UCT Open Access Journals (Univ. of Cape Town)
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Male Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill successfully raises chick despite death of female inside nest
Full text linkAlthough most biparental bird species divide provisioning responsibilities relatively equally, hornbills are characterized by male-biased provisioning. Even after departing the nest cavity, female Southern Yellow-billed Hornbills (Tockus leucomelas) do not provision offspring at the same rates as their mates. Given that males provide food for the female during her period of incarceration within the nest cavity (which corresponds to the pre-laying, laying, incubation, and early chick-rearing stages), a lack of provisioning on the part of the female during the weeks after she has left the confines of the cavity suggests that males could potentially perform 100% of the provisioning. In early 2018 I followed the fate of a nest in which the breeding female died shortly before leaving the nest box. The male continued to feed the chick inside which fledged approximately one month later
Range, population estimates and conservation recommendations for Baillon's Crake, Allen's Gallinule, African Swamphen and Red-chested Flufftail in South Africa
Full text linkAfrica’s herbaceous wetlands are vital ecosystems, which provide essential services such as water filtration, flood mitigation, and carbon sequestration, while supporting a diverse array of species, including Baillon’s Crake (Zapornia pusilla), Allen’s Gallinule (Porphyrio alleni), Red-chested Flufftail (Sarothrura rufa), and African Swamphen (Porphyrio madagascariensis). These species were chosen from the many that use wetlands as declines were inferred from citizen-science datasets and more detailed information was needed to aid in threat assessments for the IUCN Red Listing process. This study presents updated information on the distribution and population estimates of these four bird species in South Africa, utilising records from the BirdLasser mobile app and cross-verified with the Southern African Bird Atlas Project 2 (SABAP2) database. Species Distribution Modelling was conducted using MaxEnt, and South Africa’s 2020 Land Use and Land Cover dataset was employed to identify and delineate suitable herbaceous wetland habitats. By extracting the habitat from the predicted niche over 0.5 likelihood of suitability, results indicated an area of occupancy of 497 km2 for Baillon’s Crake, 173 km2 for Allen’s Gallinule, 3 574 km2 for Red-chested Flufftail, and 3 114 km2 for African Swamphen. Estimated home-range sizes allowed for projected maximum populations of 43 736 individuals for Baillon’s Crake, 17 128 individuals for Allen’s Gallinule, 1 588 444 individuals for Red-chested Flufftail, and 249 120 individuals for African Swamphen. This study highlights the critical importance of herbaceous wetlands for these species and underscores the significant threats posed by habitat loss and degradation, pollution, and climate change. Based on the range sizes, and degradation of suitable wetland habitat, it is recommended that Baillon’s Crake be considered regionally Endangered. Allen’s Gallinule occurs peripherally in South Africa and may potentially meet regionally Vulnerable under the IUCN Regional Red List criteria, when considering potential rescue effects from the more extensive extra-limital population stronghold. Conservation measures, including habitat protection and restoration, pollution control, climate-adaptation strategies, community engagement, and ongoing research and monitoring, are essential to safeguard these species and their habitats
A study of naval architecture and marine engineering higher education to build a foundation of future engineering managers in the South African maritime industry
No full textThe maritime industry is inherently global, with seafarers and expatriate skilled engineering graduates employed worldwide, away from the places they grew up and obtained their specialist qualifications. Consequently, any higher education qualification in the maritime sector must ensure that graduates are equipped to compete internationally for employment opportunities, and be prepared for the engineering challenges of the future.This paper presents a study on the naval architecture and marine engineering (NAME) higher education in South Africa and compares it to three international marine education universities. A qualitative content analysis methodology was employed to analyse the module content of each international institution. Patterns that emerged from the analysis were used to compare against the curriculum of the current Bachelor of Engineering Technology in Marine Engineering degree programme that is offered by the Nelson Mandela University in South Africa (since 2018).The analysis of the international programmes identified 18 themes that a quality NAME programme should encompass to meet the academic requirements for the future engineers in the global maritime sector. The study recommends the addition of a 4th year honours degree and a 5thyear taught master’s degree to the existing three-year undergraduate Bachelor degree in Engineering Technology in Marine Engineering. The proposed curriculum, unique in the South African Higher Education environment, will enable graduates to apply mathematical and scientific principles to the ‘design, development and operational evaluation of self-propelled, stationary or towed vessels operating on or under the water, including inland, coastal and ocean environments
Transforming embedded systems education: The potential of large language models
Full text linkThis conceptual article delves into the potential benefits, challenges, and future directions of how educators might adapt practices to accommodate the use of AI tools, using Large Language Models (LLMs) looking at embedded systems education as a case study. Drawing on literature pertaining to embedded systems education and the associated challenges, a new way of approaching embedded systems education is suggested, where students and LLMs are co-creators, working together to solve a problem. This article proposes that AI technologies have the potential to improve the productivity of students as they learn to program and that LLMs can be leveraged as personal tutors, facilitating adaptive tuition. The role of educators remains crucial in this process as students still require scaffolding and guidance on prompting LLMs. This article suggests that educators have different options when considering how to teach embedded systems with LLMs present, by changing the emphasis of teaching to focus on the process of learning and understanding and using constructive alignment of learning activities and assessment with the new goals. This promises to be an exciting avenue of research going forward
Blood cultures in paediatrics: a narrative review
Full text linkBlood culture is one of the most important investigations to detect bloodstream infection, but in children, blood cultures are often omitted or poorly collected. This review outlines the procedural flow for blood cultures in paediatrics including the pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical phases, bearing in mind the differing contexts and resources available across Africa. The aim is to discuss clinical practicalities and laboratory logistics of blood culture samples, and to provide a summary of recommendations to assist with maximising the potential benefit of blood cultures. Key recommendations include collecting the maximum recommended volume of blood according to age or weight-based guidelines, optimising laboratory processes to facilitate the quickest identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing methods feasible in local settings and ensuring prompt communication and discussion of results with clinicians in order to benefit patient management and antimicrobial stewardship. Microbiologistics, a new term referring to all possible improvements in the logistic chain from sampling to reporting of blood cultures, is also important
Key Knowledge and Skills Required by Real Estate Graduates for the Real Estate Industry in Uganda.
Full text linkThis paper examines the evolving needs of the real estate industry in Uganda, particularly considering the significant changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. It draws attention to the necessity for universities to update their real estate curricula to prepare undergraduate and graduate students for the current and future demands of the workforce. Using a qualitative research design, the study involved semi-structured interviews with real estate consultants who have hired graduates of the Bachelor of Real Estate Business Management of Makerere University in Uganda. The findings reveal that the most critical knowledge and skills for today's real estate graduates are in health and well-being, property valuation, legal aspects, information and communication technology (ICT), and research. This research is important as it highlights the essential areas of knowledge and skills that real estate academic programmes must emphasise to effectively prepare students for the modern real estate industry
Buy versus Rent Decision of Office Space among Public Corporations in Ghana
Full text linkThe primary focus of this study is to assess whether it is more beneficial for public corporations in Ghana to rent or buy office space for their operations. Previous studies have only examined the factors that affect the decision to either rent or buy office space. The study was carried out through in-depth data mining of all the rented properties of one public corporation in Ghana over the period 2014 to 2019. Based on the information gathered, and drawing inspiration from the NPV investment appraisal technique, the present value of the cost of each of the options was analysed and compared to choose the best option. The paper found among other things that the company’s rented space from 2014 to 2019 grew by 68.5% and at the same time rental value increased by 450%. The present value analysis however reveals that it is more expensive to rent than to buy and this questions why decision makers of this public corporation still increased their rental space over the period. Using a public corporation from Ghana, this paper has extended the discussion on the lease versus buy decision by actually assessing the option that adds more value to the shareholders’ wealth instead of just examining the determinants of the lease versus buy decision. A study of this nature in the context of Ghana is notably non-existent
Promoting public health in the face of disinformation
Full text linkDisinformation hampered the response to both the HIV and Covid pandemics. Nevertheless, for the most part scientifically sound public health messaging prevailed: today millions of South Africans are on antiretroviral treatment and during the Covid pandemic most of the most vulnerable people in the country got vaccinated. The aim of this article is to describe what strategies in the author's experience were the most effective for communicating public health messages. Ten tips are provided for help health workers more effectively spread sound public health advice
Perceptions of caregivers and healthcare providers regarding vaccinations for children with immune mediated inflammatory disorders (IMIDs) in Nairobi, Kenya
Full text linkBackground: Children with immune mediated inflammatory disorders (IMIDs) are at an increased risk of various types of vaccine preventable diseases. Appropriate immunization practices are therefore key for survival, and for improving the treatment outcomes in these children. This study explored the perceptions of caregivers and healthcare workers regarding vaccination for children with IMIDs at Kenyatta national hospital and Getrude’s children hospital, in Nairobi Kenya.
Methods: This was a mixed-methods study involving interviewer administered questionnaires for caregivers, self-administered questionnaires for health workers, and focus group discussions for caregivers of children suffering from IMIDs and attending the rheumatology clinics at the Kenyatta National Hospital and Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital. The study included 103 primary caregivers of children aged 0-18 years with IMIDs and 76 healthcare workers.
Results: Most of the caregivers (80%) were female; and two thirds (66%) had attained secondary education or higher. Most (90.6%) caregivers believed that vaccines are safe, 88.2% that vaccines are effective, 97.1% had full trust in vaccines and would readily accept their children to be vaccinated. Further, the caregivers (92.5%) knew that their children could benefit from additional vaccines (other than the routine childhood EPI listed vaccines) and would support additional vaccines for their children if recommended by a doctor. However, only 10.6% (10/103) of caregivers reported that their children had already received at least one of the additional vaccines. Some caregivers (9.4%) expressed fears and misgivings about the additional vaccines for their children. These misgivings include the risk of adverse events following immunization that the children were too young for additional vaccines, or that the child was unwell at the time. The health workers supported the need for additional vaccines for children with IMIDs and vaccine education for caregivers and health workers.
Conclusion: Most caregivers and healthcare workers of children with IMIDs accepted and supported additional vaccines, over and above those administered in the routine EPI programme, for children with IMIDs. The biggest promoter of vaccine acceptance and uptake was recommendation of vaccination by health workers while potential barriers included vaccine safety concerns, inadequate vaccine knowledge and concerns of vaccine cost and accessibility. 
Cape Sparrow trapped in Cape Weaver nest
Full text linkOn 29 November 2023, during a bird ringing session at the Vanrhynsdorp Sewage Works, we discovered a dead female Cape Sparrow Passer melanurus hanging from an old Cape Weaver Ploceus capensis breeding nest. This is the first record of a nest fatality of a Cape Sparrow in any weaver nest