16918 research outputs found
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An Afrofuturistic analysis of contemporary Afrikaans novels Stof (Alettie van den Heever, 2018), Kraak and Snak (Rouxnette Meiring, 2018)
No full textHierdie navorsing sal Afrofuturisme in die Afrikaanse letterkunde ontleed met spesifieke fokus op die romans Stof (2018) deur Alettie van den Heever; asook Kraak en Snak (2018) deur Rouxnette Meiring. Terwyl ons in die breër Westerse konteks verskeie voorbeelde van Afrofuturisme vind, kan dieselfde nie oor die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks – spesifiek Afrikaanse letterkunde – gesê word nie. Die doel van hierdie navorsing is om vas te stel waar die Afrikaanse letterkunde ten opsigte van hierdie literêre benadering staan. Relevante en redelik resente tekste (naamlik Stof, Kraak en Snak) sal dus bespreek word. Ekokritiek, die kwessie van ruimte in literêre tekste sowel as die onderwerp van neologismes (met betrekking tot naamkunde en tegnologie) sal na verwys word. In hierdie navorsing sal Mark Dery se 1993-artikel gebruik word as ’n raamwerk vir die konsep van Afrofuturisme sowel as die werk van Ytasha Womack
Procedural sedation competencies: a review and multidisciplinary international consensus statement on knowledge, skills, training, and credentialing
No full textProcedural sedation is practised by a heterogeneous group of practitioners working in a wide array of settings. However, there are currently no accepted standards for the competencies a sedation practitioner should have, the content of sedation training programmes, and guidelines for credentialing. The multidisciplinary International Committee for the Advancement of Procedural Sedation sought to develop a consensus statement on the following: which competencies should medical or dental practitioners have for procedural sedation and how are they obtained, assessed, maintained, and privileged. Using the framework of Competency-Based Medical Education, the practice of procedural sedation was defined as a complex professional task requiring demonstrable integration of different competencies. For each question, the results of a literature review were synthetised into preliminary statements. Following an iterative Delphi review method, final consensus was reached. Using multispeciality consensus, we defined procedural sedation competence by identifying a set of core competencies in the domains of knowledge, skills, and attitudes across physical safety, effectiveness, psychological safety, and deliberate practice. In addition, we present a standardised framework for competency-based training and credentialing of procedural sedation practitioners. © 2024 The Author(s
Mapping the transition of adolescents to adult HIV care: a mixed-methods perspective from the Cape Town Metropole, South Africa
No full text(1) Background: Globally, an estimated 1.7 million adolescents (aged 10–19 years) were living with HIV in 2023, with 82% residing in sub-Saharan Africa. For ALHIV, transitioning to adult care involves assuming responsibility for their own health and disease management, posing significant challenges to persistent engagement in care. There is a paucity in health policies guiding this transition in many sub-Saharan African countries. Overburdened and poorly functioning health systems struggle to provide optimal care for ALHIV amidst the rising HIV pandemic in this priority population. (2) Methods: This study employed a mixed-methods design, comprising a descriptive qualitative study with healthcare workers and managers and a cross-sectional survey to examine the practices and pathways in which the transition to adult HIV care occurs in the Cape Town Metropole, South Africa. (3) Results: We delineate three distinct ways in which transition occurs (transfer-only, adolescent-friendly, and supportive transition). A successful transition involves a sufficient level of self-management of their chronic condition and healthcare journey, which is preceded by adequate preparation pre-transition, and the monitoring of engagement post-transition. This ideally requires developing relevant health policies and implementing guidelines signaling political will and providing the impetus and agency of implementation at the service level in South Africa
Timing and noise analysis of five millisecond pulsars observed with MeerKAT
No full textMillisecond pulsars (MSPs) in binary systems are precise laboratories for tests of gravity and the physics of dense matter. Their orbits can show relativistic effects that provide a measurement of the neutron star mass and the pulsars are included in timing array experiments that search for gravitational waves. Neutron star mass measurements are key to eventually solving the neutron star equation of state and these can be obtained by a measure of the Shapiro delay if the orbit is viewed near edge-on. Here, we report on the timing and noise analysis of five MSPs observed with the MeerKAT radio telescope: PSRs J0900–3144, J0921–5202, J1216–6410, J1327–0755, and J1543–5149. We searched for the Shapiro delay in all of the pulsars and obtain weak detections for PSRs J0900–3144, J1216–6410, and J1327–0755. We report a higher significance detection of the Shapiro delay for PSR J1543–5149, giving a precise pulsar mass of Mp = 1.349+0.043-0.061M☉ and companion white-dwarf mass Mc = 0.223+0.005-0.007M☉. This is an atypically low-mass measurement for a recycled MSP. In addition to these Shapiro delays, we also obtain timing model parameters including proper motions and parallax constraints for most of the pulsars
The first record of Cape Clawless Otters Aonyx capensis predating on African Penguins Spheniscus demersus
No full textThe African Penguin Spheniscus demersus, a critically endangered seabird endemic to southern Africa, faces substantial threats from terrestrial predators at its mainland colonies. Correct identification of the predator species is essential for effective conservation management. This study provides the first documented evidence of Cape Clawless Otter Aonyx capensis predation on African Penguins. We describe characteristic lesion patterns distinguishing otter predation from other predators, such as Caracal Caracal caracal. These findings underscore the importance of accurate predator identification to guide targeted mitigation strategies and highlight the need for adaptive management to protect vulnerable mainland African Penguin colonies from emerging predation pressures
An exploration of how general practitioners, working in seven black townships in Cape Town, South Africa, perceive their role in strengthening the district health system
No full textDespite the recognition of general practitioners’ (GPs) role within the health system, and more recently their role in implementing the National Health Insurance (NHI) in South Africa, very little is known about township GPs’ role, motivation and experiences and their contribution to strengthening the district health system (DHS). The aim of this study was to better understand private GP’s perceived roles in primary healthcare provision within the DHS, investigate their reasons for choosing the medical profession and explore their experiences of being a private GP in Cape Town’s black townships. A qualitative exploratory study was conducted amongst 12 township GPs who provided consent. The exploratory study examined their experiences, to better understand their histories, motivations and socio-cultural work contexts. In-depth interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide consisting of open-ended questions, with interviews conducted face-to-face for approximately an hour per participant. Interviews were recorded with consent and collected data was analysed using thematic coding analysis (TCA). The participants, who had rural and township upbringing obtained positive role modelling from their local GPs, hospital doctors and peers who were medical students. Parental guidance also influenced their choice of profession. These influencers changed their trajectory towards medicine during their secondary schooling. The GPs perceived their role in the DHS as providers of quality primary healthcare in low socioeconomic areas burdened by high morbidity and mortality. They emphasized offering quality medication which the public sector cannot offer, thereby preventing mortality in vulnerable communities. Additionally, they viewed themselves as facilitators and advocates, who support patients and connect them to appropriate public or private clinics and hospitals, or to other sectors like police or social services. Ensuring continuity of care for optimal results was also highlighted as a significant feature in their practices as they established good relationships with their clients, referring them accordingly while working in co-ordination with other actors for their wellbeing. The GPs noted that the absence of language barriers (enabled by their fluency in vernacular) enhanced quality service delivery and clinical outcomes in the townships. They also emphasized cultural understanding as key to strengthening doctor-patient relationships and were supportive of traditional healing as it was embedded in the community. Health promotion in the form of health education on disease management and prevention, was cited as central to their work to enable patients to take control of their health, improve it and that of their families plus the broader community
Long-term land use and land cover dynamics in the Okavango River Basin: impacts on wetlands ecohydrological conditions using satellite data and machine learning
No full textThe Okavango River Basin (ORB), one of sub-Saharan Africa’s most ecologically significant and well-preserved endorheic system, is critical for sustaining biodiversity and providing ecosystem services. However, increasing anthropogenic pressure and environmental change demand continuous and precise monitoring to safeguard its natural assets. This study utilized Google Earth Engine (GEE) to present a robust 34-year (1989–2023) analysis using Landsat 5 and 8 at 30 m resolution. The study examined the relationship between the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), soil-adjusted vegetation index (SAVI), and normalized difference phenology index (NDPI), coupled with Climate Hazards Group Infrared Precipitation (CHIRPS), ERA5 Land, and TerraClimate products. Utilizing a Random Forest (RF) classifier, we achieved accuracies of 95-98% across nine intervals. Wetlands maintained 3% coverage from 1989-2004, while forest occupied 20-26%. Water bodies declined from 1989-2016, then gained 6419 km2 (2017–2020). Wetlands gained 19144 km2 (1989–1992) and 8406 km2 (2017–2020), but lost -10986 (1993–1996) and -7734 km2 (2009–2012). Higher temperatures are correlated with NDPI (β = 0.05, p = 0.003, R2 = 0.32) and NDVI (β = 0.106, p = 0.0045, R2 = 0.29), while precipitation and evapotranspiration were not significant. SAVI presented no significant relationship (R2 = 0.27, p = 0.027). These findings underscore the urgent need for continuous LULC monitoring to inform adaptive management strategies for the ORB
MIGHTEE-H i: the MHi - M∗ relation of massive galaxies and the Hi mass function at 0.25 < z < 0.5
No full textThe relationship between the already formed stellar mass in a galaxy and the gas reservoir of neutral atomic hydrogen, is a key element in our understanding of how gas is turned into stars in galaxy haloes. In this paper, we measure the relation based on a stellar-mass selected sample at <![CDATA[$0.25 M and the MeerKAT International GHz Tiered Extragalactic Exploration-H i Data Release 1 spectral data. Using a powerful Bayesian stacking technique, for the first time we are also able to measure the underlying bivariate distribution of H i mass and stellar mass of galaxies with 109.5]], finding that an asymmetric underlying H i distribution is strongly preferred by our complete samples. We define the concepts of the average of the logarithmic H i mass, and the logarithmic average of the H i mass, and find that the difference between and can be as large as 0.5 dex for the preferred asymmetric H i distribution. We observe shallow slopes in the underlying scaling relations, suggesting the presence of an upper H i mass limit beyond which a galaxy can no longer retain further H i gas. From our bivariate distribution we also infer the H i mass function at this redshift and find tentative evidence for a decrease of 2-10 times in the comoving space density of the most H i massive galaxies up to
The right to education as a rehabilitative measure in prisons in Uganda
No full textThis study examines the right to education as a rehabilitative measure in prisons in Uganda. It elaborates the theoretical and conceptual aspects of education in prisons, rehabilitation, and related concepts. It is anchored on a critical analysis of the historical evolution of rehabilitation programmes in prisons in Uganda, exploring the chronology of reforms that eventually enabled promotion of the prisoners’ right to education
Effect of native language on learning to program
No full textThe dominance of the English language in computer science across programming languages, documentation, instruction, and scientific publication is well recognized. This situation contrasts with the actual distribution of spoken languages in the world, where only approximately 5% of the population of the world are native English speakers and a further 15% are non-native English speakers (NNES). For NNES students learning programming or computing in universities, the dominance of the English language can present a challenge. This challenge can manifest in multiple forms such as keywords, technical documentation, tutorials, or even descriptive terminology that may only exist in English. This situation impacts international students in English-speaking countries, those studying in regions where English is the medium of instruction, and it also affects students in non-English-speaking countries who do not study in English. In all of these cases, students may have to deal with computer terminologies or other documentation that have no direct translations in their language. This working group aims to systematically investigate the extent that the English language presents a barrier to non-native English speakers in computing education, specifically in introductory programming courses delivered entirely in English to populations of non-native English speakers. This multi-prong effort is based on the existing literature, instructor observations, student experiences, and popular introductory programming textbooks. The diverse nationalities and localities of the working group members prime our work for varied perspectives on the topic