Blended teaching and learning approach for the instruction of three-dimensional drawings

Published ArticleThis article reports on the utilisation of a blended teaching and learning approach in the instruction of three-dimensional (3D) drawing to student teachers in an Engineering Graphics and Design (EGD) class. The study examined the students' preferences related to a blended teaching and learning approach and more specifically to the use of Computer-Aided Drawing (CAD) in the instruction of 3D drawing. An action research, mixedmethod design was used and data were collected by means of questionnaires, interviews and observation. Results showed that students preferred to learn 3D drawing in a blended teaching environment. It is clear from the results that when a blended learning environment selectively combines face-to-face and digital tutorials, group work, videos, simulations and other online and offline work, the likely result will be an educational environment highly conducive to learning

BokSmart – implementing a National Rugby Safety Programme

The BokSmart National Rugby Safety Programme is a joint initiative between the South African Rugby Union and the Chris Burger/Petro Jackson Players Fund aimed at implementing evidence-based sports medicine and exercise research to prevent injury and enhance performance at all levels of rugby union in South Afric

Concussion return-to-play behaviour of South African Rugby Union (SA Rugby) Youth Week players: a pilot study

Introduction: BokSmart has disseminated Graduated Return-to-Play (GRTP) guidelines for concussions management to all, but specifically coaches, in South Africa. Medical clearance before returning to play (RTP) is poorly adhered to in the GRTP steps. This study explored barriers to compliance with medical clearance prior to RTP.Methods: Players who suffered a concussion during the 2014/2015 South African Rugby Youth Week Tournaments were followed-up telephonically until RTP. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore enablers/barriers to seeking/not seeking medical clearance before RTP.Results: Of those who did not seek medical clearance (47%), 80% indicated that the player/parent or coach felt this was unnecessary. Of those who did seek medical clearance, 65% reported they were instructed to do so either by the tournament doctor who diagnosed the injury or by the school coach.Conclusion: Besides coaches, parents and medical doctors have an important influence on players’ RTP behaviour. The findings of this pilot study need to be repeated in a larger cohort.Keywords: injury management, head injury, youth, football, South Afric

Sacroiliac tuberculosis masquerading as mechanical lower back pain in a collegiate basketball athlete: a case presentation

Background: Sacroiliac tuberculosis is a rare condition for which early diagnosis and effective management frequently proves challenging. This report describes a case that was initially overlooked due to its presentation and unreported constitutional symptoms.Aim: To alert clinicians about skeletal tuberculosis, an often neglected diagnostic differential, which requires a high index of clinical suspicion, especially for patients from endemic areas.Findings: This patient’s presentation (sports injury) and unreported constitutional symptoms resulted in a delay in the diagnosis and initial institution of treatment.Implications: This report illustrates the importance of specifically asking about constitutional symptoms, even in sports injury settings and being mindful of infectious diseases or other chronic medical conditions, which may masquerade as common sports injuries.Keywords: skeletal tuberculosis, sacroiliitis, hip pai

International normalised ratio control in a non-metropolitan setting in Western Cape Province, South Africa

Background. The quality of international normalised ratio (INR) control determines the effectiveness and safety of warfarin therapy. Data on INR control in non-metropolitan settings of South Africa (SA) are sparse.Objectives. To examine the time in therapeutic range (TTR) and its potential predictors in a sample of Garden Route District Municipality primary healthcare clinics (PHCs).Methods. INR records from eight PHCs were reviewed. The TTR and percentage of patients with a TTR >65% were determined. A host of variables were analysed for association with TTR.Results. The median (interquartile range (IQR)) age of the cohort (N=191) was 56 (44 - 69) years. The median (IQR) TTR was 37.2% (20.2 - 58.8); only 17.8% of patients had a TTR ≥65%. Compared with patients aged >50 years, those aged <50 had worse INR control (median (IQR) TTR 26.6% (16.1 - 53.0) v. 43.5% (23.5 - 60.1); p=0.01). Patients hospitalised for any reason during the study period had worse INR control than patients not hospitalised (median (IQR) TTR 26.2% (16.2 - 50.2) v. 42.9% (23.5 - 62.0); p=0.02). On multivariable regression analysis, participants on warfarin for atrial fibrillation/flutter had better INR control than those with other indications for warfarin (odds ratio 2.21; 95% confidence interval 1.02 - 4.77; p=0.04), but the control was still very poor.Conclusions. INR control, as determined by TTR and proportion of TTR ≥65%, in these non-metropolitan clinics was poor. Age and hospitalisation as a marker of illness predicted poor control. There was a difference in control between groups, depending on the indication for warfarin. Evidence-based measures to improve the quality of INR control in patients on warfarin therapy need to be instituted as a matter of urgency

The Currie Cup Premiership Competition Injury Surveillance Report 2014 - 2018

The Currie Cup Premiership Competition Injury Surveillance Report 2014 - 201

The South African Rugby Union Youth Weeks Injury Surveillance Report 2018

The South African Rugby Union Youth Weeks Injury Surveillance Report 201

Training volume and injury incidence in a professional rugby union team

Objective. To describe the incidence of injuries in a professional rugby team, and to identify any associations between injury rates and training volume.Methods. This retrospective, descriptive study included all injuries diagnosed as grade 1 and above in a South African Super 12 rugby team. Injury incidence and injury rates were calculated and compared with training volume and hours of match play.Results. Thirty-eight male rugby players were injured during the study period. The total number of annual injuries decreased from 50 (2002) to 38 (2004) (χ2=0.84, p=0.36). The number of new injuries showed a similar trend (χ2=2.81, p=0.09), while the number of recurring injuries increased over the 3-year period. There was a tendency for total in-season injury rates to decrease over the 3 years (χ2=2.89, p=0.09). The pre-season injury rate increased significantly over the 3 years (χ2=12.7, pConclusions. One has to be cognisant of the balance between performance improvement and injury risk when designing training programmes for elite rugby players. Although the reduction in training volume was associated with a slight reduction in the number of acute injuries and in-season injury rates over the three seasons, the performance of the team changed from 3rd to 7th (2002 and 2004, respectively). Further studies are required to determine the optimal training necessary to improve rugby performancewhile reducing injury rates

A cross-cultural study of the representation of shape: Sensitivity to generalized cone dimensions

Many of the phenomena underlying shape recognition can be derived from an assumption that the representation of simple parts can be understood in terms of independent dimensions of generalized cones, e.g., whether the axis of a cylinder is straight or curved or whether the sides are parallel or nonparallel. What enables this sensitivity? One explanation is that the representations derive from our immersion in a manufactured world of simple objects, e.g., a cylinder and a funnel, where these dimensions can be readily discerned independent of other stimulus variations. An alternative explanation is that genetic coding and/or early experience with extended contours - a characteristic of all naturally varying visual worlds - would be sufficient to develop the appropriate representations. The Himba, a seminomadic people in a remote region of Northwestern Namibia with little exposure to regular, simple artifacts, were virtually identical to western observers in representing generalized-cone dimensions of simple shapes independently. Thus immersion in a world of simple, manufactured shapes is not required for the development of a representation that specifies these dimensions independently