In The Shadow of God

This work of fiction comprises a collection of stories exploring the lives of women in post-Independence and contemporary Botswana, as they navigate love, relationships, traditions disease, caretaking and grieving in a rapidly changing world

Some public health associations with specific enteropathogens in childhood diarrhoea in Cape Town

Background: Diarrhoea remains one of the leading causes of mortality in young children. After dehydration and malnutrition, electrolytes disturbances are an important complication of diarrhoea. In Cape Town, fluctuation of plasma sodium and potassium has been observed in childhood diarrhoea and were seasonal in their occurrence. A study conducted at Red Cross Children's Hospital found that seasonal fluctuations of plasma sodium and potassium were associated with specific enteropathogens but did not identify associations that suggested potential public health interventions that could target the electrolytes disturbances. It is possible that by identifying association with the enteropathogens directly, one could identify public health interventions to avoid seasonal electrolyte disturbances. Objectives: To identify clinical, nutritional, socio-economic, socio-demographic and seasonal associations with childhood diarrhoea caused by the enteropathogens Shigella, Salmonella, enterotoxigenic E. coli, enteropathogenic E.coli, Cryptosporidium, rotavirus or Campylobacter. Methods: This study was a secondary analysis of a cross-sectional study of infants less than 2 years old admitted to the Rehydration Unit of the Red Cross Children's Hospital with diarrhoea. Data were obtained through routine medical records and a questionnaire. Multiple logistic regression was performed to identify determinants of the diarrhoea-associated electrolytes disturbances. Results: Height for age was negatively associated with enteropathogenic E.coli (OR: 0.82, p-value: 0.039), Campylobacter (OR: 0.87, p-value: 0.082) and Salmonella (OR: 0.79, 0-value: 0.029) in the bi-variate analysis. Weight forheight and height for age were associated respectively to rotavirus (OR: 1.24, p-value: 0.011) and enterotoxigenic E.coli (OR: 1.16, p-value: 0.064 ). Water source was positively associated with Enteropathogenic E. coli, Campylobacter and inversely associated with rotavirus. Toilet was positively associated with enteropathogenic E. coli and Salmonella. Average temperature was positively associated with Enteropathogenic E. coli, Enterotoxigenic E. coli, Salmonella and Shiga/la. In the multivariate analysis breast feeding was negatively associated with Cryptosporidium infection (OR: 0.13; 95% Cl 0.20-0.62) while average humidity was positively associated with Cryptosporidium infection (OR: 1.1 O; 95% Cl 1.05-1.16). Enteropathogenic E. coli infection was positively associated with average ambient temperature (OR: 1.16, 95% Cl 1.03- 1.30).The child's age was a determinant of Campylobacter, (OR: 1.05; 95% Cl 1.00-1.11 ). Formula feeding, (OR: 0.45; 95% Cl 0.20-0.99) average temperature (OR: 0.87; 95% Cl 0.81-0.95) and humidity (OR: 0.91; 95% Cl 0.80-0.94) were all protective of rotavirus infection. None of the socioeconomic variables were associated with specific enteropathogens. Discussion: The only determinant associated with Enteropathogenic E coli identified in this study was average temperature. This concurs with its summer isolation. No significant determinant was identified for Enterotoxigenic E. coli in this analysis. For Cryptosporidium, in the multivariate analyses were duration of diarrhoea, breast-feeding and average humidity were identified as significant determinants. With the exception of breast-feeding, none of these determinants could be amended through public health intervention. For Campylobacter, age and adequacy of drinking were identified as significant determinants during the multivariate analysis. Adequacy of drinking was the only significant determinant associated with Salmonella. Formula feeding, plasma pH, average humidity and average temperature were associated with rotavirus while associations identified with Shiga/la were duration of vomiting, plasma pH and average temperature. As above, none of the identified determinants could be changed to modify the occurrence of these enteropathogenic diarrhoea. Conclusion: Although associations with specific enteropathogens were identified, none of the associations identified suggest public health interventions to avoid seasonal electrolyte disturbances

Employee perceptions of the performance appraisal process at the Centre for Education Policy Development

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management (in the field of Public and Development Management) 31 March 2014Non Profit Organisations (NPOs) are not exempt from the demands of employee attraction, retention and motivation. As NPOs seek to sustain themselves, the need to manage the performance of employees will continue to be a critical human resource management issue. Performance Appraisals (PAs) are used as tools that help manage the performance of employees; however, there is little understanding by those who participate in their use in NPOs. The purpose of this research is to explore how PAs are used at the Centre for Education Policy Development (CEPD) and how the employees perceive their use. Using qualitative research methods, primary data was collected through interviews and document analysis. The main findings of the research were that, the CEPD was unclear about its objectives for conducting PAs due to poor implementation of performance management systems and that, employees’ perceive the performance appraisal process as ineffective and irrelevant. There are serious managerial implications for defining the process of conducting appraisals and these include; training, selection of appropriate tools and clarifying the roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder in the process

Vertical-velocity skewness in the marine stratus-topped boundary layer

Vertical-velocity skewness, S(sub w), in a turbulent flow is important in several regards. S(sub w) is indicative of the structure of the motion when it is positive, updrafts are narrower and stronger than surrounding downdrafts, and vice versa. Aircraft measurements often suggest cool, narrow downdrafts at some distance below the stratus cloud top, indicating a negative S(sub w) (Nicholls and Leighton, 1986). This seems natural as the turbulence within the stratus-topped boundary layer (CTBL) is driven mainly by the radiative cooling at the cloud top (although sometimes surface heating can also play a major role). One expects intuitively (e.g., Nicolls, 1984) that, in the situations where cloud-top cooling and surface heating coexist, the turbulence statistics in the upper part of the CTBL are influenced more by the cloud-top cooling, while those in the lower part, more by the surface heating. Thus one expects negative S(sub w) in the upper part, and positive in the lower part, in this case. In contradistinction, large-eddy simulations (LES) of the CTBL show just the opposite: the S(sub w) is positive in the upper part and negative in the lower part of the layer. To understand the nature of vertical-velocity skewness, the simplest type of buoyancy-driven turbulence (turbulent Rayleigh-Benard convection) is studied through direct numerical simulation

Joint sessions on modeling of boundary layer and radiative transfer processes

During the session on modeling of the planetary boundary layer (PBL) processes the following topics were addressed: current PBL parameterizations used in mesoscale models; critical issues in improving PBL parameterizations for mesoscale models; suggestions for future modeling efforts; and suggestions for observing system strategies

The effects of leadership styles on employee performance: a case of a selected commercial bank in Botswana

Purpose: The leadership phenomenon is fundamental in providing employees with direction and emotional indulgence to derive maximum effort out of them. Therefore, it is vital that an organisation places uninhibited emphasis on the appropriate leadership style to enhance employee performance. Premised on the Collaborative Leadership Model, this paper sought to extricate the nexus between leadership style and employee performance at a selected bank in Botswana, focusing on the transactional, transformational, and participative leadership styles. Research methodology: The study adopted a positivist research paradigm coupled with a survey research design, while a quantitative methodology was used to collect data through a self-administered questionnaire. The study population comprised 433 employees from which a sample of 200 was randomly selected. Data was analysed through the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), culminating in statistical techniques such as factor analysis, regression analysis and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Results: The results of the study revealed that there was a significant utilisation of the participative, transformational, and transactional leadership styles at the selected commercial bank. However, while the use of the participative and transactional leadership styles had a positive and significant influence on employee performance, the transformational leadership style’s effect was insignificant. Limitation:  The study only used quantitative data from employees for analysis and did not include bank leaders’ opinions. Contribution: The study contributed to the expansion of the body of knowledge on leadership style and employee performance in the banking sector in Botswana and elsewhere and helped to unmask the shortcomings of some styles while exposing the power of others in reaping positive reinforcements leading to enhancement of employee performance. Keywords: Leadership, Leadership style, Employee performance, Participative leadership, Transformational leadership, Transactional leadershi

The Design And Implementation Of A Strategic Plan In Primary Schools

Many policies, strategies and plans have been introduced in South African schools so as to acquire quality education. A strategic plan, as a mechanism of putting schools on a pathway of development and effectiveness over a period of time, is one of these initiatives. Its introduction is based on a number of reasons inter-alia - the shift to school self-management, the introduction of Norms and Standards, and the introduction of School Governing Bodies (SGBs). A school’s strategic plan is the physical document that embodies the guiding orientation regarding how to manage the school within a larger national and local development perspective. Such a plan can lead to school effectiveness, improvement and development strategies, but not all plans obtain this status because of design efficiencies. A qualitative investigation was done in two primary schools in the Mahikeng Area Office (AO) of the North-West Province in South Africa. Document analysis, in-depth interviews with two principals and two SGB chairpersons, as well as a focus group interview with eight teachers from participating schools, were used to collect data on how primary schools in question design and implement their strategic plans. The investigation seems to suggest that, while an individual school community may craft a strategic plan in its own way, there are common aspects that underpin the entire process. Amongst others, technical knowledge and skill for its execution are necessary. Some policies emphasise the importance of a strategic plan and serve as an integrated implementation framework for its execution. It is concluded that a strategic plan is designed and implemented under three main elements: 1) strategic analysis, which is made up of stakeholder involvement; 2) strategic choices made up of direction-setting, priority determinations, mission, and vision; and 3) strategy in action, which refers to the process of translating the plan into action

Modeling the interlanguage: The effect of frequency in the L2 acquisition of English consonant clusters

This study seeks to determine whether the second language acquisition of non-native linguistic structures is best described within the framework of Optimality Theory, or within the framework of a usage-based model. These two frameworks make different predictions regarding the role of word frequency in second language acquisition. This study examines the productions of high and low-frequency English words as spoken by native speakers of S’gaw Karen, a language which does not permit coda clusters, who are acquiring English as a second language. Trends suggest that second language acquisition is better described within the framework of a usage-based model, suggesting a word-by-word acquisition of coda clusters, although limitations of the study are also noted in the discussion.Ope