Environmental Issues in the South African Media: A case study of the Natal Witness

Environmental reporting in South Africa has been criticised for its focus on ‘green’ environmental issues. This criticism is rooted in the traditionally elite nature of both the media and environmentalists. However, both, it has been noted, are undergoing transformation. This paper tests the veracity of this assumption of representativeness in the contemporary South African press through a content analysis of key issues and themes and the race and gender of actors in environmental stories in the Natal Witness. The research shows  that this assertion of representativeness does not accurately describe reporting in the Natal Witness. ‘Green’  themes are found in almost half (48%) of the stories, as compared to ‘brown’ themes (17%), ecological  disasters (16%), resource use (5%), environmental ethics (6%) and other themes (8%). Sources and actors tend to be white (72.9%) and men (79.9%). It is outside the parameters of the study to determine whether or not this is representative of the ‘real world’ which is being reported on; the results are intended to be used to raise questions about the perceptions which such stories present to the public

Including Autism: Confronting Inequitable Practices in a Toddler Classroom

As co-teachers in a toddler room, we share a personal narrative about our experiences working with a child diagnosed with autism while in our care. Framed within the competing discourses of the medicalized perspective on disability and the individual, child-centered philosophies of early childhood education, we investigate the inequities we felt in the classroom and make connections to the field of early childhood inclusive education at large

Dietary and fluid adherence among haemodialysis patients attending public sector hospitals in the Western Cape

Objective There has been considerable debate about the extent to which social cognitive models of health behaviour apply in developing countries. The purpose of this paper was to determine the applicability of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) in predicting dietary and fluid adherence among a sample of haemodialysis patients attending public sector hospitals in the Western Cape. Design and methods A sample of 62 historically disadvantaged patients undergoing haemodialysis completed a battery of psychometric instruments measuring attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control regarding dietary and fluid adherence, health literacy, perceived social support, and self-reported dietary and fluid adherence. Interdialytic weight gain (IDWG), predialytic serum potassium levels, and predialytic serum phosphate levels served as biochemical indicators of dietary and fluid adherence. Results Regression analyses indicated that the linear combination of attitudes and perceived behavioural control significantly accounted for 15.5% of the variance in self-reported adherence (a medium-effect size) and 11.4% of the variance in IDWG (a modest-effect size). No significant predictors were identified for predialytic serum potassium and predialytic serum phosphate levels. Interpretation and conclusions The results indicate that, while the TPB may not function in the same manner as it does in Western samples, it may have some nuanced applicability among haemodialysis patients attending public sector hospitals in the Western Cape. SAJCN Vol. 21 (2) 2008: pp. 7-1

Review of the regulation of veterinary drugs and residues in South Africa

Published ArticleThe food safety risk analysis framework of the FAO/WHO is used in the review of veterinary drug and residue regulation in South Africa to determine possible inefficiencies within this system. Results indicate that a variety of challenges relating to the processes of risk assessment, management, and communication do exist, although these occur within a fragmented system of legislation, functions, and structures. Addressing these challenges therefore requires a change to a more collaborative and integrated system. It is indicated that for such a change, the underlying challenges of inadequate horizontal communication, poor conceptualization, and awareness of functions of the system are required to be dealt with

The interplay between Natural Killer cells and Pancreatic Stellate cells in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a disease with dismal prognosis. With five-year survival rates of less than 11%, PDAC is set to become the second leading cause of cancer related deaths by 2040. The role of pancreatic stellate cells in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma has been well established. However, to date, little remains know about the interaction between these crucial stromal cells and the innate lymphocytes, natural killer (NK) cells, in PDAC. Herein we demonstrate that naïve NK cells possess the functional efficacy to target and kill both quiescent (qPSC) and activated (aPSC) pancreatic stellate cells. Furthermore, qPSC, but not aPSC education of NK cells resulted in decreased NK cell-mediated cancer cell cytotoxicity. NK-PSC direct co-culture was found to modulate both PSC and NK phenotype, as well as functional changes within NK cells, an effect not observed with TranswellTM separation. Multiplex Luminex ELISA further revealed upregulation of IFN-γ and related chemokines in NK cells co-cultured with PSC (activated/quiescent), suggesting that this pathway may be involved in phenotypic modulation. Through global proteomic analysis we demonstrate NK cell-induced differential protein changes in aPSC versus qPSC. Furthermore, we demonstrate changes in intracellular NK pathways as a result of direct contact with PSCs, indicating a dynamic, bidirectional interaction between these two key players. Using multiplex immunohistochemical analysis, we demonstrate that NK cell proximity to CAFs, and not total NK cell infiltrate is correlated with overall survival in PDAC. Consequently, we suggest that the spatial biology of NK/CAFs may play a prognostic role in PDAC and may potentially be used as a tool for patient stratification Taken together, our results demonstrate a significant bidirectional relationship between NK cells and PSC/CAFs in the context of PDAC, providing novel insight into this crucial cell-cell interaction

Between innovation and legitimation : boundaries and knowledge flow in management consultancy

Management consultancy is seen by many as a key agent in the adoption of new management ideas and practices in organizations. Two contrasting views are dominant—consultants as innovators, bringing new knowledge to their clients or as legitimating client knowledge. Those few studies which examine directly the flow of knowledge through consultancy in projects with clients favour the innovator view and highlight the important analytical and practical value of boundaries— consultants as both knowledge and organizational outsiders. Likewise, in the legitimator view, the consultants’ role is seen in terms of the primacy of the organizational boundary. By drawing on a wider social science literature on boundaries and studies of inter-organizational knowledge flow and management consultancy more generally, this polarity is seen as problematic, especially at the level of the consulting project. An alternative framework of boundary relations is developed and presented which incorporates their multiplicity, dynamism and situational specificity. This points to a greater complexity and variability in knowledge flow and its potential than is currently recognized. This is significant not only in terms of our understanding of management consultancy and inter-organizational knowledge dynamics and boundaries, but of a critical understanding of the role of management consultancy more generally

Prevention effects on trajectories of African American adolescents\u27 exposure to interparental conflict and depressive symptoms.

The present study investigates the trajectory of children\u27s exposure to interparental conflict during adolescence, its effects on adolescents\u27 psychological adjustment, as well as the ability of a family-centered prevention program to alter this trajectory. A total of 331 African American couples with an adolescent or preadolescent child participated in a randomized control trial of the Promoting Strong African American Families program, a newly developed program targeting couple and cocaregiving processes. Using a multi-informant, latent growth curve approach, child exposure to interparental conflict during adolescence was found to be stable over a period of 2 years among families in the control group, but significantly declined among families in the treatment condition. Rates of change were significantly different between intervention and control groups based on parents\u27 report of youth exposure to interparental conflict, but not for child\u27s report. Structural equation models found trajectory parameters of interparental conflict predicted changes in adolescent depressive symptoms, with increasing rates of changes in conflict associated with increases in adolescent internalizing symptoms over the 2-year duration of the study. Finally, a significant indirect effect was identified linking treatment, changes in parents\u27 reports of child exposure to interparental conflict, and adolescent depressive symptoms. The implications for research and intervention are discussed

Distinctive effects of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids in regulating neural stem cell fate are mediated via endocannabinoid signalling pathways

Emerging evidence suggests a complex interplay between the endocannabinoid system, omega-3 fatty acids and the immune system in the promotion of brain self-repair. However, it is unknown if all omega-3 fatty acids elicit similar effects on adult neurogenesis and if such effects are mediated or regulated by interactions with the endocannabinoid system. This study investigated the effects of DHA and EPA on neural stem cell (NSC) fate and the role of the endocannabinoid signalling pathways in these effects. EPA, but not DHA, significantly increased proliferation of NSCs compared to controls, an effect associated with enhanced levels of the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonylglycerol (2-AG) and p-p38 MAPK, effects attenuated by pre-treatment with CB1 (AM251) or CB2 (AM630) receptor antagonists. Furthermore, in NSCs derived from IL-1β deficient mice, EPA significantly decreased proliferation and p-p38 MAPK levels compared to controls, suggesting a key role for IL-1β signalling in the effects observed. Although DHA similarly increased 2-AG levels in wild-type NSCs, there was no concomitant increase in proliferation or p-p38 MAPK activity. In addition, in NSCs from IL-1β deficient mice, DHA significantly increased proliferation without effects on p-P38 MAPK, suggesting effects of DHA are mediated via alternative signalling pathways. These results provide crucial new insights into the divergent effects of EPA and DHA in regulating NSC proliferation and the pathways involved, and highlight the therapeutic potential of their interplay with endocannabinoid signalling in brain repair