The development of a spatial decision support system to optimise agricultural resource use in the Western Cape

This paper describes the development of a decision support model for regional agricultural resource utilisation. The analysis was generated in a spatial context and the optimisation technique was interactive with a geographical information system (GIS). Economic and operational research methodologies were linked to the GIS in the process of determining the appropriate resource uses for the region. The optimisation technique was applied for the Western Cape Province for eight crops. The results of this research are discussed in this paper, with specific reference to its application value for the public sector and agri-business.Farm Management, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Rhizophoraceae alkaloids : preliminary studies in the synthesis of Gerrardine

Includes bibliography.The synthesis envisaged the building of the dithiolane ring on to homoproline, the synthesis of which was effected from tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol and from proline itself. The reactions involved in these syntheses are discussed with particular reference to the protection of the secondary nitrogen, the difficulties encountered in the application of the Arndt-Eistert reaction, and the possible application of the Prins reaction

Primary school teachers’ knowledge and misperceptions of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Putting inclusive education into practice and within diverse classrooms, teachers have to support and teach according to a variety of needs and preferences of learners, among them learners with ADHD. Teachers are seen as some of the most valuable sources of information with regard to referral and diagnosis of this disorder. They are also responsible for creating an environment that is conducive to academic, social and emotional success for children with ADHD. However, since there is some doubt as to whether teachers have the appropriate knowledge of ADHD to fulfill this important role, we aimed at assessing the knowledge and misperceptions of primary school teachers in towns on the periphery of the Cape Town Metropole. A quantitative study using a survey was conducted. The measuring scale used was the KADDS (Knowledge of Attention Deficit Disorders Scale), which measures teachers’ knowledge and misperceptions in three specific areas: symptoms/diagnosis of ADHD, general knowledge about the nature, causes and outcome of ADHD and possible interventions with regard to ADHD. The data were statistically analysed. Overall knowledge of ADHD was poor. The results suggest that teachers are most knowledgeable about symptoms/diagnosis, scoring lower on treatment and general knowledge subscales.Keywords: ADHD; attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; inclusive education; primary school teachers; teacher training; teachin

Unveiling trust as a mediator in distributor loyalty within South African multi-level marketing

Background: Limited research has been conducted in South Africa’s multi-level marketing (MLM) sector, particularly pertaining to distributor satisfaction and its influencing factors. Aim: This study aims to determine the extent to which trust mediates the relationship between distributor satisfaction and loyalty within the MLM framework in South Africa. Setting: This study was conducted among distributors within the South African multi-level marketing environment. Method: This study adopted a descriptive research design. A total of 376 distributors from health and wellness sectors, focused on MLM companies in South Africa. They were selected through non-probability convenience sampling. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was employed to validate the data’s reliability, while structural equation modelling (SEM) was utilised to examine both the direct and indirect effects postulated in the study. Results: The analysis revealed a notable indirect positive effect, linking distributor satisfaction to distributor loyalty, with trust acting as a mediating variable. Additionally, direct positive correlations were identified between distributor satisfaction and loyalty and between distributor trust and loyalty. Conclusion: For health and wellness MLM companies in South Africa, it is vital to enhance distributor loyalty and trust. This can be accomplished by increasing distributor satisfaction and refining the way they communicate business opportunities. Contribution: Multi-level marketing can benefit from the findings of the research as this improves insight into the direct and indirect effects of distributor satisfaction on distributor loyalty and trust and provides empirical insights into the MLM industry

Kwantitatiewe Radio-isotoop Kardiografie met die Sintillasie-kamera

Methods for obtainiR9 various cardiac parameters, using radio-isotopes and the scintillation camera, have improved tremendously during recent· years. These investigations offer a simplified screening test for visual interpretation. By the use of numerical techniques, quantitative information can be obtained, making investigations more sensitive. Left-to-right shunts, cardiac output, left ventricular ejection fraction and other parameters can be quantitated

A comparison of the clinical relevance of thallium201 and technetium-99m-methoxyisobutyl-isonitrile for the evaluation of myocardial blood flow

Thallium-201 is at present the radiotracer of choice for the clinical evaluation of myocardial blood flow. Although different technetium-99m-isonitrile agents have been synthesised recently, only 99mTc-melhoxyisobutyl-isonitrile (99mTc_MIBI) has proved to hold promise for clinical implementation. The myocardial distribution of 201TI and 99mTc_MIBI was compared in a group of 20 patients, who underwent both 201TI single photon emission computed tomography and 99mTc_MIBI study as well as coronary angiography. The sensitivity for predicting a lesion ranged from 25% to 88% in different areas of the heart and was comparable for the two radiophannaceuticals. The specificity was > 80% tor all regions except the inferior region where a specificily ot 58% obtained by 99mTc-MIBI was better than the low specificity of 17% obtained with 201TI (P< 0,008)

Late-night simulation: Opinions of fourth- and fifth-year medical students at the University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa

Background. Sleep deprivation is a problem for medical students and practitioners due to long and late working hours, which may result in a decline in their performance in practising medicine. Objectives. To investigate whether educational practices require altering with regard to the time at which simulation classes are presented, or identify any other possible suggestions for improving the preparation of students for shift work in their profession as medical doctors as a potential solution to reduce sleep-deprivation-related adverse outcomes. Methods. In this quantitative cross-sectional study, an anonymous questionnaire was distributed to 111 fourth-year and 141 fifth-year medical students at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Free State (UFS), Bloemfontein, South Africa, during the second half of 2018. The researchers interpreted the responses and the Department of Biostatistics, UFS, analysed the data. Results. The majority of the fourth-year (88.6%) and fifth-year (90.4%) student groups responded that late-night simulation classes between 01h00 and 04h00 would not be beneficial to their preparation for shift work. The motivation for negative responses was that it might worsen sleep deprivation due to time constraints in an already demanding course. The fourth-year (61.4%) and fifth-year (80.5%) student groups did not regard simulation as realistic and felt that late-night simulation training sessions would not prepare them better for future shift work. However, both groups believed ‘practice makes perfect’ and, as such, their confidence with procedures would improve as they practise more during simulation. Conclusion. The majority of students were negative towards the idea of late-night simulation classes, because of the effect it would have on their already full programme. Students are familiar with the effects of sleep deprivation and felt that late-night simulation classes would add pressure to their busy lives and worsen their sleep deprivation. Further investigation and practical testing would be required to conclude the impact of late-night simulation classes in preparation for shift work of medical doctors and the resultant effect on clinical performance

The skills profile of the hospitality supervisor in South Africa

Abstract The hospitality industry in South Africa is faced with challenges such as increased competitionnationally and internationally -economic recession, downsizing, the need to work smarter and not necessarily harder, but most of all, the challenge of managing diversity. The aim of this study was to determine the skills profile of the supervisor according to their own experience. A survey research approach was followed and research was conducted through self-administrated questionnaires that was based on competencies (core performance dimensions) related to the managerial aspects of a supervisor, namely -managing others (operational). Convenience sampling, comprising a population of hospitality supervisors working in hotels in South Africa was used. Six major hotel chains participated in this study. Responses were received from 141 hospitality supervisors. The researcher relied on descriptive and inferential statistical procedures to analyse the quantitative data. Results show that the performance dimension Guest and relationship is ranked as the most important performance dimension/attribute. This is not surprising as the responsibilities of the hospitality supervisor include a guest-focused culture

Diabetes screen during tuberculosis contact investigations highlights opportunity for new diabetes diagnosis and reveals metabolic differences between ethnic groups

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a prevalent risk factor for tuberculosis (TB), but most studies on TB-T2D have focused on TB patients, been limited to one community, and shown a variable impact of T2D on TB risk or treatment outcomes. We conducted a cross-sectional assessment of sociodemographic and metabolic factors in adult TB contacts with T2D (versus no T2D), from the Texas-Mexico border to study Hispanics, and in Cape Town to study South African Coloured ethnicities. The prevalence of T2D was 30.2% in Texas-Mexico and 17.4% in South Africa, with new diagnosis in 34.4% and 43.9%, respectively. Contacts with T2D differed between ethnicities, with higher smoking, hormonal contraceptive use and cholesterol levels in South Africa, and higher obesity in Texas-Mexico (p \u3c 0.05). PCA analysis revealed striking differences between ethnicities in the relationships between factors defining T2D and dyslipidemias. Our findings suggest that screening for new T2D in adult TB contacts is effective to identify new T2D patients at risk for TB. Furthermore, studies aimed at predicting individual TB risk in T2D patients, should take into account the heterogeneity in dyslipidemias that are likely to modify the estimates of TB risk or adverse treatment outcomes that are generally attributed to T2D alone

The use of a multilayer perceptron for detecting new human settlements from a time series of MODIS images

This paper presents a novel land cover change detection method that employs a sliding window over hyper-temporal multi-spectral images acquired from the 7 bands of the MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) land surface reflectance product. The method uses a Feedforward Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) for supervised change detection that operates on multi-spectral time series extracted with a sliding window from the dataset. The method was evaluated on both real and simulated land cover change examples. The simulated land cover change comprises of concatenated time series that are produced by blending actual time series of pixels from human settlements to those from adjacent areas covered by natural vegetation. The method employs an iteratively retrained MLP to capture all local patterns and to compensate for the time-varying climate in the geographical area. The iteratively retrained MLP was compared to a classical batch mode trained MLP. Depending on the length of the temporal sliding window used, an overall change detection accuracy between 83% and 90% was achieved. It is shown that a sliding window of 6 months using all 7 bands of MODIS data is sufficient to detect land cover change reliably. Window sizes of 18 months and longer provide minor improvements to classification accuracy and change detection performance at the cost of longer time delays.The CSIR Strategic Research Panelhttp://www.elsevier.com/locate/jagai201