Educators’ perspectives on the relevance of Social and Emotional Learning skills in South Africa

Youth have difficulty making the transition from education to the workplace in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. High levels of youth unemployment prevail in South Africa, and it is necessary to find ways to assist youth to enter the workplace. The purpose of this grounded theory study is to explore how educators view the efficacy of social and emotional learning (SEL) skills in the learning environment. There is evidence worldwide that implementation of SEL skills is effective for improving academic achievement as well as success in the future life. Findings indicate that 68 participating purposive selected educators, who wrote written responses to openended questionnaires, believe SEL skills would have a positive impact on the learning environment; would be essential for learners to become future ready; and would be beneficial to themselves as educators both personally and professionally. Educators referred frequently to the importance of building interpersonal relationships, self-management and social awareness skills. It would be prudent, as a next step of exploration, to collaborate with educators and learners to co-construct effective interventions and formal support structures with policymakers, for the benefit of all those in the learning environment

A hope-based future orientation intervention to arrest adversity

Hope has been identified as a key element to success in planning one’s future. An attitude of hope opposes feelings of despair and can sustain one through adversity. The study reported on in this article is based on the premise that everyone needs hope to thrive and that educators can be providers of hope for the future, since they are responsible for building capacity in young people. Educators can assist young people towards successful transition from school to tertiary education and training, before entering the world of work, by focusing on practical interventions. The prevailing difficulties within the economic sociopolitical arena contribute to ubiquitous feelings of helplessness and hopelessness among both privileged and disenfranchised people. The intention of this case study was to explore the efficacy of a hope-based future orientation intervention to arrest the negative impact of adversities faced by a university student. The participatory action research approach was used to gain insight into the experiences of the participant. The analysis was qualitative. The efficacy of this intervention, which uses constructs of hope as a unique foundation, is discussed. Keywords: education; future orientation; guidance; hope; livelihood; wor

Germs of diffeomorphisms and their Taylor expansions

The thesis examines the relationship between the germ of a C∞ diffeomorphism f: Rn,0 -• Rn,0 which is tangent to the identity at 0 and its Taylor expansion. The case in which n is one is already well understood. For n greater than one some normal forms for germs are already known. These are germs with the property that any other germ having the same Taylor expansion is conjugate to the normal form. Conjugation may be thought of as a change of variables. The idea is that the Taylor expansion determines what the germ 'looks like'. The above concept is extended in the thesis in a new way to deal with the common situation where the Taylor expansion only partially determines what the germ 'looks like', for example the Taylor expansion may determine what the germ looks like near one axis, but not away from that axis. Examples are given. The importance of the extended concept is highlighted by a construction (using the new idea) of a large class of germs which do not have normal forms in the old, limited, sense. The theory allows one to study the centralisers of such germs, and to describe what their invariant curves 'look like', for example,’can the germs be embedded in one-parameter groups, and do they have invariant curves which may be thought of as graphs of C∞ functions

Towards an economic appraisal methodology to better capture positive urban economic externalities arising from agglomeration - for particular application to urban transport investments

Conventional cost benefit appraisal (CBA) consistently yields higher benefit cost ratios (BCRs) for road projects than for most public transport investments. This affects the ability to motivate the levels of investment needed to realise the intent of national transport policy that prioritises public transport, especially in metropolitan areas. While modern CBA methods make provision for negative externalities such as accidents and environment, positive externalities like supply chain efficiencies in the freight sector and urban economic functionality efficiencies in the public transport sector, are not well catered for. Under-representation of positive externalities may yield misleading CBA results and hence over or under investment in different transport infrastructure sectors. Based on evidence of urban agglomeration economies, that are most pronounced in cities that have a wide range of transport modes, a simple appraisal method is proposed that imputes long-term GDP growth uplift to investments in an appropriate programme of transport systems in Gauteng Province in South Africa. A range of collateral institutional and economic policies, designed to enhance theoretically demonstrated economies of agglomeration, are noted. Further research is proposed to confirm the nature and scale of the linkages between an ‘urban economic efficiency’ focused programme of transport investments, and enhanced GDP growth.Papers presented at the 36th Southern African Transport Conference, CSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria, South Africa on 10-13 July 2017.Transportation research board of the national academie

A retrospective review of state sector outpatients (Tara Hospital) prescribed olanzapine: adherence to metabolic and cardiovascular screening and monitoring guidelines

MMed, Psychiatry, University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Health SciencesIntroduction Antipsychotics are used for the treatment of psychotic disorders, most commonly schizophrenia, as well as mood disorders e.g. bipolar mood d isorder. The efficacy of the newer second generation (atypical) antipsychotics is equivalent to first generation antipsychotics. The apparent advantage of the second generation antipsychotics is related to their purported reduced side effect profile, thus making them more desirable due to improved compliance and relapse prevention. The limiting factor with this class of drugs, especially in the state sector in South Africa, has been the cost. However, reports of treatment-emergent adverse events such as diabetes mellitus, diabetic ketoacidosis, hyperglycaemia and dyslipidaemia in patients receiving second generation antipsychotics have increased in recent times. This has lead to growing concern about the link between metabolic complications and their use, with consequent reconsideration of the implications of prescribing. Aims The study aimed to establish the extent to which metabolic and cardiovascular screening and monitoring has been undertaken on patients who have been prescribed olanzapine, a second generation antipsychotic. Specifically the extent to which the American Diabetes Association Consensus Conference monitoring protocols were being implemented in a specialist psychiatric South African setting i.e.: at Tara: The H. Moross Centre’s outpatient department. Objectives The study objectives were to describe the demographic profile, clinical diagnosis and risk factors for metabolic complications in a sample of patients receiving olanzapine. Further, to establish the extent to which metabolic and cardiovascular screening and monitoring has been undertaken on patients prescribed olanzapine as well as to what extent the patients’s demographics, diagnosis and metabolic risk factors influenced the treating doctor’s adherence to screening guidelines. Method This study was undertaken at Tara: The H. Moross Centre (outpatient department). A convenience sample of patients prescribed olanzapine were selected as the study group. The study involved a review of case records. It was a retrospective descriptive study. Relevant data was entered on a data sheet, designed for the study in accordance with the objectives and adapted from the American Diabetes Association Consensus Development Conference on Antipsychotic Drugs, Obesity and Diabetes. The data sheet is based on an existing protocol for monitoring metabolic status. v Frequencies for the presence or absence of evidence of screening or monitoring for metabolic complications were established, as per American Diabetes Association monitoring protocol requirements. Although the study involved outpatients, not all patients were intiated on olanzapine as outpatients i.e. some of the prescribing was inpatient initiated. Results The sample comprised of 19 females and 20 males. 48.72% female and 51.28% male. The mean age of females in the sample was 52.38 years (SD=16.20) and the mean age of males was 41.28 (SD=17.05) years. The sample were predominantly single ( 61.54% n=24 ) with the majority being white (79.49% n=31 ); most had either tertiarty (43% n=17 ) or secondary (53.85% n =21 ) level of education. Only 2.56% (n=1) had only primary level education. With regards to the diagnoses of patients in the sample, 17,95% (n=7) were diagnosed with bipolar 1 disorder, 7.69% (n=3) with major depressive disorder with psychosis, 20,51% (n=8) schizoaffective disorder and 53,84% (n=21) with schizophrenia. The percentage of screening for all the parameters was generally less than 20% and it continued to decline to less than 20% until 4 months. The exception was weight, where frequency increased slightly over time. Comparing inpatient vesus outpatient initiated treatment there were apparent differences in the extent of screening i.e. greater for inpatient initiated treatment, specifically with respect to weight and blood pressure. Conclusion The current study was conducted in a very specific setting, but the findings demonstrated an area requiring attention i.e. adherence to acceptable clinical guidelines. Whilst one can only speculate on the basis for non-adherence, having established the status quo, there is a requirement for an appropriate strategy to address the deficit, given the implications of inadequate monitoring

What is sustainable transport infrastructure?

Paper presented at the 32nd Annual Southern African Transport Conference 8-11 July 2013 "Transport and Sustainable Infrastructure", CSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria, South Africa.This paper commences with a review of economic growth theory noting the key role of technology, deployed via appropriately regulated institutions. It applies these insights to the transport infrastructure sector in order to answer the question: how can transport technologies, or modes, be deployed most sustainably in terms of their contribution to economic growth and prosperity? Sections follow which explore how transport technologies and the institutional forms by which they are delivered, differ in terms of the efficiency with which they are able to transmit economic value. Reference is made to time series data comparing rail and paved roads investment in South Africa from 1875-2005 to GDP data showing that the economic impact of rail investment has declined relative to that of road from about 1930, despite protection of the rail sector. This GDP impact differential is explained in terms of the positive economic externalities of road transport technology relative to rail technology. The externalities include: ability to elicit viable economic activity: at smaller scales, in a wider range of locations, and in support of more efficient manufacturing technologies, than rail transport could sustain. The role of institutional form in the procurement and delivery of transport infrastructure is then considered, noting how reforms in the rail sector in different parts of the world have generally occurred in order to redeploy rail transport technology to sectors in which it can continue to transmit economic value efficiently. It is reported that when such reform has been resisted, the economic role of rail becomes increasingly unsustainable. Finally, a definition of a sustainable transport infrastructure strategy is offered as one in which each transport infrastructure technology, or mode, is used where its technological strengths can be effectively deployed, and requiring institutional forms that are mandated to ensure that positive externalities are optimised and negative externalities minimised.This paper was transferred from the original CD ROM created for this conference. The material was published using Adobe Acrobat 10.1.0 Technology. The original CD ROM was produced by Document Transformation Technologies Postal Address: PO Box 560 Irene 0062 South Africa. Tel.: +27 12 667 2074 Fax: +27 12 667 2766 E-mail: nigel@doctech URL: http://www.doctech.co.zamv201

Distributions, sources, and transformations of dissolved and particulate iron on the Ross Sea continental shelf during summer

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2017. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 122 (2017): 6371–6393, doi:10.1002/2017JC013068.We report water column dissolved iron (dFe) and particulate iron (pFe) concentrations from 50 stations sampled across the Ross Sea during austral summer (January–February) of 2012. Concentrations of dFe and pFe were measured in each of the major Ross Sea water masses, including the Ice Shelf Water and off-shelf Circumpolar Deep Water. Despite significant lateral variations in hydrography, macronutrient depletion, and primary productivity across several different regions on the continental shelf, dFe concentrations were consistently low (<0.1 nM) in surface waters, with only a handful of stations showing elevated concentrations (0.20–0.45 nM) in areas of melting sea ice and near the Franklin Island platform. Across the study region, pFe associated with suspended biogenic material approximately doubled the inventory of bioavailable iron in surface waters. Our data reveal that the majority of the summertime iron inventory in the Ross Sea resides in dense shelf waters, with highest concentrations within 50 m of the seafloor. Higher dFe concentrations near the seafloor are accompanied by an increased contribution to pFe from authigenic and/or scavenged iron. Particulate manganese is also influenced by sediment resuspension near the seafloor but, unlike pFe, is increasingly associated with authigenic material higher in the water column. Together, these results suggest that following depletion of the dFe derived from wintertime convective mixing and sea ice melt, recycling of pFe in the upper water column plays an important role in sustaining the summertime phytoplankton bloom in the Ross Sea polynya.National Science Foundation's United States Antarctic Program Grant Numbers: ANT-0944174 , ANT-0944165; National Science Foundation Grant Number: OCE-06495052018-02-1

Distributions, Sources, and Transformations of Dissolved and Particulate Iron on the Ross Sea Continental Shelf During Summer

We report water column dissolved iron (dFe) and particulate iron (pFe) concentrations from 50 stations sampled across the Ross Sea during austral summer (January-February) of 2012. Concentrations of dFe and pFe were measured in each of the major Ross Sea water masses, including the Ice Shelf Water and off-shelf Circumpolar Deep Water. Despite significant lateral variations in hydrography, macronutrient depletion, and primary productivity across several different regions on the continental shelf, dFe concentrations were consistently low (\u3c0.1 nM) in surface waters, with only a handful of stations showing elevated concentrations (0.20-0.45 nM) in areas of melting sea ice and near the Franklin Island platform. Across the study region, pFe associated with suspended biogenic material approximately doubled the inventory of bioavailable iron in surface waters. Our data reveal that the majority of the summertime iron inventory in the Ross Sea resides in dense shelf waters, with highest concentrations within 50 m of the seafloor. Higher dFe concentrations near the seafloor are accompanied by an increased contribution to pFe from authigenic and/or scavenged iron. Particulate manganese is also influenced by sediment resuspension near the seafloor but, unlike pFe, is increasingly associated with authigenic material higher in the water column. Together, these results suggest that following depletion of the dFe derived from wintertime convective mixing and sea ice melt, recycling of pFe in the upper water column plays an important role in sustaining the summertime phytoplankton bloom in the Ross Sea polynya

Volcanic ash as an oceanic iron source and sink

Volcanic ash deposition to the ocean forms a natural source of iron (Fe) to surface water microbial communities. Inputs of lithogenic material may also facilitate Fe removal through scavenging. Combining dissolved Fe (dFe) and thorium-234 observations alongside modeling, we investigate scavenging of Fe in the North Atlantic following the Eyjafjallajökull volcanic eruption. Under typical conditions biogenic particles dominate scavenging, whereas ash particles dominate during the eruption. The size of particles is important as smaller scavenging particles can become saturated with surface-associated ions. Model simulations indicate that ash deposition associated with Eyjafjallajökull likely led to net Fe removal. Our model suggests a threefold greater stimulation of biological activity if ash deposition had occurred later in the growing season when the region was Fe limited. The implications of ash particle scavenging, eruption timing, and particle saturation need to be considered when assessing the impact of ash deposition on the ocean Fe cycle and productivity

Attenuation of sinking particulate organic carbon flux through the mesopelagic ocean

The biological carbon pump, which transports particulate organic carbon (POC) from the surface to the deep ocean, plays an important role in regulating atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations. We know very little about geographical variability in the remineralization depth of this sinking material and less about what controls such variability. Here we present previously unpublished profiles of mesopelagic POC flux derived from neutrally buoyant sediment traps deployed in the North Atlantic, from which we calculate the remineralization length scale for each site. Combining these results with corresponding data from the North Pacific, we show that the observed variability in attenuation of vertical POC flux can largely be explained by temperature, with shallower remineralization occurring in warmer waters. This is seemingly inconsistent with conclusions drawn from earlier analyses of deep-sea sediment trap and export flux data, which suggest lowest transfer efficiency at high latitudes. However, the two patterns can be reconciled by considering relatively intense remineralization of a labile fraction of material in warm waters, followed by efficient downward transfer of the remaining refractory fraction, while in cold environments, a larger labile fraction undergoes slower remineralization that continues over a longer length scale. Based on the observed relationship, future increases in ocean temperature will likely lead to shallower remineralization of POC and hence reduced storage of CO2 by the ocean