How do students and staff at the University of Cape Town understand equitable access to the curriculum for students with VIs?

Students with Visual Impairment (VI) s5ll experience barriers to educa5on despite the right to educa5on s5pulated in the United Na5ons Conven5on on the Rights of Persons with Disabili5es (UNCRPD). Challenges such as delays in the conversion of curriculum content to accessible formats, inaccessible online course sites and teaching and learning that is mostly visual. With the University of Cape Town (UCT) going fully online due to COVID-19 pandemic, it became necessary to explore how equitable access to the curriculum is understood. The research topic is: How do staff and students at UCT understand equitable access to the curriculum for students with VIs? Four conceptual framework components were used. The hidden and enacted curriculum was used to explore hidden curriculum aspects and their effect on the enacted curriculum. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework was used to explore enablers such as assis5ve technology (AT) and challenges such as inaccessible content. Eight elements of digital literacies were used to explore access to opportuni5es to acquire digital literacies and the UNCRPD to ensure alignment with the right to educa5on. A Q methodology study was conducted which is a hybrid of both quan5ta5ve and qualita5ve methods. It sta5s5cally groups viewpoints that are significantly similar to or dis5nct from each other, quan5ta5vely into factors, then qualita5vely interprets these factors thema5cally to reveal par5cipant views about the research topic. Data was collected from students with VI, lecturers, staff from Disability Services, ICT Services, Library Services, and the Centre for Higher Educa5on Development using Q sor5ng where par5cipants ranked sixty statements into disagree, neutral and agree. Focus group discussions were used to support the interpreta5on of the factors. Findings revealed that: accessible curriculum is also a technical issue which is not priori5sed at UCT, and lecturers struggle with compe5ng demands such lack of 5me, need for promo5on and research. Accessibility design from the start both for curriculum development and support services is not valued. The right to educa5on for students with VI is par5al, varying their experience of the curriculum. Tes5ng of a course site for accessibility and lack of AT nega5vely affects right to educa5on. This study argues that students with VI do not yet enjoy full par5cipa5on in the curriculum due to lack of understanding of the complexity involved. UDL can help academics move from a deficit view to an asset view of students with VI. UCT should change its opera5onal model to accessibility from the start. Then UCT will move closer to equitable access to the curriculum for students with VI

Use of a Help-Wanted Index to Assess Marketplace Demand for Ophthalmologists

Over the 26 year study period a consistent increase in the demand for academic ophthalmologists was noted (34% of HWI in 1980 to 74% in 2005). There was also a consistent increase in the demand for specialists (31% of HWI in 1980 to 80% in 2005), especially demand for retina specialists. There were no consistent geographical trends in demand. Need for academic ophthalmologists seems to be correlated with national research expenditure and stock market gains (p = 0.00191), while demand for private practice ophthalmologists seems to be correlated with the national economic wellbeing, as measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (p\u3c0.001). Further analysis indicated that training programs (p = 0.0456), residency applicants (p = 0.0128) and fellowship applicants (p = 0.0198) respond to marketplace demand. Furthermore salaries of academic ophthalmologists (p = 0.0226), and retina specialists (p = 0.0418) are statistically influenced by marketplace demand. Conclusions: Long run trends in the HWI data suggest a chronic scarcity of academic ophthalmologists, and the emergence of need for a more specialized workforce, which may lead to increased competition for fellowship positions. This study suggests that the ophthalmology community is quick to respond to marketplace demand. Since HWIs are useful tools for assessing the marketplace need for ophthalmologists, an ongoing HWI will provide timely information about the demand for physicians in a rapidly changing health care system

Scoparia dulcis reduces the severity of Trypanosoma bruceiinduced hyperlipidaemia in the rabbit

We investigated the effect of oral administration of the herb, Scoparia dulcis, on Trypanosoma bruceiinduced changes in plasma lipid profile in rabbits over a period of twenty eight days. Results obtained show that infection with T. brucei resulted in significant increases in plasma total cholesterol,trriacylglycerol, and low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, while the level of high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol was also significantly reduced. Further comparative analysis of data revealed that these lesions were significantly less severe (

Evaluation of a project to reduce morbidity and mortality from traditional male circumcision in Umlamli, Eastern Cape, South Africa:Outcome mapping

Background: Traditional circumcision is common among the amaXhosa in Umlamli, Eastern Cape. Circumcision is associated with high morbidity and mortality. The need to reduce complications was identified as a priority by the local community. The aim was to design, implement and evaluate a project to improve the safety of traditional circumcision.Method: A safe circumcision team was established and comprised health workers, community leaders and traditional surgeons. Outcome mapping involved three stages: intentional design, outcome, and performance monitoring and evaluation. The eight boundary partners were the initiates, parents, community leaders, traditional surgeons, the District Health Services, the provincial Department of Health, the emergency services and the police. Outcomes, progress markers and strategies were designed for each boundary partner. The team kept an outcome and strategy journal and evaluated hospital admissions, genital amputations and mortality.Results: Ninety-two initiates were circumcised, with two admissions for minor complications, compared to 10 admissions, two amputations and two deaths previously. More than 70% of the outcome measures were achieved in all boundary partners, except emergency services and the Department of Health. The key aspects were: the use of outcome mapping, the participatory process, a lower age limit, closure of illegal schools,  consolidation of accredited schools, training workshops for traditional surgeons, private treatment room for initiates, assistance with medical materials, pre-circumcision examination, certificates of fitness.Conclusion: This study has shown the value of community-orientated primary care initiatives to address local health problems. Key lessons were identified and the project could easily be replicated in communities facing similar challenges

13C nuclear magnetic resonance studies of biological systems

Nuclear magnetic resonance techniques have been applied to the study of two biological systems. Specifically, ¹³C nmr spin-lattice relaxation times (T₁ s) have been applied to a model biomembrane and also to the subject of protein denaturation. In the former case, available ¹³C enrichment techniques have been used to concentrate the isotope in a bacterial phospholipid. Using T₁ as an index of molecular motion, it has been possible to observe the "dynamics" of the carbon skeleton of the enriched phosphatidyl ethanolamine in a mixed phosphatidyl ethanolamine - phosphatidyl serine system, over the temperature range of 30-85°C. The results obtained fit suggested motional gradients typical of the type of structure formed in media of low to high dielectricity. However, changes with temperature in the mixed lipid system may be less dramatic than have been reported for single component models. The estimated energy of relaxation processes show that a higher activation energy is associated with those nuclei in the middle of the acyl residues. A method is described, for the first time, for the high ¹³C specific enrichment of phosphatidyl choline acyl residues. The method is based on the predatory growth of a ciliate on an E. coli strain which is designed to incorporate acetate efficiently. Tetrahymena pyriformis which was the ciliate used, was found to metabolize the E. coli lipids resulting in a lipid distribution that is characteristic in normal growth. The enrichment levels found in the extracted lipids of Tetrahymena are interpreted in terms of the possible mechanisms of some steps in lipid metabolism. The attractions in this area are two-fold; firstly the high enrichment (20-50%) in ¹³C of phosphatidyl choline which is usually the major lipid component of eukaryotes, and secondly the preservation of an "alternate-carbon” enrichment making subsequent study by ¹³C nmr simpler than it would have been if direct ¹³C-¹³C spin coupling existed. In the subject of protein denaturation, ¹³C T₁ values are reported as a function of concentration of a protein denaturant in the presence and absence of a fixed protein concentration . No direct evidence is available for strong "ligand-type" protein-denaturant association. Weaker interactions cannot, however, be equally ruled out. More interestingly, Urea which is the denaturing agent in question is directly implicated in substantial associations with water via hydrogen bond formation. An increase in "lattice" disorder or "structural temperature” of the water is invoked to explain the "solubilization" of the protein. The possible role of different intermediates of denatured protein conformers is discussed

Serum total protein, albumin and globulin levels in Trypanosoma brucei-infected rabbits: Effect of orally administered Scoparia dulcis

The effect of orally administered Scoparia dulcis on Trypanosoma brucei-induced changes in serum total protein, albumin and globulin were investigated in rabbits over a period of twenty eight days. Results obtained show that infection resulted in hyperproteinaemia, hyperglobulinaemia and hypoalbuminaemia. However these lesions were less severe (p<0.05) in the infected and treated group relative to their untreated counterparts. We speculate that the herb may be involved in modulating the severity of these trypanosome associated lesions by some yet undefined mechanisms

The effect of the interaction of various oil types with different culture media on biomass production of Psathyrella atroumbonata Pegler

Psathyrella atroumbonata, an indigenous mushroom species, was cultured on six different media that were inoculated separately with three different grain spawns and amended with six different oils at five different rates. The results revealed that the interaction of the various oils with the different culturemedia produced a highly significant effect (p<0.01) on the dry weights and stipe and pileus diameters of P. atroumbonata. The widest mean stipe diameters were produced by the interaction of coconut x animal bedding and rice as well as butterfat x sawdust media. Both the heaviest mean dry weight and widest pileus diameters were induced by coconut x animal bedding and rice medium

Cog-Motivational Factors as Correlates of Academic Learned Helplessness Among Secondary School Students in Rivers State

The study investigated cog-motivational (cognitive & motivational) as correlates of academic learned helplessness among secondary school students in Rivers state. Cog-motivational factors of (self-efficacy, attribution and achievement motivation), were the independent variables while academic learned helplessness was the dependent variable. Four research questions and four null hypotheses guided the study. A sample of 500 SS2 academic learned helplessness students was drawn from a population of 32,126 SS2 students in public secondary schools in Rivers State, using multi-stage sampling procedure. Two instruments were used for the study: Cog-motivational Factors Scale (CFS) and Academic Learned Helplessness Scale (ALHS). Data collected were analyzed using simple and multiple regression statistics. Results of the study indicated that cog-motivational factors of (self-efficacy, attribution and achievement motivation) jointly, had a low positive relationship with academic learned helplessness which was significant at 0.05 levels of significance. Independently, self-efficacy had a negative relationship with academic learned helplessness, while attribution and achievement motivation had positive relationships with academic learned helplessness. Statistical testing revealed that independently, attribution had a significant relationship with academic learned helplessness while self-efficacy and achievement motivation had no significant relationship with academic learned helplessness. Based on the findings appropriate recommendations were made among which is that guidance counsellors should be employed in all public secondary schools in Rivers State to assist students with the problem of academic learned helplessness to improve academic performance Keywords: Self-efficacy, Attributon, Achievement motivation and Academic Learned Helplessness DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/9-8-01 Publication date: April 30th 201

The effect of the interaction of various spawn grains and oil types on carpophore dry weight, stipe length and stipe and pileus diameters of lentinus squarrosulus (mont.) singer

Lentinus squarrosulus, an indigenous Nigerian mushroom species, was cultured on six different media that were inoculated separately with three different spawn grains and amended with six different oils at five different rates. The results revealed that the interaction of the different spawn grains with the various oil types produced a highly significant effect (

Biometric Indices of Arachis hypogaea Plant Grown in Kutchalli Waste Pit Materials (Soils) in Borno State, Nigeria

Kutchalli drilling waste pit materials (WPM) in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, exploration site in Borno State of Nigeria was evaluated for systemic toxicity to inhabitants (man, animal and plants) via the food chain. In this experiment, biometric indices were analysed using standard methods. Results obtained showed that thecontrol soil (group 1) had plant height of 27cm ±0.2, leaf length 2.8cm ±0.3, while those of the wpm soils of group 5 had plant height of 25cm ±0.2, leaf length 2.3cm ±0.1 and group 7 plant height of 19cm ±0.3 and 1.6cm ±0.2 with a significant difference at