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On the 6th of February 2016 at 11:00 hours local time (0900 UTC), KwaZulu-Natal was struck by an earthquake of local magnitude ML=3.8. The epicentre of the earthquake was located offshore in the Durban Basin. The earthquake shaking was widely felt within the province as well as in East London in the Eastern Cape province and was reported by various national media outlets. Minor structural damage was reported. A macroseismic survey using questionnaires was conducted by the Council for Geoscience (CGS) in collaboration with the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) which yielded 41 intensity data points. Additional intensity data points were obtained from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Did You Feel It? programme. An attempt was made to define a local intensity attenuation model. Generally, the earthquake was more strongly felt in low-cost housing neighbourhoods than in more affluent suburbs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 30-year technology roadmap for the South African ferrochrome industry is developed to address the increasing cost of electricity and competition from China. Research on possible technologies and their applicability in ferrochrome smelting is conducted, including Industry 4.0 technologies. The developed roadmap has three phases, with full-scale digitisation deferred to the second phase. The first phase addresses the stabilisation of the industry through the introduction of alternative energy sources. The last phase of the ferrochrome industry roadmap is sustainability, which builds on the successes of previous phases. This research contributes to methods the responsible introduction of Industry 4.0 technologies in industries with existing underlying challenges. The purpose of this article is to present a technology roadmap for ferrochrome producers in South Africa as chosen by the ferrochrome industry players. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammatory pseudo-tumour (IPT) of the colon is a rare entity with an obscure pathophysiology and largely indeterminate aetiology. A young male patient presented with an Alvarado score of 9/10 and was admitted for appendectomy. An irregular hepatic flexure mass was discovered intraoperatively. The patient underwent an oncological right hemicolectomy with lymphadenectomy under the supposition that it was malignant and recovered with no short or long-term repercussions. Haemoxylin and eosin staining of the mass revealed features of a benign IPT. IPTs have clinical and radiological features that may be indistinguishable from those of malignancies, often resulting in extensive oncological resections despite recurrence and malignant transformation being negligibly rare. Benign pathologies such as IPT that mimic malignancy can sometimes result in extensive investigations or radical resections, the justification of which can only be a point of contention in retrospect. The following report explores our experience with one such patient and is accompanied by a review of the literature. • Inflammatory pseudotumours are often mistaken for malignant lesions • This error can result in unnecessary resection being performed • We investigated whether radiography can diagnose inflammatory pseudotumours • Our findings reveal that radiography may not be effective in this context • Further studies may be required to prevent unnecessarily extensive resection [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Globally, Africa has the highest prevalence of HIV, schistosomiasis and another neglected entity: cervical cancer. Genital schistosomiasis manifests in lesions that are hypothesized to link with HIV and cervical atypia. Methods & Materials: This study was conducted among 833 young women aged 16-23 years from rural high schools in KwaZulu-Natal. Risk factors for schistosomiasis and cervical atypia and the association of genital schistosomiasis and squamous atypia of the cervix were investigated using diagnostic cytology, urine microscopy, and questionnaire data. Results: Participants were sexually active from a young age and 523 (63.0%) had at least one child and 742 (89.1%) relied on rivers as their primary water source. The Schistosoma prevalence detected cytologically and via urine microscopy was 12 (1.4%) and 178 (21.4%) respectively. Squamous cell atypia was detectedamong 567 (68%). There was a significant association between the participants who were positive for any squamous cell atypia and those whohad S. haematobium eggs in Pap smears (OR = 5.6, P = 0.005; 95% CI 1.6-21.0) and for S. haematobium eggs in urine OR= 2.9, 95% CI 1.72 - 4.99, P = 0.005). Conclusion: The specificity of cytology for Schistosoma detection was low using is seen previously, it is possible that an improved detection rate of genital schistosomiasis could be achieved using cervico-vaginal lavage Schistosoma DNA testing. While a significant association exists between urogenital schistosomiasis as detected by cytology and urine microscopy with squamous atypia in this young population, it must be noted that more than half of the young womenhave cervical atypia that could potentially regress. Cytology was useful in revealing the squamous atypiaamongthis young population who is not routinely screened, a limitation is that it was not feasible to confirm results using histology or other complementary tests. The relationship between schistosomiasis and cervical cancer is complex, while there may be association, it was not possible to prove causality or eliminate all confounders. In communities at risk, health promotion, screening and health care targeting not only HIV and schistosomiasis, but also cervical cancer should be made available in order to reduce the prevalence of these preventable diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]