is very challenging part to keep safely all required data that are needed in many applica f or user in cloud. Storing our data in cloud may not be fully trustworthy. Since client doesnt have copy of all stored data, he has to depend on Cloud Service Provider. This work studies the problem of ensuring the integrity and security of data storage in Cloud Computing. This paper, proposes an effective and flexible Batch Audit sche me with dynamic data support to reduce the computation overheads. To ensure the correctness of users data the task of allowing a third party auditor (TPA), on behalf of the cloud client, to verify the integrity of the data stored in the cloud. We consider symmetric encryption for effective utilization of outsourced cloud data under the model, it achieve the storage security in multi cloud data storage. The new scheme further supports secure and efficient dynamic operation sondata blocks, including data i nserti on, update,delete and replacement. Extensive securityand performance analysis shows that the proposed sche me is highlyef ficient and resilient again st By zantinef ailure, maliciousd a ta modification at tack, and even server colliding a ttacks

Modelling soil erosion and sediment transport of the Nqoe River Catchment at 'Muela

This study assesses the dynamics of soil loss rates of the Nqoe River Catchment. The assessment is made by numerical modeling of the stream water levels and flow, as well as the suspended and bed-load sediment. Literature states that accelerated soil erosion is a problem in the catchment, resulting in high rates of sedimentation of the ‘Muela Reservoir. This erosion is blamed on the over-stocking of rangelands which leads to overgrazing and development of bare soil cover. As part of literature review, to better understand existing methods for estimation of soil erosion and stream sediment transport, thirteen (13) overland soil erosion equations and forty-two (42) channel erosion and sediment transport equations were coded in over eighteen thousand (18,000) lines of code. Analysis of these models informed the runoff model developed using the Gridded Surface Subsurface Hydrologic Analysis model (GSSHA). The model was calibrated and validated for the Nqoe catchment, and its capability to adequately simulate in this data-sparse geographic region was assessed. It was found that the GSSHA model is robust in its simulations of both stream hydrographs and catchment soil loss. The value of the global gridded satellite rainfall data from the NASA GES DISC proved to be useful and accurate in running the GSSHA model for the data-sparse Nqoe catchment in Lesotho. This data was particularly useful while running land management scenarios for assessment of management activities (reforestation, urbanisation, cropland fallowing and rangeland stocking density) that could best serve to reduce soil erosion in the Nqoe catchment. It was found that reforestation and crop-land fallowing could be some of the most beneficial management strategies for reduction of catchment soil loss

Calculation of reservoir capacity loss due to sediment deposition in the `Muela reservoir, Northern Lesotho

Bathymetry survey records of the `Muela Reservoir in northern Lesotho were obtained from the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA) with the aim of identifying reservoir storage capacity loss due to sediment deposition, between 1985 and 2015. For this purpose, data from eight surveys completed between 1985 and January 2015 were analyzed to quantify bathymetric change between each survey. Four interpolation methods (inverse distance weighting, Kriging, natural neighbor, and spline), were used to create digital terrain models from each survey data-set. In addition, a triangulated irregular network (TIN) surface was created from each data-set. The average reservoir storage capacity loss of 15,400 m3/year was determined across the whole period between 1985 and early 2015, based on Kriging. Whilst the results indicate high inter-annual variability in the rate of reservoir capacity reduction, consideration of errors in the surveying and reservoir volumetric calculation methods suggest that rates of reservoir volume reduction can vary between 11,400 m3/year and 18,200 m3/year

Numerical simulation of surface subsidence after UCG including groundwater effect

Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) is a method that allows for the extraction of energy from hard to access coal seams (i.e. very thin or deep underground). One of the greatest advantages of UCG is that it eliminates the need to put humans underground, thereby reducing the risk of injury and fatality, which are significant concerns during conventional underground coal excavations. UCG currently has two main hurdles that are affecting its potential industrialization: the risk of surface subsidence and groundwater pollution. The existence of groundwater is particularly a challenge because of implications to both pollution and its influence on mechanical processes underground. Two mechanical effects of groundwater should be considered: changes in effective stress and in volumetric strain. Additionally, at any UCG site, the influence of groundwater should be analyzed together with the thermal impact of coal combustion. To couple the fluid, thermal and mechanical analyses, the commercial software FLAC3D by Itasca is utilized. The modelling results are compared with the field measurements at the Shatsk UCG station in the Moscow Basin. The site at hand is complicated by six aquifers in the overburden above the UCG reactor. The relative performance of the models with and without groundwater and thermal effects is evaluated based on predictions of the surface subsidence. The groundwater increases the depth and narrows the width of surface subsidence closing the modelling results to the measurements, whereas the high-temperature decreases the depth without changing the shape of the surface subsidence

CD8 lymphocytes mitigate HIV-1 persistence in lymph node follicular helper T cells during hyperacute-treated infection

HIV persistence in tissue sites despite ART is a major barrier to HIV cure. Detailed studies of HIV-infected cells and immune responses in native lymph node tissue environment is critical for gaining insight into immune mechanisms impacting HIV persistence and clearance in tissue sanctuary sites. We compared HIV persistence and HIV-specific T cell responses in lymph node biopsies obtained from 14 individuals who initiated therapy in Fiebig stages I/II, 5 persons treated in Fiebig stages III-V and 17 late treated individuals who initiated ART in Fiebig VI and beyond. Using multicolor immunofluorescence staining and in situ hybridization, we detect HIV RNA and/or protein in 12 of 14 Fiebig I/II treated persons on suppressive therapy for 1 to 55 months, and in late treated persons with persistent antigens. CXCR3(+) T follicular helper cells harbor the greatest amounts of gag mRNA transcripts. Notably, HIV-specific CD8(+) T cells responses are associated with lower HIV antigen burden, suggesting that these responses may contribute to HIV suppression in lymph nodes during therapy. These results reveal HIV persistence despite the initiation of ART in hyperacute infection and highlight the contribution of virus-specific responses to HIV suppression in tissue sanctuaries during suppressive ART

Health Care in Rural Areas in Ukraine: Current Business Processes and Prospects

The pandemic period showed uneven access of the population to quality medical care. The rural population was the most vulnerable. Accordingly, the study’s primary purpose is to determine the level of satisfaction of the rural population with the quality and accessibility of medical services (for example, the rural population of Sumy City Council), establish сausal link, and develop recommendations for improving health care in rural areas

Marketing in the Digital Environment

The textbook contains provisions that reveal the main points of marketing in the digital environment and the basic tools necessary for a marketer to successfully implement a variety of projects on the Internet. In particular, the types of Internet business, business models and characteristics of creating a business in the Internet environment, Internet marketing, development and promotion of web resources. It provides analysis of the practical aspects that illustrate the theoretical positions of marketing in the digital environment. The publication contains a series of practical exercises, cases and tests to assess the level of knowledge. It is recommended for students of economics and specialities in the field of Internet business, marketers, teachers, graduate students, as well as a wide range of readers interested in marketing in the digital environment