Survey of the needs of HIV/AIDS orphaned children and foster parents and the implications of these needs on care giving: A case for Murehwa District

The Red Cross Society of Zimbabwe commissioned the study. The study was carried out in Dandara and Madamombe wards of Murehwa District. The study sought to find out the needs of orphaned children as well as those of their foster parents. The research was a sample survey that used an interview guide, in a face – to- face situation to collect data. Twenty foster parents and twenty orphaned children were interviewed. Those interviewed were purposively sampled using recommendations from Zimbabwe Red Cross Society Care Givers. Interviews were preferred because the researchers could get individual responses from the respondents. Data was analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. The study found out that the majority of orphaned children did not have adequate basic necessities, such as food, clothes and a descent sleeping place. The foster parents were failing to provide for the material and psychological support needed by the orphans. They also did not provide the orphans with basic educational needs such as books, ball pens, uniforms and covers. As a result the children were usually sent away from school thus depriving them of an opportunity to learn. For proper care giving the study recommends that foster parents be empowered by giving them financial support to start income generating projects. Foster parents need to be assisted with building materials so as to improve accommodation for the orphans or even build children's homes in rural areas. The study also recommended that the National AIDS Council (NAC) put in place outreach programmes to educate foster parents on how to care for orphans.Zimbabwe Journal of Educational Research Vol. 16(3) November 2004: pp. 215-22

Different views of distance education and how these views affect distance teaching and open learning within the Zimbabwe Open University

The study investigated stakeholders' views of distance education and their implications on distance teaching and open learning at Zimbabwe Open University. The study used a descriptive survey design and questionnaire instrument. The population of the study was 14700 students, 200 administrative staff and 850 lecturers. A sample of 258 students, 13 administrative staff and 41 lecturers was selected using convinient sampling technique. These were stakeholders who visited ZOU centres and volunteered to complete the questionnaire between May and June 2001. The study used Statistical Package for Social Sciences to produce frequency distribution tables and Chi-square statistical tool to test whether there were significant differences among stakeholders' views of distance education. The study found out that stakeholders had different views of distance education, and that these views negatively impacted on distance teaching and open learning. Zimbabwe Open University should induct all stakeholders on distance education, its operations, and their roles.Zimbabwe Journal of Educational Research Vol. 16(3) November 2004: pp. 241-26

Factors impacting on development and implementation of training programs for health professionals to deliver brief interventions, with a focus on programs developed for indigenous clients:A literature review

This paper reviews the literature on evaluations of brief intervention training programs for health professionals which address one or more lifestyle factors of chronic disease to identify factors impacting on development and implementation of programs. A search was conducted of the literature evaluating brief intervention training programs from 2000–2019 in the databases: Medline, CINAHL, Psychinfo, Academic Premier, Science Direct, Ovid (Including EMBASE and Healthstar), Web of Science and Informit. The content analysis and data extraction were aligned to the domains in the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to assist in the narrative synthesis. The search identified eight evaluations of programs targeting multiple risk factors, and 17 targeting single risk factors. The behavioural risk factor most commonly addressed was smoking, followed by alcohol and drug use. Programs consisted of face-to-face workshops and/or online or distance learning methods. Facilitators included availability of sustainable funding, adapting the program to suit the organisation’s structural characteristics and adoption of the intervention into routine client care. For Indigenous programs, the use of culturally appropriate images and language, consultation with Indigenous communities, and development of resources specific to the communities targeted were important considerations

Thermal stability and degradation kinetics of polystyrene/organically- modified montmorillonite nanocomposites

Organically-modified montmorillonite (MMT) clays have been prepared using ammonium salts containing quinoline, pyridine, benzene, and styrenic groups. The nanocomposites were prepared by melt blending and the formation of nanocomposites was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Thermal stability and flammability were evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and cone calorimetry measurements, respectively. The presence ofmodified MMT at 5% loading resulted in significant improvement in thermal stability compared to the virgin polymer. Effective activation energies for mass loss were determined via a model-free isoconversional approach from TGA data obtained under N2 and under air. The additives served to raise the activation energy, with a more significant impact observed under pyrolysis conditions. The onset temperature of degradation and temperature of maximum decomposition rate are increased, while the peak heat release rate and mass loss rates are significantly reduced in the presence of three of the modified clays. No reduction in the total heat released is observed

Языковые игры в пьесе Т. Стоппарда «Розенкранц и Гильденстерн мертвы»

Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) is an ambulatory care sensitive condition, associated with significant morbidity and mortality, rarely with cure. Outpatient based pharmacological management represents the main and most important aspect of care, and is usually lifelong. This narrative styled opinion review looks at the pharmacological agents recommended in the guidelines in context of the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia. We explore the concept of validity, a term used to describe the basis of standardising a particular trial or study and the population to which it is applicable. We aim to highlight the problems of the current guidelines based approach. We also present alternatives that could utilise the core principles from major trials, while incorporating regional considerations, which could benefit clients living in the NT and remote Australia.P. Iyngkaran, W. Majoni, A. Cass, Prashanthan Sanders, C. Ronco, S. Brady, N. Kangaharan, M. Ilton, D.L. Hare, M.C. Thoma