The relationship between perceived religious discrimination and work-related attitudes, with specific reference to the Rastafari religion

ThesisAlthough perceived religious discrimination has been studied extensively in past years, much information remains unknown about this topic in the context of the workplace. The aim of this research was to confirm previous research findings and to extend the current limited body of knowledge with regard to perceived religious discrimination and the Rastafari religion, by determining whether a relationship exists between perceived religious discrimination and positive work-related attitudes such as job satisfaction, organisational commitment, and work engagement for a Rastafari sample. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 80 employees that belong to the Rastafari religion, chosen from organisations in two provinces. Perceived discrimination and three work-related attitudes were measured. The data was analysed by means of a t-test, a one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients, and a multiple regression analysis. The major finding of this research was a positive relationship between perceived religious discrimination and the work-related attitudes measured, namely job satisfaction, organisational commitment, and work engagement. Only one of the dependent variables measured, namely identification with and commitment to religion, showed a statistically significant association with the sociodemographic variables (the independent variables), in this case gender. The findings of the study enable a deeper understanding of the relationship between perceived religious discrimination and positive work-related attitudes, particularly with reference to the Rastafari religion. This research confirmed the importance of studying religion in the context of the workplace

Perceived religious discrimination as predictor of work engagement, with specific reference to the Rastafari religion

Published ArticleAlthough perceived religious discrimination has been studied in the past, much remains unknown about the topic. The focus of this study was the Rastafari religion, because this religious group has up to now been excluded from research studies. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with a sample of 80 employees belonging to the Rastafari religion, chosen from organisations in two provinces in South Africa. The findings emanating from the quantitative research study indicated that, on average, the respondents perceived to be discriminated against. Furthermore, a positive relationship was established between perceived religious discrimination and work engagement. These findings advanced the understanding of perceived religious discrimination, and the impact that it may have on work engagement, particularly with reference to the Rastafari religion. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The article contributes to the interdisciplinary discourse regarding perceived religious discrimination, with specific reference to the Rastafari religion which is a minority religious group in South Africa. Perceived religious discrimination is discussed and investigated in the context of the workplace, and the aim was to establish whether perceived religious discrimination influences work-related attitudes, such as work engagement. Because previous studies have associated perceived discrimination with less job involvement and career satisfaction, fewer career prospects, greater work conflict, lower feelings of power, decreased job prestige, and less organisational citizenship behaviour (Thomas 2008:80), it was expected that perceived religious discrimination would have a negative influence on work engagement. The findings show that religion possibly provides individuals with the necessary personal resources to persevere when faced with religious discrimination, and sustain performance as well as attain success within the context of the workplace

Switch to second-line versus continued first-line antiretroviral therapy for patients with low-level HIV-1 viremia: an open-label randomized controlled trial in Lesotho

Current World Health Organization (WHO) antiretroviral therapy (ART) guidelines define virologic failure as two consecutive viral load (VL) measurements ≥1,000 copies/mL, triggering empiric switch to next-line ART. This trial assessed if patients with sustained low-level HIV-1 viremia on first-line ART benefit from a switch to second-line treatment.; This multicenter, parallel-group, open-label, superiority, randomized controlled trial enrolled patients on first-line ART containing non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI) with two consecutive VLs ≥100 copies/mL, with the second VL between 100-999 copies/mL, from eight clinics in Lesotho. Consenting participants were randomly assigned (1:1), stratified by facility, demographic group, and baseline VL, to either switch to second-line ART (switch group) or continued first-line ART (control group; WHO guidelines). The primary endpoint was viral suppression (<50 copies/mL) at 36 weeks. Analyses were by intention to treat, using logistic regression models, adjusted for demographic group and baseline VL. Between August 1, 2017, and August 7, 2019, 137 individuals were screened, of whom 80 were eligible and randomly assigned to switch (n = 40) or control group (n = 40). The majority of participants were female (54 [68%]) with a median age of 42 y (interquartile range [IQR] 35-51), taking tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/lamivudine/efavirenz (49 [61%]) and on ART for a median of 5.9 y (IQR 3.3-8.6). At 36 weeks, 22/40 (55%) participants in the switch versus 10/40 (25%) in the control group achieved viral suppression (adjusted difference 29%, 95% CI 8%-50%, p = 0.009). The switch group had significantly higher probability of viral suppression across different VL thresholds (<20, <100, <200, <400, and <600 copies/mL) but not for <1,000 copies/mL. Thirty-four (85%) participants in switch group and 21 (53%) in control group experienced at least one adverse event (AE) (p = 0.002). No hospitalization or death or other serious adverse events were observed. Study limitations include a follow-up period too short to observe differences in clinical outcomes, missing values in CD4 cell counts due to national stockout of reagents during the study, and limited generalizability of findings to other than NNRTI-based first-line ART regimens.; In this study, switching to second-line ART among patients with sustained low-level HIV-1 viremia resulted in a higher proportion of participants with viral suppression. These results endorse lowering the threshold for virologic failure in future WHO guidelines.; The trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03088241

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young people living with HIV in Lesotho: a qualitative study

Introduction: There is a growing body of research evidencing the detrimental impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health and well-being of young people. This impact may be worse in low-resource settings, especially those in sub-Saharan Africa, where pandemic impacts may be exacerbated by poverty, limited healthcare access and other health epidemics including HIV. We explored the COVID-19 pandemic impacts on young people living with HIV in Lesotho to understand the experiences of HIV management, well-being, financial stability and education status. Methods: Thirty-one semistructured, face-to-face interviews were conducted with young people aged 15–19 years of age living with HIV from eight districts across Lesotho. Interviews were conducted in Sesotho, audio-recorded, later transcribed and translated to English prior to analysis. Analysis consisted of a thematic analysis using principles of constant comparison to explore key and emerging themes. Results: Analysis revealed five major themes: ‘financial instability and food insecurity’, ‘challenges to health and well-being’, ‘changing relationship dynamics’, ‘loss of educational opportunities’ and ‘understanding the threat of COVID-19’. Conclusions: While participants discussed being able to access antiretroviral therapy, this study highlights the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdown measures on the mental health and well-being, financial stability and educational development of young people living with HIV in Lesotho

Electrodeless direct current dielectrophoresis using reconfigurable field-shaping oil barriers

We demonstrate dielectrophoretic (DEP) potential wells using pairs of insulating oil menisci to shape the DC electric field. These oil menisci are arranged in a configuration similar to the quadrupolar electrodes, typically used in DEP, and are shown to produce similar field gradients. While the one-pair well produces a focusing effect on particles in flow, the two-pair well results in creating spatial traps against crossflows. Uncharged polystyrene particles were used to map the DEP force fields and the experimental observations were compared against the field profiles obtained by numerically solving Maxwell's equations. We demonstrate trapping of a single particle due to negative DEP against a pressure-driven crossflow. This can be easily extended to trap and hold cells and other objects against flow for a longer time. We also show the results of particle trapping experiments performed to observe the effect of adjusting the oil menisci and the gap between two pairs of menisci in a four-menisci configuration on the nature of the DEP well formed at the center. A design parameter, Θ, capturing the dimensions of the DEP energy well, is defined and simulations exploring the effects of different geometric features on Θ are presented.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/57515/1/4572_ftp.pd

Natural archives of long-range transported contamination at the remote lake Letšeng-la Letsie, Maloti Mountains, Lesotho

Naturally accumulating archives, such as lake sediments and wetland peats, in remote areas may be used to identify the scale and rates of atmospherically deposited pollutant inputs to natural ecosystems. Co-located lake sediment and wetland cores were collected from Letšeng-la Letsie, a remote lake in the Maloti Mountains of southern Lesotho. The cores were radiometrically dated and analysed for a suite of contaminants including trace metals and metalloids (Hg, Pb, Cu, Ni, Zn, As), fly-ash particles, stable nitrogen isotopes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and persistent organic pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated flame retardants (PBDEs) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB). While most trace metals showed no recent enrichment, mercury, fly-ash particles, high molecular weight PAHs and total PCBs showed low but increasing levels of contamination since c.1970, likely the result of long-range transport from coal combustion and other industrial sources in the Highveld region of South Africa. However, back-trajectory analysis revealed that atmospheric transport from this region to southern Lesotho is infrequent and the scale of contamination is low. To our knowledge, these data represent the first palaeolimnological records and the first trace contaminant data for Lesotho, and one of the first multi-pollutant historical records for southern Africa. They therefore provide a baseline for future regional assessments in the context of continued coal combustion in South Africa through to the mid-21st century

Towards an understanding of induced-charge electrokinetics at large applied voltages in concentrated solutions

The venerable theory of electrokinetic phenomena rests on the hypothesis of a dilute solution of point-like ions in quasi-equilibrium with a weakly charged surface, whose potential relative to the bulk is of order the thermal voltage (kT/e ≈ 25 mV at room temperature). In nonlinear electrokinetic phenomena, such as AC or induced-charge electro-osmosis (ACEO, ICEO) and induced-charge electrophoresis (ICEP), several V ≈ 100 kT/e are applied to polarizable surfaces in microscopic geometries, and the resulting electric fields and induced surface charges are large enough to violate the assumptions of the classical theory. In this article, we review the experimental and theoretical literatures, highlight discrepancies between theory and experiment, introduce possible modifications of the theory, and analyze their consequences. We argue that, in response to a large applied voltage, the “compact layer” and “shear plane” effectively advance into the liquid, due to the crowding of counterions. Using simple continuum models, we predict two general trends at large voltages: (i) ionic crowding against a blocking surface expands the diffuse double layer and thus decreases its differential capacitance, and (ii) a charge-induced viscosity increase near the surface reduces the electro-osmotic mobility; each trend is enhanced by dielectric saturation. The first effect is able to predict high-frequency flow reversal in ACEO pumps, while the second may explain the decay of ICEO flow with increasing salt concentration. Through several colloidal examples, such as ICEP of an uncharged metal sphere in an asymmetric electrolyte, we show that nonlinear electrokinetic phenomena are generally ion-specific. Similar theoretical issues arise in nanofluidics (due to confinement) and ionic liquids (due to the lack of solvent), so the paper concludes with a general framework of modified electrokinetic equations for finite-sized ions.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (contract DMS-0707641

Exploring the relationship of ethical leadership, trust and work engagement in selected organisations

MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom CampusDespite the growing importance of ethical leadership, many organisations worldwide have witnessed diminishing ethical leadership and trust in management. South Africa is not an exception to unethical practices with private and public sector corruption allegations in the past decade. Unfortunately, pitiable standards of ethics and venality taint the business environment. Therefore, the conversation on business morality, particularly ethical leadership, and developing a model of trust in organisations is highly legitimate and timely. Hence, the objective of this study was to investigate the mediating role of trust in leaders in the relationship between ethical leadership and engagement. The study utilizes a cross-sectional design and a convenient sampling frame (n = 132) recruited via social media to reach the objective from the positivistic paradigm and quantitative approach. The findings confirm the established positive relationship between ethical leadership, trust in the leader and work engagement. In addition, the results also suggest that the mediating role of trust in the leader could only be confirmed in the relationship between ethical leadership and dedication. Theoretical and managerial implications. as well as its limitations, are also providedMaster