Non-destructive prediction of ‘marsh’ grapefruit (citrus x paradisi MacFad) postharvest quality and physiological rind disorders using visible to near infrared spectroscopy.

Master of Science in Horticulture. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg 2016.Abstract available in PDF file

Factors influencing Bachelor of Nursing Science students’ attitude towards clinical exposure

Background. Clinical exposure is an important component of the nursing curriculum aimed at engaging student nurses in learning and developing essential skills. Studies on students’ attitude to clinical exposure have been conducted in Nigeria, but none in Delta State.Objectives.To evaluate student nurses’ attitude to and identify factors that influence their attitude to clinical exposure at Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria.Methods.A descriptive quantitative design was used to elicit information from a sample of 181 individuals: 31 males and 150 females statistically drawn using a stratified sampling technique from a population of 237 at levels 300, 400 and 500 of study. A post hoc test was done to evaluate student nurses’ attitude to clinical exposure at different levels of study.Results. Results showed that 88% of respondents had a positive attitude towards clinical exposure. Post hoc tests indicated that attitude towards clinical exposure among 300- and 500-level students was statistically different (p=0.001). Factors such as adequate clinical equipment, adequate supervision and guidance from clinical supervisors, behaviour of staff nurses in the ward and readiness to learn were the most frequently reported factors that influenced their attitude to clinical exposure. Fisher’s exact test showed no association between these factors and respondents’ attitude to clinical exposure (p=0.369).Conclusion. Students’ attitude to clinical exposure was positive, with average scores higher among 500-level students. Hence, the higher the level of study, the more positive their attitude was towards clinical exposure. Intensive preparation of nursing students before clinical training will help to improve their attitude

A pastoral theological response to post-traumatic experiences of family members of murdered victims : a case study of Mbizana Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape

The researcher wish to shed light on the health of the victims’ family members, who had in common, the traumatic experience of having one or more of their family members brutally murdered by a serial killers, and that they numbered fourteen people, who were residents in Wards 23 and 24. Nine of the fourteen victims were females and five were males, young and old. Some victims worked at Mzamba Wild Coast Cassino Hotel, one of those workers originally came from Kwa Zulu Natal at Umzimkhulu local municipality. Serial killers either attacked the victims in their homes, whilst they were fast asleep, many of the atrocities were witnessed by their children, or they were attacked in an open field when they were dropped-off from their place of work at midnight. The serial killers, used tools like hammers, to knock victims on the heads, thereby rendering them unconscious; bush knives were then used for the removal of certain body parts. Most victims were residents of Ward 24 which is nearer Mzamba Wild Coast Cassino Hotel. Many of the victims’ bodies showed evidence of head injuries, mutilation of body parts or ‘genital mutilation’, it is alleged that private parts were used for muti purposes. There was evidence that females had been raped. Post trauma was an experience that left many in the villages of Mbizana marked by fear and anxiety. When a serial murder occurred it demanded the attention of all South Africans for several reasons, especially because it dramatically threatens and profoundly challenges our sense of safety, in particular our sense of personal safety. The serial killing as a phenomenon, challenges the larger society throughout the country, it is an emotive subject. The study is concern with prolonged soul suffering without healing, a pastoral counselling services was rendered to victims’ family members with recommendation of reconciliation and forgiveness as therapeutic measures. The study concludes by calling upon the Church as congregation to include to her programmes the topic of serial killing. The study makes recommendations to the Church to empower, make awareness, teach, and offer counselling to the congregation, that denominations must approach theological institutions for an introduction of modules that cover the concept of serial killing

Assessment of Health-promoting lifestyle behaviour (HPLB) of University workers in Nigeria

Objective: Lifestyle, high cost of medical care and limited resources in many national health systems should be an inducement for everyone to practice health-promoting lifestyle, knowing its benefits. This study examined the health-promoting lifestyle behaviour (HPLB) of university staff.Methodology: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted among 280 university staff in Nigeria. Self-administered health-promoting lifestyle profile II questionnaire was used for data collection. Data were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics via IBM-SPSS version 25.Results: Self-actualization subscale had the highest mean score of 3.35±0.65; interpersonal relations (2.94±0.65); nutrition (2.81±0.48); stress management (2.72±0.62); physical activity (2.21±0.64); health responsibility (2.19±0.62) and Health-promoting lifestyle profile (HPLP) (2.74±0.46). Age; study location; religion and type of marriage had significant association with self-actualization lifestyle while gender and type of marriage had significant association with HPLP. Lastly, socio-economic factors had a statistically significant influence on HPLP of workers.Conclusion: The respondents practiced HPLB moderately. Strategies need to be put in place to motivate university staff to practice all the subscales of HPLP effectively.Keywords: Health-promoting lifestyle profile, Health-promoting lifestyle behaviour, health promotion model, university staff, Nigeri

Application of Visible to Near-Infrared Spectroscopy for Non-Destructive Assessment of Quality Parameters of Fruit

The accuracy and robustness of prediction models are very important to the successful commercial application of visible to near-infrared spectroscopy (Vis-NIRS) on fruit. The difference in physiological characteristics of fruit is very wide, which necessitates variance in the type of spectrometers applied to collect spectral data, pre-processing of the collected data and chemometric techniques used to develop robust models. Relevant practices of data collection, processing and the development of models are a challenge because of the required knowledge of fruit physiology in addition to the Vis-NIRS expertise of a researcher. This chapter deals with the application of Vis-NIRS on fruit by discussing commonly used spectrometers, data chemometric treatment and common models developed for assessing quality of specific types of fruit. The chapter intends to create an overview of commonly used techniques for guiding general users of these techniques. Current status, gaps and future perspectives of the application of Vis-NIRS on fruit are also discussed for challenging researchers who are experts in this research field

Exploring teachers’ experiences of teaching Accounting in rural schools: a case of novice teachers in Zululand district.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.The public education sector in South Africa has experienced drastic changes. This includes curriculum changes and a shortage of both physical and human resources in most parts of our country. The implementation of the curriculum has been affected by various issues in both the urban and rural teaching context. Therefore, this study focuses on newly appointed Accounting teachers’ experiences of teaching the Accounting curriculum in the rural context. The main purpose of this study was to explore Accounting novice teachers’ experiences of teaching the Accounting curriculum in three rural secondary schools in the Zululand district. This study employed the interpretive paradigm and a qualitative approach to obtain in-depth information about novice teachers’ experiences. Purposive sampling was adopted in five Accounting novice teachers in Nongoma circuit currently teaching the Accounting Further Education and Training (FET) phase, who had less than five years of teaching experience. Semi-structured and focus group interviews were conducted with the teachers in their schools and all sessions were audio-taped. Thematical analysis was used to analyse the generated data, and themes were developed. The findings revealed that Accounting novice teachers experienced various challenges linked to the implementation of the Accounting curriculum and the development of Accounting pre-service teachers. On one hand, the teachers reported problems such as inadequate teaching and learning resources, a lack of parental support, stereotypical views of Accounting, contextual limitations on assessment and teaching, learners’ lack of adequate foundational knowledge, and language barriers in the Accounting classroom. These problems were linked to challenges deterring implementation of the curriculum as planned. Inadequate preparation of Accounting pre-service teachers, a lack of proper induction, lack of support and mentoring, and professional isolation were issues revealed by novice teachers. This study therefore made some recommendations based on the findings. Novice teachers as innovative commerce teachers must work together with their schools to approach local businesses and relevant stakeholders for any possible support in respect of inadequate teaching and learning resources. Due to a shortage of human resources, the financial literacy in grades 8 and 9 in the Economics and Management 7 Sciences (EMS) subject must be taught by Accounting specialists to ensure that the Accounting part is well implemented. The Department of Education (DoE) must develop continuous programmes directed to novice teachers’ development in the profession to increase the retention rate of teachers in a rural context. Also, principals in rural schools must be well trained and monitored whether they implement teacher developmental programmes in their schools

Upskilling nursing students and nurse practitioners to initiate and manage patients on ART: An outcome evaluation of the UKZN NIMART course

Background. Currently, there is a need in South Africa to implement strategies to upskill nurses in the clinical management of HIV and AIDS, for effective and efficient management of people living with HIV. One such strategy is the nurse-initiated management of antiretroviral therapy (NIMART) course.Objectives. To evaluate the effectiveness of the NIMART course in increasing the knowledge of trainees in select clinical competencies, to assess whether perceived knowledge gain varied according to individual-level characteristics of trainees, and to determine trainee perceptions of the value and delivery of the course.Methods. A 5-day training course focusing on various areas of HIV was developed and delivered by experts in the field of HIV to multiple cohorts of fourth-year nursing students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and to post-basic nursing practitioners, over a 5-year period. A single-group pre- and post-quasi-experimental design was used to assess knowledge change and perceptions about the course among 1 369 trainees who had benefitted from the course during the implementation period.Results. Post-workshop test scores were significantly higher than pre-workshop scores (p<0.0001), based on both pooled and cohort-specific data. For pooled analysis, the pre-test median score was 67% (interquartile range (IQR) = 60% - 73%) and the post-test median score was 77% (IQR = 70% - 80%), with p<0.0001. The knowledge gain was the highest in respect of HIV prevention, followed by prevention of mother-to-child transmission, then HIV treatment and lastly, general knowledge of HIV. The vast majority were very satisfied with the content of the training, although 31.3% strongly disagreedthat they were ready to apply the knowledge they had learned in their workplace.Conclusion. The training was generally well received, and improved the knowledge of participants in HIV and its management. However, this outcome represents short-term benefits of the programme, and there is a need for on-the-job mentorship and support in order to maximise on clinical outcomes related to HIV

Kwazulu-Natal minibus taxi drivers’ perceptions on HIV and AIDS: Transmission, prevention, support and effects on the industry

In South Africa, the minibus taxi drivers are largely becoming another high-risk category in the HIV and AIDS epidemic. Although previous studies have shown that knowledge of HIV and AIDS is relatively high among the taxi drivers it is still not clear how this sub-population perceive the support rendered to them with regard to HIV and AIDS prevention strategies. This study aimed to focus on this atypical workplace and explore the KwaZulu-Natal, minibus taxi drivers’ perceptions on HIV and AIDS. In this study, qualitative methods were utilized to determine the minibus taxi drivers’ understanding of HIV and AIDS infection, HIV prevention strategies, existing support strategies and effects of HIV and AIDS on the taxi industry. Focus-group discussions were conducted, to collect data. The results showed that even though the taxi drivers had some understanding on HIV and AIDS there was still a dire need for interventions that were geared towards addressing HIV-related needs of the drivers in this industr

Holistic/Palliative Management of Patient’s Health Care and Home Situation in a Depressed Economy

In most middle and low economic nations, problem in the active management of health complaints is patients defaulting on follow-up appointments, attributable to financial constraints and cost of health services due to economic recession. This increases the danger of aggravation and deterioration of the condition and leads to re-hospitalisation. Most terminally ill patients and elderly prefer to be cared for at home by family caregivers or paid health professionals towards the end of their life. Holistic/palliative care is a key component of home health care. Current structure of health and social care services shows that the home is gradually becoming a significant location of long-term care. Holistic care as advocated by Florence Nightingale and others takes cognizance of the care of total human being looking at the spiritual, physical, social and psychosocial care of individual. Quality care for patients and their families can be achieved by establishing principles of holistic/palliative care as an integral part of daily practice both in the hospital and home care, as advocated by the WHO. Challenges in seeking to do this can be overcome if adequate funding is allocated for palliative care activities and setting up machineries for training of families on home care

Stakeholders’ experiences in implementation of rapid changes to the South African prevention of mother-to-child transmission programme

Background: South Africa’s prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) programme has undergone rapid changes in the last two decades. Initially, the provision of single antiretroviral therapy was based on eligibility criteria in the year 2001, which later changed to combination therapy. This was aimed at preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Since 2015, all pregnant women were eligible for antiretroviral treatment regardless of their CD4 count. Although significant strides were made to reduce mother-to-child transmission of HIV, increased efforts are required to meet UNAIDS targets, World Health Organization (WHO) elimination framework goals and sustainable development goals to eliminate new HIV infections in children and ending the HIV epidemic by 2030. Aim: The aim of the study was to explore healthcare workers’ experiences and patient perceptions of the implementation of rapid changes to the PMTCT programme in four public healthcare facilities. Setting: The study was conducted in the four public healthcare facilities within the two highly HIV-burdened districts of iLembe and eThekwini in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. Methods: This study used a qualitative, exploratory, descriptive study design using interviews and focus group discussions. Participants were selected using purposive sampling. Following verbatim transcription of the data, thematic data analysis was used through data reduction and data display and the emergence of four themes. Results: A total of 61 stakeholders were interviewed. Four major themes emerged: (1) impact of poor health system design, (2) impact of poor communication of changes, (3) contextual factors affecting innovation in healthcare and (4) skill deficit in change management and forward planning. Conclusion: A healthcare system more responsive to the experiences of healthcare workers and pregnant women is required to effectively implement changes in priority programmes