Rhodes University Library Report for the period 2015-2016 : maintaining the scholarly heartbeat in a time of disruption

Disruption has been one of the key drivers for the reshaping of academic libraries over the years. New technologies; high cost of information resources and dwindling budgets; changing user profiles, learning styles and needs; demand for alignment to institutional imperatives and a demonstration of value to the academic project; new roles and new competencies for staff are identified as key disruptors for academic libraries. By adopting strategic thinking and strategic planning, academic libraries embrace disruption easily and become more adept to change. The Rhodes University Library (RUL) is guided by a Strategic Plan (2013-2015) which was adopted in 2012. This Plan takes into cognisance the trends and developments impacting academic libraries with specific reference to the librarian’s role in research, undergraduate student success, information literacy, new roles and competencies for librarians, and the library as place within the academic context. Therefore, the challenges presented by load-shedding and the #RUReferencelist, #Rapeculture and #Feesmustfall protests during 2015 and 2016 were seen as opportunities to review processes, reconsider and adapt practices and services through a participatory process of discussions and engagements. The RUL’ culture of learning and exposure to best practices and innovative thinking has been carefully nurtured to empower staff for optimal personal, institutional and user benefit. This report therefore highlights through its various strategies how the RUL has shaped itself within the context of national and local disruptions and added value to the teaching, learning and research endeavours of the University during 2015 and 2016

The Covid-19 Pandemic and its Effect on the Elderly: A Review

In 2019, the world experienced a global public health concern when the novel coronavirus originated from China and affected around fifty-seven thousand people around the world by March 2020. The quick rise in the number of cases and the death toll overwhelmed the scientific and medical community. While all the focus was driven towards finding the epidemiology, the treatment and the management, the mental health aspect of the quarantine was being overlooked. The purpose of this review is to create awareness about the long-term consequences of quarantine, with the focus on the elderly community in Pakistan.

4Dimensional XStrain Echocardiography assessment of Left Bundle Branch Cardiomyopathy in an elderly male : A case report

Left bundle branch block (LBBB) is generally associated with a poorer prognosis in comparison to normal intraventricular conduction. LBBB may be the first manifestation of a more diffuse myocardial disease. The typical surface ECG feature of LBBB is a prolongation of QRS above 0.11s in combination with a delay of the intrinsic deflection in leads V5 and V6 of more than 60 ms and no septal q waves in leads I, V5, and V6 due to the abnormal septal activation from right to left. LBBB may induce abnormalities in left ventricular performance due to abnormal asynchronous contraction patterns. Asynchronous electrical activation of the ventricles causes regional differences in workload which may lead to asymmetric hypertrophy and left ventricular dilatation, especially due to increased wall mass in late-activated regions, which may aggravate preexisting left ventricular pumping performance or even induce it

Staff development for institutional success – a reality

The University of Pretoria’ Library Services (UPLS) believes that the strength of its institution is its staff. It has been fortunate to have a staff complement that represents varying expertise, experience, specialisation and qualities. This paper will articulate the reasons why the UPLS has included staff development as a key strategy within its strategic plan. It will further discuss how this strategy is managed, funded and implemented; and to what extent it has succeeded in fostering an environment of innovation and exploration. This strategy was further informed by the Investors in People benchmark exercise undertaken by the UPLS in 2009. This process and final report highlighted the need to carefully review the way CPD has been understood and managed. As part of the strategic planning process, it was recommended that when strategies are identified the relevant skills sets should also be identified. The impact hereof has been huge. By deviating from the usual ad hoc approach and adopting this strategic approach to staff development, the UPLS has realised the importance of staff development towards its success and position as a leading academic library nationally and internationally.Paper presented at the World Library and Information Congress: 77th IFLA General Conference and Assembly, Session : 200 , ' Weaving continuing professional development into every library institution, Continuing Professional Development and Workplace Learning', San Juan, Puerto Rico, 13-18 August 2011

Role of Venous Wall Thickening Detected by B Mode Ultrasonography for Diagnosis of Deep Vein Thrombosis

Objective: evaluate the role of B mode ultrasonography for early detection of deep venous thrombosis after hip fracture surgery when venous wall thickening detected preoperatively.Study Design: Prospective Experimental Trial.Place and duration: Study was conducted in the department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics Nishter Hospital Multan and Ganga Ram Hospital ,Lahore from March 2017 to March 2018.Methodology: Study was started after ethical approval from ethical board of hospital and informed consent was obtained from patients. One hundred and ten patients were included in this study, both genders. Main outcome variables were duration of surgery, previous history of DVT, Varicose vein, venous wall thickening and deep venous thrombosis. SPPS version 24 was used for data analysis.Results: There were 11.8% patient’s venous wall thickening and 88.2% patients no venous wall thickening. DVT, proximal thrombosis and DVT associated with pulmonary embolism for venous wall thickening was observed as 76.9%, 53.8% and 38.5%, respectively. DVT, proximal thrombosis and DVT associated with pulmonary embolism for no venous wall thickening was observed as 45.4%, 10.3% and 8.2%, respectively. The difference was statistically significant.Conclusion: Deep venous thrombosis is a common risk after hip fracture surgeries, ultrasonography of venous wall is reliable diagnostic criteria, and repeated examinations should be performed when venous wall thickening is detected. Keywords: Deep venous thrombosis, Hip fracture, Venous wall thickening, Ultrasonography, Pulmonary embolism

New Frontiers of Librarianship

Paper delivered at the Sabinet Client Conference, 6 September 201

RAZA Y GÉNERO EN DERECHO PENAL: ALGUNAS REFLEXIONES

Raza y género en el derecho penal:algunas reflexiones REVISTA DE EDUCACIÓN Y DERECHO. EDUCATION AND LAW REVIEWNúmero 18 -Septiembre 20182Raza y género en el derecho penal: algunas reflexiones. Race and gender in criminal law: some reflections.1. La discriminación por género y raza es absolutamente atroz cuándo se convierte en violencia de género agravada por razón de la raza de la mujer. Como ha señalado la ORGANIZACIÓN DE LAS NACIONES UNIDAS (ONU), la violencia contra la mujer, por el hecho de ser mujer, es universal. Es universal por qué no hay ninguna región del mundo, ningún país y ninguna cultura en que se haya logrado que las mujeres estén libres de violencia. La violencia de género es una verdadera lacra social que no tiene fronteras. Esta clase de violencia está presente en todos los países, en todas las razas, culturas, clases sociales..

The Role of Magnetic Resonance Venography in Headache Due to Suspected Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis in the Presence of Normal T1 and T2 Dural Sinus Signal

OBJECTIVES Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) is an important but uncommon aetiology of stroke.  The presentation of CVST is extremely variable clinically, moreover its onset can be either acute or subacute, and less frequently, chronic. Headache is the most common symptom of CVST.  The headache is typically diffuse and progressing in severity over days to weeks.  MRI and MRV have very high sensitivity and specificity and have become the modality of choice to confirm the diagnosis of CVST.  The aim of this study was to weigh the benefits of added MRV in patients with headache, after a negative MRI for CVST.  METHODOLOGY The total number of patients included was 207, with chief complaints of headache and suspicion of CVST. The MRV sequence used was dynamic coronal by using the time-of-flight technique. The diagnosis of CVST was made by the loss of normal signal void both on T1WI and T2WI as well as on non-visualization on MRV.RESULTSOut of these 207 patients, CVST was present in 52 patients.  Superior sagittal sinus was involved in 8 cases, right transverse sinus in 2 cases, left transverse sinus in 7 cases, left sigmoid sinus in 3 cases, and multiple sinuses in 32 cases. 34 cases out of 52 had infarction which was mostly haemorrhagic i.e. 27.  A total of 97 cases (46%) had aplastic/hypoplastic transverse segments which were mostly the left one (87, 42%) and 10 cases (4.8 %) on the right side. In none of the patients, CVST was picked by MRV alone after a negative T1 and T2 MRI. CONCLUSION In patients presenting with headache and suspected CVST additional MRV is only required if the routine MR sequences are not able to pick up the thrombus and the suspicion of CVST is very high