140 research outputs found
Characterisation of surface uptake and biosorption of cationic nuclear fission products by sulphate-reducing bacteria
No full textPlease read abstract in the article.The National Research Foundation
(NRF) of South Africa, through Grant No. FA2007030400002
awarded to Prof EMN Chirwa of the University of Pretoria, and
the South African Nuclear Human Asset Research Programme
(SANHARP), through a scholarship bursary to the first author,
N Ngwenya.http://www.wrc.org.za/am201
Isolation of butyric acid-degrading bacterium, serratia marcescen and its potential for bioremediation
No full textBiodegradation of butyric acid was investigated in mineral salt medium (MSM) with a novel bacterial strain B6a.
The molecular identification based on 16S rRNA sequence analysis revealed the bacterial strain B6a as Serratia
marcescen. The bacterial strain was able to grow in the MSM supplemented with 1,000 mgL-1 of butyric acid as
a sole source of carbon and energy. At pH 7 and 30 oC under continuous shaking of 110 rpm, 1,000 mgL-1 of
butyric acid was completely degraded within 24 h. The modified Gompertz model was used to describe the
bacterial growth. These results suggest that the application of Serratia marcescen could be a promising
biodegradation strategy for butyric acid in pit latrines.A Water Chair from Sediberg Water and the National Research Commission
Project NRF Competitive Programme for Rated Researchers Grant No. CSUR180215313534 awarded to Prof
Evans M.N. Chirwa of the University of Pretoria. The student co-author Mr John Njala’mmano was awarded the
postgraduate fellowship through the UP-Commonwealth programme via the Department of Research and
Innovation at the University of Pretoria.http://www.aidic.it/cetam2019Chemical Engineerin
The relationship between PAJA and the Labour Relations Act with specific reference to Chirwa v Transnet Ltd & others [2008] 2 BLLR 97 (CC)
No full textThesis (LL.M. (Labour Law))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.Prior to the adoption of the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 (LRA), the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (Constitution) and subsequently the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act 3 of 2000 (PAJA), public sector employees were at an immense disadvantage since they did not enjoy the same benefits which accrued to private sector employees under the then Labour Relations Act 28 of 1956. Unfortunately an overlap was inadvertently created by these Acts, particularly with regard to employment related disputes in the public sector. As a result courts have long grappled with the question as to whether or not public sector employees could rely on administrative law principles in employment related disputes.
This dissertation examines the relationship between the LRA, PAJA and the Constitution and specific reference is made to the Constitutional Court's judgment in Chirwa v Transnet Ltd & Others [2008] 2 BLLR 97 (CC). It notes the conflicting judicial decisions on the overlap between the LRA and PAJA and the subsequent applicability of PAJA in public sector employment disputes. The dissertation notes the difficulties in excluding PAJA in its entirety and whether it will be feasible for the LRA to surpass the applicability of PAJA, given the role of both labour law and administrative law in South Africa's constitutional dispensation, with their constitutionally entrenched international obligations in mind. In this regard, the author advances some proposals in relation to the best way forward on dealing with this complex interplay by keeping the minority judgment handed down in Chirwa at the forefront.Master
Multispecies colonisation and surface erosion on A106 GB industry-finished steel used in heat exchangers
No full textDATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT : Data will be made available upon request through the corresponding author and/or the director of the project, Prof.
Evans Chirwa (Email: [email protected]).Multispecies bacterial attachment to carbon steel surfaces is not fully understood; for example, as to why the attachment of certain bacteria influences corrosion. In this study, finished steel, A 106 GB was exposed to a mixed bacterial culture in a batch reactor system at a constant temperature of 35 °C to evaluate the corrosion rate with and without bacterial influence. Cultures collected from the cooling tower site were exposed to coupons and were grown in a batch reactor. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to obtain roughness parameters. Surface morphology and colonisation patterns were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). 16S rDNA sequencing indicated predominance of Pseudomonas sp. and Clostridium sp. on the rough surfaces. Cell colonisation of surfaces showed no time-related differences, with differences observed on surface roughness parameters. Intergranular and uniform corrosion was observed. The smooth finished steel surface performed best in resisting corrosion.Te National Research Fund
(NRF) of South Africa.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tbeq20hj2024Chemical EngineeringPhysicsSDG-09: Industry, innovation and infrastructur
Development, Implementation and Evaluation of an In-Service Training Programme for Critical Care Nurses in Malawi
No full textBackground: Critical care nursing is a specialty which deals with the care of critically ill patients with potential or actual life-threatening illness. The critical illness of the patients and the extensive use of technology to monitor and treat patients, create a complex environment in the critical care units that demands critical care nurses possess specialist knowledge and skills to make the complex decisions needed to care for critically ill patients and their families. Compared to developed countries, where significant resources are invested in critical care environments and specialised training of health professionals, the situation differs in developing countries like Malawi. In the developing countries there are critical shortages of resources and health professionals with critical care training. There are no critical care nurse training programmes in most developing countries as is the case in Malawi. This is against the background of high burden of communicable and noncommunicable diseases which increase the demand for critical care services in the developing countries. In the absence of proper training, the nurses rely on their intuition and basic nursing education to meet the needs of the critically ill patients and their families. This PhD study is premised on documented evidence that critical care nurses in Malawi lack the knowledge and skills required for their practice in the critical care units. The study aimed to explore learning needs of the critical care nurses as a way of informing the development and evaluation of in-service training for the nurses in Malawi.
Methodology: A programme planning and evaluation approach using multiphase mixed methods design was applied. The study was conducted at two public tertiary hospitals which were purposively selected. The implementation of the quantitative and qualitative strands in two of the three phases of the study followed the principles of explanatory sequential mixed methods. The phases of the study were informed by Caffarella’s Interactive Model of Programme Planning as follows: Phase 1: needs assessment. Nurses (n=79) in intensive care units (ICUs) and high dependency units (HDUs) self-assessed their competence on the Intensive and Critical Care Nursing Competence Scale (ICCN-CS-1) and a list of 10 additional competencies. An interpretive descriptive design was used in the follow up qualitative strand. Data were gathered through two focus group discussions with the nurses, and key informant interviews with nurse leaders (n=8) and anaesthetists (n=2) on learning needs of the nurses. Phase 2: Development of the training programme. A training programme was developed in consultation with Malawian experts in intensive and critical care nursing (n=4) and one anaesthetist. Phase 3: Implementation and evaluation of the programme. The training programme was delivered to ICU and HDU nurses (n=41) over three days at each hospital. The impact of the training was evaluated through self-assessment on ICCN-CS-1 and the additional competencies at Time 1 and 2, pretraining and post training respectively; and completion of a training evaluation form and interviews with participants (n=8) at Time 2. Quantitative data were analysed using SPSS version 23. Qualitative data were entered into NVivo programme. The data were then analysed manually utilising Thorne’s (2008) steps of analysis.
Results: In Phase 1, nurses rated their competence on ICCN-CS-1 as good and excellent (M = 604.97, SD = 55.08). Majority of the nurses rated their competence as poor or moderate on two additional competencies; basic interpretation of electrocardiogram (83.5%; n=66) and analysis of arterial blood gases (83.5%; n=66). Most of the identified learning needs were related to knowledge domain of nursing competence. Analysis of the qualitative data identified three themes, ‘being unprepared’, ‘challenge of limited resources’ and ‘knowing’. Phase 2: A training programme was developed based on the identified learning needs. Phase 3: There was statistically significant increase in the competence score on ICCN-CS-1 from Time 1, pretraining (M = 608.2, SD = 59.6) to Time 2, posttraining (M = 684.7, SD = 29.7), t(40) = 8.8, p <.001 (two-tailed). The mean increase in the competence score was 76.9, 95% CI [59.3, 94.5]. Similarly, there was a statistically significant increase in the overall score on additional competencies from Time 1 to Time 2, p <.001 (two-tailed). The mean increase in the competence score was 11.9, 95% CI [10.1, 13.8]. The overall programme was rated very relevant by 85.4% (n=35) of the participants. Post training interviews showed that the training was well received by the participants.
Conclusion: Nurses self-rated their competence on ICCN-CS-1 as good and excellent but the majority rated knowledge and skills on additional competencies as poor in Phase 1 of the study. The results of the subsequent qualitative strand in the same phase revealed that CCU nurses are not adequately prepared for practice in the units. The identified learning needs guided the development of a training programme which was implemented at the two hospitals. The competence scores of the nurses who received the training significantly increased at the end of the training. The study addressed the need for a training programme for CCU nurses, which was implemented using existing structures and resources in Malawi. Recommendations have been made in relation to critical care nursing education, practice, health policy, regulatory body and nursing research
Development, Implementation and Evaluation of an In-service Training Programme for Critical Care Nurses in Malawi
No full textBackground: Critical care nursing is a specialty which deals with the care of critically ill patients with potential or actual life-threatening illness. The critical illness of the patients and the extensive use of technology to monitor and treat patients, create a complex environment in the critical care units that demands critical care nurses possess specialist knowledge and skills to make the complex decisions needed to care for critically ill patients and their families. Compared to developed countries, where significant resources are invested in critical care environments and specialised training of health professionals, the situation differs in developing countries like Malawi. In the developing countries there are critical shortages of resources and health professionals with critical care training. There are no critical care nurse training programmes in most developing countries as is the case in Malawi. This is against the background of high burden of communicable and noncommunicable diseases which increase the demand for critical care services in the developing countries. In the absence of proper training, the nurses rely on their intuition and basic nursing education to meet the needs of the critically ill patients and their families. This PhD study is premised on documented evidence that critical care nurses in Malawi lack the knowledge and skills required for their practice in the critical care units. The study aimed to explore learning needs of the critical care nurses as a way of informing the development and evaluation of in-service training for the nurses in Malawi.
Methodology: A programme planning and evaluation approach using multiphase mixed methods design was applied. The study was conducted at two public tertiary hospitals which were purposively selected. The implementation of the quantitative and qualitative strands in two of the three phases of the study followed the principles of explanatory sequential mixed methods. The phases of the study were informed by Caffarella’s Interactive Model of Programme Planning as follows: Phase 1: needs assessment. Nurses (n=79) in intensive care units (ICUs) and high dependency units (HDUs) self-assessed their competence on the Intensive and Critical Care Nursing Competence Scale (ICCN-CS-1) and a list of 10 additional competencies. An interpretive descriptive design was used in the follow up qualitative strand. Data were gathered through two focus group discussions with the nurses, and key informant interviews with nurse leaders (n=8) and anaesthetists (n=2) on learning needs of the nurses. Phase 2: Development of the training programme. A training programme was developed in consultation with Malawian experts in intensive and critical care nursing (n=4) and one anaesthetist. Phase 3: Implementation and evaluation of the programme. The training programme was delivered to ICU and HDU nurses (n=41) over three days at each hospital. The impact of the training was evaluated through self-assessment on ICCN-CS-1 and the additional competencies at Time 1 and 2, pretraining and post training respectively; and completion of a training evaluation form and interviews with participants (n=8) at Time 2. Quantitative data were analysed using SPSS version 23. Qualitative data were entered into NVivo programme. The data were then analysed manually utilising Thorne’s (2008) steps of analysis.
Results: In Phase 1, nurses rated their competence on ICCN-CS-1 as good and excellent (M = 604.97, SD = 55.08). Majority of the nurses rated their competence as poor or moderate on two additional competencies; basic interpretation of electrocardiogram (83.5%; n=66) and analysis of arterial blood gases (83.5%; n=66). Most of the identified learning needs were related to knowledge domain of nursing competence. Analysis of the qualitative data identified three themes, ‘being unprepared’, ‘challenge of limited resources’ and ‘knowing’. Phase 2: A training programme was developed based on the identified learning needs. Phase 3: There was statistically significant increase in the competence score on ICCN-CS-1 from Time 1, pretraining (M = 608.2, SD = 59.6) to Time 2, posttraining (M = 684.7, SD = 29.7), t(40) = 8.8, p <.001 (two-tailed). The mean increase in the competence score was 76.9, 95% CI [59.3, 94.5]. Similarly, there was a statistically significant increase in the overall score on additional competencies from Time 1 to Time 2, p <.001 (two-tailed). The mean increase in the competence score was 11.9, 95% CI [10.1, 13.8]. The overall programme was rated very relevant by 85.4% (n=35) of the participants. Post training interviews showed that the training was well received by the participants.
Conclusion: Nurses self-rated their competence on ICCN-CS-1 as good and excellent but the majority rated knowledge and skills on additional competencies as poor in Phase 1 of the study. The results of the subsequent qualitative strand in the same phase revealed that CCU nurses are not adequately prepared for practice in the units. The identified learning needs guided the development of a training programme which was implemented at the two hospitals. The competence scores of the nurses who received the training significantly increased at the end of the training. The study addressed the need for a training programme for CCU nurses, which was implemented using existing structures and resources in Malawi. Recommendations have been made in relation to critical care nursing education, practice, health policy, regulatory body and nursing research
An evidence-based policy brief: improving the quality of postnatal care in mothers 48 hours after childbirth
No full textIntroduction:
Malawi is experiencing slow progress in postnatal care of mothers within the first 48 hours after childbirth. Malawi Demographic and Health Survey (MDHS) 2015–16 reported a slow progress in postnatal care of mothers in the first 48 hours at 42% from 41% in 2010 despite a high number of institutional births. This is a critical period as a large proportion of maternal deaths occur during this period, currently at 439 per 100,000 live births. During postnatal care the mother is given important information to assist in caring for herself and her baby. The lack of well documented guidelines and funding to employ more midwives to manage mothers in postnatal ward contributes to poor quality of postnatal care.
Methods:
This is an evidence-based policy brief that was prepared to inform policy makers, health workers, clients, community and other stakeholders to consider the available evidence about the impact of the suggested options in order to improve postnatal care.
Results:
Several factors that contribute to low utilization of postnatal care among mothers after childbirth were identified. Factors included lack of clear guidelines on postnatal care, shortage of skilled health workers and inadequate resources.
Conclusion:
Implementation of the identified policy options may improve postnatal care
Collective memory and the process of reconciliation and reconstruction
No full textThis symposium, co-hosted by the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR) and the South Africa Office of Oxfam, drew together individuals and organisations working in the areas of violence, conflict and peace-building. Here, the author considers `alternative' ways of creating collective memories, used by countries and communities without access to the formal state frameworks of truth commissions or war-crimes tribunals. This article also appears in the Development in Practice Reader Development and Patronage.This article is hosted by our co-publisher Taylor & Francis.</p
Relationship between role stressors, job tasks and job satisfaction among health surveillance assistants in Malawi: a cross-sectional study
No full textObjectives The objective of this study was to investigate the role stressors, sociodemographic characteristics and job tasks of health surveillance assistants (HSAs) and to explore major predictors of role stressors and job satisfaction of HSAs in Malawi.Setting Data were collected from health centres and hospitals of three Malawi districts of Mangochi, Lilongwe and Mzimba.Participants Respondents were 430 HSAs. 50.20% of them were male, while 49.8% were female.Design A cross-sectional study of the observational correlational design was carried out.Main outcome measures Respondents perceptions of job tasks, role stressors and job satisfaction.Results The key findings of this study were role ambiguity and role overload were significantly negatively related to job satisfaction, while role conflict was insignificantly related to job satisfaction. Additionally, the clinical tasks of the HSAs and some of the sociodemographic variables were associated with the role stressors and job satisfaction of the HSAs in Malawi.Conclusions Since the HSAs clinical tasks were significantly related to all role stressors, there is need by the government of Malawi to design strategies to control the role stressors to ensure increased job performance and job satisfaction among HSAs. Furthermore, studies may be required in the future to assist government to control role stressors among HSAs in Malawi
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