UCT Open Access Journals (Univ. of Cape Town)
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Decolonising an engineering curriculum through a community-driven design project
No full textFollowing the student-led protests under the umbrellas of #RhodesMustFall and #FeesMustFall, several South African universities made efforts to transform their curricula to make them more relevant to a diverse student population. To this end, the research site for this study, a research-focused historically English-language university, revamped an existing project done by second-year students in their undergraduate chemical engineering programme. This article presents the application of a decolonisation framework to the revised project. Details about the project implementation were collected in the form of the project brief and the six tasks given to students; and semi-structured interviews were conducted with one course lecturer and one tutor. These details were supplemented with inputs from two authors involved in the project design and delivery. The article demonstrates that an engineering design project can be decolonised by increasing its relevance to the local context, valuing student voices in project design, providing opportunities to students for critical reflection, critiquing the existing engineering knowledge, and designing the project to be community-driven. The article specifically highlights the inadequacy of the existing engineering techniques for application in small-scale community-level projects, thus underlining the need for a broadening of engineering knowledge
Rubella and the devastating effects of congenital rubella syndrome
Get PDFRubella virus is a vaccine preventable disease that is endemic in many countries worldwide. We appraised the prevalence and risk factors for rubella and considered the effects of congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) in children. A systematic review of relevant literature was carried out according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Articles were searched for through PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, Scopus, Google Scholar, web of Science, and Index Medicus. Rubella and CRS are endemic in African as well as the South-East Asian region. The current global vaccination coverage of rubella was estimated to be 70%. However, many countries in African and South-East Asia are yet to include rubella vaccination in their national immunization schedules. Mauritius and Seychelles are exceptions in Africa, while Sri Lanka and Maldives in the South-East Asian region have implemented this regimen. Globally, only the Americas has successfully eradicated rubella. It is still endemic in many African countries with devastating effects among infants and pregnant women. Cases are unabated and several children continue to suffer the consequences of CRS. Concerted efforts are needed to create awareness and galvanize support to control the incidence of rubella and CR
A review of septic arthritis in children
Get PDFSeptic arthritis is a bacterial joint infection which most commonly occurs in children younger than five years of age. Diagnosing septic arthritis in children can be challenging as signs and symptoms can be non-specific. An accurate history, physical exam, laboratory investigations and imaging can contribute to the timely diagnosis of septic arthritis and limit chronic morbidity of joint dysfunction. The aim of this article is to review the epidemiology, clinical features, pathophysiology, differential diagnosis, special investigations, and management of septic arthritis in children. 
Laboratory characteristics of streptococcus pneumoniae: A persistent pathogen
Get PDFDespite advances, such as the availability of an effective vaccine against Streptococcus pneumoniae, the organism still contributes significantly to morbidity and mortality worldwide, especially in children. It is crucial that accurate identification and susceptibility testing of the organism occurs, to allow for accurate estimation of disease burden, development of vaccines, and initiation of optimal treatment. Herein the laboratory diagnosis, susceptibility testing and treatment of S. pneumoniae is discussed.  
Odyssean malaria in the Western Cape Province of South Africa
Get PDFDue to the unexpected diagnosis of Odyssean malaria, cases are often missed, and the presentation is usually delayed resulting in severe complications. What makes these infections so intriguing is the lack of travel history from patients who acquire the infection while living in a non-endemic malaria area. We report the first case of Odyssean malaria in a young girl from Cape Town who presented multiple times to the health care services with a non-resolving fever amongst many other non-specific symptom
Evaluation of compliance of concreting materials to standards in building projects in Lagos State, Nigeria
Get PDFAbstract
The incessant collapse of high-rise buildings has necessitated research into the compliance of materials — structural components and elements — to standards. This study evaluated compliance of concreting materials with standards in building project delivery. It examined the factors that influence compliance with standards of materials used for producing concrete elements. A quantitative approach was adopted in the study where structured questionnaires were administered to designers and constructors (such as architects, engineers/site supervisors and quantity surveyors) in consulting and contracting organisations in Lagos State, Nigeria. The data were analysed using frequency distribution, mean score, standard deviation, factor analysis and Kruskal Wallis test. Factors affecting compliance of materials with standards were categorised into construction site-based and procurement-based. These are technical, regulation, procurement, capacity, performance, and skill. The study provides implications for quality building production through improved compliance of concreting materials to standards. It also found the neglect of the use of structural engineers' services and limited standards observance on site. These lead to substandard components and elements production. It, therefore, recommends efficient regulatory policies, enforcement mechanisms, improved training and instilling ethical standards among project stakeholders.
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Keywords – Building projects, Compliance, Concreting materials, National standards, Project deliver
Update on community acquired pneumonia in African children
Get PDFRecent medical advances have led to a drop in the global incidence of pneumonia. Despite this global drop, pneumonia remains the number one cause of childhood mortality outside the neonatal period, especially in low-to-middle income countries. The purpose of this review is to give an update on the causes, diagnosis, management, and prevention of community acquired pneumonia (CAP) in African children.
Due to increased immunisation coverage, viruses have become the most common cause of CAP (respiratory syncytial virus being the most common virus), while staphylococcus aureus and non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae are the most common causes in fully immunised children.
Extensive investigations are not warranted in most cases, as a result, investigations to be carried out will be dependent upon the clinical condition and local protocol. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic all cases of CAP must be screened for COVID-19.
Antimicrobial treatment is determined by, clinical severity, local antibiotic resistance patterns, presence of complications, the causative organism, and local protocols. Broad-spectrum antibiotics such as amoxicillin-clavulanic acid or a 2nd or 3rd generation cephalosporin are normally sufficient. Special attention needs to be paid to immunocompromised children as well as those with sickle cell disease, as additional pharmacological cover is recommended.
Notwithstanding the significant burden posed by CAP in low-to-middle income countries, there remains a paucity of data on CAP from Africa, therefore, it is of paramount importance that further epidemiological data be collected from African countries to optimise the understanding, prevention and management of CAP in Africa
A case of cutaneous histoplasmosis in a child with HIV infection
Get PDFHistoplasmosis is an endemic fungal infection that can infect both immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals. Due to the non-specific clinical symptoms, it can often be misdiagnosed as a more commonly occurring infection such as tuberculosis. In this case report we describe the presentation of a young girl, recently diagnosed with HIV infection, with extensive facial lesions that were found to be positive for histoplasmosis on molecular testing. She responded well to antifungal therapy
Urban avifauna diversity in Stellenbosch, South Africa, during the COVID-19 lockdown and observations of inner-city foraging behaviour
Get PDFIn times of isolation or confinement, making regular natural history observations can not only represent a source of enjoyment, but generates insights into local avian ecology. Here we present an account of the urban bird diversity of Stellenbosch, South Africa, derived from daily observations of species presence collected during the initial two stages of the country’s nationwide COVID-19 lockdown period (66 days). A total of 38 bird species were observed during this time, including sightings of urban hunting behavior for birds of prey and greenspace foraging in general. The most commonly seen taxa were typical human-commensal species, including sparrows and doves. Many species were encountered far less frequently, with 21 of the 38 species being observed on less than 10 days. This was most notable for birds of prey (n = 6 species from Accipitriformes and Falconiformes) or African swifts (n = 2 species from Apodiformes), which were recorded only a few times for any given species. Our account provides some relatively niche information regarding the presence of birds from a single city block in South Africa and notes interesting observations of urban foraging behaviour, but also underscores the value of birdwatching during times of uncertainty
Potentials of Integrated Rural Development Schemes for Improving Rural Infrastructure
Get PDFThe idea of the Integrated Development Scheme (IDS) has received considerable attention in India, Indonesia and in some African countries such as Kenya and Ethiopia. The scheme has led to urban slum upgrading in these countries and has led to notable successes in the provision of common facilities in the rural areas of India. Therefore, given the neglect of rural areas by both private and public sectors, and the need to improve the housing conditions of rural dwellers, this paper examines the benefits of improved livelihoods from the scheme to improving rural housing conditions in Nigeria. A case study of the Rural Development Programme (RUDEP) of Justice Development and Peace Makers' Centre (JDPMC), a non-governmental organisation in Osun State, Nigeria, was conducted. Stratified and purposive sampling was used to select 344 participants/beneficiaries of the programme from 28 active communities out of the 36 communities' coverage by RUDEP. Qualitative and quantitative data obtained from the respondents were analysed using descriptive statistics of percentages and frequency distributions. The results revealed that the RUDEP integrated scheme, which was first initiated with the objective of improving the livelihood of poorer farmers and women that engaged in agricultural-related activities, has also impacted rural housing conditions positively by empowering them to provide facilities that were not initially in place. The paper concluded that IDS could be a viable policy option for improving the condition of rural housing in Nigeria