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Ten quick tips for protecting health data using de-identification and perturbation of structured datasets
No full textStructured patient data generated within the health data ecosystem are shared both internally for operational use and also externally for research and public health benefit. Protecting individual privacy and health data confidentiality in these contexts relies on data de-identification and anonymisation, although there are no universally accepted standards for these processes and the techniques involved can be technically complex. We present practical recommendations grounded in the principle of data minimisation-avoiding unnecessary granularity and identifying variables that could lead to re-identification when combined with other datasets. We provide practical guidance for anonymising and perturbing structured health data in ways that support compliance with data protection laws, describing technical and operational methods for reducing re-identification risk that include rounding numerical values, replacing precise values with ranges, adding jitter to numeric fields, aggregating data, management of date values and separating sensitive fields from identifying data to prevent linkage leading to re-identification. While some methods require advanced technical knowledge, we focus here on accessible strategies that can be implemented without specialist expertise, recognising the importance of the legal and governance frameworks in which anonymisation occurs. These guidelines support researchers, data managers and institutions in sharing health data responsibly, maintaining data utility while upholding privacy and promoting ethical and legal data stewardship for data-driven health research.
Uric acid signal transduction enhancement through the electrical wiring of urate oxidase with copper schiff base complex and reduced graphene oxide
No full textUric acid (UA) is an important antioxidant biomolecule and disease biomarker in body fluids such as urine, sweat, serum, and saliva. In this paper, we developed an electrochemical biosensor to enhance UA signals using glassy carbon electrodes (GCEs) modified with graphene oxide, copper Schiff base complex and uricase enzyme. The reduced graphene oxide modified sensor took the lead by enhancing the UA signal response when coupled to Schiff base complex modified electrodes. The uricase enzyme biosensor yielded an extended linear range due to its catalytic effect on the UA oxidation process. The development of the sensors involved a step-by-step evaluation of the sensor performance using scanning mode and fixed potential mode electrochemistry, as well as spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. Square wave voltammetry in particular reported UA signal response in the linear range was 12 µM to 167 + µM, and LOD was in the range of 0.26 – 2.54 µM for UA sensors. This information is valuable for sensor application in human biofluids where UA concentrations may manifest up to 150–450 µM
The interaction between public procurement policies and international investment agreements: challenges and legal implications in Kenya and South Africa
No full textBackground and context: International investment agreements refer to ‘agreements regarding a State’s treatment of investments made by individuals or companies from another State.’13 According to the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), these may be bilateral such as bilateral investment agreements (BITs), multilateral, sectoral and either standalone or part of investment chapters in a free trade agreement (FTAs)—and are variously referred to as international investment treaties or IIAs.14 IIAs usually include provisions that commit a host country to adhere to specific treatment standards when dealing with foreign investors or foreign direct investment15 (FDI) from the other counterpart country.16 In addition, they grant foreign investors the right to have recourse to investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanisms to resolve disputes with a host country. While IIAs are designed to promote FDI, this research hypothesises that IIAs significantly constrict the ability of Kenya and RSA to use social policies in their public procurement framework to promote socioeconomic development of their nationals
Identification of salt-tolerant Tunisian Medicago ciliaris lines during germination and early seedling stages under NaCl stress
No full textGermination is a critical determinant of grain yield in Medicago ciliaris, and salinity poses a major stress factor in Tunisian soils. This study aims to evaluate the variability in salt tolerance among four Tunisian populations of M. ciliaris, Enfidha (TNC1), Soliman (TNC8), Rhayet (TNC10), and Mateur (TNC11) during germination under NaCl concentrations of 0, 125, and 175 mM. ANOVA revealed significant differences among populations, lines, treatments, and their interactions for all germination traits. Salt stress led to a marked reduction in germination parameters, with the highest tolerance observed in lines from the Soliman population. Broad-sense heritability (H2) was high, with values ranging from 0.66 to 0.94, reflecting substantial genetic stability across all germination traits under varying salinity levels. Hierarchical clustering categorized the 46 lines into three groups, highlighting the genetic diversity and phenotypic variability in response to salt stress. Four lines demonstrated notable salt tolerance at both 125 and 175 mM NaCl, particularly line TNC8.1, which showed consistent performance across germination and growth stages. These results underscore the potential of the Soliman population (TNC8) as a valuable genetic resource for breeding salt-tolerant M. ciliaris varieties, offering a promising pathway for enhancing crop performance under saline conditions in Tunisi
Systematics of othonna (asteraceae: senecioneae: othonninae) in Southern Africa: the o. Cacalioides l.f., o. Natalensis sch.bip., and o. Osteospermoides dc. groups of species and the identity of o. Frutescens l.
No full textThe largely southern African genus Othonna L. (Asteraceae: Senecioneae: Othonninae) is currently the subject of ongoing taxonomic investigations. Here we review the taxonomy of three small species-groups with radiate capitula. The O. cacalioides L.f. species-group comprises five species of dwarf succulents with tuber-like caudex and small capitula; the O. natalensis Sch.Bip. species-group includes two caespitose species from the summer-rainfall Drakensberg Escarpment; and the O. osteospermoides DC. species-group comprises three species of softly woody shrublets with large capitula. We provide descriptions, complete nomenclature and typification, illustrations and geographical distribution of the species. In addition we conclude that the name O. frutescens L. is not an illegitimate superfluous name for Cineraria othonnites L. as has been previously assumed by early authors. The only original material seems to be an illustration and we accordingly select this illustration as lectotype. This illustration matches Othonna coronopifolia L. and we accordingly reduce O. frutescens L. to synonymy under O. coronopifolia L
Enacting worlds together: Art as catalyst for asemiotic tentacular geostories
No full textIn A Thousand Plateaus (1987), Félix Guattari and Gilles Deleuze argue for modes of expression that can counter reductive master signifiers. For Deleuze and Guattari the predominance of master signifiers is a central problem for knowledge production and artmaking, as well as for the human condition overall, because current dominant forms of human culture forsake imagination in favour of highly articulated and predetermined significations, affects, and intensities, many of which anthropocentrically prefigure modes of perception from the outset. In place of these, they argue for polyvocal signs which include asignifying or as-yet unarticulated semiotics that are irreducible to any given regime of signs and its inscription processes. Keeping these threads in mind, we argue in this article that the arts hold the potential to disrupt and challenge the semiotic coordinates of human exceptionalism. Our aim is thus to think about how such asemiotic encounters can be provoked, which we do with reference to recent work on 4E (embodied, embedded, enactive, and extended) cognition and enaction. Looking specifically at 0rphan Drift’s cephalopods and other “myth-science” avatars, we argue that they provide us with precisely such alternative enactive “fictionings” for the delineation of fabulatory praxes that can engender a tentacular ethics in opposition to all-too-human stories and histories
Multipoles of the redshift-space power spectrum from SKAO and other surveys
No full textThe large-scale distribution of neutral hydrogen in the late universe provides a probe of the underlying distribution of matter, which is a powerful complement to the standard probe delivered by galaxy number counts. Measuring the neutral hydrogen distribution with MeerKAT, SKAO and other radio telescopes through the hydrogen 21 cm line emission has the potential to become a key cosmological probe in the coming years. We investigate the cosmological constraining power of the 21 cm intensity mapping power spectrum in redshift space. To this end, we decompose the power spectrum into multipoles, modelling the effects of foreground avoidance, telescope beam, instrumental noise and the bias of 21 cm intensity fluctuations. Then we use Fisher forecasting methods to estimate the precision that is obtainable by proposed surveys and on the full SKAO. Measurements of the power spectrum multipoles enable measurements of key cosmological parameters and we estimate the precision of such measurements. In particular, the multipoles provide an estimate of the growth rate of large-scale structure, which can deliver tests of the theory of gravity
Traumatic experience and coping among adolescent refugees: a scoping review
No full textBackground Adolescent refugees may be uniquely impacted by potential traumatic experiences due to their incomplete bio-psychosocial and cognitive development, dependence, and underdeveloped coping skills. Despite this vulnerability, there is a lack of clarity in the literature on the coping strategies adolescent refugees employ following trauma exposure and how these strategies are associated with their adjustment. The objective of this scoping review was to systematically identify the types of coping strategies used by adolescent refugees and examine the associations between trauma exposure and coping mechanisms. Methods A comprehensive search of four electronic databases (Ebsco Host, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) was conducted to identify relevant peer-reviewed articles. Inclusion criteria for studies were: 1) focused on the relationship between trauma and coping strategies was explicitly examined and discussed; 2) trauma was the primary predictor variable and the main focus of the study; 3) coping strategies were analyzed as outcome variables; 4) focused on adolescent refugees or asylum seekers aged 12–18 years as participants, including all genders; 5) articles were published in peer-reviewed journals between January 1, 2001, and June 20, 2021; 6) articles were written in English. Results A total of 389 articles were identified as potentially relevant for the study, 6 articles were included in this scoping review. In total, 1694 participants were included across the included studies. Five included studies utilised a cross-sectional research design, and one study employed a case study. The review found that adolescent refugees mostly employed emotion-focused, avoidant and social support/ support-seeking coping strategies among the participants of the included studies. The majority of the included studies showed that traumatic experiences are more strongly associated with emotion-focused, avoidant and social support coping strategies than active and problem-focused strategies across diverse adolescent refugee populations. Avoidant-coping strategy was associated with maladjustment in young refugees. Conclusions This scoping review suggests that future efforts should focus on equipping adolescent refugees with problem-solving and active coping strategies while addressing their psychosocial, cultural, and educational challenges to foster resilience and positive adjustment
Electrochemical hydrogen evolution performance of molybdenum disulphide/HKUST-1 metal organic framework/polyaniline ternary nanocomposite in acidic medium
No full textA search for an abundant and cheap electrocatalyst to replace the expensive and scarce precious metal-based electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is critical for realization of hydrogen as an energy carrier. Herein, molybdenum disulphide-copper-based metal organic framework/polyaniline (MoS2/HKUST-1/PANI) ternary composite was synthesized following a simple in situ chemical oxidative polymerization of aniline in the presence of already hydrothermally synthesized MoS2 and HKUST-1 pristine materials. Several analytical techniques were used to evaluation the formation and structure properties of the ternary composite. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results were in agreement with the morphological and structural characterization techniques and further confirming the wrapping of MoS2 and HKUST-1 by PANI. Optical studies displayed an increase of direct and indirect band gaps the ternary composite but closer to the one of PANI homopolymer suggesting that the ternary composite exhibited good conductivity, which is an essential property for HER. The electrochemical characterization presented that the ternary composite possessed a diffusion-controlled nature with a 12-fold increase in the electrochemical surface area of as compared to PANI homopolymer. The prepared MoS2/HKUST-1/PANI composite exhibited excellent HER properties with a Tafel slope of 44.7 mV.dec−1 and low charge-transfer resistance as well as turnover frequency of 4.0 mol H2 per second at 750 mV potential versus reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE). Most importantly, it only needed 110 mV overpotential vs RHE to reach the current density of 10 mA.cm−2. In addition, MoS2/HKUST-1/PANI ternary composite achieved superior stability over other prepared electrocatalysts. For the first time, employing MoS2 and HKUST-1 to the backbone of polyaniline for the construction of the edge-rich integrative ternary nanocomposite has successfully achieved an outstanding HER performance
Exploring the quality of life and academic success of students at a university in the Western Cape
No full textBackground: This qualitative study explores the lived experiences of first-year students adapting to university life. University life encompasses various dimensions impacting individuals' health and wellness. Wellness comprises seven components, namely, physical, mental, spiritual, occupational, emotional, social, and environmental wellness. The present study rests on the premise that students may struggle, which will not only affect their quality of life but rather have knock-on effects and implications on their academic performance. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore and describe students' perceived quality of life and its influence on their academic success at a university in the Western Cape. Methods: An exploratory, descriptive qualitative study was conducted at the University of the Western Cape. The study involved twelve participants who were first-year students in the Community and Health Science faculty. Participants were recruited using purposive sampling techniques. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions. Interviews were transcribed manually and through the use of AI software. Themes were analyzed using the Braun and Clarke framework. Results: The findings of the study revealed that students use various coping mechanisms, which can be categorized into sports participation, social support, and academic planning. These strategies help manage the transition from high school to university and promote a better quality of life. Coping strategies are adopted to manage the challenges during their academic journey. These challenges may be increased workload, how students manage their schedules, and their ability to be independent. These factors play a critical role in academic success, which is further determined by the academic process needs, the institutional support provided through available programs, and the access of students to basic needs or lack thereof