Code-switching and communicative competence in the language classroom

Code switching (CS) is a normal practice among bilingual and multilingual speakers both in the community at large and at schools despite it being mostly prohibited in most South African classrooms. Even though educators express the banes of CS or even deny its use in the classroom, the study on which this paper draws demonstrates that both teachers and learners engage in CS behaviour in classroom interaction. The paper examines language teaching sessions of Grade 8 and 9 learners in multilingual classrooms in three semi-urban schools in KwaZulu Natal. It demonstrates that in language classrooms, within the framework of OBE, CS involving learners’ home and additional languages can be used as a teaching and learning strategy in accomplishing communicative competence, especially grammatical, sociolinguistic and strategic competences, as described by Canale and Swain (1980). The paper concludes by exploring the implications of ‘strategic’ CS for second or additional language pedagogy, and suggests the need for education role-players to engage in continued consciousness raising as CS is a reality in and outside the classroom.Key words: code-switching, communicative competence, home language, additional language, Outcomes Based Educatio

Inter-dimensional Degeneracies in van der Waals Clusters and Quantum Monte Carlo Computation of Rovibrational States

Quantum Monte Carlo estimates of the spectrum of rotationally invariant states of noble gas clusters suggest inter-dimensional degeneracy in $N-1$ and $N+1$ spacial dimensions. We derive this property by mapping the Schr\"odinger eigenvalue problem onto an eigenvalue equation in which $D$ appears as a continuous variable. We discuss implications for quantum Monte Carlo and dimensional scaling methods

Utility of the Robson Ten Group Classification System to determine appropriateness of caesarean section at a rural regional hospital in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Background: High caesarean section (CS) rates are not only costly but associated with significant perinatal and maternal morbidity and mortality. It has recently been suggested that structured auditing of CSs may identify those groups in the obstetric population that contribute substantially to the high rates and for which focused interventions may bring about change.Objective: To evaluate the utility of the Robson Ten Group Classification System (RTGCS) in determining appropriateness of CS at a regional rural hospital in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.Methods: A retrospective review of the hospital records of women delivered by CS over a 3-month period was performed. The RTGCS was used to categorise women according to parity, age, past obstetric history, singleton or multiple pregnancy, fetal presentation, gestational age and mode of onset of labour/delivery.Results: There were 2 553 hospital births over the 3-month study period. The CS rate was 42.4% (1 082/2 553). According to the RTGCS, groups 1 (n=296, 27.4%), 5 (n=186, 17.2%) and 10 (n=253, 23.4%) were substantial contributors to the overall CS rate. The main indications for CS were fetal distress (36.5%) and cephalopelvic disproportion (26.8%).Conclusion: The RTGCS is a useful tool with which to identify patient groups warranting interventions to reduce high CS rates in a rural regional hospital setting. Group 1 (nullipara: single cephalic term pregnancy; spontaneous labour) warrants the most attention. Applying stricter criteria and due diligence in decision-making for primary CS may decrease the high CS rates

Environmental causes and impacts of the genocide in Rwanda: Case studies of the towns of Butare and Cyangugu

The history of the world has always been punctuated by cycles of violence,regardless of time, region or race. Genocide, which is one of the worst forms of violence, has always led to horrific socio-economic and environmental impacts. The last decade of the 20th century was the most turbulent Rwanda has ever experienced in its history. The country was ravaged by civil war, genocide, mass migrations, economic crisis, diseases, return of refugees and environmental destruction. Rwandan families were affected by and are still dealing with impacts such as death, disease, disability, poverty, loss of dignity and imprisonment. This paper uses a geographical perspective, more specifically the geography of conflict, to assess the environmental causes and impacts of the genocide in Rwanda, more than a decade after the genocide. Primary data used in this article were obtained from fieldwork undertaken in Cyangugu and Butare Towns, case studies chosen not only because of their particular history before,  during and after the genocide but also because of their heterogeneous population and physical landscapes. Empirical evidence obtained and secondary data sources indicate that the genocide in Rwanda destroyed not only human resources and social and cultural structures but also infrastructure, development facilities and natural resources which had serious negative consequences on the total environment

Medicinal plants with cholinesterase inhibitory activity: A Review

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a common neurodegenerative disease, is characterized by low levels in the brain of the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine (ACh). Clinical treatment of this disease is palliative and relies mostly on enhancing cholinergic function by stimulation of cholinergic receptors or prolonging the availability of ACh released into the neuronal synaptic cleft by use of agents which restore or improve the levels of acetylcholine. Inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), enzymes which breakdown acetylcholine, are considered as a promising strategy for the treatment of AD. A potential source of AChE and BChE inhibitors is provided by the abundance of plants in nature, and natural products continue to provide useful drugs and templates for the development of other compounds. The present work constitutes a review of the literature on 123 species of medicinal plants that have been tested for AChE inhibitory activity and 42 plant species which have been tested for BChE inhibitory activity. The plant species listed are potential cholinesterase inhibitors and may aid researchers in their study of natural products which may be useful in the treatment of AD.Key words: Alzheimer’s disease, acetylcholine, acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase and medicinal plants

High uptake of Gardasil vaccine among 9 - 12-yearold schoolgirls participating in an HPV vaccination demonstration project in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Background. Cervical cancer is linked to infection of the cervix by oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) subtypes. The quadrivalentGardasil vaccine (against HPV types 6, 11, 16, 18), recommended in girls 9 - 12 years of age, has been shown to be safe, immunogenic andefficacious, with minimal or no side-effects.Aim. To demonstrate the capacity of school health teams to carry out vaccinations within a school environment.Objectives. To assess the uptake of 3 doses of the vaccine, document lessons learnt and provide recommendations for a national rollout ofschool-based HPV vaccination for learners.Methods. Female learners (age 9 - 12 years) from 31 primary schools in Nongoma and Ceza districts (KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa) were identified for inclusion in the vaccination programme. The 3 doses of vaccine were administered by existing school health teams. Education and training sessions were held with all stakeholders: provincial departments of health and education; school health teams; primary healthcare nurses; hospital doctors and nurses; private practitioners; school principals, teachers and governing bodies; parents; and community and traditional leaders.Results. The overall uptake of the vaccine was found to be high: 99.7%, 97.9% and 97.8% for the first, second and third doses respectively(N=963). No adverse events were attributed to the HPV vaccine.Conclusion. This project demonstrated the successful implementation of HPV vaccination among learners (ages 9 - 12 years) using schoolhealth teams

High uptake of Gardasil vaccine among 9 - 12-year-old schoolgirls participating in an HPV vaccination demonstration project in KwaZulu-Natal Province

Background. Cervical cancer is linked to infection of the cervix by oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) subtypes. The quadrivalent Gardasil vaccine (against HPV types 6, 11, 16, 18), recommended in girls 9 - 12 years of age, has been shown to be safe, immunogenic and efficacious, with minimal or no side-effects. Aim. To demonstrate the capacity of school health teams to carry out vaccinations within a school environment. Objectives. To assess the uptake of 3 doses of the vaccine, document lessons learnt and provide recommendations for a national rollout of school-based HPV vaccination for learners. Methods. Female learners (age 9 - 12 years) from 31 primary schools in Nongoma and Ceza districts (KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa) were identified for inclusion in the vaccination programme. The 3 doses of vaccine were administered by existing school health teams. Education and training sessions were held with all stakeholders: provincial departments of health and education; school health teams; primary healthcare nurses; hospital doctors and nurses; private practitioners; school principals, teachers and governing bodies; parents; and community and traditional leaders. Results. The overall uptake of the vaccine was found to be high: 99.7%, 97.9% and 97.8% for the first, second and third doses respectively (N=963). No adverse events were attributed to the HPV vaccine. Conclusion. This project demonstrated the successful implementation of HPV vaccination among learners (ages 9 - 12 years) using school health teams

Amplitude, facility and accuracy of accommodation in a primary school population

Vision screening at an early age in children is important as it can identify aspects in the visual system that may need to be managed to enable a child to function optimally at school.  The National School Vision Screening Programme was discontinued in many provinces of South Africa, often due to a lack of financial resources or adequately trained personnel. This action has resulted in the majority of children not having a visual examination during their school career.  In a few instances where vision screenings are performed, these are usually limited to visual acuity (VA) evaluation alone; an endeavour that may miss many significant visual problems.  The purpose of this article is to highlight the need for vision screening to be conducted in schools and for the screening protocols to include the various accommodative tests. A retrospective analysis of the amplitudes of accommodation, accommodative facility and accuracy of accommodation findingsfrom a primary school vision screening of 264 children between 6 and 13 years was undertaken in this study.  Data was captured and analysed with Microsoft Excel. The ages of the children ranged from 6 to 13 years with a mean of 9.38 years (SD = 1.85).  One hundred and thirty eight (52.3%) were males and 126 (47.7%) females.  A significant number of the children failed the monocular accommodative amplitude tests (24%), binocular accommodative amplitude test (26%), the accommodative facility (30%) and the MEM test (27%).  These results highlight the need for a more comprehensive vision screening exercise rather than VA alone as this approach would have  missed more than a quarter of the children who had other visual problems that could impact on their ability to perform optimally at school

Molecular detection of carbapenemase-producing genes in referral Enterobacteriaceae in South Africa: A short report

Molecular confirmation of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) was introduced in South Africa (SA) at the end of 2011. We report on the detection of these resistance genes based on referral isolates. Enterobacteriaceae with non-susceptibility to any of the carbapenems according to defined criteria for antimicrobial susceptibility testing results were sent to a reference laboratory. A proportion of isolates had limited demographic, epidemiological and clinical data available. Organism identification was reconfirmed using reference laboratory methods, and the presence of carbapenemases was confirmed with a real-time polymerase chain reaction. We analysed 1 503 significant isolates received for confirmation from the National Health Laboratory Service and some private laboratories during 2012 - 2015 and confirmed one or more carbapenemase-producing genes in 68% of isolates, the most common organism being Klebsiella pneumoniae (60%). The most common carbapenemase genes were blaNDM, followed by blaOXA-48 and its variants. BlaOXA-48 and its variants demonstrated non-susceptibility to ertapenem in 89% of the isolates when analysed by the phenotypic method, and to ceftazidime in 34%. Overall, the detection rate for carbapenemases in K. pneumoniae blood isolates in the public sector was 1.9% during the 4-year period. This report indicates the presence of CPE in SA, and it is important for all healthcare workers to be aware of this major public health threat so that infection prevention and control measures can be implemented to prevent the spread of CPE in healthcare facilities