Lived Experience of Geographically Dispersed Employees in the Absence of Shared-Air Organizational Interactions

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of employees choosing an off-site employment option increased annually. During COVID-19-related work-life modifications, many organizations worldwide were required to transition to a geographically dispersed, off-site workforce. While some individuals may enjoy the flexibility, convenience, and work-life balance of a geographically dispersed position, there is a need for organizations and employees to explore how workers perceive social support, experience feeling valued by and connected with leaders and team members and are impacted by technology and virtual interactions for those who work wholly off-site or at such a distance that face-to-face organizational interactions are not feasible. As both theory and method, interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) guided the collection and analysis of interviews regarding the lived experiences of six geographically dispersed employees, allowing for a deeper understanding of the perceptions and experiences of those working in a remote environment without the opportunity for shared-air organizational interactions by highlighting subjective narratives. By considering the results of this study, including feelings of isolation and disconnection as well as the desire for communication, inclusion in decision and policy-making, organizational leaders and policy makers may better understand the off-site employee’s experience. The exploration of the lived experiences of the study’s participants may encourage the review of or implementation of strategies that could contribute to positive social change by influencing the perceived social support, feelings of being valued, sense of connection, and inclusion of the increasing number of geographically dispersed employees

The benefit of pharmacological venous thromboprophylaxis in foot and ankle surgery

Background. Ten percent of patients with a deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) will develop a fatal pulmonary embolism (PE), often initially asymptomatic. The risks and benefits of pharmacological thromboprophylaxis are well documented in respect of total joint arthroplasty and hip fractures, but little is understood about the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) or the potential risks and benefits of chemoprophylaxis in foot and ankle surgery.Objective. To determine whether prophylactic chemoprophylaxis had any impact on the prevention of VTE in a cohort of foot and ankle surgical patients requiring the combination of below-knee cast immobilisation and non-weightbearing for ≥4 weeks.Methods. Between March 2014 and April 2015, a prospective cohort study of 142 patients was performed. All completed a thrombosis risk assessment form prior to surgery and were commenced on rivaroxaban (Xarelto) 10 mg/d postoperatively. The primary outcome measure was clinical VTE confirmed by compression ultrasonography (DVT) or a ventilation/perfusion scan (PE).Results. Three patients (2.1%) developed a clinical DVT. Two did so well beyond the immobilisation and anticoagulation period, and one was non-compliant with therapy. The average risk factor score in this subgroup was 7. No patient had a DVT while on the prescribed regimen of anticoagulant therapy. Five patients (3.5%) developed wound breakdown, two requiring surgical debridement with local skin flap closure. One case of menorrhagia that may have been linked to the anticoagulant therapy was reported. When compared with a previous study, pharmacological thromboprophylaxis significantly reduced VTE risk (p=0.02).Conclusions. Oral pharmacological thromboprophylaxis significantly reduces the risk of VTE in patients requiring cast immobilisation and non-weightbearing following foot and ankle surgery. The risk/benefit ratio favours this treatment as opposed to the treatment of major morbidity following non-fatal VTE

Correlation between rivaroxaban (Xarelto) plasma activity, patient clinical variables and outcomes in a South African centre

Background. Low-molecular-weight heparin and vitamin K antagonists such as warfarin are the gold standard for prohylaxis and treatment of venous thromboembolic disease (VTED). Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) result in predictable anticoagulation with significantly reduced inter- and intra-patient variability. DOAC absorption is rapid, with a short half-life and relatively few drug interactions. DOACs are effective and safe at fixed doses without activity monitoring. However, specific situations may require assessment of accurate drug activity. Rivaroxaban, a DOAC targeting activated coagulation factor X (FXa), is registered for the prevention and treatment of VTED in South Africa.Objectives. To establish a prophylactic rivaroxaban activity level range and determine any associations with clinical complications, viz. haemorrhage and/or thrombosis. Methods. Samples from 115 orthopaedic patients were tested 3 hours after a prophylactic oral dose of 10 mg rivaroxaban with STAGO rivaroxaban anti-FXa reagent on an automated coagulation analyser. Patient demographics and clinical outcomes were documented.Results. The mean rivaroxaban anti-FXa level was 105.7 ng/mL. Two patients developed adverse events on therapy. One patient had minor bleeding (menorrhagia) (drug activity level 288.7 ng/mL) and another a deep-vein thrombosis (drug activity level 34.7 ng/mL). Statistical analysis demonstrated an association between drug activity and advancing age (p=0.008), most apparent among those aged ≥65 years.Conclusions. Measuring rivaroxaban activity levels may reduce uncertainty if treatment failure and complications occur. Patients aged ≥65 years should be closely monitored. A local expected rivaroxaban activity level for patients on rivaroxaban prophylaxis has been established

Correlation between rivaroxaban (Xarelto) plasma activity, patient clinical variables and outcomes in a South African centre

Background. Low-molecular-weight heparin and vitamin K antagonists such as warfarin are the gold standard for prohylaxis and treatment of venous thromboembolic disease (VTED). Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) result in predictable anticoagulation with significantly reduced inter- and intra-patient variability. DOAC absorption is rapid, with a short half-life and relatively few drug interactions. DOACs are effective and safe at fixed doses without activity monitoring. However, specific situations may require assessment of accurate drug activity. Rivaroxaban, a DOAC targeting activated coagulation factor X (FXa), is registered for the prevention and treatment of VTED in South Africa.Objectives. To establish a prophylactic rivaroxaban activity level range and determine any associations with clinical complications, viz. haemorrhage and/or thrombosis.Methods. Samples from 115 orthopaedic patients were tested 3 hours after a prophylactic oral dose of 10 mg rivaroxaban with STAGO rivaroxaban anti-FXa reagent on an automated coagulation analyser. Patient demographics and clinical outcomes were documented.Results. The mean rivaroxaban anti-FXa level was 105.7 ng/mL. Two patients developed adverse events on therapy. One patient had minor bleeding (menorrhagia) (drug activity level 288.7 ng/mL) and another a deep-vein thrombosis (drug activity level 34.7 ng/mL). Statistical analysis demonstrated an association between drug activity and advancing age (p=0.008), most apparent among those aged ≥65 years.Conclusions. Measuring rivaroxaban activity levels reduces uncertainty if treatment failure and complications occur. Patients aged ≥65 years should be closely monitored. A local rivaroxaban activity level for patients on rivaroxaban prophylaxis has been established

Foot and ankle injuries in elite South African cricketers : a descriptive analysis of injury surveillance data

Introduction. Injury surveillance is an important part of injury risk reduction in the sporting population. This study describes the type, side (dominant or non-dominant), occurrence, impact, activity of onset, and severity of foot and ankle injuries in elite South African male and female cricketers. Methods. Foot and ankle injuries sustained by elite cricket players between 2018 and 2021, obtained from the records of Cricket South Africa, were descriptively analysed. Results. A total of 104 foot and ankle injuries in 82 players were recorded. The majority (n = 100; 96%) of injuries were on the non-dominant side. Bowling (n = 31; 30%) and fielding (n = 20; 19%) contributed to most injuries. The majority were first-time (n = 83; 80%) and non-impact injuries (n = 62; 60%). Fifty percent (n = 52) of injuries rendered players unable to participate in at least one match or practice session. Lateral ankle ligament injury was the most common injury sustained (n = 36; 35%). Conclusion. The findings from this study can inform future researchers and assist healthcare service needs relating to injury risk reduction and management programmes. Effective rehabilitation programmes may reduce the risk of reinjury. Ideally, these programmes need to be role specific

Documenting trauma : an analysis of the construction of traumatic collective memory in the first and last scenes of the documentary, Mama Marikana

On 16 August 2012, the South African Police Service opened fire on rock-drill operators who had gone on a wildcat strike demanding a living wage of R12500, at the Lonmin Platinum mine in Marikana. Thirty-four mineworkers were left dead, seventy-eight were wounded and over two hundred and fifty were arrested. The shooting on 16 August was dubbed the ‘Marikana Massacre’, and has been compared to the lethal use of force during the Sharpeville massacre in 1960 (South African History Online, “Marikana Massacre 16 August 2012”). The documentary by Rehad Desai, Miners Shot Down has made a valuable contribution to balancing media representation of the events and the mineworkers’ perspectives, but to date the media has neglected to adequately engage with the plight of the widows and other women left behind in Marikana after the massacre. In reaction to the neglect and marginalisation that they experienced the women of the community formed the Marikana Women’s Organisation, Sikhala Sonke, in Wonderkop near Marikana. ! My film, Mama Marikana, aims to give a voice to the women of Marikana: the widows, mothers, sisters and community members left behind and forgotten by society after the Marikana massacre. It takes a look behind the miners’ story as five Marikana women struggle to move from a space of oppression to a space of empowerment. The film exposes a personal account of how women fight within a traumatised space: through the growth of the women’s organisation, Sikhala Sonke, one member’s rise to Parliament, personal sacrifices for the community and the empowerment of victims. The cinema of memory culminates at the intersection of history, documentary and cinema (Rabinowitz 120). By combining film with memory, and their multidimensional dreamlike “aura of insubstantiality” (MacDougal 29), documentaries can be involved in collective memory transmission in order to break officially imposed silences and contribute to different interpretations of history (Waterson 51). This study analyses how the montage editing of certain conventions of documentary filmmaking present in the first and last scene of my masters documentary Mama Marikana, transform it into a cinema of memory that allows for the transmission of a social, collective memory that can endure over time (Waterson 51). Previous work has failed to present how a structural analysis of montage editing and juxtaposition of conventions associated with the documentary form can transform a documentary into a cinema of memory. This research and my ! 5! documentary, Mama Marikana, attempt to create an alternative discourse on the role of memory creation within the traumatised and gendered space of Marikana. Using the concept of “cinema as language” (Carrol 1) and a qualitative structural analysis approach, the montage editing in the first and last scenes of Mama Marikana will be evaluated. Documentary conventions that will be considered include testimony (interviews with the widows and women of Sikhala Sonke Women’s Organisation), reenactment (a play in which the women act out their memories and interpretations of the massacre that took place on 16 August 2012), cinéma vérité footage [of the audience (male mineworkers) watching the women perform the play at the Marikana Commemoration Rally 2014] and archive footage (of the massacre that took place on 16 August 2012 and its aftermath). The research and film, Mama Marikana aim to provide a space where the women’s stories can be told and their voices heard. This includes the potential to make the personal political and to break official silences of traumatised spaces through the transmission of individual testimony into a social collective memory, where the film itself becomes an event/ memory performing its own meanings (Waterson 65). The combination of these documentary conventions allow the telling of an untold story that engages with subaltern voices in a liminal space trapped in traumatic history

Exploring the Reactivity of Na[W2(μ-Cl)3Cl4(THF)2]∙(THF)3 towards the Polymerization of Selected Cycloolefins

The bimetallic compound Na[W2(μ-Cl)3Cl4(THF)2]·(THF)3 (1, {W 3 W}6+, a′2e′4) is a highly efficient room-temperature initiator for ring opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of norbornene (NBE) and some of its derivatives. In most cases, addition of phenylacetylene (PA) as co-initiator improves the catalytic activity and retains the high cis-stereoselectivity. On the other hand, 1 can polymerize cyclopentadiene (CPD), not via a metathetic, but rather, via a cationic mechanism. Here, we present a comparison of the reactivity of the two catalytic systems (1 and 1/PA) between themselves and with other systems reported in the literature, the characterization of the polymers formed and mechanistic aspects of the corresponding reactions

Selective polymerization of alkynes and cycloolefins with bimetallic complexes of the transition metals

The triply bonded (d3-d3) ditungsten complex Na[W2Cl7(THF)2]•(THF)3 ((W 3 W)6+, a΄2e΄4) was found to catalyze efficiently and stereoselectively the polymerization of monosubstituted acetylenes {RC≡CH, R= Ph , C7H7 (ο-methylphenyl, C7H4F3 (ο-trifluoromethylphenyl, C10H7 (naphthyl, C14H10 (biphenyl, C13H10O (methoxynaphthyl, C16H10 (phenanthryl, t-butyl , n-butyl and trimethylsilyl }. The structures of the polymers formed, as well as their molecular weights, depend on the reaction conditions (solvent, reaction time, monomer / catalyst ratio). The above catalyst, under similar conditions, induces the ring opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of bicycloolefins (norbornene , norbornadiene , and norbornene derivatives). Polymerization of norbornene gives poly(cyclopentane-1,3-divinylene) with 86% cis-stereoselectivity and yields up to 96%, depending on the reaction conditions. The use of phenylacetylene as cocatalyst under the same conditions increases the yield (quantitative) and the rate of the reaction, without loss of stereoselectivity. The polymerization of phenylacetylene and norbornene were studied in detail. Attempts to isolate and characterize catalytically active yield-related intermediates were not successful. However, the fact that Na[W2Cl7(THF)2]•(THF)3 induces the ring opening metathesis polymerization of bicycloolefins strongly suggests that the polymerization of acetylenes also proceeds via a metathetical (metal carbene) mechanism. Direct evidence for the polymerization of alkynes was obtained by the in situ monitoring of the reactions by 1H NMR at different temperatures ranging from -20 to 20 οC, where formation of the propagating metal carbenes was observed.Το διπυρηνικό σύμπλοκο Na[W2Cl7(THF)2]•(THF)3 (d3-d3) που περιέχει τριπλό δεσμό μεταξύ των ατόμων του βολφραμίου ((W 3 W)6+, a΄2e΄4) παρουσιάζει εξαιρετική δραστικότητα ως ομογενής, αλλά και ετερογενής καταλύτης για αντιδράσεις πολυμερισμού των ακετυλενίων {RC≡CH, R= Ph C7H7 (ο-μεθυλοφαινύλιο, C7H4F3 (ο-τριφθορομεθυλοφαινύλιο, C10H7 (ναφθύλιο, C14H10 (διφαινύλιο, C13H10O (μεθοξυναφθύλιο, C16H10 (φαινανθρύλιο, τριτοταγές βουτύλιο κανονικό βουτύλιο και τριμεθυλοπυριτύλιο } με υψηλές αποδόσεις. Οι δομές των παραγόμενων πολυμερών και τα μοριακά τους βάρη εξαρτώνται από τις συνθήκες στις οποίες πραγματοποιείται η αντίδραση (διαλύτης, χρόνος αντίδρασης, αναλογία μονομερούς / καταλύτη). Επίσης, το σύμπλοκο αυτό επάγει τον μεταθετικό πολυμερισμό με άνοιγμα δακτυλίου (ROMP) σε δικυκλοολεφίνες (νορβορνένιο , νορβορναδιένιο και παράγωγα του νορβορνενίου. Κατά τον πολυμερισμό του νορβορνενίου σχηματίστηκε πολυ(κυκλοπεντανο-1,3-διβινυλένιο) με 86% cis-στερεοεκλεκτικότητα και απόδοση μέχρι 96%, ανάλογα με τις συνθήκες της αντίδρασης. Χρήση του φαινυλακετυλενίου ως συγκαταλύτη αυξάνει την απόδοση (ποσοτική μετατροπή) και την ταχύτητα της αντίδρασης, χωρίς να επηρεάζεται η στερεοεκλεκτικότητά της. Οι πολυμερισμοί του φαινυλακετυλενίου και του νορβορνενίου μελετήθηκαν ενδελεχώς. Προσπάθειες απομόνωσης και χαρακτηρισμού καταλυτικών ενεργών ενδιαμέσων δεν ήταν επιτυχείς. Ωστόσο, το γεγονός ότι το Na[W2Cl7(THF)2]•(THF)3 επάγει τον μεταθετικό πολυμερισμό των δικυκλοολεφινών υποδεικνύει έμμεσα ότι και ο πολυμερισμός του φαινυλακετυλενίου προχωρά μέσω ενός μεταθετικού μηχανισμού. Άμεση ένδειξη για την μεταθετική φύση του πολυμερισμού των ακετυλενίων ελήφθη με την παρακολούθηση των αντιδράσεων in situ με 1H NMR σε θερμοκρασίες από -20 έως 20 οC, όπου παρατηρήθηκε ο σχηματισμός μεταλλοκαρβενίων