Career and life-balance of professional women: a South African study.

A woman’s ability to balance multiple life-roles is directly related to her physical and mental well-being, and her career performance and success. This study aims to infer a theoretical framework for the in-depth understanding of the phenomenon of life-balance in the lives of 24 South African professional women. The Grounded Theory as a qualitative method was applied to derive a theory about the phenomenon inductively. Purposeful sampling was used to identify 24 professional women. In-depth interviews and a group session were conducted to gather data, and to confirm themes and concepts on which the theoretical framework was based. It was concluded that life-balance is a life-process with a cyclical nature, and a useful tool for achieving personal growth. Life-balance is therefore not “one, single ultimate experience”, but a series of individual experiences unfolding over time, which could be better described as “life-balance moments”

Some determinants of business intelligence adoption using the technology- organisation -environment framework : a developing country perspective

Published ArticleThe competitive environment today dictates that organisations must utilise their resources effectively and efficiently and also aim to provide their employees with the right information tools. Business Intelligence (BI) systems are known for their ability to increase organisational efficiency and effectiveness. This is achieved by providing decision makers with useful information within the necessary time-frame to support effective decision making. This makes BI systems vital to any organisation. However, BI systems require millions of dollars to develop as well as significant hardware and personnel investment. This can be a major obstacle in developing countries that want to adopt BI successfully. Information System (IS) theories on technology adoption have predominantly focused on developed countries and hence a study is required to examine how emerging technologies such as BI can successfully be adopted in a developing county such as South Africa. This research aimed to determine and describe the factors that affect the adoption of BI in South Africa. The study also attempted to identify issues pertaining to BI adoption by South African organisations. The Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE) Framework was used as the theoretical basis for studying BI adoption. The results of this study indicate that several factors, namely Information Technology (IT) Infrastructure, Competitive Pressure and Perceived Benefit are important determinants of BI adoption in South Africa. IT Expertise, Lack of Trading Partners and Company Size were found to be statistically insignificant in determining BI adoption decisions. From a practical standpoint, the results could provide useful pointers, both managerial and technological, to organisations in the developing world, for example South Africa, which aspires to adopt BI

The relationship between leadership practices and organisational culture: An education management perspective

The relationship between leadership practice of the principal and school culture was investigated and recommendations on the skills principals need to establish a school culture conducive to teaching and learning are provided. Two standardised questionnaires were used to measure the existing leadership practices and organisational culture in 30 schools. Correlations between leadership practices and school cultures were determined by means of linear regressions and portrayed by scatter plots. It was found that each of the leadership practices tested was positively related to either of the two main elements of organisational culture: sociability or solidarity. The findings provided a sound basis for the appointment of principals able to cultivate a positive school culture.Keywords: correlation; culture; education; leadership; management; organisation; relationshipSouth African Journal of Education Vol. 26 (4) 2006: pp. 609-62

Normal reference values for thyroid uptake of technetium-99m pertechnetate for the Namibian population

Objective: Historically, changes in normal thyroid uptake values for iodine have been reported in different geographical areas. These changes have been linked to geographical and chronological fluctuations in dietary iodine intake in different populations. Namibia is a country with mixed ethnicity, with access to dietary iodine in table salt. Despite historical reports on deviating normal thyroid uptake values (emphasising the importance of establishing local normal reference values), the relevant Namibian authorities have never revised these reference values, nor have local reference values been established. The aim of this study was to establish the normal reference values for thyroid uptake of technetium-99m pertechnetate in the Namibian population.Design: Participants who were considered to be euthyroid completed a questionnaire designed to exclude individuals with thyroid pathologies, as well as those with renal or heart disease.Settings and subjects: The study cohort consisted of 76 participants (58 women and 18 men), ranging in age from 39-81 years. The participants were of mixed ethnicity, consisting of Hereros, Ovambos, Damaras, Namas, Coloureds, Caucasians and other (non-Namibian immigrants), and were from Windhoek, Namibia. Studies were performed at the Windhoek Central Hospital.Outcome measures: Blood was drawn for thyroid hormone assessment. Participants were then given 100 MBq of technetium-99m pertechnetate intravenously, and their percentage thyroid uptake recorded after 20 minutes.Results: In this study, thyroid-stimulating hormone, triiodothyronine, and thyroxine levels were found to be 1.7 μIU/ ml, 4.9 pmol/ml and 10.3 pmol/ml, respectively. Analysis of the empirical data showed that the normal reference uptake value for technetium-99m pertechnetate in the studied population ranged between 0.04% and 2.40%.The fifth and 95th percentiles for pertechnetate uptake were 0.15% and 1.69%, respectively.Conclusion: These results provide new evidence which supports the importance of periodical evaluation of normal thyroid uptake reference values for technetium-99m pertechnetate.Keywords: technetium-99m pertechnetate, euthyroid, uptak

An investigation into the prescribing of analgesics

CITATION: Truter, I. & Kotze, T. J. v. W. 1996. An investigation into the prescribing of analgesics. South African Medical Journal, 86(11):1394-1397.The original publication is available at http://www.samj.org.zaTo investigate the prescribing of analgesic agents in a defined South African patient population. Design: Retrospective drug utilisation study. Setting: Prescribing behaviour of a sample of 50 dispensing doctors in Port Elizabeth. Data were obtained from a medical aid which used a formulary system. Percentage of central nervous system drugs that analgesics comprised; proportion of patients using combination analgesics; cost of analgesics. On average, 83.3% of all central nervous system drugs dispensed were analgesic agents. These agents represented 70.9% of the total cost of central nervous system drugs. A high percentage (82.2%) of the analgesic agents dispensed were combination or polycomponent analgesics. The combination analgesic tablet, consisting of paracetamol, meprobamate, caffeine and codeine phosphate, was the most frequently prescribed central nervous system drug. This product accounted on average for 40.4% of all analgesics dispensed. Nearly half (46.0%) of all the analgesics dispensed by the sample of doctors were available without a prescription. The high prescribing rate of combination analgesic prescription was a cause for concern, given the dependence-producing potential of some of the ingredients, e.g. meprobamate. The prescribing and use of analgesics should be carefully monitored by further drug utilisation studies in light of the serious adverse effects, such as analgesic nephropathy, associated with the long-term use of these agents.Publisher’s versio

The invasion of abandoned fields by a major alien tree filters understory plant traits in novel forest ecosystems

The abandonment of agricultural use is a common driver of spontaneous reforestation by alien trees. The N-fixing black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) is a major alien invader of old fields in Europe. Here we show that canopy dominance by this tree may filter the frequency distribution of plant functional traits in the understory of secondary woodlands. Higher soil C/N ratio and available P are associated with black locust stands, while higher soil phenols associate with native tree stands. These environmental effects result in differences in understory flowering periods, reproduction types and life forms. Our findings emphasize the effect of a major alien tree on functional plant trait composition in the early stages of spontaneous reforestation of abandoned lands, implying the development of a novel forest ecosystem on a large geographical scale.Peer reviewe

Spontaneous prolonged contractions during antenatal fetal heart rate monitoring

CITATION: Reinhardt, G., Odendaal, H.J. & Kotze, T.J.v.W. 1987. Spontaneous prolonged contractions during antenatal fetal heart rate monitoring . S Afr Med J, 71(1):17-19.The original publication is available at http://www.samj.org.zaENGLISH ABSTRACT: Uterine contractions of more than 2 minutes' duration occurred spontaneously in 1.4% of 6399 antenatal fetal heart rate (FHR) recordings. All recordings were made in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Tygerberg Hospital. The patients with spontaneous prolonged contractions (SPC) were compared with a randomly selected control group. Patients who had an SPC during antenatal FHR recording were not at a higher risk of abruptio placentae, preterm labour or unexpected intra-uterine death. Of the infants born to the mothers in the study group, 65.5% were male. There were more primigravidas in the study group, which may have been responsible for the longer duration of the second stage of labour in this group. When primigravidas only were examined no difference between the two groups could be found except for a larger placental mass in the study group. It is uncertain why primigravidas were more likely to develop SPCs as observed during antenatal FHR monitoring.Publisher’s versio

The influence of a Mediterranean Diet with and without Red Wine on the Haemostatic and Inflammatory Parameters of Subjects with the Metabolic Syndrome

This 8 week study examined whether a Mediterranean diet supplemented with red wine, had an acute impact onsubjects diagnosed with the metabolic syndrome. Twelve non-smoking subjects with diagnostic criteria of themetabolic syndrome on minimal medication, consumed a Mediterranean-like diet for 4 weeks respectively withoutand with red wine. The amount of red wine consumed was 250 ml (26 grams of alcohol) per day for male and 180ml (19 grams) per day for female participants. A nutrigenetic profile for cardiovascular risk factors was performedon each participant. Fasting blood specimens were taken at baseline, after the diet and after the diet with wineinterventions for platelet function, procoagulants FVII and FVIII, von Willebrand’s factor, fibrinogen, tissueplasminogen activator, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, highly sensitive C-reactive protein and oxygen radicalabsorbance capacity (ORAC). After both periods of diet without wine and with wine, ORAC increased significantlycompared to baseline levels. Except for platelet H2O2 fluxes and FVII concentration, none of the haemostatic orinflammatory parameters changed significantly after the intervention periods compared with baseline levels.Genetic risk factors for cardiovascular disease were identified in all study participants and the potential genotypiceffects relevant to this study were generally in agreement with expected phenotypic response following the dietaryintervention. Our conclusions are that the period of intervention was too short for substantial changes inhaemostatic or in inflammatory parameters in subjects who already manifest some changes in their cardiovascularsystem and who showed diverse genetic profiles underlying increased cardiovascular risk

A longitudinal patient record for patients receiving antiretroviral treatment

Published ArticleIn response to the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) epidemic in the country, the South African Government started with the provisioning of Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) in the public health sector. Monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the ART programme is of the utmost importance. The current patient information system could not supply the required information to manage the rollout of the ART programme. A data warehouse, consisting of several data marts, was developed that integrated several disparate systems related to HIV/AIDS/ART into one system. It was, however, not possible to trace a patient across all the data marts in the data warehouse. No unique identifiers existed for the patient records in the different data marts and they also had different structures. Record linkage in conjunction with a mapping process was used to link all the data marts and in so doing identify the same patient in all the data marts. This resulted in a longitudinal patient record of an ART patient that displayed all the treatments received by the patient in all public health care facilities in the province