Assistive Technology, Accommodations, and the Americans with Disabilities Act

This brochure on Assistive Technology, Accommodations, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is one of a series on human resources practices and workplace accommodations for persons with disabilities edited by Susanne M. Bruyère, Ph.D., CRC, SPHR, Director, Program on Employment and Disability, School of Industrial and Labor Relations - Extension Division, Cornell University. Cornell University was funded in the early 1990’s by the U.S. Department of Education National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research as a National Materials Development Project on the employment provisions (Title I) of the ADA (Grant #H133D10155). These updates, and the development of new brochures, have been funded by Cornell’s Program on Employment and Disability and the Pacific Disability and Business Technical Assistance Center

Crossing the race divide : interracial sex in antebellum Savannah

This article explores the social significance of inter-racial sexual contact in an antebellum Southern city. How did inter-racial sex challenge the established social hierarchy in Savannah? Was it a controversial issue, viewed as a threat to the social order, or was it accepted as an inevitable evil resulting from a mixed population residing in close proximity

Possible Predictors Determining the Adoption of Potatoes (Solanum Tuberosum) into a Wheat- (Triticum Aestivum) Based Cropping System in Mokhotlong, Lesotho

The main objective of the study was to identify possible predictors of adoption of potatoes into a wheat-based cropping system. In this study nine explanatory variables were tested against two dependent variables (p= 0,15). The explanatory variables were gender, age, training, land ownership, soil type, household size, number of household members below the age of six (< 6) years, number of household members between 6 and 18 years of age and farming experience. The dependent variables tested were: crops adopted by farmers and household knowledge on soil fertility. Of all the nine explanatory variables tested against crops adopted, only two categorical variables, namely training (p=0,11) and land ownership (p=0,09), and one continuous variable, farming experience (p=0,02), were significant possible predictors. Of all the three variables (gender, age and training) tested against household knowledge on soil fertility, only gender emerged as a significant possible predictor (p=0,01). Farmers' years of experience and level of knowledge on soil fertility indicated a significant relationship (p=0,00) with a correlation coefficient of 0,25.Farm Management,

THE EFFICACY OF HONEY AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO STANDARD ANTISEPTIC CARE IN THE TREATMENT OF CHRONIC PRESSURE ULCERS AND DIABETIC FOOT ULCERS IN ADULTS

Objective: A chronic wound fails to progress through the phases of wound healing in an orderly and appropriate process, and poses a major challenge to wound care professionals. Pressure ulcers (PUs) and diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are classified as chronic wounds. Antiseptics, such as povidone-iodine (PVP-I), are often used to treat bacterial infections in chronic wounds; however, their efficacy and ability to accelerate wound healing has come into question. As a result, current medical research is now focusing on alternative and natural antiseptic agents, such as honey, for the treatment of chronic wounds. The aim of this study was to analyze the wound healing effects of honey in PU and DFU treatment in comparison to standard antiseptic care. Methods: A systematic literature search of PubMed, ScienceDirect, and ClinicalKey was conducted to identify all published data of clinical trials and narrative reviews that investigated or reported the use of honey and standard antiseptics in the treatment of PUs and DFUs in adults. A keyword search was then performed using the following keywords: “PUs”, “DFUs”, “antiseptics”, “PVP-I”, “honey”, “Manuka honey (MH)”, and “wound healing”. Database restrictions were implemented based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, notably the report’s availability, completion status and language, the sample populations’ age, as well as, the date of publication. A preferred reporting item for systematic review and meta-analysis (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyzes) diagram was constructed illustrating the study selection process. The eligibility of articles was assessed by the screening of titles, abstracts and full texts. A total of 12 articles were included in this study comprising of 775 patients with PUs, DFUs or a combination of PUs and DFUs. Results: Results indicated that honey reduced bacterial infection, reduced pain and edema experienced by patients, reduced the odor of the wound and promoted wound healing in the treatment of chronic ulcers. Honey was also found to be effective in the process of debridement and exudate removal. Conclusion: Honey was found to be highly effective in the treatment of PUs and DFUs and should be considered as an alternative to standard antiseptic care in the treatment of chronic wounds. However, the literature in this study is limited and so further research into honey and its antiseptic-promoting activity in wound healing is recommended

The interdependence between the saving rate and technology across regimes : evidence from South Africa

Abstract: This paper hypothesises that the saving rate and technological progress are interdependently determined by a common exogenous source, so that an exogenous shock to the saving rate determines long-run growth transitions. In an open-economy setting, the saving rate measures the quality of investment-led policies. The evidence shows that the down-break across South Africa’s ‘faster-growing’ regime (1952-1976) and ‘slower-growing’ regime (1977-2003) was caused by a negative shock to the saving rate that simultaneously led to a slowdown in the growth rate of technology via a structural decrease in the learning-by-doing parameter. The down-break results suggest that the saving rate is potentially an important policy variable to engineer a sustainable up-break. To assess this prediction with real data, the analysis looks at what happened in the post- 2003 period (2004-2012). The results show that the up-break in the fixed investment rate was not matched by the saving rate, which implies that capital investment did not generate a faster rate of technological progress. The stylised facts suggest that a sustained increase in the total investment rate, which not only includes infrastructure investment, but also machinery and equipment investment and complementary foreign direct investment, may be an effective investment-led strategy to raise the economy’s growth rate on a sustainable basis

Austria: A Prime Location for Headquarters in the Digital Age?:Study Report 2023

Austria has emerged as a prominent hub for headquarters (HQs) of multinational corporations (MNCs). Those HQs contribute significantly to the country’s economy, therefore research on these HQs and their (re)location decisions is vital, especially in the digital age. Previous studies have shed light on the profound impact of digitalization on business models, operations, and the role of HQs. However, further research is necessary to explore how digital technologies, including big data analytics, automation, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things, will shape the attractiveness of Austria as an HQ location and how this attractiveness will change in the future. To enhance our understanding in this area, this study examines responses from 140 managers from HQs in Austria. The findings suggest that Austria will continue to be an appealing HQ destination in the digital age, with a majority of participants envisioning the retention of existing HQs or even an attraction of more HQs. While Austria exhibits strengths in technological infrastructure and digitalization expertise, there is room for improvement in access to digitalization talent including data scientists or digital marketing experts. The study underscores the importance of increased investments in training and development of digitalization talent by policymakers, universities, and firms

Waste characterisation in Stellenbosch Local Municipality, South Africa

This article demonstrates how household solid waste (HSW) generation patterns differ in neighbourhoods of the same town by determining the composition of the residual portion of the HSW stream in 2017 in Stellenbosch. HSW was collected from 10 pre-identified suburbs out of a total of 48. These chosen suburbs and their 17 830 households were representative of all the HSW from all households in the catchment area of the Devon Valley Landfill Site. A separation at source programme was in place in nine of the suburbs. The confidence level and level of precision were set at 95% and ±8%, respectively. A total of 1543 bags of HSW were collected with a total mass of 5748.01 kg and an uncompacted volume of 84.87 m3. The samples were sorted into 7 main and 18 final fractions. The main contributor to the total waste stream was organic waste by weight (35%) and plastic wrap and packaging by uncompacted volume (32%). The average HSW generation was 0.68 kg/capita/day. Households with access to a separation at source programme tended to have lower levels of highly recyclable materials in their samples. Roll-out of a separation programme is recommended for all 48 suburbs in the study area to save landfill airspace. Correlation analysis showed that household size influenced three of the seven main waste fractions, and household income five of the seven. No statistically significant results were obtained relating to household density and waste generation. Statistically significant results were obtained through an analysis of variance for all waste fractions, excluding organics, when considering household income, indicating that both household size and income could be explanatory socio-economic factors for variations seen. Other variables, such as human behaviour, could potentially also contribute to the differences and should be further explored.Significance:• The availability of reliable waste composition data is not only a contribution to the solid waste management field, but also to any related fields interested in beneficiating or recovering waste. These data are often unavailable, but form the basis for decision-making processes when addressing solid waste (and related) challenges