Case Study: Nutritional management of a patient with an open abdomen

No abstract

The Legacy of Daantjie Oosthuizen: Revisiting the Liberal Defence of Academic Freedom

No Abstrac

Using a tree theme to develop language skills

A teaching prograrrrne is described in which trees are used as a unifying theme for developing language skills at the lower primary level

Emergency remote teaching and learning vs face-to-face: When are students more likely to fall behind?

The COVID-19 global pandemic brought about a shift from traditional face-to-face teaching and learning to emergency remote teaching and learning (ERT) in higher education institutions across the world. Prior studies have explored both instructor and student perceptions of ERT and identified self-regulated learning (SRL) as a major challenge. The question remains whether perceptions translate to student behaviour and if so, it will be important to address these self-regulation challenges as poor SRL has been linked to weaker academic achievement. This study investigated whether students exhibit inferior SRL strategies in ERT by falling further behind, as compared to a face-to-face setting. In order to measure how far behind students are, student access log-data from four undergraduate modules offered at Stellenbosch University in the 2019 (face-to-face setting) and 2020 (ERT setting) academic years were used. An analysis of variances model tested whether there was a difference in the number of days that students were behind for the two modes of teaching and learning. The results indicate that students are indeed more likely to fall behind during ERT as compared to face-to-face teaching and learning, thus exhibiting inferior SRL. This was statistically significant and pervasive across the different modules and time period investigated. These results will be of interest to higher education institutions as the onslaught of the pandemic has not only highlighted the need for improved ERT readiness, but it has also brought to the fore the need for a more digitally integrated offering as standard practice. Since it is unlikely that higher education institutions will return to a model identical to the pre-COVID-19 offering, this study contributes to finding the focus areas that will need to be addressed in a future hybrid model of teaching and learning

Monitoring the Effect of Micro-oxygenation before Malolactic Fermentation on South African Pinotage Red Wine with Different Colour and Phenolic Analyses

The use of micro-oxygenation and its effect on the quality of the red wine varietal, Pinotage, is largelyunknown. The influence of adding different oxygen dosages before malolactic fermentation on thephenolic composition and colour stabilisation of wine made from Pinotage was studied, and thesuitability of certain spectrophotometric and RP-HPLC analyses to determine these changes wereassessed in tanks of commercial lengths. Total oxygen dosages of 0 mg/L, 16 mg/L and 32 mg/L wereapplied, after which the wines underwent malolactic fermentation and maturation in the same tanks fortwo additional months. Decreases in anthocyanin concentration showed a strong inversely proportionalcorrelation with increasing polymeric pigment concentration. This suggests that the addition ofoxygen contributed to the early stabilisation of wine colour in Pinotage red wine. Overall, tanninconcentrations were not significantly influenced by the oxygen treatments, although lower levels wereobserved in wines treated with oxygen. An important finding of the study was that there appeared to belittle difference in the colour and phenolic composition of the wines between the 16 mg/L and 32 mg/Loxygen treatments. Good correlations were found between certain spectrophotometric techniques andthe RP-HPLC analysis used to study changes induced by micro-oxygenation (total anthocyanins, totalphenols). The colour and phenolic composition of Pinotage wine can be influenced before malolacticfermentation by micro-oxygenation. Some spectrophotometric phenolic analyses showed the sametendencies as observed with RP-HPLC (anthocyanins, monomeric flavan-3-ols, tannins), indicating theirsuitability to follow phenolic and colour changes induced by micro-oxygenation in Pinotage red wine

Paraglossal straight blade intubation in syndromic children

Syndromic children have an increased association with difficult airways, which may lead to difficulties and dangers even when anticipated and planned for. Hypoxia, with its risk of brain injury, cardiac arrest and even death, may follow induction of anaesthesia with subsequent airway management failure.Video-assisted devices have helped significantly with the management of difficult airways in children; however, these devices are not always available and have their own limitations. An alternative approach to the difficult airway, although seldom used, is the paraglossal straight blade approach. This technique, originally described by Jackson and Magill and later modified by Henderson, has successfully been used in both the paediatric and adult populations for the management of a difficult airway. The paraglossal intubation technique has frequently been used for successful intubation in Pierre Robin syndrome and cleft palate surgery, but only isolated case reports are available to indicate its effectiveness in other abnormalities such as tongue tie, macroglossia, arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, Treacher Collins syndrome and glossopalantine ankylosis.Keywords: intubation in syndromic children, paraglossal intubation, straight blade intubation, syndromic childre

Browsing lawns? Responses of Acacia nigrescens to ungulate browsing in an African savanna

We measured browsing-induced responses of Acacia trees to investigate browsing lawns as an analogy to grazing lawns in a semiarid eutrophic African savanna. During the two-year field study, we measured plant tolerance, resistance, and phenological traits, while comparing variation in leaf nitrogen and specific leaf area (SLA) across stands of Acacia nigrescens, Miller, that had experienced markedly different histories of attack from large herbivores. Trees in heavily browsed stands developed (1) tolerance traits such as high regrowth abilities in shoots and leaves, high annual branch growth rates, extensive tree branching and evidence of internal N translocation, and (2) resistance traits such as close thorn spacing. However, phenological escape responses were weak even in heavily browsed stands. Overall, browsing strongly affected plant morpho-functional traits and decreased both the number of trees carrying pods and the number of pods per tree in heavily browsed stands. Hence, there is experimental evidence that tolerance and resistance traits may occur simultaneously at heavily browsed sites, but this comes at the expense of reproductive success. Such tolerance and resistance traits may coexist if browsers trigger and maintain a positive feedback loop in which trees are continually investing in regrowth (tolerance), and if the plant\u27s physical defenses (resistance) are not nutritionally costly and are long-lived. Our results confirm that chronic browsing by ungulates can maintain A. nigrescens trees in a hedged state that is analogous to a grazing lawn. Further research is needed to fully understand the long-term effects of chronic browsing on reproduction within such tree populations, as well as the overall effects on nutrient cycling at the ecosystem level

Opinions of South African dietitians on fistuloclysis as a treatment option for intestinal failure patients

Introduction: Intestinal failure is the consequence of diverse aetiologies and pathophysiological causes. Fistuloclysis is an effective means of nutritional support to selected intestinal failure patients. This study aimed to investigate the management of adult intestinal failure patients in hospitals in South Africa, determining how practical and acceptable fistuloclysis is.Methods: The current management of type 2 and type 3 intestinal failure patients in South African hospitals was investigated by means of occupation-specific questionnaires, evaluating perceptions and opinions among dietitians.Results: Twenty-seven dietitians indicated willingness to participate in the survey, the majority (67%) having been involved with patient management in this field for one to five years. All indicated correctly that high fistula outputs would be defined as intestinal failure. Only 47% gave the correct definition of fistuloclysis, while 28% were currently utilising it as a means of nutrition support. All respondents agreed that unsuccessful implementation of fistuloclysis was due to training shortfalls and resistance from clinicians and nursing staff.Conclusion: There is a positive perception and awareness of fistuloclysis; however, numerous stumbling blocks hamper the wider use of this novel treatment.Keywords: Fistuloclysis, Intestinal failure, Parenteral nutritio

A study of cation exchange in South African soils

The colloidal fraction is the vital part of a soil. These extremely minute particles determine the nature of the soil and are mainly responsible for its many and varied functions. The most important of these functions is perhaps the ability of the colloids to adsorb and exchange cations, the elements so essential to all organisms as building materials. When pure water is passed through a non-saline. soil, the leachate will contain very few dissolved cations. If, on the other hand, an electrolyte such as a weak solution of sodiun chloride, is passed through the same soil, the leachate will contain considerable quantities of calcium, magnesium and potassiun chlorides as well as much of the original sodium chloride. The number of equivalents of the cations collected will be approximately the same as the number of equivalents of sodium ions added. Sodium ions have displaced some of the calcian, magnesium and potassium ions from the soil. This phenomenon is known as cation exchange. Intro., p. 1