Stress, coping and resilence in a sample of Zimbabwean migrants living in Pinetown, South Africa.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.This study examined the levels of stress, resilience and coping strategies in a sample of 120 Zimbabwean migrants residing in the Pinetown area. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire and three instruments: the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), and the Brief Coping Orientation for Problems Experienced (COPE) inventory. The results showed high levels of perceived helplessness and low levels of perceived self-efficacy on the Perceived Stress Scale 10. Competence and spirituality were the most endorsed attributes of resilience. Religion and planning were the most frequently used coping strategies. Religiosity had a significantly positive association with emotion-focused coping and resilience. Stress was negatively related to resilience. The results suggest that health promotion programmes for migrants should take into consideration the importance of religious/spiritual intervention and problem-solving skills to reduce stress effectively

A Study of the Physics of the Interstellar Medium using the Herschel-SPIRE Instrument

Stars form in cold and dense regions of the interstellar medium where Rayleigh scattering heavily attenuates short wavelength radiation but allows long wavelength radiation to escape. Long-wavelength radiation from star forming regions, after travelling many lightyears to reach us, is absorbed by the water vapor in the Earth's atmosphere before it can reach ground-based telescopes. Thus, prior to the far-infrared space telescope, Herschel, our view of the submillimeter universe was through very narrow spectral windows that are only accessible from high mountain sites. Herschel, with its three instruments, was designed to operate in the far-infrared and observe radiation from star forming regions. Unlike ground based telescopes, Herschel has provided the first unfettered access to the entire far-infrared electromagnetic spectrum. In this work, I have analyzed Herschel observations of three starless cores (L1521E, L1521F and L1689B), one Class 0 protostar (IRAS16293-2422) and one Class I protostar (Elias 29). These observations were obtained with the Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver (SPIRE) photometer and spectrometer. The measured low-spectral resolution spectra of starless cores have been used to obtain more accurate spectral energy distributions (SEDs) which have enabled the calculation of dust temperatures, emissivity spectral indices, and masses associated with these cores. The map-making capability of the SPIRE instrument provided fully sampled spectral maps of IRAS16293-2422 and Elias 29. A wealth of molecular line emission was detected from both protostars. These include 12CO, 13CO, C18O, CI, H2O, HCO+ and CS. Integrated line intensity maps show that both line and continuum emission from IRAS16293-2422 originate from a compact region surrounding the protobinary system. An SED constructed from flux density points obtained with various instruments has been fitted with radiative transfer models to obtain physical parameters associated with IRAS16293-2422. Integrated line intensity maps for Elias 29 have confirmed the previously reported result that there are three components along the line of sight. The spatial extent of molecular emission from these sources is an important constraint in radiative transfer models that are used to better understand the physical conditions in the early stages of star formation. Far-infrared broadband observations of starless cores, Class 0 and Class I protostars obtained with the Herschel-SPIRE instrument have provided for the first time the ability to study the first stages of star formation. Continuum observations of starless cores have been used to construct SEDs from which more accurate dust temperatures and emissivity indices have been derived. Fully Nyquist sampled observations have been used to study the spatial extent of dust and line emission from Class 0 and Class I protostars.CSA, NSER

Learners' rights in the 21st century : a dilemma for secondary school learners in Tshwane South

Abstract: The issue of school violence is of great concern to all education stakeholders. Many studies have examined the causes of school violence and its effect on the teaching and learning process. However, there has been little focus given to how learners’ rights influence the management of school violence by educators. School violence has been linked to indiscipline which results in learners becoming uncontrollable leading to apathy in schools. While school leaders have the legal authority to maintain discipline, they must do so without infringing on the rights of learners. This study sought to investigate the opinions of three Tshwane North high schools’ learners, educators and parents on learners’ rights and their role in the prevalence of school violence. It was a generic qualitative study framed within the constructive interpretivist paradigm. The researcher utilised qualitative data collection methods, which included document analysis and semi-structured interviews. The researcher also undertook a purposive sampling of research sites and participants. The selected participants included principals, deputy principals, teachers, learners, and parents. The findings suggest that school leaders are aware of and employ the recommended strategies for combating school violence. The study also revealed that learners misunderstood, and mis used their rights. Thus, learners’ rights did not influence school violence. The research findings revealed that educators were no longer using corporal punishment, however they were using other degrading forms of disciplining learners, thereby violating the learners’ rights. The data analysis indicates the difficulties that learners experience in the age of human rights. Learners want their rights to be respected, but at the same time they desire harsher penalties for misbehaving learners. These findings allow schools and policy makers to reflect on the implementation and effectiveness of the various discipline strategies to curb school violence.M.Ed. (Educational Leadership and Management

The effect of feeding varying inclusion levels of velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens) seed meal on growth performance and physicochemical attributes of broiler chicken

This study was conducted to determine the effect of feeding varying inclusion levels of velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens) seed meal (VBSM) on growth performance and physicochemical attributes of broiler chicken. Mucuna pruriens seed is an indigenous legume seed commonly found in tropical and sub-tropical areas; however, it can also be planted and cultivated. It is a viable source of dietary protein with an average concentration of 33.4%. Soybean is expensive. In addition, the South African production levels do not meet the current demand; hence the majority of soybean oilcake is imported. Recently, consumers have been conscious of the quality of chicken meat from both local and international producers. Therefore, there is a need to explore velvet bean that can grow in poorly fertilised and low rainfall areas. The study was conducted at Fort Cox Agriculture and Forestry Training Institute. One hundred and twelve (112) Cobb broilers were used, with an average weight of 45.2g. Four diets were formulated to be iso-caloric and iso-nitrogenous comprising velvet beans at 0, 10, 15 and 20 % (T1, T2, T3 and T4). The broilers were reared for 42 days with 35 days on experimental diets. Feed intake, body weight gain, feed conversion ratio, mortality, final body weight, carcass weight, and dressing percentage were determined. At day 42, twenty birds per treatment were randomly selected and fasted for five hours with water offered ad libitum. After slaughter the meat pH24, colour (L*, a*, b*), Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF), thawing loss (TL), and cooking loss (CL) measurements were performed on 80 breast and 80 thigh muscles. The data for growth performance and physicochemical parameters was analysed using General Linear Model (GLM) procedure of SAS (SAS, 2006), mean separation was done using LSD test option of SAS. Daily feed intake, body weight gain, final weight and carcass weight of broilers from T1 were significantly higher (P 0.05). High (P 0.05) on thigh meat pH24, lightness, redness, and WBSF. Cooking loss (25.69%) was higher (P 0.05) was not influenced by diets. It can be concluded that the VBSM has an effect on feed intake, growth performance and mortality of broilers, except on FCR and dressing percentage. It was also concluded that the VBSM can be included in broiler diets up to the level of 15% without negatively affecting the quality of meat

Analysing the nexus between financial structure and monetary policy impulses in sub-Saharan Africa

Background: Gains in improving bank efficiency have widely been regarded as one of the most effective means of ensuring sustainability in a financial system. Aim: It is proposed in this article to measure monetary policy impulses and the dynamic panel data model to examine the linear relationship. Setting: The nexus between financial structure and monetary policy impulses is analysed, considering 21 sub-Saharan African (SSA) nations during the time period from 2011 to 2022. Method: The Vector Autoregressive (VAR) analysis is employed to measure monetary policy impulses and the dynamic panel data model to examine the linear relationship. Results: A significant positive association between competition in the banking system and monetary policy impulses was found. Monetary policy impulses are inversely and significantly related to financial development. Also, the size of the central bank has a significant positive influence on the effectiveness of monetary policy. Conclusion: The financial structure has a significant role to play in the monetary transmission mechanism and credit markets help propagate and amplify shocks to the macro-economy. Contribution: The relationship between financial structure and monetary policy is not a one-way street as these variables tend to influence one another. Empirical literature on the subject is not very recent and come to differing conclusions, hence the rationale for conducting this article in SSA, employing both the structural VAR model and the dynamic panel data model

Herschel SPIRE FTS Spectral Mapping Calibration

The Herschel SPIRE Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) performs spectral imaging in the 447-1546 GHz band. It can observe in three spatial sampling modes: sparse mode, with a single pointing on sky, or intermediate or full modes with 1 and 1/2 beam spacing, respectively. In this paper, we investigate the uncertainty and repeatability for fully sampled FTS mapping observations. The repeatability is characterised using nine observations of the Orion Bar. Metrics are derived based on the ratio of the measured intensity in each observation compared to that in the combined spectral cube from all observations. The mean relative deviation is determined to be within 2%, and the pixel-by-pixel scatter is ~7%. The scatter increases towards the edges of the maps. The uncertainty in the frequency scale is also studied, and the spread in the line centre velocity across the maps is found to be ~15 km/s. Other causes of uncertainty are also discussed including the effect of pointing and the additive uncertainty in the continuum.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in Experimental Astronom

Calibration of <i>Herschel</i> SPIRE FTS observations at different spectral resolutions

The SPIRE Fourier Transform Spectrometer on-board the Herschel Space Observatory had two standard spectral resolution modes for science observations: high resolution (HR) and low resolution (LR), which could also be performed in sequence (H+LR). A comparison of the HR and LR resolution spectra taken in this sequential mode revealed a systematic discrepancy in the continuum level. Analysing the data at different stages during standard pipeline processing demonstrates that the telescope and instrument emission affect HR and H+LR observations in a systematically different way. The origin of this difference is found to lie in the variation of both the telescope and instrument response functions, while it is triggered by fast variation of the instrument temperatures. As it is not possible to trace the evolution of the response functions using housekeeping data from the instrument subsystems, the calibration cannot be corrected analytically. Therefore, an empirical correction for LR spectra has been developed, which removes the systematic noise introduced by the variation of the response functions

A framework for stimulating adoption of ICT in SMEs in developing countries : the case of Zimbabwe

The utilisation and adoption of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in small to medium enterprises (SMEs) around the world have had a significant effect on most economies and have resulted in sustainable growth and prosperity. However, most SMEs in developing countries, including Zimbabwe, are still ages behind their counterparts in developed countries with regard to the application of ICTs in business processes. Literature indicates that the Zimbabwean government has failed to stimulate the adoption of ICT and its use in Zimbabwean SMEs in recent decades. A qualitative methodology was employed. This paper presents a validated and implementable ICT adoption framework that the Zimbabwean government can utilise to stimulate ICT adoption in SMEs. The research findings revealed that key factors that impact ICT adoption in Zimbabwean SMEs include a lack of government support, poor policy formulation, implementation and awareness, a lack of finances and inadequate infrastructure.https://journals.co.za/content/journal/aa_jgida12021-09-01pm2021Informatic

An investigation of the government-related factors that inhibit small to medium enterprises’ adoption and effective use of information and communication technology in developing countries : the case of Zimbabwe

The utilisation and adoption of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in small to medium enterprises (SMEs) around the world has had a significant effect on most economies, and has resulted in sustainable growth and prosperity. This has led most global governments to develop an interest in the development of SMEs; however, most SMEs in developing countries, including Zimbabwe, are still ages behind their counterparts in developed countries with regard to the application of ICTs in business processes. The reviewed literature for this study indicates that the Zimbabwean government has failed to stimulate the adoption of ICT and its use in Zimbabwean SMEs in recent decades. This paper seeks to reveal key government-related factors and strategies that can lead to the effective adoption of ICTs in the SME sector. A case study and qualitative methodology was employed for this investigation. This facilitated an all-encompassing view of the phenomenon under study. The approach utilised semi-structured interviews to collect data, and employed a thematic analysis method. The research findings revealed that key factors that impact on ICT adoption in Zimbabwean SMEs include a lack of government support, poor policy formulation, implementation and awareness, a lack of finances, and inadequate infrastructure. Key strategies outlined in this paper include the introduction of ICT import subsidies, tax rebates for SMEs, the formulation of SME-friendly policies, the expansion of electricity and Internet infrastructure to marginalised areas, and the establishment of government ICT centres to stimulate the adoption of ICT and its use in SMEs.http://www.springer.comseries/7899hj2019Informatic