Issue paper on social security for children in South Africa

Prepared for the Committee of Inquiry for a Comprehensive Social Security System in South Africa

Submission on the Child Care Act discussion paper

Joint submission by the Children's Institute, the Alliance for Children's Entitlement to Social Security (ACESS) and the AIDS Law Project (University of Witwatersrand) to the South African Law Commission, April 2002

The Use of Technology to Support Precision Health in Nursing Science

PurposeThis article outlines how current nursing research can utilize technology to advance symptom and self‐management science for precision health and provides a roadmap for the development and use of technologies designed for this purpose.ApproachAt the 2018 annual conference of the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) Research Centers, nursing and interdisciplinary scientists discussed the use of technology to support precision health in nursing research projects and programs of study. Key themes derived from the presentations and discussion were summarized to create a proposed roadmap for advancement of technologies to support health and well‐being.ConclusionsTechnology to support precision health must be centered on the user and designed to be desirable, feasible, and viable. The proposed roadmap is composed of five iterative steps for the development, testing, and implementation of technology‐based/enhanced self‐management interventions. These steps are (a) contextual inquiry, focused on the relationships among humans, and the tools and equipment used in day‐to‐day life; (b) value specification, translating end‐user values into end‐user requirements; (c) design, verifying that the technology/device can be created and developing the prototype(s); (d) operationalization, testing the intervention in a real‐world setting; and (e) summative evaluation, collecting and analyzing viability metrics, including process data, to evaluate whether the technology and the intervention have the desired effect.Clinical RelevanceInterventions using technology are increasingly popular in precision health. Use of a standard multistep process for the development and testing of technology is essential.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/151985/1/jnu12518.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/151985/2/jnu12518_am.pd

Teachers as writers: a systematic review

This paper is a critical literature review of empirical work from 1990-2015 on teachers as writers. It interrogates the evidence on teachers’ attitudes to writing, their sense of themselves as writers and the potential impact of teacher writing on pedagogy or student outcomes in writing. The methodology was carried out in four stages. Firstly, educational databases keyword searches located 438 papers. Secondly, initial screening identified 159 for further scrutiny, 43 of which were found to specifically address teachers’ writing identities and practices. Thirdly, these sources were screened further using inclusion/exclusion criteria. Fourthly, the 22 papers judged to satisfy the criteria were subject to in-depth analysis and synthesis. The findings reveal that the evidence base in relation to teachers as writers is not strong, particularly with regard to the impact of teachers’ writing on student outcomes. The review indicates that teachers have narrow conceptions of what counts as writing and being a writer and that multiple tensions exist, relating to low self-confidence, negative writing histories, and the challenge of composing and enacting teacher and writer positions in school. However, initial training and professional development programmes do appear to afford opportunities for reformulation of attitudes and sense of self as writer

High-pressure single-crystal neutron diffraction to 10 GPa by angle-dispersive techniques

Techniques have been developed that allow the measurement of accurate single-crystal neutron-diffraction data at pressures up to 10 GPa, using angle-dispersive methods. High-quality data have been collected up to 10 GPa, to a resolution of sinθ/λ ≃ 1.5 Å−1, from samples of size 3–4 mm^{3}. This article presents the methods developed to mount and centre the sample accurately on the instrument; to reduce the background and hence increase the precision of the measured reflection intensities; and to increase further the accessible region of reciprocal space with a single sample loading. Developments are also highlighted, with a view to increasing the range of both science and pressures that can be achieved at the Institut Laue–Langevin reactor source using single-crystal techniques.</jats:p

Biomarkers as Common Data Elements for Symptom and Selfâ Management Science

PurposeBiomarkers as common data elements (CDEs) are important for the characterization of biobehavioral symptoms given that once a biologic moderator or mediator is identified, biologically based strategies can be investigated for treatment efforts. Just as a symptom inventory reflects a symptom experience, a biomarker is an indicator of the symptom, though not the symptom per se. The purposes of this position paper are to (a) identify a â minimum setâ of biomarkers for consideration as CDEs in symptom and selfâ management science, specifically biochemical biomarkers; (b) evaluate the benefits and limitations of such a limited array of biomarkers with implications for symptom science; (c) propose a strategy for the collection of the endorsed minimum set of biologic samples to be employed as CDEs for symptom science; and (d) conceptualize this minimum set of biomarkers consistent with National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) symptoms of fatigue, depression, cognition, pain, and sleep disturbance.Design and MethodsFrom May 2016 through January 2017, a working group consisting of a subset of the Directors of the NINR Centers of Excellence funded by P20 or P30 mechanisms and NINR staff met bimonthly via telephone to develop this position paper suggesting the addition of biomarkers as CDEs. The full group of Directors reviewed drafts, provided critiques and suggestions, recommended the minimum set of biomarkers, and approved the completed document. Best practices for selecting, identifying, and using biological CDEs as well as challenges to the use of biological CDEs for symptom and selfâ management science are described. Current platforms for sample outcome sharing are presented. Finally, biological CDEs for symptom and selfâ management science are proposed along with implications for future research and use of CDEs in these areas.FindingsThe recommended minimum set of biomarker CDEs include proâ and antiâ inflammatory cytokines, a hypothalamicâ pituitaryâ adrenal axis marker, cortisol, the neuropeptide brainâ derived neurotrophic factor, and DNA polymorphisms.ConclusionsIt is anticipated that this minimum set of biomarker CDEs will be refined as knowledge regarding biologic mechanisms underlying symptom and selfâ management science further develop. The incorporation of biological CDEs may provide insights into mechanisms of symptoms, effectiveness of proposed interventions, and applicability of chosen theoretical frameworks. Similarly, as for the previously suggested NINR CDEs for behavioral symptoms and selfâ management of chronic conditions, biological CDEs offer the potential for collaborative efforts that will strengthen symptom and selfâ management science.Clinical RelevanceThe use of biomarker CDEs in biobehavioral symptoms research will facilitate the reproducibility and generalizability of research findings and benefit symptom and selfâ management science.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/143764/1/jnu12378.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/143764/2/jnu12378_am.pd