UCT Open Access Journals (Univ. of Cape Town)
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Observations of claw differences in an invasive crayfish (Orconectes virilis)
Get PDFThe Northern Crayfish (Orconectes virilis) is a relatively new invasive species to Calgary, Alberta Canada. We observed unique morphological characteristics concerning the claws (cheliped) of four (3 males and 1 female) out of 31 crayfish captured using a sweep sampling method from a creek in Calgary, Canada. These specimens exhibited a notable difference in claw size between the right and left claws. Differences in claw sizes can be attributed to an ongoing process of regeneration due to loss of the crayfish’s cheliped
Behavioural and anatomical observations of the amphibious snail Pirenella conica (Gastropoda: Potamididae)
Get PDFThe coastal snail Pirenella conica (Gastropoda: Potamididae) was observed and photographed in its mud flat habitat (Alaçati Bay, Karaburun Peninsula, Türkiye) and in the laboratory. The snails were amphibious; they moved about in damp sediment when the sea had receded and readily left the water in the laboratory to move on dry surfaces. The siphon, normally used for the intake of oxygenated water in submerged snails, remained open when snails were out of water, suggesting that they can also breathe air. Videos of snails taken from below explained the mechanics of their stop-and-go locomotion. Close-up photographs also revealed the presence of a pallial eye at the top of the siphonal canal. When a snail was partially buried in soft sediment, its pallial eye remained above the sediment. The pallial eye may orient the snail and help it detect potential dangers when its tentacular eyes are obstructed
JARER Editorial Volume 8 (1) of 2023
No full textEditorial for JARER Vol. 8 Issue 1, 2023
Editorial
Welcome to the Volume 8 (2023) Issue 1 edition of the Journal of African Real Estate Research (JARER). The journal remains an exciting platform for the dissemination of scholarships and the different types of applied research engaged within the real estate sector in Africa, and it has continued to grow in leaps and bounds. As reported in the last issue, JARER has been listed in the Directory of Open Access Journal (DOAJ) since January 2023 and has been recognised as meeting acceptable quality in the three categories (real estate finance, real estate & urban economics and built environment) of the 2021 American Real Estate Society's (ARES) Real Estate Journal List. The list can be found at https://www.aresnet.org/page/journal-list. We want to appreciate the efforts and support of the journal editorial board members, our anonymous reviewers, and other stakeholders, without which these achievements would not be possible. Also, the support we continue to receive from the African Real Estate Society board members, the Library services at the University of Cape Town and the Urban Real Estate Research Unit at the university is appreciated. Our gratitude also goes to the Journal Manager, Ms. Lesedi Kgaka, for her diligent efforts in moving the journal forward.
As usual, the current issue contains thought-provoking and informative topics and is a must-read by everyone who cares to have an understanding of African real estate research and related cities. The first paper, focusing on Lagos, Nigeria, examined the benefits and challenges in the adoption of modern technologies for real estate marketing. The work found that real estate practitioners in Nigeria were yet to fully tap into the unfolding benefits of modern technologies due to a low level of enlightenment and a lack of property data. The paper concluded with the need for practitioners to be enlightened, educated, and trained on the use of various modern technologies for real estate marketing.
The second paper, which is an examination of the factors influencing the adoption of automating systems in high-rise buildings in Lagos, Nigeria, found the need to protect buildings against failure as the most significant factor influencing the adoption of automation in the management of facilities in high-rise buildings. The paper concluded that the use of automation in facilities management of high-rise buildings presents facility managers with innovative ways of ensuring the functionality of the built environment.
The roles played by various actors in household mobility and the eventual reoccurrence of slums in the city of Kampala, Uganda, amidst the slum upgrading initiatives formed the focus of the third paper. The paper, which adopted a case study approach, found that the influence of slum upgrading actors in the low-income household mobility and reoccurrence of the Namuwongo slum was exhibited through three thematic areas. These are the tracking of the residential mobility tendencies, fit-for-purposes of the upgrading programs and actors' collaboration in the process. The paper's conclusion emphasised the need for actors' collaboration and participation of low-income slum-dwelling households to enable adequate fit-for-purposes of the in-situ upgrading initiatives.
Given that access to housing is one of the challenges international students face in universities worldwide, the fourth paper examined housing satisfaction among international students studying at Hong Kong's universities. Using the snowball sampling technique, data was collected from seventy-four international students of six nationalities studying at four universities in Hong Kong. This study highlighted some far-reaching implications for Hong Kong universities, including the need to revisit the issue of accommodation and support provided to international students and an increase in the student housing stock to assist international students.
The fifth paper examines Blockchain technology's (BCTech) potential in the real estate sector. To achieve this objective, the paper used a systematic review of the literature found in Researchgate, ScienceDirect, Semantic Scholar, IEEE Xplore, and Google Search. Examining a total of 99 publications from 2016 to 2022, the paper found that BCTech could provide platforms for tokenised ownership, smart contracts, quick transactions and cost reduction and offers secure and transparent platforms for real estate stakeholders. The study concluded that though BCTech is not yet widely used, it has a lot of potential to offer in terms of the sustainability of the real estate industry.
I am sure that the JARER will continue to grow from strength to strength in the years to come and contribute to the development of African researchers' activities and endeavours. I look forward to receiving your feedback on this and previous issues of the journal.
Professor Abel Olaleye
Editor-in-Chie
Knowledge, practices, and influencers of antibiotic prescriptions of Nigerian doctors
Get PDFBackground: There is a dire need to preserve antibiotics currently in use to avert resistance. Appropriate use of antibiotics would ensure antimicrobial stewardship. Doctors are in the forefront of prescriptions. Their knowledge of and proper prescription practice as well as what influences their antibiotic prescriptions go a long way in mitigating antimicrobial resistance.Aim: To ascertain the knowledge, practices and influencers of antibiotic prescriptions of doctors in Nigeria.Methods: An online self-administered questionnaire on aspects of knowledge of when to prescribe antibiotics, actual prescription practice, and factors that influence prescription, was employed. Questionnaires were sent out in doctors’ social media groups as google forms soliciting for responses. Responses were automatically entered into google spreadsheets and data analysed using SPSS version 21.Results: A total of 258 doctors responded. The overall mean (SD) knowledge score (%) was 66.0±9.3 with a range of 40.0-93.3. Family physicians and paediatricians had higher mean knowledge scores than those in other specialities (p<0.001). The overall mean appropriate practice score was 66.8±8.4 with a range of 40.0-85.7. The mean proper practice scores were highest among the family physicians, paediatricians and public health physicians (p=0.002). The greater the years of medical practice the more the mean knowledge score (p=0.007) and likewise doctors in tertiary care knew more than those in secondary and primary care (p=0.002). Possession of prior information on antibiotic stewardship resulted in higher knowledge (p<0.001) and practice (p=0.015) scores, while having facility antibiotic protocols/ antibiotic stewardship committees was akin to better knowledge (p=0.032) and prescription practice (p=0.012). There was a weak though statistically significant positive linear relationship between knowledge and practice scores (rs=0.291, p<0.001. Knowledge accounted for only 9.2% (R2=0.092) of variability in practice scores. A 1% increase in knowledge score increased practice score by 0.3%. Major influencers of prescribing practice were history of prior use of antibiotics by the patient (97.3%), cost of antibiotics intended to be prescribed (95.3%), age of patient (93.1%), request for antibiotics by the patient (89.6%), and patients presenting with high fevers (70.5%).Conclusion: Demographic characteristics of respondents influenced knowledge but not necessarily practice. Knowledge of appropriate antibiotic prescription had little effect on actual prescribing practice. The factors that affected prescribing practice were previous training on AMS and availability of institutional protocols and treatment guidelines. It is recommended that all medical practitioners receive training on AMS and adhere to institutional treatment protocols.
 
Respiratory syncytial virus: enhanced understanding of the burden of disease and developments in active and passive immunisation
Get PDFRespiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of respiratory tract infection in infants and young children worldwide. Improvements in diagnostic testing have led to increased recognition of RSV infection in children in various settings as well as recognition of RSV as a significant cause of serious respiratory infections in older adults with underlying conditions. The burden of disease is significant with 33.0 million RSV-associated acute lower respiratory infection episodes globally in children younger than 5 years. Infants in the first 3 months of life bear the brunt of severe RSV disease. Recently a more effective and longer lasting monoclonal antibody targeting RSV F protein has been approved for use in infants, while maternal immunisation with a prefusion F protein–based (RSVpreF) vaccine provides effective protection against medically attended RSV-associated lower respiratory tract illness for infants during their first 3- 6 months of life. A number of other vaccines are in development that may offer protection for various age groups in the future.
 
Adolescent vaccination in Nigeria: the what, why and who
Get PDFAdolescents are individuals aged 10 – 19 years. Having survived vaccine-preventable childhood diseases some of them remain susceptible because they either did not receive or did not complete their childhood immunization schedule. They also become exposed to other vaccine-preventable organisms such as human papillomavirus. Adolescent immunization is thus an important strategy to consolidate on the gains of childhood survival programmes while ensuring that the adolescent reaches adulthood healthy and protected from vaccine preventable diseases. This article discusses the status of adolescent immunization in Nigeria, explores reasons for the status-quo, provides reasons for the consideration of an adolescent immunization programme and suggests possible vaccines for inclusion as well as possible strategies for implementing the programme. 
Ralstonia Mannitolilytica: An increasingly recognized healthcare-associated pathogen
Get PDFRalstonia species are more frequently being recognised as causative agents of serious healthcare-associated infection especially among immunocompromised individuals. Ralstonia species are environmental, non-fermenting, aerobic, Gram-negative bacilli typically found in water and soil. Ralstonia mannitolilytica, Ralstonia pickettii and Ralstonia insidiosa have been responsible for human infections such as bacteraemia and bone infection. Central nervous system infection and infection in immune competent individuals are uncommon. We report a case of ventriculoperitoneal shunt infection and meningitis caused by R. mannitolilytica in an immune competent 11-month-old female.  
Northern Shoveler Spatula clypeata: a possible first breeding record for Algeria
Get PDFBreeding events of a waterbird species outside of their normal breeding grounds could be important to address how population changes on wintering areas are impacted by changes elsewhere in the birds’ annual cycle. In this note we confirm the first breeding record of Northern Shoveler Spatula clypeata in Algeria. The breeding site was a saline lake, Sebkhet El-mahmel, located 180 km from the Mediterranean Sea and subject to a semi-arid climate. The area was visited on 16 June 2019 and the species was confirmed as a pair of Northern Shoveler accompanied by eight juveniles. The Northern Shoveler is an unmistakable waterbird species in the northern hemisphere due to its distinctive bill. The female and her juveniles looked healthy and they spent almost the entire daytime foraging and swimming
Observations and analysis of Ayres’s Hawk-Eagle Hieraaetus ayresii occurrence and behaviour over the Linksfield Ridge, Johannesburg, South Africa
No full textA series of sightings of the Ayres’s Hawk-Eagle (Hieraaetus ayresii) were made over two summers in 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 from a property in Fellside, north-eastern Johannesburg. Sightings of the species were of individual birds in flight over the Linksfield Ridge and Louis Botha Avenue, both located a short distance to the south of the observation location. It is postulated that the combination of an abundance of prey in the form of Rock Doves (Columba livia) that inhabit the built-up urban environment of Louis Botha Avenue in high densities and the presence of a well vegetated (effectively wooded) ridge in close proximity appear to be the factors that draw the species to this particular location within Johannesburg. Although the sighting records did not form part of a dedicated monitoring protocol, the observations of the species were submitted to the SABAP2 project, and these and other records of the species in Johannesburg and Pretoria have been analysed to gain an understanding of the timing of the species’ occurrence within the urban centres of Gauteng. The wider SABAP2 dataset indicates that the species has been most commonly recorded in mid-summer (the months of December and February), with the next highest monthly recording rates being for spring and early summer. Further monitoring and observations for the presence of this species are recommended in areas of suitable habitat within Johannesburg (ridges in close proximity to concentrations of Rock Dove populations) to determine if it favours such location and occurs more widely and commonly than currently understood.  
Red-billed Oxpecker Buphagus erythrorhynchus in the KhoiSan Karoo Conservancy, Northern Cape, South Africa
Get PDFWe report the occurrence of a Red-billed Oxpecker Buphagus erythrorhynchus at the New Holme Nature Lodge, Hanover, Northern Cape, South Africa. Sightings were made over the period 4 May to 3 September 2022