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Coworking spaces and makerspaces : mapping the state of research
Full text linkAbstract: Coworking and its merits and benefits have been under heavy scholarly investigation. Also in practice, the phenomenon with its characteristics and manifestations becomes increasingly relevant on many levels and for many different types of people and organizations. But why is that so, and how are the research activities distributed between researchers, countries, and journals? To answer these questions, we first analyzed existing literature and extracted the focal points of the respective approaches. We conducted a cluster analysis on the existing literature by analyzing data from the Web of Science. With these clusters, we show the development of the research stream and how the studies are connected. The findings point towards the relevance of coworking spaces for innovative behavior and knowledge exchange, making them a place for work and social exchange and a tool for pursuing daily work, innovative ideas, knowledge creation, and interaction. With these findings, we contribute to the understanding of this research stream as a whole and provide a deeper understanding of the available studies and how they are connected. This allows researchers to understand where the interest came from, where it is going and how they can contribute to the topic. Our study indicates that scholars should take a broad approach towards the phenomenon coworking. It set food in many different research areas and all of them are important for a holistic understanding, showing potential for interesting studies. On a practical note, the factors that coworking influences need to be rethought throughout the whole work environment
Comparative Study of Machine Learning Classifiers for Modelling Road Traffic Accidents
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Exploring SASBO’S response to the challenges of artificial intelligence in the banking industry in Gauteng
Full text linkAbstract: The fourth industrial revolution (4IR) represents a significant economic shift in the Gauteng banking industry, as it involves the unprecedented adoption of artificial intelligence technologies. This has affected the ways in which banking procedures are carried out and prompted the extensive retrenchment of banking staff. The national lockdown regulations imposed in the province as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic have hastened the adoption of these technologies. This is an exploration of the response of the South African Society of Bank Officials (SASCO) to the challenges arising from the implementation of artificial intelligence in the banking industry. Trade unions’ responses to the recent adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) lacked depth, and literature has neglected the negative implications of artificial intelligence for employees. This study attempts to fill the gap by considering the reactive and proactive strategies employed by the union to address the challenges presented by AI in banking. A qualitative research approach was applied to explore SASBO’s responses to these challenges. In-depth interviews were conducted with six current employees, four retrenched employees, and two SASBO officials. This research explores the experiences of banking employees and unionists in South Africa concerning digitalisation in the banking industry...M.A. (Industrial Sociology
The familiarity, attitude, and knowledge of complementary medicine in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children amongst paediatricians in Gauteng
Full text linkM.Tech. (Homoeopathy)Abstract: Background Attention Deficit Hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder with a high incidence among children worldwide. The current allopathic approaches to its treatment are associated with several adverse and long-term effects which contribute to parents seeking alternative options such as complementary medicines (CM) and related therapies to help manage their child’s ADHD. Aim The aim of this study is to determine the familiarity, attitude, and knowledge of CM in ADHD in children amongst paediatricians in Gauteng, by means of a survey with the utilization of a questionnaire. Setting The questionnaire was completed by means of a survey and conducted in Gauteng with participating paediatricians by means of email, telephone and in person. Methods A quantitative, descriptive survey design was used. Paediatricians practicing in Gauteng listed on Medpages and the Paediatrician Management Group (PMG) were recruited. Data was obtained through a structured 21-item, questionnaire. Data was descriptively analysed using IBM SPSS 27.0. Results A total of 23 paediatricians participated in the research study. Only a small portion of paediatricians reported feeling comfortable referring or recommending CM to their ADHD patients. Most paediatricians had previously been exposed to CM but reported only being limitedly familiar with the different CM therapies available. The majority of the paediatricians were found to be familiar with both self-help practices and over-the-counter (OTC) CM products used in the management of ADHD. Most paediatricians reported asking their patients about CM use in their ADHD and believed that Homeopathy and Phytotherapy was most frequently used CM in ADHD treatment. The majority of paediatricians did not consider..
Bacterial contamination of airway management and ventilation equipment in the South African pre-hospital environment
Full text linkAbstract: Background: Healthcare associated infections (HCAIs) are a global threat, specifically in low- and middle-income countries. There is also evidence to suggest that contamination of a range of equipment used in pre-hospital emergency care may constitute a significant risk for HCAIs. Several studies have identified contamination of equipment used for pre-hospital emergency care with a wide range of bacterial and other pathogens; however, most of these studies have been done in other countries and in emergency medical services (EMS) systems with characteristics quite different to those encountered in South Africa. Countries in which these studies have been done also have a quite different burden of disease, and specifically a much lower incidence of infectious diseases as a cause of mortality compared to that in South Africa. Although there is a very broad range of pre-hospital emergency care equipment that could possibly become contaminated with bacterial pathogens during routine patient care, pulmonary infection may be caused by instrumentation used in the airway during pre-hospital ETI, which makes investigation of airway and ventilation equipment contamination a pertinent starting point. The aim of this research was to describe and determine the prevalence of bacterial contamination of airway management and ventilation equipment used in a South African pre-hospital environment and to describe current approaches to cleaning, decontamination or sterilization of this equipment. Methods: A prospective, quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional research design was used for this study. A selection of airway management and ventilation equipment from one private and one public EMS, and one private Helicopter EMS (HEMS) in Gauteng was included in the study. Items of equipment, in a state of operational readiness, were swabbed and the swabs were transported under controlled conditions where they were analysed in a laboratory for the presence of bacterial organisms and their antimicrobial resistance. Simultaneous with sampling from the equipment, a survey questionnaire designed to investigate knowledge and current infection prevention practises related to this equipment was administered to advanced life support (ALS) emergency care personnel using this equipment. Data analysis was descriptive in nature – for the bacterial isolates, this involved simply listing the organisms identified and their antimicrobial resistance...M.Cur
The inverse latitudinal gradients in species richness of Southern African millipedes
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Gold, Palladium and Mesoporous Oxide-based Nanocatalysts for redox processes and sustainable catalysis : synthesis and catalytic evaluation
Full text linkAbstract: Transition metals' exceptional ability and properties at the nanoscale level transcend their corresponding bulk metals in chemical transformation both in the laboratories and the industries. However, the nanoparticles are prone to particle growth and agglomeration at this nanoscale state, inhibiting their excellent performance and compromising their uniqueness. Hence, the stability of the particles presents a significant factor in governing their innovative attributes. Therefore, organic polymers, such as polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and dendrimer, were considerably employed as soft templates to ensure stability and prevent the agglomeration of these nanoparticles in a homogeneous phase. These synthesized nanoparticles include AuPVP, PdPVP, AuPdPVP nanoparticles, and CuDENs. Although conventional homogeneous catalysts possess a vast tendency to enhance high conversion and product selectivity in chemical reactions, nevertheless, they present limiting phenomenon of recoverability, recyclability, and deactivation at high temperatures. Therefore, to circumvent these limitations, we fabricated metal nanoparticles through the dispersion of metals onto an insoluble and solid mesoporous silica and metal oxide support by adapting a dual templating approach, followed by a galvanic replacement protocol. In addition, inverse micelle, sol-gel, and wet impregnation methods were also employed to design ideal heterogeneous catalysts such as Cun@SiO2, Au@SiO2, Pd@SiO2, CoMMO, and MnMMO, which are capable of high operating procedures, easy recoverability, and reusability for oxidation and reduction reactions. Different analytical techniques were used to characterize and obtain the properties of these catalysts. These techniques include nitrogen sorption with Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and Barret-Joyner-Halenda (BJH) to examine the surface area, pore size, and pore volume distribution, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (H-TEM) for internal morphologies, powder X-ray diffraction (p-XRD), for the diffraction patterns of the materials. While thermogravimetric analysis (TG) was performed to determine the sample’s thermal stability, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) identified the specific functional groups present. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) obtained the surface morphologies and identification of metal composition. In addition, hydrogen-temperature programmed reduction (H2-TPR) was used to examine the reducibility of the catalyst...Ph.D. (Chemistry
Attitudes and beliefs of South-African chiropractors about managing back pain in Gauteng : a cross-sectional study
Full text linkAbstract: Background The attitudes and beliefs of chiropractors in the management of back pain not only affects their treatment approach but they also have the ability to influence the mind-sets, attitudes and beliefs of their patients to a certain extent. This then leads to different outcomes of the chosen treatments and different healing results. Aim The aim of this study was to explore whether chiropractors in Gauteng, South Africa, were more biomedically or biopsychosocially orientated towards managing low back pain by making use of a questionnaire related to their attitudes and beliefs regarding the management of back pain. A secondary aim to determine if demographic differences affect the results was also made. Research Methodology The research involved a cross-sectional, quantitative and explorative study that utilised QuestionPro via the Statkon Department at the University of Johannesburg. This was in the form of a self-administered online survey. This survey was sent to all qualified, registered chiropractors actively practising in Gauteng, South Africa. There were a total of 124 valid responses in which each participant consented to participate in the survey; and responded to all the items on the survey (response rate 50.2%). The data was then analysed by Statkon of the University of Johannesburg. Results and Discussion The data from the responses were collected and analyzed and revealed minimal statistically significant conclusions. The results revealed that chiropractors in Gauteng were moderately inclined to using the biomedical approach. This does not mean that they were not inclined to use the biopsychosocial model of healthcare because they are not opposing concepts. More participants fell into the classification of having a severe biomedical classification than a moderate classification but the mean value was found to be in the moderate range. The demographic findings did not contribute to fulfilling the aims of this study and its significance is too small to hold any importance in answering the research questions of this study. The majority of the participants (72%) were relatively new graduates with 0-10 years of practice experience and so comparisons could not be made here. Considering that this survey sample group was limited to chiropractors practicing in Gauteng, it was expected that the majority of participants would have been graduates from Technikon Witwaterstrand or the University of Johannesburg (87.1% combined) as they were/are situated in the said province. The data collected proved that indeed this was the case and hence no comparisons could be done on the institution where their degree was completed. Conclusion and Recommendations The two models cannot, at this stage, be compared because of the low value of internal consistency for the biopsychosocial subscale. This proved the scale to be unreliable in measuring biopsychosocial attitudes and...M.Tech. (Chiropractic
Perceptions of nuclear medicine radiographers on PET/CT in Gauteng Province, South Africa
Full text linkM.Tech. (Radiography)Abstract: In South Africa the first positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging modality was installed in Gauteng in 2005 with subsequent installations. The introduction of PET/CT requires appropriate staff training, redesign of patient workflow, new skills, problem-solving abilities and even radiation protection. With the introduction of PET/CT in the UK, nuclear medicine radiographers (NMRs) encountered challenges in defining their roles, unfamiliarity with the new technology and the new working procedures, which led to confusion and concerns about the new technology. Since the introduction of the first PET/CT in South Africa, the perceptions of NMRs of this dual imaging technique have not been determined. Therefore, the aim of this research study was to explore and describe the perceptions of NMRs regarding PET/CT as an imaging modality in nuclear medicine. The two objectives formulated to achieve the aim were to establish how nuclear medicine radiographers in Gauteng perceive PET/CT as an imaging modality in nuclear medicine as well as to make recommendations on how to manage the needs and desires of nuclear medicine radiographers based on the study findings. A qualitative, descriptive phenomenological research design was applied with the use of semi-structured interviews until data saturation was reached. Purposive sampling was employed to select 18 practising NMRs in Gauteng to participate in this research study. The participating NMRs consisted of three cohorts, those with PET/CT experience, those with no PET/CT experience and those with previous PET/CT experience but not exposed to PET/CT at the time of data collection. Thematic analysis was applied using ATLAS.ti 8 to facilitate the management of codes, categories and themes when analysing the research data. The three themes that emerged from the categories are NMRs’ perspectives of PET/CT in nuclear medicine, patient management in PET/CT facilities and..
Targeted photodynamic therapy of metastatic melanoma cancer and cancer stem cells
Full text linkAbstract: Metastatic melanoma is highly aggressive and has been recorded by the American Cancer Society as being the most common cause of skin cancer associated deaths (ACS., 2020). Tumours are heterogeneous and encompass various dynamic subpopulations of cells, one of these being cancer stem cells (CSCs). Cancer stem cells have the potential to cause cancer relapse and metastasis, as well as being resistant to multiple forms of therapy (Nguyen et al., 2015). Melanoma CSC populations have been identified and linked to tumor progression, immune-evasive behavior, drug resistance, and metastasis. Intra-tumour heterogeneity, which refers to how different subpopulations inside and between tumor lesions interact, has a significant impact on the tumor's response to pharmacological therapy in melanomas. The present study evaluated the effects of Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) using Aluminum phthalocyanine (AlPcS4Cl) photosensitizer (PS) at 673.2 nm in targeting melanoma cells (A375) and their stem cell population. The use of human malignant melanoma cell cultures (A375 cells, alongside with fibroblast (WS1) cell cultures (normal cells) was employed. These were grown in a complete liquid medium incubated at 37 °C, 5% CO₂ and 85% humidity. Dose response studies were performed on the total cell populations by increasing doses of AlPcS4Cl. Post-irradiation signs of cell death were determined using microscopy, Trypan blue viability, ATP, and LDH assays. The increasing cell death of treated A375 and WS1 cells was directly proportional to increasing dose responses observed. Changes post-irradiation were realized through cell viability testing with significantly increased damaged cells taking up Trypan blue dye. Treatment group cells with a dose of 20 μM AlPcS4Cl indicated 68.25% viability and for a dose of 40 μM, 35% viability. This suggests that PDT is most effective at a higher dose but also harmful to normal cells at a dose of 40 μM. A lower dose range was used for A375 cells which showed a significant decrease in cell viability for a dose of 20 μM, showing only 55.25% viability. The impact of PDT on metastatic melanoma was highlighted through its target specific effects causing morphological changes, dose dependent decreases in ATP, and increased LDH content released due to cytotoxicity. Current treatments have limited...M.Tech. (Biomedical Sciences
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