Experiences Of Heat Stress Vulnerability And Climate Change Among Farmers In Ghana

The trend over the last decade of increasing temperature associated with climate change with the impacts being felt in the poorest communities of the developing world is unequivocal. Bawku East of northern Ghana is assessed as one of the poorest communities. Being a farming community the study investigates the extent of farmers’ experiences on heat and climate change. A selected number of 308 farmers from a farming population of over 15,000 were interviewed about heat stress and climate change to gauge their level of vulnerability to heat stress at the household and farm levels, as well as their general experiences of climate change. The age, gender, duration of residence, community where a farmer lives and educational level were used as predictors to elicit experiences of heat stress vulnerability and climate change using logistic regression models and empirical results. The significance of the study is to establish baseline parameters for effective adaptation of heat stress as temperature is projected to increase with and beyond this century in the study area. On the balance, farmers have significant experience on heat stress vulnerability and climate change. The farmers who have lived longer in the study area showed significant experience of heat stress and climate change. Future study on level of adaptation to heat stress and climate change at household and farm level is timely and appropriate

Recent Trends In Temperature And Relative Humidity in Bawku East, Northern Ghana

Extensive analyses of trends in mean annual and mean seasonal minimum and maximum temperatures and relative humidity were examined for Bawku East, northern Ghana, for the period 1961 to 2012. Mean monthly maximum and minimum temperatures were used to analyse and establish recent temperature trends on an annual and seasonal basis. The year was divided into rainy and dry seasons for the seasonal trends. Mean monthly relative humidity at 6 am and 3 pm from 1961 to 2012 were considered to show recent trends in humidity since temperature and humidity interact to determine the heat exposure for outdoor workers. Regression analysis was used to illustrate trends and calculate mean yearly and seasonal rate of change. A Durbin-Watson statistical test was employed to verify autocorrelation of the residuals of the trend models and none was detected. Results showed a gradual and statistically significant rise in both mean minimum and mean maximum temperatures at two stations (Manga and Garu). There was an inconsistent pattern of trend observed at the third station (Binduri). Declining trends in relative humidity were observed at 6 am and 3 pm at seasonal and annual levels at Binduri and Garu, while there was a rising trend in relative humidity at Manga. The importance of this study hinges on the linkage between heat exposure (temperature and air humidity) and human health in the wake of climate change on outdoor farmers in developing countries who spend many hours doing manual work in the heat. On the whole, the rising temperature has impacted on ecosystem services in the study area

The relationship between perceived price and consumers' purchase intentions of private label wine brands

The primary objective of this study was to determine the relationship between perceived relative price, perceived value and consumers’ purchase intentions of private label wine brands within the retail sector in Johannesburg. Private Label Brands (PLBs) are products that the retailer owns, sells and distributes to consumers. If retailers can successfully influence the perceived value of their PLB wines, it will allow them to improve consumers’ purchase intentions, increase their profits and market share and gain a competitive edge over their brand name rivals. This study adds value to the limited research on the perceived value and purchase intentions of PLB wines in South Africa. A quantitative, descriptive, survey-based research approach was implemented. Participants were selected via a nonprobability convenience sampling method. In total, 250 questionnaires were used for analysis on the SPSS 22 statistical programme. Analysis included Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and simple linear regression analysis. The results indicated that the perceived relative price of PLB wines influenced the perceived value and suggested that there was a significant positive relationship between perceived value and consumers’ purchase intentions. It was recommended that Mass Grocery Retailers (MGRs) should adapt their PLB marketing and pricing strategies in order to change consumers’ perceived value and positively influence their purchase intentions with regard to PLB wines

Investigating the Usability and Quality of Experience of Mobile Video-Conferencing Apps Among Bandwidth-Constrained Users in South Africa

During the COVID-19 pandemic and mandated global lockdowns, people and busi- nesses started the extensive use of video-conferencing applications for staying connected. This surge in demand and the usability of video-conferencing services has been severely overlooked in developing countries like South Africa, where one-third of adults rely on mo- bile devices to access the internet, and the per-gigabyte data cost is among the highest in Africa. Considering these numbers, we conduct a two-pronged study where 1) we measure data consumption of different Android apps through data measurement experiments and 2) we conduct interviews and usability assessments with bandwidth-constrained users to bet- ter understand the usability and Quality of Experience (QoE) of mobile video-conferencing apps. Usability is the degree to which specified users can use a product to achieve specified goals. In contrast, QoE measures the subjective perception of the quality of an application and the level of delight or annoyance with a service. The key benefit of this study will be to inform organisations that seek to be inclusive about these tools’ relative usability by letting them know about the factors influencing users’ QoE

Co-occurrence of schizophrenia and obsessive compulsive disorder : a literature review

CITATION: Emsley, R. A., Stein, D. J. & Oosthuizen, P. 1999. Co-occurrence of schizophrenia and obsessive compulsive disorder : a literature review. South African Medical Journal, 89(9):1000-1002.The original publication is available at http://www.samj.org.za[No abstract available]Publisher’s versio

Venous bicarbonate and creatine kinase as diagnostic and prognostic tools in the setting of acute traumatic rhabdomyolysis

Background. Myorenal or crush syndrome often develops following soft-tissue traumatic injury. It is a spectrum of disease that may result in severe renal dysfunction and kidney injury requiring renal replacement therapy.Objectives. To review a large cohort of patients with so-called myorenal or crush syndrome and assess the biochemical markers of venous bicarbonate and creatine kinase as predictors for the development of acute kidney injury (AKI).Methods. All patients with myorenal syndrome who presented to Khayelitsha District Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa (SA), and Ngwelezana Hospital, Empangeni, KwaZulu-Natal, SA, between January and December 2017 were identified and reviewed.Results. A total of 212 patients were included in the study. At both hospitals, 94% of the patients were male. Using the Pearson correlation coefficient, we compared creatinine kinase (CK) against serum creatinine. The mean CK level was 5 311.8 U/L and the mean creatinine level 133.457 μmol/L. The r-value was 0.2533. Although this is a technically positive correlation, the relationship between the variables is weak. Using the Pearson R Calculator, we inserted the r-value to calculate the p-value. The p-value was 0.000208. When comparing venous bicarbonate (HCO3) against creatinine, the mean HCO3 level was 22.296 mmol/L and the mean creatinine level 162.053 μmol/L. The r-value was –0.3468. Although this is a technically negative correlation, the relationship between the variables is weak. Using the Pearson R Calculator, we inserted the r-value to calculate the p-value. The p-value was 0.000013. The inverse ratio shown with HCO3 v. creatinine, although still a weak correlation, is significantly better in predicting an increase in creatinine compared with the weak positive correlation of CK v. creatinine.Conclusions. Although both venous HCO3 and CK showed a weak correlation with creatinine, the former performed significantly better in predicting AKI. In a resource-constrained system, we recommend that HCO3 be measured to assess patients with crush injury and that CK be regarded as a complementary modality

Satellite tracking of leatherback and loggerhead sea turtles on the Southeast African coastline

The waters of southeast Africa contain important habitats for several sea turtle species, including the leatherback Dermochelys coriacea, loggerhead Caretta caretta, hawksbill Eretmochelys imbricata, green Chelonia mydas, and olive ridley turtle Lepidochelys olivacea. Many of these species are of conservation concern (Rakotoniria & Cooke, 1994; Thorson et al., 2012; Nel et al., 2013) and vulnerable to regional threats such as fisheries by-catch or boat-strikes (Bourjea et al., 2008; Grantham et al., 2008; Pusineri & Quillard, 2008). To help in the development of effective conservation plans for these species, many conservation or research organisations have used satellite transmitters to help identify critical habitats for sea turtles (Harris et al., 2015; Robinson et al., 2016). Here, we review the movement patterns of sea turtles that have been tracked through satellite telemetry from their nesting beaches on the east coast of South Africa

Involvement in and views on social responsibility of Gauteng members

How do physiotherapists in Gauteng Province, who are members of the South African Society of Physiotherapy (SASP), view social responsibility? A cross-sectional survey was conducted after ethics approval. All 1 098 Gauteng members of the SASP were invited via a thirdparty e-mail to reach the a priori minimum sample size of 97. The web-based questionnaire was developed from literature, an earlier SASP survey and a position paper of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). Five experts validated the instrument. The Likert scale scores indicating agreement with indicators of social responsibility were totalled to form a composite social responsibility score. The chi-square test for independence was used to determine associations between the categorised composite social responsibility score and categorical variables. Mean difference of continuous variables between the categorised core for two groups were tested using the two-sample t-test. All variables with a P-value less than 0.05 were included in the logistic regression analysis to investigate predictors of the necessity of social responsibility. The survey was completed by 163 participants. Of the sample, 96.9% viewed social responsibility as important. Subjects agreed most with “advocating for the health needs of society” (74,2%) and the least with “political activism” (6.1%). Compulsory community service positively influenced 74.6%. Most physiotherapists in the study viewed social responsibility as important and were involved in volunteering. There is scope to broaden the understanding among physiotherapists of what social responsibility entails.http://www.sajp.co.zahb2017Physiotherap

A raised serum lactate level is an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality in patients with isolated cerebral gunshot wounds

Background. Cerebral gunshot wounds (CGSWs) represent a highly lethal form of traumatic brain injury, and triaging these patients is difficult. The prognostic significance of the serum lactate level in the setting of CGSWs is largely unknown.Objectives. To examine the relationship between elevated serum lactate levels and mortality in patients with isolated CGSWs.Methods. A retrospective review of the regional trauma registry was undertaken at the Pietermaritzburg Metropolitan Trauma Service, South Africa, over a 5-year period from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2014. All patients with an isolated CGSW were included.Results. A total of 102 patients with isolated CGSWs were identified. Of these, 92.2% (94/102) were male. The mean age (standard deviation) was 29 (8) years, and the in-hospital mortality rate was 21.6% (22/102). The mean serum lactate level was significantly higher among non-survivors than among survivors (6.1 mmol/L v. 1.3 mmol/L; p<0.001). Lactate levels among non-survivors were <2 mmol/L in 4.5%, 2 - 3.99 mmol/L in 9.1%, 4 - 5.99 mmol/L in 36.4% and ≥6 mmol/L in 50.0%. The odds ratio for mortality with a lactate level of 4 - 5.99 mmol/L was 67 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.7 - 2 674.2), while for a lactate level of ≥6 mmol/L it was 1 787 (95% CI 9.0 - 354 116.1). The serum lactate level accurately predicted mortality even after adjustment for other variables. Based on a receiver operating curve analysis, an optimal cut-off of 3.3 mmol/L for serum lactate as a predictor for mortality was identified (area under the curve = 0.957).Conclusions. CGSWs are associated with significant mortality, and a raised serum lactate level appears to be an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality. It is a potentially useful adjunct in the resuscitation room for identifying patients with a very poor prognosis.