Editorial

Professor Annette Combrink can truly be seen as a “first lady”. She made history by being the first woman on various commissions, committees, and societies, as well as being the first female Dean and Rector of the Potchefstroom campus of the North-West University. Furthermore, she was also the first female editor-in-chief of Koers. Of the eight editors, in the 70 years of Koers’ existence, Annette Combrink served 21 years

Stabilisierung sub- und pertrochantärer Femurfrakturen mit dem PFNΑ®

Zusammenfassung: Operationsziel: Primär belastungsstabile Osteosynthese per- und subtrochantärer Femurfrakturen mit intramedullärem Kraftträger, besonders auch in osteoporotischem Knochen. Rasche Wiederherstellung der Anatomie und Funktion des verletzten Beins. Indikationen: Sämtliche per- und subtrochantäre Frakturen der AO-Klassifikation 31-A. Kontraindikationen: Offene Wachstumsfugen und ungeeignete Femuranatomie (pathologische Antekurvation bzw. fehlverheilte Schaftfrakturen). Operationstechnik: Wenn möglich geschlossene, bei Bedarf offene Reposition der Faktur auf dem Extensionstisch. Intramedulläre, unaufgebohrte Nagelung und Frakturfixation durch Einbringen einer Spiralklinge über einen Führungsdraht in das Kopf-Halsfragment. Möglichkeit zur dynamischen oder statischen Verriegelung im Femurschaft. Operative Nachsorge: Rasche Mobilisation ab dem ersten postoperativen Tag mit schmerzadaptierter Vollbelastung. Thromboseprophylaxe für 6Wochen mit Fondaparinux, Rivaroxaban oder niedermolekularem Heparin (NMH), alternativ orale Antikoagulation. Ergebnisse: Im Rahmen einer AO-Multizenterstudie an 11 europäischen Kliniken wurden zwischen April 2004 und Juni 2005 313Patienten (Durchschnittsalter 80,6Jahre, 77% Frauen, 23% Männer) mit 315 instabilen pertrochantären Frakturen mittels PFNΑ® ("proximal femoral nail antirotation") operativ stabilisiert [24]. Bei 82% handelte es sich um 31-A2-Frakturen, bei 18% um 31-A3-Frakturen. Die durchschnittliche Operationszeit betrug 56min für die A2-Frakturen und 66min für die A3-Frakturen. Die durchschnittliche Liegedauer im Akutspital betrug 12Tage. Bei 72% der Patienten konnte ein Repositions- und Stabilisierungsergebnis erreicht werden, welches eine unmittelbare postoperative Vollbelastung erlaubte. Insgesamt wurden 165Komplikationen beobachtet, 117 davon waren nicht auf das Implantat zu beziehen. 46 operationsbedingte Komplikationen führten zu 28 ungeplanten Re-Operationen (u.a. 7Femurschaftfrakturen, 4 azetabuläre Penetrationen). 56% der Patienten konnten über ein ganzes Jahr nachkontrolliert werden. Nach einem Jahr waren 89% der Frakturen konsolidiert. Die höchsten Komplikationsraten wiesen Frakturen der Morphologie 31-A2.3 sowie Patienten älter als 90Jahre auf. Mit dem PFNA® wurde damit eine mit den Resultaten anderer intra- und extramedullärer Implantate vergleichbare Anzahl operationsbedingter Komplikationen (14,6%) beschriebe

System of crop intensification for more productive, resource-conserving, climate-resilient, and sustainable agriculture: experience with diverse crops in varying agroecologies

With continually increasing demand for food accompanied by the constraints of climate change and the availability and quality of soil and water, the world’s farmers are challenged to produce more food per hectare with less water, and with fewer agrochemical inputs if possible. The ideas and methods of the system of rice intensification which is improving irrigated rice production are now being extended/adapted to many other crops: wheat, maize, finger millet, sugarcane, tef, mustard, legumes, vegetables, and even spices. Promoting better root growth and enhancing the soil’s fertility with organic materials are being found effective means for raising the yields of many crop plants with less water, less fertilizer, reduced seeds, fewer agrochemicals, and greater climate resilience. In this article, we review what is becoming known about various farmer-centred innovations for agroecological crop management that can contribute to agricultural sustainability. These changes represent the emerging system of crop intensification, which is being increasingly applied in Asian, African, and Latin American countries. More research will be needed to verify the efficacy and impact of these innovations and to clarify their conditions and limits. But as no negative effects for human or environmental health have been identified, making these agronomic options more widely known should prompt more investigation and, to the extent justified by results, utilization of these methodologies

The context of chemical communication driving a mutualism

Recent work suggests that Drosophila and Saccharomyces yeasts may establish a mutualistic association, and that this is driven by chemical communication. While individual volatiles have been implicated in the attraction of D. melanogaster, the semiochemicals affecting the behavior of the sibling species D. simulans are less well characterised. Here, we comprehensively scrutinize a broad range of volatiles produced by attractive and repulsive yeasts to experimentally evaluate the chemical nature of communication between these species. When grown in liquid or on agar-solidified grape juice, attraction to S. cerevisiae was primarily driven by 3-methylbutyl acetate (isoamyl acetate) and repulsion by acetic acid, a known attractant to D. melanogaster (also known as vinegar fly). Using T-maze choice tests and synthetic compounds we show that these responses were strongly influenced by compound concentration. Moreover, the behavioral response is further impacted by the chemical context of the environment. Thus, chemical communication between yeasts and flies is complex, and is not simply driven by the presence of single volatiles, but modulated by compound interactions. The ecological context of chemical communication needs to be taken into consideration when testing for ecologically realistic responses

Quantifying variation in the ability of yeasts to attract Drosophila melanogaster

Yeasts that invade and colonise fruit significantly enhance the volatile chemical diversity of this ecosystem. These modified bouquets are thought to be more attractive to Drosophila flies than the fruit alone, but the variance of attraction in natural yeast populations is uncharacterised. Here we investigate how a range of yeast isolates affect the attraction of female D. melanogaster to fruit in a simple two choice assay comparing yeast to sterile fruit. Of the 43 yeast isolates examined, 33 were attractive and seven repellent to the flies. The results of isolate-versus-isolate comparisons provided the same relative rankings. Attractiveness varied significantly by yeast, with the strongly fermenting Saccharomyces species generally being more attractive than the mostly respiring non-Saccharomyces species (P = 0.0035). Overall the habitat (fruit or other) from which the isolates were directly sampled did not explain attraction (P = 0.2352). However, yeasts isolated from fruit associated niches were more attractive than those from non-fruit associated niches (P = 0.0188) regardless of taxonomic positioning. These data suggest that while attractiveness is primarily correlated with phylogenetic status, the ability to attract Drosophila is a labile trait among yeasts that is potentially associated with those inhabiting fruit ecosystems. Preliminary analysis of the volatiles emitted by four yeast isolates in grape juice show the presence/absence of ethanol and acetic acid were not likely explanations for the observed variation in attraction. These data demonstrate variation among yeasts for their ability to attract Drosophila in a pattern that is consistent with the hypothesis that certain yeasts are manipulating fruit odours to mediate interactions with their Drosophila dispersal agent. © 2013 Palanca et al

The Introduction of Well-Being into the Curriculum of an Executive MBA Program: The Sydney Business School as a Reflective Case Study

There is hardly an established university anywhere in the world that does not have, or aspire to have, an MBA program. Few universities, however, have dedicated Executive MBA (EMBA) programs and of those universities that do, there is much confusion regarding what constitutes an EMBA. For example, some university providers suggest that an EMBA is simply an extension of the full-time MBA program that is offered to part-time students. Other university providers claim that an EMBA is a stand-alone and differentiated program, consisting of a bespoke curriculum, designed for the mature executive

A Quality Approach to Masters Education Using an Australian Case Study -- A Reflection

By the start of 2015 all University courses in Australia were required to be compliant with the new the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). Quality in higher education seeks to achieve three goals - quality of design, quality of conformance and quality of performance. This paper brings together a number of higher education principles such as double loop learning, team teaching and heutagogy in order to satisfy these quality requirements. A pilot program was established to satisfy the changes to the Australian regulatory framework for tertiary education. The paper streamlines integrated ways to bring these aspects together that have not previously been identified in higher education publications. The specific focus is for an MBA course delivered in an Australian regional university. The result is a reflection of the application of the newly devised quality principled based heutagogical double loop learning cycle. The model can assist educational administrators and course developers to facilitate students in becoming independent lifelong self-motivated capable learners while at the same time ensuring the quality assurance principles are met

Heutagogy - An updated approach to Masters Education

Purpose. This paper examines the development of an Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) compliant Master of Business Administration (MBA) subject. The aim was to equip students with the fundamental skills they would need to become lifelong learners. We used an embedded team teaching approach as a way to facilitate heutagogical practice. Methodology. A literature search was conducted to see how the AQF requirements were being met for MBA courses. This is connected to the single case study of an MBA subject\u27s development. Findings. The findings indicate that an embedded team teaching style proved to be beneficial in enabling the heutagogical double loop learning method where students were exposed to diverse teaching styles, academic standards and skills, which promoted selfawareness. The embedded style linked student competencies to academic and business skills within the content and assessments. Practical implications. Insights were gained in creating and developing a teaching partnership, the use of heutagogy and at the time a lack of current application of AQF to an MBA. Originality/value. An implementation of the an embedded team teaching learner centred approach and proposed subject development framework can help educational planners, administrators and course coordinators of MBA course to contribute towards meeting the AQF requirements. We devised a double loop learning cycle based on heutagogy principle