The impact of Katse Dam water on water quality in the Ash, Liebenbergsvlei and Wilge Rivers and the Vaal Dam

The main purpose of this study is to determine the difference in water quality of the rivers between the Katse and Vaal Dams (Wilge River and Vaal Dam reservoir sub-catchments) after the construction of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project. These rivers include the Ash, Liebenbergsvlei and Wilge Rivers. The temporal changes in water constituents, namely: electrical conductivity, chemical oxygen demand, pH, turbidity, ammonia, calcium, manganese and chlorophyll a, at selected water sampling points were analysed to clarify if Katse Dam water has had any impact on the water quality of the Ash, Liebenbergsvlei and Wilge Rivers and the Vaal Dam. The water quality was studied over an eleven-year period from November 1994 until December 2005. This includes a five-year period prior to, and a six-year period following the completion of the Katse Dam. The Ash, Liebenbergsvlei and Wilge Rivers fall within the Wilge sub-catchment, and the Vaal Dam falls within the Vaal Dam reservoir sub-catchment. Both the aforementioned sub-catchments form part of the Vaal River catchment. Physical, chemical and microbiological sampling results were obtained from Rand Water. The results were compared with the in-stream water quality guidelines as set by the Vaal Barrage Catchment Executive Committee. The results of the selected constituents were depicted visually in the form of graphs. Trends in the constituents over the period were then determined. The graphs were divided into two sections namely, pre-Katse Dam (before 1999) and post-Katse Dam (1999 to 2005). Differences in water quality before and after the construction of the Katse Dam were determined from sampling and chemical analysis at six locations, and hence evaluations were made whether the release of Katse Dam water has had a significant effect on the water quality results in the Vaal River System. The water quality results with respect to the different water constituents illustrated a distinct change in water quality over the period. Northwards, towards the Vaal Dam, the difference in water quality became less apparent. Sampling points throughout the study area experienced decreases in: electrical conductivity, chemical oxygen demand, turbidity, ammonia, and manganese. Hence, the release of Katse Dam water into the Vaal River system has had a ii positive influence on the water quality and thus changed the riverine environments in the Vaal River system. The high quality water from the Katse Dam that enters the Vaal River system thus initially increases the quality of the water in the recipient system with a lesser effect downstream. The result is an improvement of water quality in the upper reaches of the Vaal River system and no significant influence on the Vaal Dam itself. However, the change in water quality may have a detrimental effect on the river environment as a result of the increased volume of water entering the system and the resultant soil erosion, which serves for further studies. Consequently, the advantageous high quality water from the Lesotho Highlands is not being optimally utilised, hence the proposed recommendation by Rand Water to alternatively transfer Katse Dam water via a gravity-fed pipeline to the Vaal Dam thereby receiving the full benefit of high quality water, leaving river environments unaltered and possibly lowering purification costs.Prof. J. T. Harmse Prof. H. J. Annegar

C-9 and Other Microgravity Simulations

This document represents a summary of medical and scientific evaluations conducted aboard the C-9 and other NASA-sponsored aircraft from June 2008 to June 2009. Included is a general overview of investigations manifested and coordinated by the Human Adaptation and Counter-measures Division. A collection of brief reports that describe tests conducted aboard the NASA-sponsored aircraft follows the overview. Principal investigators and test engineers contributed significantly to the content of the report, describing their particular experiment or hardware evaluation. Although this document follows general guidelines, each report format may vary to accommodate differences in experiment design and procedures. This document concludes with an appendix that provides background information concerning the Reduced Gravity Program. Acknowledgment

The English Novel, 1800–1829 & 1830–1836: Update 7 (August 2009–July 2020)

This report, like its predecessors, relates primarily to the second volume of The English Novel, 1770–1829: A Bibliographical Survey of Prose Fiction Published in the British Isles (Oxford: OUP, 2000) [EN2], co-edited by Peter Garside and Rainer Schöwerling, with the assistance of Christopher Skelton-Foord and Karin Wünsche. It also refers to the online The English Novel, 1830–36: A Bibliographical Survey of Fiction Published in the British Isles [EN3], which effectively serves as a continuation of the printed Bibliography

Novice Teachers Navigating Mentoring Relationships in the United States

Devido à escassez nacional de professores nos Estados Unidos, a manutenção desses profissionais no sistema é hoje mais crítica do que nunca. Nesta linha, este estudo visa compreender que experiências de tutoria e apoio à indução podem auxiliar neste objetivo. Enquadrada pela teoria do dialogismo de Bakhtin, a natureza longitudinal e qualitativa deste estudo explora as experiências de professores iniciantes (PI) em escolas dos primeiros anos de escolarização nos Estados Unidos, cujo desempenho profissional inicial ocorreu num cenário de pandemia global. Mais especificamente, concentramo-nos no apoio formal e informal que receberam nesses primeiros anos de exercício. A análise dos dados, que incluiu entrevistas aprofundadas com os PI, revelou dois temas principais: 1) despriorização da tutoria e 2) inconsistências na tutoria. As implicações deste estudo ampliam a literatura existente, oferecendo evidências baseadas em ações para melhorar a orientação e a indução. O foco na manutenção de PI no sistema através de suporte e orientação beneficia está área no presente e no futuro.Amid the national teaching shortage in the United States, it is now more critical than ever to sustain teachers. Consequently, the purpose of this study is to understand which mentoring experiences and induction support can aid in this objective.  Framed by Bakhtin’s theory of dialogism, this study's longitudinal, qualitative nature explores the experiences of novice teachers (NTs) in elementary schools in the United States whose critical first years occurred amid a global pandemic.  More specifically, we focus on the formal and informal support they experienced while becoming a teacher.  Analysis of the data, which included in-depth interviews with the NTs revealed two key themes: 1) deprioritizing mentoring, and 2) inconsistencies in mentoring.  The implications of this study aim to extend the existing literature, offering action-based evidence to improve mentoring and induction.  Focusing on the retention of NTs via support and mentoring benefits the field now and into the future

Data Resource Profile:The Edinburgh Child Protection Dataset - a new linked administrative data source of children referred to Child Protection paediatric services in Edinburgh, Scotland

Introduction: Child maltreatment affects a substantial number of children. However current evidence relies on either longitudinal studies, which are complex and resource-intensive, or linked data studies based on social services data, which is arguably the tip of the iceberg in terms of children who are maltreated. Reliable, linked, population-level data on children referred to services due to suspected abuse or neglect will increase our ability to examine risk factors for, and outcomes following, abuse and neglect.Objective: The objective of this project was to create a linkable population level dataset, The Edinburgh Child Protection Dataset (ECPD), comprising all children referred to the Edinburgh Child Protection Paediatric healthcare team due to a concern about their welfare between 1995 and 2015.Methods: The paper presents the process for creating the dataset. The analyses provide examples of available data from the main referrals dataset between 1995 and 2011 (where data quality was highest).Results: 19,969 referrals were captured, relating to 11,653 children. Of the 19,969 referrals, a higher proportion were girls (54%), although boys were referred for physical abuse more often than girls (41% versus 30%). Younger children were more likely to be referred for physical abuse (35% of 0-4 year olds vs. 27% 15+): older children were more likely to be referred for sexual abuse (48% of 15+ years vs. 18% of 0-4 years). Most referrals came from social workers (46%) or police (31%)).Conclusions: The ECPD offers a unique insight into the characteristics of referrals to child protection paediatric services over a key period in the history of child protection in Scotland. It is hoped that by making these data available to researchers, and able to be easily linked with both mother and child current and future health records, evidence will be created to better support maltreated children and monitor changes over time

Data Resource Profile:The Edinburgh Child Protection Dataset - a new linked administrative data source of children referred to Child Protection paediatric services in Edinburgh, Scotland

Introduction: Child maltreatment affects a substantial number of children. However current evidence relies on either longitudinal studies, which are complex and resource-intensive, or linked data studies based on social services data, which is arguably the tip of the iceberg in terms of children who are maltreated. Reliable, linked, population-level data on children referred to services due to suspected abuse or neglect will increase our ability to examine risk factors for, and outcomes following, abuse and neglect.Objective: The objective of this project was to create a linkable population level dataset, The Edinburgh Child Protection Dataset (ECPD), comprising all children referred to the Edinburgh Child Protection Paediatric healthcare team due to a concern about their welfare between 1995 and 2015.Methods: The paper presents the process for creating the dataset. The analyses provide examples of available data from the main referrals dataset between 1995 and 2011 (where data quality was highest).Results: 19,969 referrals were captured, relating to 11,653 children. Of the 19,969 referrals, a higher proportion were girls (54%), although boys were referred for physical abuse more often than girls (41% versus 30%). Younger children were more likely to be referred for physical abuse (35% of 0-4 year olds vs. 27% 15+): older children were more likely to be referred for sexual abuse (48% of 15+ years vs. 18% of 0-4 years). Most referrals came from social workers (46%) or police (31%)).Conclusions: The ECPD offers a unique insight into the characteristics of referrals to child protection paediatric services over a key period in the history of child protection in Scotland. It is hoped that by making these data available to researchers, and able to be easily linked with both mother and child current and future health records, evidence will be created to better support maltreated children and monitor changes over time

Data Resource Profile:the Edinburgh Phild Protection Dataset - a new linked administrative data source of children referred to Child Protection paediatric services in Edinburgh, Scotland

Introduction: Child maltreatment affects a substantial number of children. However current evidence relies on either longitudinal studies, which are complex and resource-intensive, or linked data studies based on social services data, which is arguably the tip of the iceberg in terms of children who are maltreated. Reliable, linked, population-level data on children referred to services due to suspected abuse or neglect will increase our ability to examine risk factors for, and outcomes following, abuse and neglect.Objective: The objective of this project was to create a linkable population level dataset, The Edinburgh Child Protection Dataset (ECPD), comprising all children referred to the Edinburgh Child Protection Paediatric healthcare team due to a concern about their welfare between 1995 and 2015.Methods: The paper presents the process for creating the dataset. The analyses provide examples of available data from the main referrals dataset between 1995 and 2011 (where data quality was highest).Results: 19,969 referrals were captured, relating to 11,653 children. Of the 19,969 referrals, a higher proportion were girls (54%), although boys were referred for physical abuse more often than girls (41% versus 30%). Younger children were more likely to be referred for physical abuse (35% of 0-4 year olds vs. 27% 15+): older children were more likely to be referred for sexual abuse (48% of 15+ years vs. 18% of 0-4 years). Most referrals came from social workers (46%) or police (31%)).Conclusions: The ECPD offers a unique insight into the characteristics of referrals to child protection paediatric services over a key period in the history of child protection in Scotland. It is hoped that by making these data available to researchers, and able to be easily linked with both mother and child current and future health records, evidence will be created to better support maltreated children and monitor changes over time

Media coverage of Malaysian Airline Flight MH370: a preliminary study on the framing of the crisis in the Malaysian mainstream and alternative newspapers

This study proposes to investigate and compare the coverage of the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 by Malaysian mainstream and alternative newspapers – The Star newspaper and Malaysiakini. The MH370 crisis in March 2014 is considered as the greatest aviation crisis in the history of Malaysia because of its magnitude and attracted massive local and international media coverage. It presented Malaysian authorities with a new form of challenge, resulting in various criticisms from aviation, media and crisis communication experts over how information regarding the crisis was handled by Malaysia Airlines (MAS) in particular, and the Malaysian government in general. On the other hand, the role of the media during a crisis is not only to provide information regarding the crisis, but also to act as the peoples' advocate by providing an avenue for public engagements and discussions. However, the ability of the media to play this role depends to a certain extent on ownership, and a large extent on the degree of freedom it enjoys in a country. Through quantitative content analysis, the study compares the framing of the crisis by the selected newspapers, the sources of information for their news stories, and slants of the news. The study found that the mainstream newspaper The Star provided general and limited viewpoints with a concentration on the human interest frame, while the alternative newspaper, Malaysiakini, had more critical news reports with a focus on the attribute of responsibility frame

Preliminary lessons from COVID-19 disruptions of small-scale fishery supply chains

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and associated mitigation measures have disrupted global systems that support the health, food and nutrition security, and livelihoods of billions of people. These disruptions have likewise affected the small-scale fishery (SSF) sector, disrupting SSF supply chains and exposing weaknesses in the global seafood distribution system. To inform future development of adaptive capacity and resilience in the sector, it is important to understand how supply chain actors are responding in the face of a macroeconomic shock. Comparing across seven SSF case studies in four countries, we explore how actors are responding to COVID-19 disruptions, identify constraints to adaptive responses, and describe patterns of disruption and response across cases. In all cases examined, actors shifted focus to local and regional distribution channels and particularly drew on flexibility, organization, and learning to re-purpose pre-existing networks and use technology to their advantage. Key constraints to reaching domestic consumers included domestic restrictions on movement and labor, reduced spending power amongst domestic consumers, and lack of existing distribution channels. In addition, the lack of recognition of SSFs as essential food-producers and inequities in access to technology hampered efforts to continue local seafood supply. We suggest that the initial impacts from COVID-19 highlight the risks in of over-reliance on global trade networks. The SSFs that were able to change strategies most successfully had local organizations and connections in place that they leveraged in innovative ways. As such, supporting local and domestic networks and flexible organizations within the supply chain may help build resilience in the face of future macroeconomic shocks. Importantly, bolstering financial wellbeing and security within the domestic market both before and during such large-scale disruptions is crucial for supporting ongoing supply chain operations and continued food provision during macroeconomic crises