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Globalization and the call for global citizenship education have enabled virtual exchange to prepare healthcare students as emerging healthcare professionals for working in an increasingly interconnected and diverse world. Integrating virtual exchange opportunities into undergraduate curricula in higher education equips students with the knowledge, skills, and attributes needed to be responsive to global healthcare challenges. This study reports on the perceptions of undergraduate healthcare students from geographically distant locations on how (if any) participating in an international virtual exchange project fostered their intercultural competence. Anchored in social constructivism and adopting a qualitative methodology, data was collected using an online, open-ended reflective questionnaire. Findings from the thematic analysis highlight that integrating virtual exchange into curriculum design can foster intercultural competence, preparing healthcare students as emerging professionals for the world of work that necessitates an appreciation for diverse ways of knowing, being, and doing to ensure optimal healthcare.

Corporate norms and values, characterised by an enterprise ethos, became the new parameters that defined the academic environment. Academics are increasingly becoming concerned about the commodification of higher education and its impact on academic quality and the standards of quality graduates. The voices of South African academics and their experiences within the neoliberal university governance remain underexplored in the current literature. This study aimed to enhance understanding and contribute to knowledge by exploring lecturers' experiences within a corporatised academic work environment. This study took place across public and private higher education institutions in South Africa. A cross-sectional, qualitative, interpretative phenomenological research design was employed. Data was collected by means of semi-structured interviews with a diverse sample of 20 lecturers. The data analysis followed the principles of interpretative phenomenological analysis. The findings of the study identified three key areas that triggered feelings of frustration with management: (1) participants experienced a lack of management's understanding of governing academic work environments, (2) an erosion of their collegial culture, and (3) a lack of transparent communication. Contribution: A key contribution of this study, which set it apart from other studies, was lecturers' perceptions that their professional identity, collegiality, autonomy, and academic freedom were in crisis.

Prolonged inoculation of soya bean (Glycine max L.) farms with exotic strains of Bradyrhizobium species starting in the 1960s resulted in the establishment of populations of Bradyrhizobium strains in the soils of several soya bean farms in South Africa. With the increasing number of new soya bean genotypes in the country, it is challenging to determine which genotypes are highly compatible with a given rhizobium strain. In this study, we investigated the symbiotic compatibility of native rhizobial isolates and the strains from the South African Rhizobium Culture Collection (SARCC) on ten selected locally available soya bean genotypes. A glasshouse soil trap experiment using soil samples collected from Lothair, Bothaville, and Standerton was performed on five cultivars. The trapped rhizobial strains were further screened in the glasshouse to authenticate their nodulation compatibility with the different soya bean cultivars. The rhizobial strains showed significant nodulation compatibility with the selected cultivars. These strains were also tested for beneficial traits in vitro and characterized using DNA sequencing methods to elucidate their taxonomic identity. Some of the most nodulation-compatible strains characterized as Bradyrhizobium and Sinorhizobium species exhibited significant symbiotic performance in terms of plant biomass, nodule number, and nodule dry weight. The study generated valuable data that provide information on the extent of symbiotic compatibility of some of the existing cultivars used in South Africa with native rhizobia and whether inoculation of soya bean with commercial products is vital on some soya bean farms.

Previous phases of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) have primarily focused on simulations driven by atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs), for both idealized model experiments and climate projections of different emissions scenarios. We argue that although this approach was practical to allow parallel development of Earth system model simulations and detailed socioeconomic futures, carbon cycle uncertainty as represented by diverse, process-resolving Earth system models (ESMs) is not manifested in the scenario outcomes, thus omitting a dominant source of uncertainty in meeting the Paris Agreement. Mitigation policy is defined in terms of human activity (including emissions), with strategies varying in their timing of net-zero emissions, the balance of mitigation effort between short-lived and long-lived climate forcers, their reliance on land use strategy, and the extent and timing of carbon removals. To explore the response to these drivers, ESMs need to explicitly represent complete cycles of major GHGs, including natural processes and anthropogenic influences. Carbon removal and sequestration strategies, which rely on proposed human management of natural systems, are currently calculated in integrated assessment models (IAMs) during scenario development with only the net carbon emissions passed to the ESM. However, proper accounting of the coupled system impacts of and feedback on such interventions requires explicit process representation in ESMs to build self-consistent physical representations of their potential effectiveness and risks under climate change. We propose that CMIP7 efforts prioritize simulations driven by CO2 emissions from fossil fuel use and projected deployment of carbon dioxide removal technologies, as well as land use and management, using the process resolution allowed by state-of-the-art ESMs to resolve carbon–climate feedbacks. Post-CMIP7 ambitions should aim to incorporate modeling of non-CO2 GHGs (in particular, sources and sinks of methane and nitrous oxide) and process-based representation of carbon removal options. These developments will allow three primary benefits: (1) resources to be allocated to policy-relevant climate projections and better real-time information related to the detectability and verification of emissions reductions and their relationship to expected near-term climate impacts, (2) scenario modeling of the range of possible future climate states including Earth system processes and feedbacks that are increasingly well-represented in ESMs, and (3) optimal utilization of the strengths of ESMs in the wider context of climate modeling infrastructure (which includes simple climate models, machine learning approaches and kilometer-scale climate models).

We review how the international modelling community, encompassing integrated assessment models, global and regional Earth system and climate models, and impact models, has worked together over the past few decades to advance understanding of Earth system change and its impacts on society and the environment and thereby support international climate policy. We go on to recommend a number of priority research areas for the coming decade, a timescale that encompasses a number of newly starting international modelling activities, as well as the IPCC Seventh Assessment Report (AR7) and the second UNFCCC Global Stocktake. Progress in these priority areas will significantly advance our understanding of Earth system change and its impacts, increasing the quality and utility of science support to climate policy. We emphasize the need for continued improvement in our understanding of, and ability to simulate, the coupled Earth system and the impacts of Earth system change. There is an urgent need to investigate plausible pathways and emission scenarios that realize the Paris climate targets – for example, pathways that overshoot 1.5 or 2 °C global warming, before returning to these levels at some later date. Earth system models need to be capable of thoroughly assessing such warming overshoots – in particular, the efficacy of mitigation measures, such as negative CO2 emissions, in reducing atmospheric CO2 and driving global cooling. An improved assessment of the long-term consequences of stabilizing climate at 1.5 or 2 °C above pre-industrial temperatures is also required. We recommend Earth system models run overshoot scenarios in CO2-emission mode to more fully represent coupled climate–carbon-cycle feedbacks and, wherever possible, interactively simulate other key Earth system phenomena at risk of rapid change during overshoot. Regional downscaling and impact models should use forcing data from these simulations, so impact and regional climate projections cover a more complete range of potential responses to a warming overshoot. An accurate simulation of the observed, historical record remains a fundamental requirement of models, as does accurate simulation of key metrics, such as the effective climate sensitivity and the transient climate response to cumulative carbon emissions. For adaptation, a key demand is improved guidance on potential changes in climate extremes and the modes of variability these extremes develop within. Such improvements will most likely be realized through a combination of increased model resolution, improvement of key model parameterizations, and enhanced representation of important Earth system processes, combined with targeted use of new artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) techniques. We propose a deeper collaboration across such efforts over the coming decade. With respect to sampling future uncertainty, increased collaboration between approaches that emphasize large model ensembles and those focussed on statistical emulation is required. We recommend an increased focus on high-impact–low-likelihood (HILL) outcomes – in particular, the risk and consequences of exceeding critical tipping points during a warming overshoot and the potential impacts arising from this. For a comprehensive assessment of the impacts of Earth system change, including impacts arising directly as a result of climate mitigation actions, it is important that spatially detailed, disaggregated information used to generate future scenarios in integrated assessment models be available for use in impact models. Conversely, there is a need to develop methods that enable potential societal responses to projected Earth system change to be incorporated into scenario development. The new models, simulations, data, and scientific advances proposed in this article will not be possible without long-term development and maintenance of a robust, globally connected infrastructure ecosystem. This system must be easily accessible and useable by modelling communities across the world, allowing the global research community to be fully engaged in developing and delivering new scientific knowledge to support international climate policy.

Orientation: Leadership styles have a significant influence on institutional performance. Transactional, transformational and agile leadership styles demonstrate positive organisational outcomes. Research purpose: This study examines how transactional, transformational, and agile leadership styles influence and predict institutional performance within South African higher education. By identifying the most effective leadership approach, the research offers recommendations to enhance leadership strategies in the sector. Motivation for the study: These leadership styles were selected because of their relevance in navigating the structural, innovative and adaptive needs of higher education institutions. Understanding their impact will help shape more effective leadership interventions. Research approach/design and method: A quantitative, correlational design was used. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), Agile Leadership Questionnaire and Institutional Performance Questionnaire were administered to a convenience sample of 224 staff across five public institutions in South Africa. Main findings: All three leadership styles positively and significantly influenced institutional performance. Transformational and agile leadership showed the strongest ability to explain the variance in performance, with transformational leadership explaining the most variance. Practical/managerial implications: Effective leadership is critical for performance in South African higher education. Leadership training should develop transformational and agile leadership behaviours. Contribution/value-add: The findings highlight the importance of leadership style for institutional performance and the need for tailored leadership developmental programmes in academia.

Forestation can contribute to climate change mitigation. However, increasing frequency and intensity of climate extremes are posed to have profound impact on forests and consequently on the mitigation potential of forestation efforts. In this perspective, we critically assess forestation-reliant climate mitigation scenarios from five different integrated assessment models (IAMs) by showcasing the spatially explicit exposure of forests to fire weather and the simulated increase in global annual burned area. We provide a detailed description of the feedback from climate change to forest carbon uptake in IAMs. Few IAMs are currently accounting for feedback mechanisms like loss from fire disturbance. Consequently, many forestation areas proposed by IAM scenarios will be exposed to fire-promoting weather conditions and without costly prevention measures might be object to frequent burning. We conclude that the actual climate mitigation portfolio in IAM scenarios is subject to substantial uncertainty and that the risk of overly optimistic estimates of negative emission potential of forestation should be avoided. As a way forward we propose how to integrate more detailed climate information when modeling climate mitigation pathways heavily relying on forestation.

Global demand for fossil fuels is projected to decline by up to 75 percent by 2050, requiring new economic strategies for fossil exporters to promote diversification. This study employs an inter-country input-output model to assess sector interdependence in Saudi Arabia and explore the macroeconomic impacts of investing in Power-to-X (PtX) plants. We analyze four configurations: pure solar and hybrid solar-wind systems, producing either green hydrogen or ammonia. Our comparative analysis shows that hybrid plants appear to have stronger domestic effects than pure solar configurations, while producing green ammonia instead of hydrogen generates stronger relative employment. These trends remain consistent across different sensitivities and domestic supply shares. However, the differences between configurations and sensitivities decrease with increasing domestic supply. Currently Saudi Arabia has limited developed manufacturing sectors and the economy is heavily dependent on exports of crude oil and related products-a situation often referred to as the “resource curse”. For all PtX configurations, the construction sector therefore emerges as the largest contributor to domestic employment and value added. At current import shares, foreign effects, particularly in China and the United States, account for about half of the total impact, especially in sectors such as electronics and machinery. Without embedding the hydrogen supply chain into their industrial landscape by starting to produce parts of clean technologies locally, exporters risk substantial value creation occurring predominantly abroad. Overall, our research highlights the need for targeted policy measures to capitalize on the „renewables pull effect“ when installing PtX plants for green energy exports.

The effective training of law students, which demystifies technology, and the creation of cost effective, fit for purpose technology solutions are crucial to democratising legal technology and levelling the playing fields between "Big Law" and the legal services available to the bulk of South African citizens. A public/private partnership between the Nelson Mandela Faculty of Law, the university's Information and Communication Technology department and a consortium of legal practitioners (including Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr and various industry players) has piloted HiveLaw, a SharePoint-based practice management solution custom designed to fit university law clinics' dual purpose of legal service delivery and practical legal education. This pilot serves as a case study firstly to investigate how legal technology can contribute to transformative teaching and learning and transformative legal practice at university law clinics, as it exposes staff and students to the benefits of digital and online activities. Secondly, the pilot illustrates how proficiency in the use of technology such as HiveLaw aids the staff and students to adapt to digital processes while improving access to justice for indigent communities. In this way staff and students make a difference in the working world by implementing their knowledge in legal practice, which is widely known for slowly adapting to digital processes, while being exposed to experiential learning and getting in touch with the demands of modern legal practice.

This article delves into the transition of Afrikaans from a hegemonic language to a minority language post-1994. Afrikaans was one of the two official South African languages in the 20th century. Afrikaans films enjoyed privileges because the government manipulated racial and cultural identities through subsidies and audience segregation. However, in the post-apartheid era, Afrikaans filmmakers had to find new funding models, such as relying on the Afrikaans satellite channel, kykNET, to commission content for cinema distribution. The article briefly discusses the symbiosis between the Afrikaans language and its film industry and how Afrikaans film remains sustainable despite not being one of South Africa’s most spoken languages.

By offering clients attractive credit terms on sales, a company may increase its turnover, but granting credit also incurs the cost of money tied up in accounts receivable (AR), increased administration and a heightened probability of incurring bad debt. The management of credit sales, although eminently important to any business, is often performed manually, which may be time-consuming, expensive and inaccurate. Such an administrative workload becomes increasingly cumbersome as the number of credit sales increases. As a result, a new approach towards proactively identifying invoices from AR accounts that are likely to be paid late, or not at all, has recently been proposed in the literature, with the aim of employing intervention strategies more effectively. Several computational techniques from the credit scoring literature and particularly techniques from the realms of survival analysis or machine learning have been embedded in the aforementioned approach. This body of work is, however, lacking due to the limited guidance provided during the data preparation phase of the model development process and because survival analytic and machine learning techniques have not yet been ensembled. In this paper, we propose a generic framework for modelling invoice payment predictions with the aim of facilitating the process of preparing transaction data for analysis, generating relevant features from past customer behaviours, and selecting and ensembling suitable models for predicting the time to payment associated with invoices. We also introduce a new sequential ensembling approach, called the Survival Boost algorithm. The rationale behind this method is that features generated by a survival analytic model can enhance the efficacy of a machine learning classification algorithm.

Marizé Cuyler,1 Danielle Twilley,1 Velaphi C Thipe,2 Vusani Mandiwana,3 Michel L Kalombo,3 Suprakas S Ray,4 Rirhandzu Shamaine Rikhotso-Mbungela,4 Arno Janse van Vuuren,5 Will Coetsee,6 Kattesh V Katti,2,&ast; Namrita Lall1,7– 9,&ast; 1Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Gauteng, 0002, South Africa; 2Department of Radiology, Institute of Green Nanotechnology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65212, USA; 3Chemical Cluster Centre for Nanostructures and Advanced Materials, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa; 4DST/CSIR National Centre for Nanostructured Materials, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa; 5Centre for High Transmission Electron Microscopy, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, 6031, South Africa; 6Botanica Natural Products Pty (Ltd), Canterbury Farm MR 254, Alldays, Limpopo, 0909, South Africa; 7School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA; 8College of Pharmacy, JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research, Mysuru, Karnataka, 570015, India; 9Bio-Tech Research and Development Institute, University of the West Indies 770, Kingston, Jamaica&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Kattesh V Katti, Department of Radiology, Institute of Green Nanotechnology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65212, USA, Tel +1 (573) 882-5656, Fax +1 (573) 884-5679, Email kattik@health.missouri.edu Namrita Lall, Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa, Tel/Fax +27 (012) 420 2524, Email namrita.lall@up.ac.zaBackground: Atopic dermatitis (eczema) is an inflammatory skin condition with synthetic treatments that induce adverse effects and are ineffective. One of the proposed causes for the development of the condition is the outside-in hypothesis, which states that eczema is caused by a disruption in the skin barrier. These disruptions include developing dry cracked skin, which promotes the production of histamine. Bulbine frutescens (BF) is traditionally used to treat wounds and eczema; however, limited research has been conducted to scientifically validate this. Furthermore, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been used to repair damaged skin; however, no research has been conducted on AuNPs synthesized using BF.Purpose: The study aimed to determine whether BF alleviated skin damage through wound healing, reducing the production of histamine and investigate whether AuNPs synthesized using BF would enhance biological activity.Methods: Four extracts and four synthesized AuNPs were prepared using BF and their antiproliferative and wound healing properties against human keratinocyte cells (HaCaT) were evaluated. Thereafter, the selected samples antiproliferative activity and antihistamine activity against phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) stimulated granulocytes were evaluated.Results: Of the eight samples, the freeze-dried leaf juice (BFE; p < 0.01) extract and its AuNPs (BFEAuNPs; p < 0.05) displayed significant wound closure at 100 μg/mL and were further evaluated. The selected samples displayed a fifty percent inhibitory concentration (IC50) of > 200 μg/mL against PMA stimulated granulocytes. Compared to the untreated (media with PMA) control (0.30 ± 0.02 ng/mL), BFEAuNPs significantly inhibited histamine production at a concentration of 100 (p < 0.01) and 50 μg/mL (p < 0.001).Conclusion: BFE and BFEAuNPs stimulated wound closure, while BFEAuNPs significantly inhibited histamine production. Further investigation into BFEAuNPs in vivo wound healing activity and whether it can target histamine-associated receptors on mast cells as a potential mechanism of action should be considered. Keywords: atopic dermatitis, histamine production, outside-in hypothesis, scratch assay

The export of agrochemicals and their transformation products (TPs) following their application in the agricultural fields poses a threat to water quality. Future changes in climatic conditions (e.g. extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall or extended dry periods) could alter the degradation and mobility of agrochemicals. In this research, we use an integrated modelling framework to understand the impact of extreme climate events on the fate and transport of the agrochemical S-Metolachlor and two of its TPs (M-OXA, Metolachlor Oxanilic Acid and M-ESA, Metolachlor Ethyl Sulfonic Acid). This is done by coupling climate model outputs to the Zin-AgriTra agrochemical reactive transport model in four simulation scenarios. 1) Reference (2015–2018), 2) Very dry (2038–2041), 3) Very wet (2054–2057) and 4) High temperature (2096–2099) conditions of a selected RCP8.5 based regional climate scenario. The modelling framework is tested on an agricultural catchment, Wulka, in Burgenland, Austria. The model results indicate that 13–14 % of applied S-Metolachlor is retained in the soil, and around 85 % is degraded into TPs in the different scenarios. In very dry and high-temperature scenarios, degradation is higher, and hence, there is less S-Metolachlor in the soil. However, a large share of formed M-OXA and M-ESA are retained in the soil, which is transported via overland and groundwater flow, leading to a build-up effect in M-OXA and M-ESA river concentrations over the years. Though a small share of S-Metolachlor and TPs are transported to rivers, their river export is affected by the intensity and amount of rainfall. The very wet and high-temperature scenarios show higher S-Metolachlor and TP concentrations at the catchment outlet due to higher river discharge. The reference scenario shows higher river peak concentrations associated with higher overland flow caused by measured hourly rainfall compared to disaggregated daily precipitation data in the other scenarios.

IntroductionToxicity among staff members of higher education institutions (HEIs) is often under-reported or not reported at all. Experiences of toxic leadership are deemed unmentionable within the consultative and collaborative ideals of HEIs. The underreporting of toxicity among HEI staff may stem from fear of retaliation, inadequate reporting structures, and concerns about alienation or not being taken seriously.MethodThe study explored experiences of leadership behaviours in a South African HEI to identify specific dimensions of toxic leadership behaviours. Using an interpretivist qualitative research design, the study involved analysing 39 interviews of secondary data from two datasets gathered by the research team, comprising 25 and 14 participant responses, respectively.ResultsThe study identified four distinct themes of toxic leadership behaviour – authoritarian leadership behaviour, in-group favoritism/groupthink, destructive criticism and self-centredness – with authoritarianism being the most common behaviour displayed.ConclusionPresence of toxic leadership within the South African University community, emphasising the necessity for a comprehensive approach and strategy to address this behaviour.

Background: South Africa (SA) has the largest antiretroviral therapy (ART) programme worldwide. Multiple factors contribute to virological failure (VF), including poor adherence and viral resistance mutations. A multidisciplinary team (MDT) clinic dedicated to those with VF may be of benefit; however, very little data from SA exist. Objectives: To assess whether an MDT approach achieved virological suppression (VS) in patients failing second-line-ART (2LART); assess the number of MDT sessions required to achieve VS; assess local resistance mutation patterns and whether the MDT reduced the number of genotypic resistance testing (GRT) required. Method: An observational, retrospective, cross-sectional chart review study was conducted between January 2018 and December 2019 at a Target High Viral Load (VL) MDT clinic in KwaZulu-Natal, SA. Results: Ninety-seven medical records were eligible. Women accounted for 63% of patients, with a mean age of 37 years. A significant reduction in the first VL measurement following the MDT was seen (median reduction 2374 c/mL; P 0.001). This was maintained at the second VL measurement post-MDT (median reduction 2957 c/mL; P 0.001). Patients attended a mean of 2.71 MDT sessions and 73.2% achieved VS, resulting in 61.86% fewer GRTs required. Of the GRTs performed, nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor-related mutations were noted most frequently. Conclusion: The MDT approach resulted in a significant reduction in VL, with most participants achieving VS. The MDT was successful in reducing the need for GRT. Resistance mutations were similar to those found in other studies conducted across SA.

Background. Mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are being increasingly recognised as common adverse outcomes for critical illness survivors. These conditions can have lasting consequences on their wellbeing, ability to return to their pre-illness level of functioning and health-related quality of life. There is a paucity of South African data in terms of the psychological aspects of the post-intensive care unit (ICU) syndrome. Objective. To identify and characterise patients who suffered from significant symptoms of mental health disease and poor mental health- related quality of life after ICU admission and who may benefit from appropriate referral, further investigation and medical intervention. Methods. Critically ill patients in a multidisciplinary tertiary ICU were prospectively enrolled upon ICU discharge. Survivors were screened for anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress syndrome at 6 weeks and 6 months after hospital discharge. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Score (HADS) and the Impact Of Events Scale – Revised (IES-R) were used as screening tools. The mental component summary score (MCS) of the RAND short form-36 was used to determine the effect of psychological symptoms on health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Results. The median age of the 107 ICU survivors was 42 years, and half of them were admitted for complications of COVID-19. Six out of every 10 ICU survivors experienced significant symptoms of anxiety, depression and/or PTSD at follow-up. At the 6-month study visit, 4 out of every 10 patients were experiencing significant psychological symptoms. Those affected had a significantly lower mental HRQOL when compared with those who were unaffected. More than half of those affected had co-occurrence of psychological symptoms. Significant symptoms of anxiety were common, with 5 out of every 10 participants experiencing significant symptoms at either, or both, of the study visits. More than 3 out of 10 of affected patients’ symptoms only occurred after the 6-week visit. Associations for significant psychological symptoms comprised female sex, younger age, a diagnosis of trauma and frightening memories of the ICU admission. Conclusion. The burden of mental health disease in ICU survivors is substantial, affecting their HRQOL. Six out of 10 patients experienced symptoms of anxiety, depression and PTSD, and more than half of those affected experienced co-occurrence of the conditions. A third of those affected developed these symptoms only beyond 6 weeks after hospital discharge. A potentially modifiable association with psychological symptoms was frightening memories of the ICU stay.

Background: This article presents the outcomes of research testing, from a consumer perspective, for a relationship between iconic branding (IB) and the entrepreneurial orientation (EO) driving that brand. Reviewed literature on IB and EO posits that internal stakeholders, such as brand owners, managers and employees, do perceive the relationship but the consumer’s view as the external stakeholder is understudied. Aim: This study aimed to discover whether consumers, as external stakeholders, perceive a relationship between IB and EO. Setting: This study investigated the relationship between the IB and EO of an iconic brand food retail chain store in South Africa from the perspective of the brand’s consumers. Methods: The study followed a quantitative case study research design. Data were collected using an online questionnaire randomly administered to probable consumers of the brand of interest. Analysis of variance, Fisher’s exact test and multivariate analysis of variance were some statistical techniques applied to test the hypothesised relationships. Results: The study found that contrary to suggestions in the extant literature, consumers largely perceive a statistically significant difference between the brand of interest’s IB and its EO attributes, and they did not perceive a relationship between the IB construct and EO variables. Furthermore, males and females did not perceive IB or EO in the same way. Conclusion: Brand managers seeking to foster consumer awareness of the relationship between IB and EO must aim to include more entrepreneurial-orientated branding into the IB and adopt differentiated strategies based on gender. Contribution: The findings narrowed the gap in the literature by adding a consumer perspective on the relationship between IB and EO.

Abstract Biodiversity patterns are shaped by the interplay between geodiversity and organismal characteristics. Superimposing genetic structure onto landscape heterogeneity (i.e., landscape genetics) can help to disentangle their interactions and better understand population dynamics. Previous studies on the sub‐Antarctic Prince Edward Islands (located midway between Antarctica and Africa) have highlighted the importance of landscape and climatic barriers in shaping spatial genetic patterns and have drawn attention to the value of these islands as natural laboratories for studying fundamental concepts in biology. Here, we assessed the fine‐scale spatial genetic structure of the springtail, Cryptopygus antarcticus travei, which is endemic to Marion Island, in tandem with high‐resolution geological data. Using a species‐specific suite of microsatellite markers, a fine‐scale sampling design incorporating landscape complexity and generalised linear models (GLMs), we examined genetic patterns overlaid onto high‐resolution digital surface models and surface geology data across two 1‐km sampling transects. The GLMs revealed that genetic patterns across the landscape closely track landscape resistance data in concert with landscape discontinuities and barriers to gene flow identified at a scale of a few metres. These results show that the island's geodiversity plays an important role in shaping biodiversity patterns and intraspecific genetic diversity. This study illustrates that fine‐scale genetic patterns in soil arthropods are markedly more structured than anticipated, given that previous studies have reported high levels of genetic diversity and evidence of genetic structing linked to landscape changes for springtail species and considering the homogeneity of the vegetation complexes characteristic of the island at the scale of tens to hundreds of metres. By incorporating fine‐scale and high‐resolution landscape features into our study, we were able to explain much of the observed spatial genetic patterns. Our study highlights geodiversity as a driver of spatial complexity. More widely, it holds important implications for the conservation and management of the sub‐Antarctic islands.

An Applied Drama and Theatre pedagogy is rooted in principles of embodiment, participation and collaboration, praxis and immersion in social contexts. Over the past fourteen years, the Drama for Life department at the University of the Witwatersrand prioritised the implementation of an Applied Drama and Theatre teaching and learning practice that is premised on our bodies operating within social and cultural contexts. Furthermore, the experiential pedagogy is reliant on physical presence and human contact for the purposes of reflection, transformation and education. With the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, this complex pedagogy faced a threat. How can we migrate an Applied Drama and Theatre curriculum to online learning platforms? Can we fully honour its pedagogical objectives remotely? The study explored how Applied Drama and Theatre educators re-envisioned and implemented strategies to maintain the integrity of the embodied pedagogy as it moved online. These collective approaches transpired amidst a disruptive digital divide within a South African context, which impacted connectivity, access and the hopes of a synchronous learning experience. From 2020 to 2021, the ethnographic study tracked and observed Drama for Life and its Applied Drama and Theatre educators as they; 1) responded to the pandemic and identified its threats to the pedagogy; 2) through processes of experimentation, transitioned the curriculum to online learning platforms; and 3) reflected on their discoveries, challenges and interim solutions throughout the journey. The study found (based on literature and data) that the pandemic provided higher education institutions and practitioners with an opportunity for directed change. Central to the collective strategies remained student centredness and pedagogical alignment. Although certain aspects of the Applied Drama and Theatre pedagogy have undeniably been compromised online, the study demonstrated that with increased efforts to bridge the digital divide, the strategies can be navigated continually with a carefully negotiated balance.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, technology-enhanced learning and its relation to student engagement, and the necessity of good student-staff relationships for creating a successful education environment were evident. The COVID-19 pandemic forced higher education to adapt to a challenging technology-led learning environment that demanded, inter alia, high levels of flexibility and human-centredness. Valuable lessons were learned that highlighted new perspectives on curriculum design and delivery in a normalised, technology-driven environment. Against the background of COVID-19-related literature on teaching and learning, the authors reflect on their insights regarding curriculum design and delivery of two quantitative skills modules during the COVID-19 pandemic, and its impact on further curriculum planning. The focus of the article is on the intentional flexibility built into curriculum offerings during 2020-2022. The study reviewed flexibility on three levels, namely student, facilitator (staff) and delivery levels, through a multi-method research methodology. Quantitative data related to the academic performance of 2 949 students enrolled for the two quantitative skills modules from 2020 to 2022. Qualitative data related to themes through thematic analysis of student and facilitator surveys, focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews. The improved student academic performance reported by the study could be attributed to, amongst other factors, 1) flexibility of the selected delivery option, 2) positive staff and student experiences and engagement, and 3) intentional inclusion of activities promoting student-staff relationships. The good academic results obtained during the pandemic led to important curriculum decisions for a normalised future for these modules, which will be built on flexibility and human-centredness. Among these decisions is to continue presenting the modules in an online environment, even though traditional face-to-face teaching options are available.

Abstract Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) and System Dynamic Models (SDMs) are starting to incorporate representations of the impact of environmental changes on health and socio-economic development into their modelling frameworks. We use this brief review to provide an overview of how health and well-being are currently represented in IAMs and SDMs. A grey literature search on 12 selected model host websites and their corresponding Wiki pages was conducted. Model descriptions, coverage and publications were then tabulated. Additional potential determinants related to health were then suggested based on emerging environmental health literature. Based on these tabulations, it was determined that many individual health outcomes are not represented and thus not analyzed. Social well-being is not represented at all. Additionally, potentially health relevant determinants such as chemical or metal exposure and water pollution are rarely represented in models. Most models have representations of climate, outdoor air pollution and food availability. Air pollution was the most analyzed determinant, especially in relation to its respiratory effects. We suggest that future modelers incorporate more representations of environmental determinants influencing health, and to analyze all available determinants in relation to a wider array of health outcomes. Perhaps, if and when broader determinants of health are represented in IAMs and SDMs, then a composite of these determinants could be used to determine a population’s ability to achieve elements that also contribute to social well-being.

This research describes the effect of IFRS 16 on the attitude of sophisticated lenders towards loan contracting. The goal of IFRS 16 was to enhance reporting quality and provide a more faithful representation of the financial statements. Data from 3,955 firms using IFRS and 1,433 using US GAAP were analyzed. Firms reporting under IFRS obtained larger loan sizes, although the difference with firms reporting under US GAAP is insignificant. They also received lower borrowing rates, and shorter maturities. IFRS 16 has a reinforcing effect towards loan contracting for sophisticated lenders, defined as banks, for the borrowing rate and maturities. For loan size, IFRS 16 has a reinforcing effect for unsophisticated lenders, defined as trade creditors.

Strong Teens and Resilient Minds (STORM) is a multimodal, school-based approach for depression and suicide prevention in adolescents that is currently implemented in a region in the Netherlands. The STORM approach will be implemented in new regions in the coming years. This study used the implementation mapping protocol to report on the development of the STORM implementation plan. First, a needs assessment was conducted through semi-structured interviews with stakeholders and brainstorming sessions with regional programme leaders in the two regions that started implementing STORM in 2023. This led to the identification of six main barriers to implementation: high level of demands for schools, insufficient understanding of the programme content, insufficient network collaboration, no perceived relative advantage of STORM by stakeholders, lack of attention to sustainability, and high work pressure. Second, performance and change objectives were formulated based on these barriers. For example, a performance objective for potential providers was that they felt supported by STORM. Third, implementation strategies were selected from theory and translated into practical applications through brainstorming sessions with programme leaders. The following strategies were included in the implementation plan: collaborate with similar initiatives within the region, free up time for STORM tasks, tailor strategies, identify and prepare STORM champions, and promote network weaving. Last, a plan to evaluate the implementation of STORM and the application of the STORM implementation plan was formulated. Planned evaluation research will provide more insight into the usefulness and impact of the STORM implementation plan.

Background. Diabetic foot syndrome is defined as the presence of a diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) associated with neuropathy, peripheral artery disease and infection. While the use of antimicrobials in the treatment of DFU infection remains a mainstay, the choice of antimicrobial remains problematic owing to the presence of multidrug-resistant polymicrobial infections. In the South African public healthcare sector, the treatment of DFUs is based on the Standard Treatment Guidelines (STGs) and the Essential Drug List. These guidelines are developed using evidence-based medicine and are based on global susceptibility patterns rather than local susceptibility data, and may not provide the most appropriate treatment options. Objectives. To determine the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of DFUs isolated from patients visiting selected Gauteng provincial public hospitals in order to determine a clinically effective treatment protocol for the management of these infections. Methods. Sample swabs were taken from 51 DFUs using the Levine method. Each sample swab was spread onto blood agar plates, and thereafter individual pathogens were isolated. The antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of all isolated pathogens were determined using zone of inhibition measurements. Pathogens were grouped according to macromorphological characteristics as well as susceptibility patterns, and a representative isolate from each group was then identified. Results. A total of 51 DFU ulcer swabs from 45 patients were included in the study. From the sample swabs, a total of 445 pathogens were isolated. The most effective antimicrobial was found to be gentamicin, followed by ciprofloxacin. Amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, the first-line treatment according to the STGs, was found to be ineffective for many of the isolated pathogens. The most commonly isolated pathogens were Proteus mirabilis, Enterococcus faecalis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Conclusion. These findings demonstrate the urgent need to reassess the STGs and base treatment plans on local epidemiological data. This study provides valuable data on common causative pathogens in DFU infections, as well as the resistance patterns of these pathogens, forming a baseline on which to base future DFU treatment plans.

Orientation: Understanding the relationship between ethical climate, work engagement and job satisfaction in the South African public sector. Research purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was a relationship between ethical climate, work engagement and job satisfaction in the South African public sector. Motivation for the study: Ethical climate, work engagement and job satisfaction have been studied in different contexts, yet it is not clear how these three variables relate to one another in the South African public sector. Research approach/design and method: A survey was conducted among a nonprobability convenience sample of 708 employees from a population of 17 676 employees. A quantitative research approach was applied, and correlation analysis, multiple regression analysis and structural equation modelling were used to analyse data. Main findings: The study established that there was a relationship between ethical climate, work engagement and job satisfaction. The findings further showed that work engagement and ethical climate predicted job satisfaction and that ethical climate partially mediated the relationship between work engagement and job satisfaction. Practical/managerial implications: This research endeavour has the potential to assist managers within the public sector of South Africa in comprehending the mediating and predictive implications of ethical climate and work engagement on job satisfaction. Contribution/value-add: The study may assist employees to understand and promote the importance of ethical climate, work engagement and job satisfaction and the impact of this unique relationship in the public sector context.

Abstract Morphological adaptation is the change in the form of an organism that benefits the individual in its current habitat. Mole‐rats (family Bathyergidae), despite being subterranean, are impacted by both local and broad‐scale environmental conditions that occur above ground. Common mole‐rats (Cryptomys hottentotus hottentotus) present an ideal mammalian model system for the study of morphological variation in response to ecology, as this species is found along an aridity gradient and thus can be sampled from geographically non‐overlapping populations of the same species along an environmental longitudinal cline. Using the mass of five internal organs, ten skeletal measurements and 3D morphometric analyses of skulls, we assessed the morphology of wild non‐breeding individuals from five common mole‐rat populations in South Africa. We found that the body mass and mean relative mass of the spleen and kidneys in arid populations was larger, and individuals from arid regions possessed shorter legs and larger inter‐shoulder widths compared to individuals from mesic regions. Additionally, arid populations demonstrated greater skull depth, and shape change of features such as angular processes of the lower jaw than mesic individuals, indicating that these distinct geographic populations show differences corresponding to the aridity gradient, potentially in response to environmental factors such as the variation in food sources found between different habitats, in addition to different soil compositions found in the different regions. Arid populations potentially require a stronger jaw and neck musculature associated with mastication to chew xeric‐adapted plants and to dig through hard soil types, whereas mesic populations excavate through soft, looser soil and may make use of their front limbs to aid the movement of soils when digging. Aridity influences the morphology of this species and could indicate the impact of environmental changes on speciation and mammalian skull morphology.