Sport participation and physical activity by employees in tertiary institutions: a demographic perspective

Joubert and Grobler (2014) developed an OTSS questionnaire (Organisational Team Sport Survey) which consisted of five factors namely coping skills / achieve goals; friends / able to work in a team; physical activity / health; improve production and work / life balance. The purpose of this study was to use the instrument developed by Joubert and Grobler (2014) and to analyse the differences in opinion of the importance, role and value of team sport and physical activity, facilitated with an organisational context, between the demographic groups (age categories, race groups and gender groups). Different demographic groups were expected to report different opinions. A total of 208 respondents participated in this study. The findings of this study indicated that there is a significant difference in opinion between the age and gender groups but there was statistically no significant difference between races, probably due to the representativeness of the sample. The findings of this study will contribute to human resource practitioners, wellness practitioners and management in general regarding the perceived role and nature of organised sport and physical activity by employees in tertiary organisations.Human Resource Managemen

Justice perceptions of performance management practices in a company in the chemical industry

The sustainability of corporations globally is becoming increasingly problematic. Combined with the unique challenges of an operating entity, this could potentially expose the profitability of sustainable businesses on a daily basis. The purpose of this study is to evaluate employees’ justice perceptions of performance management practices in a company in the chemical industry. The population includes all the employees in the chemical industry that was used in this study. A total of 140 questionnaires were issued to all the employees in an organisation which had undergone a performance appraisal and 102 respondents completed the surveys, giving a response rate of 72 per cent. A cross-sectional survey design was used in this study. The justice perceptions were measured according to an existing framework developed by Thurston and McNall (2010). The framework is founded on a hypothesised four-factor model constructed according to theories on organisational justice. The employees of the organisation in the chemical sector were involved in this study. Descriptive statistical analyses were used to measure perceptions of justice based on theories on organisational justice. The measuring instrument used was based on recognised models and theories. The study supports the construct validity of the measuring instrument and the reliability of the scales used. The justice constructs were used to identify specific items in the performance management practice that required improvement. The implications of the results are that continual interventions are required if employee commitment and productivity levels are to improve, resulting in a positive impact on business performance. Significant differences in perceptions by demographic groups were reported and discussed. This study explored the importance of understanding justice perceptions of performance management practices as an enabler for sustained business performance. Further, the study confirmed that justice perceptions have a direct impact on both the organisational climate and employee morale

Employee Wellness in an ODL institutional contact centre

Organisations can benefit from contact centres because they reduce the cost of functions and extend and improve service to customers; but do contact centres benefit an employee? A contact centre can be a stressful and demanding environment for an employee. The objective of this study was to establish the level of employee wellness in a contact centre within an open and distance learning (ODL) institution, from a sample of 102 of 138 employees working in the contact centre of an ODL university. The assessment was voluntary and the completed assessments provided for expert information with regard to the experiences of employees. The results indicate that there is an imbalance between job demands and job resources. There is also a concern with regard to the psychological conditions which negatively impact on the employees’ work and life outcomes. There is also severe pressure at this institution’s contact centre especially with regard to the availability of job resources which makes it difficult for employees to function optimally.Human Resource Managemen

Validation and application of a quantitative LC-MS/MS assay for the analysis of first-line anti-tuberculosis drugs, rifabutin and their metabolites in human breast milk

Breast milk is the preferred method of infant nutrition. Breastfeeding infants born to mothers treated for TB may be at risk of drug toxicity through breast milk exposure, or potentially be vulnerable to select for drug resistance with low level drug exposure. Except for isoniazid, the quantification of first-line TB drugs including rifabutin in breast milk has not been previously described and will provide much-needed insight to TB drug exposure in breastfeeding infants. We developed and validated a novel method to quantify several first-line TB drugs and their major metabolites in breast milk. Accuracy and precision were assessed during three consecutive, independent validation batches over a calibration range of 0.300–30.0 µg/mL for isoniazid and ethambutol, 0.150–15.0 µg/mL for acetyl isoniazid, desacetyl rifampicin, rifampicin, and pyrazinamide, 0.0150–1.50 µg/mL for rifabutin, and 0.00751–0.751 µg/mL for deacetyl rifabutin in breast milk. The method was reproducible for all analytes when using breast milk from six different sources and was not influenced by matrix effects with a mean regression precision (CV(%)) ranging between 1.0 and 2.8. The average recovery of analytes from the matrix was 76.7–99.1%, with a CV(%) between 0.4 and 4.4, while the average process efficiency was between 74.4 and 93.1% with a CV(%) between 1.9 and 8.3. Although only acetyl isoniazid, isoniazid, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide were successfully assayed in breast milk, samples taken from mothers treated for rifampicin-resistant TB and the inclusion of all first-line TB drugs, including rifabutin in the assay development and validation process will allow future quantification of these analytes in breast milk

Development of a software defined radar environment simulator

Thesis (MScEng)--University of Stellenbosch, 2005.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The development of a radar system is a complex process, requiring a substantial amount of testing. In general, these tests are performed using field trials. Such trials are expensive, and their exact conditions can never be repeated. A radar environment simulator allows for repeatable testing of the majority of a radar's functionality; however, most commercial products are not cost effective. In this thesis we investigate the various approaches to modelling targets and the littoral environment, and then develop a low-cost, largely software defined simulator. This simulator is capable of generating real-time video signals for a monopulse doppler tracking radar. The core simulation routines reside in an extensible software framework which is populated with simple target and clutter models for a prototype simulator. Closed loop tracking tests verify the operation of the prototype simulator.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die ontwikkeling van 'n radarstelsel is a ingewikkelde proses wat verskeie stelseltoetse benodig. Veldtoetse, wat gewoonlik gebruik word, is 'n duur proses, en die toestande is nooit presies dieselfde nie. 'n Radar-omgewingsimulator kan 'n groot deel van 'n radar se funksionaliteit herhaaldelik toets. Daar is egter weinig koste-effektiewe kommersile produkte vir hierdie doel beskikbaar. Hierdie tesis ondersoek verskeie teiken- en omgewingsmodelle, waarna 'n lae-koste, meestal sagteware-gedefinieerde simulator ontwikkel word. Hierdie simulator genereer intydse videoseine vir 'n enkelpuls-dopplervolgingsradar. Die kernfunksionaliteit van die simulator is in sagteware gesetel, en basiese teiken- en omgewingsmodelle is geïmplementeer. Die prototipe-simulator word getoets deur dit aan die radar self te koppel, en dan die teiken-opsporing en -volging te verifieer

Psychological Capital: Convergent and discriminant validity of a reconfigured measure

Background: Although attention has been given to the importance of positivity in the workplace, it has only recently been proposed as a new way in which to focus on organisational behaviour. The psychological resources which meet the criteria for positive organisational behaviour best are hope, self-efficacy, optimism and resilience.   Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate the construct validity of the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ), with specific reference to its psychometric properties.   Setting: The sample included a total of 1749 respondents, 60 each from 30 organisations in South Africa.   Methods: A multi-factorial model was statistically explored and confirmed (with exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, respectively).   Results: The results support the original conceptualisation and empirically-confirmed factorial composition of Psychological Capital (PsyCap) by four elements, namely Hope, Optimism, Resilience and Self-efficacy. However, the study yielded a three-factor solution, with Hope and Optimism as a combined factor and Resilience and Self-efficacy made up of a reconfigured set of substantively justifiable items (three of the original 24 items were found not to be suitable). The three reconfigured factors showed good psychometric properties, good fit (in support of construct validity) and acceptable levels of convergent and discriminant validity. Recommendations were made for further studies.   Conclusion: Based on the results obtained, it seems that the PCQ is a suitable (valid and reliable) instrument for measuring PsyCap. This study could thus serve as a reference for the accurate measurement of PsyCap

Comprehensive Assessment of Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics, and Tolerability of Ligelizumab in Healthy Volunteers and Patients with Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria to Optimize Its Subcutaneous Delivery System

Ligelizumab is a highly potent, humanized IgG1, anti-IgE monoclonal antibody. To explore its optimal subcutaneous delivery, the pharmacokinetics (PK), pharmacodynamics (PD), and tolerability of ligelizumab from two Phase 1 studies in healthy volunteers (HVs) and four Phase 2 and 3 studies in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) were assessed. Using different injection volumes or durations of a liquid-in-vial (LIVI) formulation or different formulations (LIVI vs. prefilled syringe (PFS)), single-dose ligelizumab showed comparable PK exposure in HVs. Steady-state exposure of ligelizumab was also comparable between LIVI and PFS following multiple dosing in CSU patients. The total IgE level (a PD marker) and tolerability were similar between the two formulations in both HVs and patients. Furthermore, the PK, total IgE, and tolerability were comparable for PFS administered either by patients or healthcare providers (HCPs). Collective evidence demonstrated that the injection duration or volume, formulation, or administrator had no apparent impact on the PK, PD, and tolerability of ligelizumab, supporting no clinically relevant difference between LIVI and PFS, and that PFS can be administered by patients or HCPs. This report provides a comprehensive assessment based on data of multiple clinical endpoints from both HVs and patients to inform formulation development and commercial use of a monoclonal antibody

Identifying G-Quadruplex-DNA-Disrupting Small Molecules

International audienceThe quest for small molecules that strongly bind to Gquadruplex-DNA (G4), so-called G4 ligands, has invigorated the G4 research field from its very inception. Massive efforts have been invested to discover or rationally design G4 ligands, evaluate their G4interacting properties in vitro through a series of now widely accepted and routinely implemented assays, and use them as innovative chemical biology tools to interrogate cellular networks that might involve G4s. In sharp contrast, only uncoordinated efforts aimed at developing small molecules that destabilize G4s have been invested to date, even though it is now recognized that such molecular tools would have tremendous application in neurobiology as many genetic and age-related diseases are caused by an overrepresentation of G4s. Herein, we report on our efforts to develop in vitro assays to reliably identify molecules able to destabilize G4s. This workflow comprises the newly designed G4-unfold assay, adapted from the G4-helicase assay implemented with Pif1, as well as a series of biophysical and biochemical techniques classically used to study G4/ligand interactions (CD, UV−vis, PAGE, and FRET-melting), and a qPCR stop assay, adapted from a Taq-based protocol recently used to identify G4s in the genomic DNA of Schizosaccharomyces pombe. This unique, multipronged approach leads to the characterization of a phenylpyrrolocytosine (PhpC)-based G-clamp analog as a prototype of G4disrupting small molecule whose properties are validated through many different and complementary in vitro evaluations

Disclosing the actual efficiency of G-quadruplex DNA-disrupting small molecules

The quest for small molecules that avidly bind to G-quadruplex-DNA (G4-DNA, or G4), so called G4-ligands, has invigorated the G4 research field from its very inception. Massive efforts have been invested to i-screen or design G4-ligands, ii-evaluate their G4-interacting properties in vitro through a series of now widely accepted and routinely implemented assays, and iii-use them as unique chemical biology tools to interrogate cellular networks that might involve G4s. In sharp contrast, only uncoordinated efforts at developing small molecules aimed at destabilizing G4s have been invested to date, even though it is now recognized that such molecular tools would have tremendous application to neurobiology as many genetic and age-related diseases are caused by an over-representation of G4s, itself caused by a deficiency of G4-resolving enzymes, the G4-helicases. Herein, we report on our double effort to i-develop a reliable in vitro assay to identify molecules able to destabilize G4s, the G4-unfold assay, and ii-fully characterize the first prototype of G4-disrupting small molecule, a phenylpyrrolcytosine (PhpC)-based G-clamp analog