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Young professional nurses’ attitude towards caring for the dying patients and their families
Full text linkAbstract: Background: The evolution of medicine and medical technology in the past centuries has caused a metamorphosis of diseases and increased life expectancy. The change in the disease process has resulted in the advancement of nursing from curative care to end-of-life care. Thus, caring for dying patients in the hospital has become a pronounced trend, and young professional nurses play an important role in managing the patients’ quality of life in their final days. Aim: The purpose of this study was to explore and describe young professional nurses’ attitudes towards caring for the dying patient and their family at a secondary academic hospital in Gauteng, to formulate recommendations for professional nurses when caring for the dying patient and their family. Design: A mixed-method design using an explanatory sequential approach was chosen, which used the quantitative, descriptive, correlation approach followed by the qualitative, phenomenological design. Findings: Analysis revealed that 74% (n=46) of the respondents had a positive attitude towards caring for the dying patient and their family. When reflecting on experiences caring for the dying patient, the young professional nurse was able to appraise their first experience and how it has impacted their current attitude towards caring for the dying patient. They also highlighted how the workplace influenced how they perceived their experiences caring for the dying patient. Conclusions: The young professional nurses in this study had positive attitudes towards caring for the dying patient and their family and believed in the importance of extending nursing care to the family.M.Cur. (Nursing
Secondary metabolites produced by Staphylococcus species and their antimicrobial activities against ESKAPE group of bacteria
Full text linkAbstract: Background: ESKAPE-related infections pose a serious challenge to the health sector as they are known to be resistant to the current antibiotics. This led to the investigation of secondary metabolites from Staphylococcus species [(S. saprophyticus (ATCC 35552), S. epidermidis (ATCC 51625) and S. aureus (isolated from milk)] as a possible solution to alleviate ESKAPE-related conditions. Methods: Secondary metabolites were screened by Gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrophotometry (GC/MS/MS), then purified using silica gel and thin layer chromatography plates. The normal distribution for prominent secondary was achieved by using the Kruskal Wallis Test. Compounds were then identified using nuclear magnetic resonance and such were tested for antimicrobial properties against ESKAPE bacteria by autobiography and microtiter plates respectively. The cytotoxicity studies were carried out against Vero cells using 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazole)-2,5 diphenyl-2- H bromide tetrazolium (MTT) assay. The Spearman`s correlation analysis method was used to evaluate if values were statistically significant. Results: Different classes of compounds were identified, among others were hetrocyclic compounds, amino acid and alcohols. The data analysis for prominent compounds revealed the percentage peak area average was not normally distributed. To achieve normal distribution for prominent secondary, Kruskal Wallis Test was carried to reach the value that was statistically significant (p= 0.396). The identified compounds include: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (Fluoranthene) and (heterocyclic compound) 3-methyl-2-phenyl- 1H-pyrrole from S. aureus. Two compounds from S. epidermidis were: amide (oleamide) and fatty acid (ester methyl palmitate), and four from S...D.Tech. (Biomedical Technology
An analysis of the protection afforded by the national credit act to over-indebted consumers
Full text linkLL.M. (Commercial Law)Abstract: Please refer to full text to view abstract
Optimum systems integration architecture for monitoring to manage an electricity utility
Full text linkM.Phil. (Engineering Management)Abstract: The SCADA system is critical for the remote or local monitoring and operation of the devices in various industries. Hence, to several applications of the SCADA system in industries such as power stations, oil and gas refineries, transport systems, agriculture, and so on. For the SCADA system to operate satisfactorily, the SCADA system components and all the supporting technologies require proper integration. The properly integrated approach can ensure the remote and local monitoring and the operation of the devices. Furthermore, SCADA systems such as the first, the second, and third-generation SCADA systems possess certain limitations in today’s business environment. The limitations of the previous SCADA generations include inflexibility, static, not scalable, etc. Nonetheless, to address the challenges mentioned above. Firstly, this research explores the appropriate integration of the SCADA system components to ensure the optimum operation of the system using the latest technologies and further proposes the proper architecture for an electricity utility. Secondly, this research compares the proposed SCADA system architecture with the existing utility company SCADA system. Lastly, the study presents the benefits and the impact of the recommended SCADA system on the utility company. This research concludes that the proposed SCADA system architecture has the potential to resolve most challenges of the previous SCADA system generations. The conclusion is due to the benefits of the recommended SCADA system architecture as per the literature compared to the utility company SCADA system in this research. The proposed SCADA system architecture benefits include scalability, flexibility, ease of implementation, interoperability of devices, and remote monitoring of devices at any time and location. The indicated benefits include using intelligent instruments to ensure that the critical plant data is promptly available to the operations team, thus resolving the abnormal plant conditions. The analysis of big data through cloud computing also enables improved preventative maintenance, therefore reducing maintenance costs. Due to the advent of industry 4.0 technologies such as cloud computing and the Internet of Things (IoT), the proposed SCADA system architecture can provide an efficient systems integration for monitoring to manage an electricity utility
Exploring hydropolitics and expressions of citizenship : three communities in Madibeng, South Africa
Full text linkAbstract: This study set out to investigate forms of expression in the context of Madibeng Local Municipality hydropolitics, paying particular attention to Damonsville, Mothutlung and Mmakau. Madibeng was an ideal location for this study because there is evidence that the local municipality has been struggling to provide water services. This has culminated in toyi-toying – one form of expression. I adopted a qualitative research methodology underpinned by a social constructionist epistemology. The primary data collection method was in-depth interviews supplemented by observation, field notes (journal entries) and photography. I selected twenty-seven participants purposively. Major findings point to the fact that the participants viewed water services as grossly inadequate – they indicated that their communities experienced rampant and prolonged water interruptions and poor water quality. They perceived the municipality officials as contributing to poor water service delivery through corruption and financial mismanagement of the local municipality. Water infrastructure in the community was noted to be worn and obsolete. In addition to this, I found that some participants held the view that citizenship spaces in the communities were on the decline: politicians highjacked community meetings, there was a rise in gangsterism, and some community members contested “good citizenship” practices like paying for water. While some community members favoured toyi-toying, a constitutional right, others did not, in fear of getting hurt, or worse, dying. From the findings, I make three contributions to the body of knowledge: first, I provide a broadened definition of hydropolitics which moves beyond the macro-level to also include water politics as transpiring on meso and micro-levels; second, I contribute to the literature on citizenship and hydropolitics by giving an account of Madibeng hydropolitics paying attention to the experiences of Damonsville, Mothutlung and Mmakau residents; third, I present how the “new” South Africa is for some participants viewed as an exclusionary space as they withdraw from expression due to fear, coercion or duress, and coin the term disengaged citizenship to describe this social phenomenon.Ph.D. (Sociology
Exploring the possible selves of young people in care in relation to their attachment to their caregivers
Full text linkAbstract: In South Africa, 21 000 children are residing in Child and Youth Care Centres (CYCC). These young persons in care come from backgrounds that are filled with abuse and neglect. Children are removed from their home environments, and they enter care due to a variety of reasons like abuse and neglect. The goal of the CYCC is to improve the outcomes for these young persons in care (YPIC) after they have had such a difficult start in life. The CYCC must mimic their home environment and provide the safety and security that the home environment was supposed to offer the child so that the child can form a secure attachment to a new caregiver within the CYCC. The study aimed to explore the possible selves of YPIC in relation to the attachment that they have with caregivers within the CYCC. If we focus on the theoretical framework that guided the study the two theories that were used were: Attachment theory – this theory was developed by Bowlby and Ainsworth and describes an attachment as a close emotional bond that the child has with their caregiver. The other theory that guided the study is the theory of possible selves, the theory developed by Markus and Nurius, and describes the exploration of self-knowledge and motivation for behaviour. The study explored both the possible selves of the YPIC and their relationships with various caregivers within the CYCC – the aim was to better understand if the YPIC can form a strong attachment with caregivers within the CYCC and if this has an influence on their possible future selves. The research was a qualitative study with six teenagers between the ages of 15–19 residing in a CYCC in Johannesburg, South Africa. Semi-structured interviews together with the River of Life and Possible Me Tree were used to collect data. These creative tools helped in exploring the possible selves of the YPIC and were done over two sessions (interviews). Data were transcribed and then analysed using thematic analysis. The key findings from the research were that the research participants felt that they could share their possible selves, thus their hopes, dreams, fears, and goals with both the social workers and the youth care workers within the CYCC. This reflected that the YPIC had strong attachments with social workers and youth care workers in the CYCC. The leaving of caregivers, the social worker and one of the caregivers harmed the participants. The research highlighted that there are very few aftercare services available for children who leave care. The need for independence and education is seldomly reached but was the primary goal of participants throughout the research.M.A. (Socialis Scientiae
Factors associated with alcohol consumption and drug use among underground mine employees in the Free State, South Africa
Full text linkM.A. (Public Health)Abstract: Background: Alcohol and drug misuse is a significant public health concern in South Africa. This contributes to accidents, injuries as well as fatalities which have enormous effects on both employers and employees. Even though the mining industry employs a zero tolerance on substance abuse, a high prevalence of substance use is still reported in the mining industry. Objective: The study aimed to determine the factors associated with alcohol and drug use among underground mine employees in the Free State. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional study with sample size, of 397 randomly selected participants from the Free State’s underground mines was employed. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were done to summarise categorical variables of frequencies and percentages and findings presented in bar charts. Cross tabulations of the outcome variable and possible risk factors were done for each objective. Univariate and multiple logistic regression were also done to determine factors associated with alcohol consumption and drug use. Data analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). Results: Alcohol consumption Male participants (AOR 2.57, 95% CI:1.44-4.58) and those aged 22-30 years (OR 1.95, CI 1.01-3.74) were significantly more likely to use alcohol. Being a Tsonga (OR of 0.22, 95%CI: 0.06-0.75), having primary education (AOR 0.38, 95%CI: 0.16-0.92) and participants from Lesotho (OR 0.38, 95%CI: 0.22-0.64) and Swaziland (AOR 0.79, 95%CI: 0.16-0.86) were less likely to use alcohol. Living and working conditions had a protective effect on alcohol consumption This included not living with family (AOR 0.52, 95% CI 0.30-0.93), staying in mine hostels (OR of 0.41, 95% CI 0.27-0.62), non-skilled occupations (OR of 0.41, 95% CI 0.25-0.66), working night shifts (OR 0.46, 95% CI 0.22-0.99) and working rotational shifts (AOR 0.40, 95% CI 0.18-0.93). Education, knowledge, attitudes, and practices’ risk factors only included those who perceived that “A little” alcohol was allowed in the system when reporting to work (OR 10.39, 95% CI 1.36-79.17). The fear of being caught under the influence of alcohol (AOR 0.34, 95% CI 0.12-0.89) and those that reported suspension as the only consequence of being caught under the influence of alcohol showed a protective effect of alcohol use. Risk factors for alcohol consumption under sexual practices included multiple sexual partners (OR of 3.12, 95% CI 1.80-5.42) and easy access of sexual partners (OR of 1.7, 95% CI 1.00-3.02). Not having any interest in multiple sexual partners (OR of 0.50, 95% CI..
Immersive Technology Implementation in the Construction Industry : Modeling Paths of Risk
Full text linkAbstract: The purposes of this paper are to identify risk factors impacting the successful implementation of immersive reality technology (ImT) in the construction industry, analyze these risk factors (impact and probability), assess the relationships among different categories of risk factors, and provide recommendations to improve ImT implementation. A literature review, a pilot test based on expert interviews, and a questionnaire survey were used. First, the risk factors of ImT applications were identified by consulting the relevant literature on virtual reality, mixed reality, and augmented reality; these were subsequently grouped into five categories—technology, op-eration, individual/worker, investment, and external. Next, a questionnaire survey was designed and distributed to relevant construction practitioners in South Africa (usable response = 175). Twenty-one ImT implementation risk factors were identified, and risk criticality scores ranged from 2.02 to 3.18. High investment cost, the need for extensive worker training, and the possible introduction of new risks for workers were rated as significant risks. The present study con-firmed three statistically significant hypothesized risk paths—namely, those between external issues and individual/worker’s concerns, between external issues and investment limitations, and between individual/worker’s concerns and technology concerns. The present study contrib-utes to the literature regarding the adoption of construction technology by providing a list of critical risk factors that could be used to develop models and tools for assessing ImT adoption and guide practitioners involved in integrating ImTs
Development of a Stock Price Prediction Framework for Intelligent Media and Technical Analysis
Full text linkAbstract: Equity traders are always looking for tools that will help them maximise returns and minimise risk, be it fundamental or technical analysis techniques. This research integrates tools used by equity traders and uses them together with machine learning and deep learning techniques. The presented work introduces a South African-based sentiment classifier to extract sentiment from new headlines and tweets. The experimental work uses four machine learning models for fundamental analysis and six long short-term memory model architectures, including a developed encoder-decoder long short-term memory model for technical analysis. Data used in the experiments is mined and collected from news sites, tweets from Twitter and Yahoo Finance. The results from 2 experiments show an accuracy of 96% in predicting one of the major telecommunication companies listed on the JSE closing price movement while using the linear discriminant analysis model and an RMSE of 0.023 in predicting a significant telecommunication company closing price using encoder-decoder long short-term memory. These findings reveal that the sentiment feature contains an essential fundamental value, and technical indicators also help move closer to predicting the closing price
The Impact of fourth industrial revolution technologies in managing health and safety within the construction industry
Full text linkM.Sc. (Quantity Surveying)Abstract: The South African construction industry has been faced with the challenge of poor health and safety (H&S) performance. The constant high number of H&S incidents occurring at construction sites causes project cost overrun, time overrun and poor-quality work. This study proposes the use of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies to manage H&S on sites. 4IR technologies have emerged as central in improving the nature of work and other industrial processes. Concurrent with this trend is the importance of 4IR technologies in enhancing health and safety issues on construction sites. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the current challenges, opportunities, and strategies 4IR technologies hold to manage H&S in the construction sector. The study followed a systematic literature review and a quantitative research approach. Using inclusion and exclusion criteria, 148 articles written within the last 10 years were selected to outline the challenges, opportunities, and strategies of 4IR technologies in managing health and safety issues. Further, a convenient sampling technique was adopted to administer the questionnaires to 110 construction safety personnel in Johannesburg, Gauteng province, South Africa. The data collected was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), extracting descriptive (mean and standard deviation) and inferential results (exploratory factor analysis). The findings revealed that growing research interest in utilising 4IR technologies will enhance H&S in construction projects. The findings revealed that the implementation of 4IR technologies is mostly challenged with lack of adequate skills, the unavailability of training capacities, expensive technologies, and negative perceptions such as fear of job loss by industry professionals. The implementation of 4IR is beneficial in safety training using virtual or augmented reality, inspection through automation and the use of humanrobot teams to reduce fatalities, injuries and improve H&S practices/performance by simulation trainings and use of collaborative robots. The study’s findings showed that the challenges with 4IR technologies’ adoption can be mitigated by enhancing knowledge, empowering through training programmes, educating relevant parties, conducting workshops, incorporating H&S policies, and skill developments. The results of this study are instructive to the progress of research studies in H&S issues and likewise imperative to industry-based decision-makers in raising awareness and using emerging tools to enhance their site operations. The paper recommends that the industry focuses on an implementation drive to adopt 4IR technologies in the built environment and providing financial resources to encourage 4IR implementation
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