Mineral-PET: Kimberlite sorting by nuclear-medical technology

A revolutionary new technology for diamond bearing rock sorting which has its roots in medical-nuclear physics has been taken through a substantial part of the R&D phase. This has led to the construction of the technology demonstrator. Experiments using the technology demonstrator and experiments at a hospital have established the scientific and technological viability of the project

Effects of Coronavirus disease pandemic on tuberculosis notifications, Malawi

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic might affect tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis and patient care. We analyzed a citywide electronic TB register in Blantyre, Malawi and interviewed TB officers. Malawi did not have an official COVID-19 lockdown but closed schools and borders on March 23, 2020. In an interrupted time series analysis, we noted an immediate 35.9% reduction in TB notifications in April 2020; notifications recovered to near prepandemic numbers by December 2020. However, 333 fewer cumulative TB notifications were received than anticipated. Women and girls were affected more (30.7% fewer cases) than men and boys (20.9% fewer cases). Fear of COVID-19 infection, temporary facility closures, inadequate personal protective equipment, and COVID-19 stigma because of similar symptoms to TB were mentioned as reasons for fewer people being diagnosed with TB. Public health measures could benefit control of both TB and COVID-19, but only if TB diagnostic services remain accessible and are considered safe to attend

Impact of COVID-19 on tuberculosis notifications in Blantyre Malawi : an interrupted time series analysis and qualitative study with healthcare workers

COVID-19 may impact on tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis and care. We analysed a city-wide electronic TB register in Blantyre, Malawi and interviewed TB officers. Malawi had no official “lockdown” but closed schools and borders on 23-March 2020. In interrupted time series analysis, there was an immediate 35.9% reduction in TB notifications (95% CI 22.0 to 47.3%) in April, which recovered to near pre-pandemic numbers by December 2020, but with 333 (95% CI 291 to 375) fewer cumulative notifications than anticipated. Women and girls were impacted (30.7% fewer cases, 95% CI 28.4 to 33.0%) more than men and boys (20.9% fewer, 95% CI 18.5 to 23.3). Fear of COVID-19 infection, temporary facility closure, inadequate protective equipment and COVID-19 stigma with similar presenting symptoms to TB were mentioned. Public health measures could benefit both TB and COVID-19, but only if diagnostic services remain accessible and are considered safe to attend

ODL – Answer to access to tertiary education in Southern Africa?

The introduction of open and distance learning (ODL) has generally been understood as a response to the new challenges of increased and diverse demands for learning being placed on the education sector, and is seen as one of the strategies through which universities can substantially increase access to tertiary education. However, recent studies indicate that ODL has generally made a significant contribution towards access to tertiary education in developed countries and less so in developing countries, where access remains limited. Even though Botswana identified ODL as one of the strategies to increase participation in tertiary education, its expansion remained very slow for a long time compared to face-to-face provision, resulting in its contribution to increased participation being insignificant. In this article, document analysis was used to review policies affecting ODL as a mode of delivery. The study sought to determine the reason for the limited use of ODL to improve access to tertiary education, in some dual-mode universities. A case study of the University of Botswana (UB) was conducted to determine reasons that some dual-mode universities in Southern Africa still appear hesitant to increase access to many of their programmes through ODL. Reasons uncovered include financial resources, limited planning and monitoring of implementation, stakeholder attitudes and perceptionshttp://www.unisa.ac.za/Default.asp?Cmd=ViewContent&ContentID=7388http://reference.sabinet.co.za.nwulib.nwu.ac.za/proxy/DocumentView/aHR0cDovL3JlZmVyZW5jZS5zYWJpbmV0LmNvLnphL2RvY3VtZW50L0VKQzEzMDI5MQ%3D%3D/a%3A1%3A%7Bs%3A6%3A%22source%22%3Bs%3A6%3A%22search%22%3B%7