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While ChatGPT has recently become very popular, AI has a long history and philosophy. This paper intends to explore the promises and pitfalls of the Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) AI and potentially future technologies by adopting a speculative methodology. Speculative future narratives with a specific focus on educational contexts are provided in an attempt to identify emerging themes and discuss their implications for education in the 21st century. Affordances of (using) AI in Education (AIEd) and possible adverse effects are identified and discussed which emerge from the narratives. It is argued that now is the best of times to define human vs AI contribution to education because AI can accomplish more and more educational activities that used to be the prerogative of human educators. Therefore, it is imperative to rethink the respective roles of technology and human educators in education with a future-oriented mindset.

Although international school teachers have always been hired on short-term contracts (usually from two to three years in duration), there has been relatively little research examining this aspect of international schooling. Whilst short-term contracts may appear to be a positive feature of international schooling, particularly for younger teachers who are keen to be mobile, recent studies have begun to examine the short-term as a feature of precarity and the precaritisation of international schooling. This paper adds to this small but growing body of scholarship by focusing on contract non-renewal as a form of international school precarity. In order to explore this issue, this paper utilises autoethnography, drawing on the author's experiences of contract renewal in an internationalised school in Shanghai, as well as interviews with two participants. Whilst the author's experiences of precarity as a foreign teacher in China were characterised by vulnerability and discrimination, his positionality as a white, British male teacher enabled him to negotiate contract non-renewal relatively easily, something that women teachers or minority groups might be unable to do due to the differential nature of precarity. Despite being privileged, white male international school teachers must still negotiate contractual employment and diminished white-skin privilege. This paper goes some way to bringing into focus white male teachers' "precarious privilege".

As social justice and decolonisation discussions fill the physical and virtual corridors of universities in South Africa, educators, and in this case, MOOC designers, are inevitably influenced by them. They are prompted to reflect on such topics, whether in agreement or with scepticism. Provoked by one interviewee's comment that 'you could decolonise and still have an enormous amount of injustice', this paper investigates how South African MOOC designers conceptualise (in)justice, and how they attempt to address these injustices in and through their MOOCs. As notions such as 'social justice' and 'decolonisation' have multiple meanings and connotations, a framework was created to unpack the 'Dimensions of Human Injustice' namely, material, cultural-epistemic, and political/geopolitical injustices. These dimensions of injustice were used to analyse semi-structured interviews with 27 South African MOOC designers. MOOC designers who stressed cultural-epistemic injustices, focused on relevance, inclusive processes and the geopolitics of knowledge production. Those who stressed material injustices, focused on socio-economic disparities, infrastructural inequalities and the need to tackle these systemic problems at a societal level. Through illustrating that MOOC designers attempt to address injustices based on their different conceptualisations of (in)justice, this study argues that a multi-pronged approach to tackling the various dimensions of injustice perpetuated in and through MOOCs can lead to more holistic justice-oriented MOOCs that better enable learners. Additionally, justice-oriented efforts by South African MOOC designers, highlighted in this paper, can be seen as a guide for the MOOC space in general to take greater strides in creating MOOCs in more justice-oriented ways.

As online learning modes become more common, this can exacerbate educational inequalities for learners who do not have the ability to utilise these modes effectively. This has been seen in the COVID-19 crisis where there has been a shift to remote and distance learning modalities despite the limited ability for all learners to benefit equitably. In particular, digital literacy remains a fundamental barrier to benefitting from online and blended learning. This paper reports on a study that investigated the digital literacy needs and preferences of peri-urban, marginalised youth when utilising online and blended learning in South Africa and how online education platforms can be designed to better suit such groups. It is argued that for online courses to truly support marginalised groups, it needs to be ensured that these learners are digitally equipped and digitally literate in terms of accessing, utilising, and benefitting equitably from online learning.

Elite universities are often believed to represent education's gold standard and to produce highly educated luminaries who rightfully take their places leading all the institutions that matter in societies across the world. We begin by explaining how this is so. Then we discuss what we call monster methodologies, suggesting why and how we employed them to disrupt the seductive appeal of elite universities. Deploying zombie, werewolf, and vampire metaphors, we identify various ways that elite universities are monstrous and the kinds of student monsters that they produce, honour, harbour, and reject. Exploring the zombie culture of elite universities in the Global North, we highlight how the monstrous dynamics of perfectionism place unhuman demands on many students which lead to them becoming the walking dead. Next, we examine the werewolf identities of elite universities and highlight the ongoing dialectical interchange between their highly reputable public and deeply disreputable private abodes. We also acknowledge the magnificent student monsters who challenge these monstrous institutions. We then turn to the Global South and South African elite universities. Illuminating the ways they are infused with the remains of the monstrous alliance between capitalism, colonialism, and apartheid, we analyse the vampire curriculum that sucks the strength, vigour, and energy from students. And we show how students have sought to become vampire slayers. Overall, we illustrate the merits of deploying monsters to disrupt the allure and expose the injurious practices of elite universities.

Purpose: Little is known about the impact external Viva examiners coming from the international community of scholars have on the quality of PhD research. This study aims to argue that the encounter between local and international examiners (IEs) is subject to various complexities, raising doubts about whether IEs' participation and approval of the Viva may indicate for the quality of PhD research, and, therefore, serve to promote a university's prestige. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative analysis of interviews conducted with IEs who served as examiners in six European countries, two African countries, two South American countries and one in the Commonwealth of Australia. Findings: Findings show that structural features, cultural qualities and personal contacts restrict IEs' ability to introduce significant changes in students' research, turning the Viva into a ritual with confined academic significance. Originality/value: The findings reveal that the Viva is mostly a ritual confined by structural and cultural barriers. While rituals are considered significant due to their consolidating and socializing functions, it appears that a Viva is mostly a ceremonial event that has little impact on the quality of PhD research or on shaping the research culture of the hosting universities according to international standards. Implications are further discussed.

This article reports the lack of epistemic diversity in producers of massive open online courses (MOOCs) through examining whose knowledges and what knowledges are forefronted in MOOCs. Through analysis of 27 semi-structured interviews, the study explored the relationship between South African MOOC designers and their open educational practices (OEP), questioning in what ways MOOC designers enact openness in their design, based on their own reasoning of what openness means. The study illustrates that MOOC designers create MOOCs that strongly link to who they are, what they value, and how they understand the world, highlighting the crucial need to have epistemically diverse MOOC designers from different cultures, value systems, and epistemologies, that critically reflect on their positionalities and subjectivities. From this, the study asserts a new way of looking at OEP where MOOC designers go beyond implementing OEP, to being someone who is open. I termed this the "embodiment of openness."

This article explores the teaching of English poetry in two Gauteng high schools, one a suburban, former Model C school and another in Soweto. Both schools are attended predominantly by Black learners for whom English is not their first language. Nine in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with educators at the two schools. The choice of poems, pedagogy and assessment emerged as important themes in making poetry relevant and educational in South African schools. Writers from similar backgrounds, with common "race" or class-based identities, helped make poetry relevant, but were no guarantee that learners would relate to these poets. Teaching poetry was described as an intimidating experience both for learners and educators, resulting in many teachers retreating to the safe space of a defined set of teaching practices focused on figures of speech, literary devices and a line-byline analysis of the poems. While some intentions existed to teach poetry in a way that encouraged a range of interpretations and possible answers to assessment questions, the standardised matric examination shaped pedagogical practices, as educators wanted to support learners to excel. These findings are interpreted in a post/decolonial context where a range of disparate "Englishes", identities, learners and histories exist, and neoliberal education policies and practices increasingly standardise assessment processes, with implications for the teaching and learning of poetry.

Reading is not simply an additional tool that students need at university; it constitutes the very process whereby learning occurs. Pre-service students are required to read prescribed course material which is predominantly in English. An overview of the reading literacy profiles of first-year BEd foundation phase students from diverse language backgrounds in a Faculty of Education Sciences indicates a diverse pattern of strengths and needs in terms of pseudo-word reading, spelling, oral reading fluency, vocabulary size and depth, and reading comprehension. An assessment and support rocket system for addressing the academic reading literacy needs of these students is discussed. This system seeks not only to facilitate success for all students, but also to fulfil requirements of quality student outcomes and timely completion and throughput rates.

This paper presents findings of four Grade 6 teachers' involvement as facilitators of a participatory action research (PAR) project conducted in three South African primary schools. Based on the results of Phase One research which indicated that Grade 6s learn about sexuality, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) from multiple sources, the Phase Two project designers developed a toolkit to help Life Orientation (LO) teachers consult learners on what they know and how they want to be taught. In each school, a curriculum development group comprising the participating teacher, learners, parents and an HIV and Aids specialist worked to enhance the official HIV and Aids curriculum using the information gathered each week by the teacher. This dialogue between the study participants represents the culmination of what we describe as the project's "cascading participation" research model, a term denoting the multiple levels of participant involvement in the study. Although theories of participation often depict a binary relationship between those with power and those without it, the implementation of this project shows how the official curriculum, cultural norms and low parent involvement can exert pressure at different levels to diminish teachers' ability to facilitate social and educational change.

This study used seismic and petrophysics data to identify potential subsurface facies that are viable hydrocarbon productive areas in the southern part of the Orange basin of South Africa. Two target areas were identified as target areas 1 and 2. In Target Area 1, three facies were identified: sand, silt and shale. The sand facies has the best reservoir quality (volume of shale between 20 to 30%; porosity from 9 to 17%; permeability from 5 to 15 mD, and water saturation from 40 to 60%), while the shale facies present the lowest reservoir quality rock (volume of shale greater than 40%; porosity from 0 to 5%; permeability from 0 to 0.5 mD, and water saturation from 80 to 100%). Target Area 1 mainly consisted of silty shale and shaly silt. However, Target Area 2 had the same facies as Target Area 1, except with additional basement facies comprising well-sorted fine to medium-grain sands. Target Area 2 had considerably thicker sand layers; thus, the petrophysical properties are slightly better, with the basement facies having a volume of shale less than 20%, porosity between 20 and 23%, permeability greater than 15mD, and water saturation between 30 and 45%. The overall reservoir rock quality in the triangulated area is generally poor because of a high concentration of clay in the matrix in sandstone layers. Regarding economic potential, Target Area 2 was identified as the most productive area with better reservoir qualities due to the basement facies. The recoverable gas in Target Area 1 is 95 057 cubic metres, while area 2 has a volume of 151 923 cubic metres. This study has shown for the first time that the southern part of the Orange Basin is not economically viable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article's emphasis is on the holistic care of women who are assessed as suitable for and amenable to vaginal birth after Caesarean section (VBAC) in the South African state health sector context. It is beyond its scope to deal with the minutiae of VBAC conduct, operative conduct of repeat Caesarean section (CS), or management of uterine rupture. It is also beyond the scope of the article to reflect on practices, which are accepted in other healthcare contexts. The intention is not to promote VBAC over elective repeat CS, but rather to assist healthcare workers with providing high-quality holistic care. The goal is that women with previous CS are given access to the mode of delivery, which is safest for them and their fetus, while minimising adverse psychological effects of previous and future negative birth experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Household contact investigations are effective for finding tuberculosis (TB) cases but are hindered by low referral uptake for clinic-based evaluation and testing. We assessed the acceptability and feasibility of in-home testing of household contacts (HHC) using the GeneXpert Edge platform. Methods We conducted a 2-arm, randomized study in Eastern Cape, South Africa. HHCs were verbally assessed using the World Health Organization-recommended 4-symptom screen. Households with ≥1 eligible symptomatic contact were randomized. Intervention households received in-home GeneXpert MTB/RIF molecular testing. GeneXpert-positive HHCs were referred for clinic-based treatment. Standard-of-care households were referred for clinic-based sputum collection and testing. We defined acceptability as agreeing to in-home testing and feasibility as generation of valid Xpert MTB/RIF results. The proportion and timeliness of test results received was compared between groups. Results Eighty-four households were randomized (n = 42 per arm). Of 100 eligible HHCs identified, 98/100 (98%) provided consent. Of 51 HHCs allocated to the intervention arm, all accepted in-home testing; of those, 24/51 (47%) were sputum productive and 23/24 (96%) received their test results. Of 47 HCCs allocated to standard-of-care, 7 (15%) presented for clinic-based TB evaluation, 6/47 (13%) were tested, and 4/6 (67%) returned for their results. The median (interquartile range) number of days from screening to receiving test results was 0 (0) and 16.5 (11-15) in the intervention and standard-of-care arms, respectively. Conclusions In-home testing for TB was acceptable, feasible, and increased HHCs with a molecular test result. In-home testing mitigates a major limitation of household contact investigations (dependency on clinic-based referral), revealing new strategies for enhancing early case detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lynch syndrome (LS) is an inherited cancer predisposition disorder associated with an elevated risk of developing various solid cancers, but mostly colorectal cancer (CRC). Despite having the same germline pathogenic variant (PV) in one of the mis-match repair genes or the EPCAM gene, Lynch syndrome variant heterozygotes (LSVH) exhibit a remarkable phenotypic variability in the risk of developing cancer. The role of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) in modifying cancer development risk prompted our hypothesis into whether HLA variations act as potential genetic modifiers influencing the age at cancer diagnosis in LSVH. To investigate this, we studied a unique cohort of 426 LSVH carrying the same germline PV in the hMLH1 gene (MLH1:c.1528C > T) in South Africa. We intuitively selected 100 LSVH with the greatest diversity in age at cancer diagnosis (N = 80) and the oldest cancer unaffected LSVH (N = 20) for a high-throughput HLA genotyping of 11 HLA class I and class II loci using the shotgun next-generation sequencing (NGS) technique on the Illumina MiSeq platform. Statistical analyses employed Kaplan–Meier survival analyses with log-rank tests, and Cox proportional hazards using binned HLA data to minimize type I error. Significant associations were observed between young age at cancer diagnosis and HLA-DPB1*04:02 (mean age: 37 y (25–50); hazard ratio (HR) = 3.37; corrected p-value (q) = 0.043) as well as HLA-DPB1 binned alleles (including HLA-DPB1*09:01, HLA-DPB1*10:01, HLA-DPB1*106:01, HLA-DPB1*18:01, HLA-DPB1*20:01, HLA-DPB1*26:01, HLA-DPB1*28:01, HLA-DPB1*296:01, and HLA-DPB1*55:01) (mean age: 37 y (17–63); HR = 2.30, q = 0.045). The involvement of HLA-DPB1 alleles in the age at cancer diagnosis may highlight the potential role of HLA class II in the immune response against cancer development in LSVH. When validated in a larger cohort, these high-risk HLA-DPB1 alleles could be factored into cancer risk prediction models for personalized cancer screening in LSVH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Vaal Dam catchment, which is the source of potable water for Gauteng province, is characterized by diverse human activities, and the dam encounters significant nutrient input from multiple sources within its catchment. As a result, there has been a rise in Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) within the reservoir of the dam. In this study, we employed time series analysis on nutrient data to explore the relationship between HABs, using chlorophyll-a (Chl−a) as a proxy, and nutrient levels. Additionally, Chl−a data extracted from Landsat-8 satellite images was utilized to visualize the spatial distribution of HABs in the reservoir. Our findings revealed that HAB productivity in the Vaal Dam is influenced by the levels of total phosphorus (TP) and organic nitrogen (KJEL_N), which exhibited a positive correlation with chlorophyll-a (Chl−a) concentration. Long-term analysis of Chl−a in-situ data (1986–2022) collected at a specific point within the reservoir showed an average concentration of 11.25 μg/L. However, on certain stochastic dates, Chl−a concentration spiked to very high values, reaching a maximum of 452.8 μg/L, coinciding with elevated records of TP and KJEL_N concentrations on those dates, indicating their effect on productivity levels. The decadal time series and trend analysis demonstrated an increasing trend in Chl−a productivity over the studied period, rising from 4.75 μg/L in the first decade (1990–2000) to 10.51 μg/L in the second decade (2000–2010), and reaching 16.7 μg/L in the last decade (2010–2020). The rising averages of the decadal values were associated with increasing decadal averages of its driving factors, TP from 0.1043 to 0.1096 to 0.1119 mg/L for the three decades, respectively, and KJEL_N from 0.80 mg/L in the first decade to 1.14 mg/L in the last decade. Satellite data analysis during the last decade revealed that the spatial dynamics of HABs are influenced by the dam's geometry and the levels of discharge from its two feeding rivers, with higher concentrations observed in meandering areas of the reservoir and within zones of restricted water circulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Significant progress has been made in the HIV response in South Africa; however, gaps remain in ensuring engagement in care to support life-long medication adherence and viral suppression. The National Department of Health (NDoH) has introduced community-based and clinic-based HIV differentiated service delivery (DSD) models to tackle suboptimal adherence and retention in care. Nevertheless, differentiated care models require adaptation to better serve clients who struggle with adherence. There is limited research on the acceptability of fee for home delivery of ART in resource-constrained settings. The current study investigates the acceptability of fee for home delivery of ART among people living with HIV in South Africa. Methods: Two mixed-gender focus group discussions (FGDs) took place between June and November 2019, consisting of 10 participants in each group. A purposive sampling strategy was employed to identify and select 10 people living with HIV who were ART-eligible but not in care, and 10 people living with HIV who were currently taking ART and in care. Participants were grouped according to their treatment status. A coding framework, informed by a priori categories and derived from topics in the interview guide, was developed and utilized to facilitate analysis. Results: Participants expressed enthusiasm for having ART home-delivered, as it would save the time spent waiting in long queues at the clinic. However, some participants raised concerns about potential payment difficulties due to high unemployment rates in the community. Some participants believed this would be acceptable, as patients already incur costs for travel and food when visiting the clinic. Participants in both FGDs expressed strong concerns about home delivery of their ART based on fear of accidental disclosure, especially for those who have not disclosed to their immediate families and partners. Conclusion: Our study suggests that charging a fee for home delivery is an acceptable and innovative approach to supporting PLHIV in maintaining adherence to their medication and remaining in care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inaugural Computer Vision for Marine Scientists workshop was held at the 17th South African Marine Science Symposium, with the primary goal of establishing a community of practice for computer vision (CV) in marine sciences in South Africa. The one-day hybrid event, attended by 97 people, covered the principles of artificial intelligence (AI) techniques required for evaluating video and photographic imagery through presentations, practical demonstrations and interactive discussions. The recordings of the workshop sessions are available online, providing an opportunity to reach marine researchers both regionally and globally. The workshop highlighted that many scientists have begun to incorporate CV and AI into their research activities; however, there is little national coordination and the extent of research is lagging behind international trends. To support image-based AI research in South Africa, it is critical to maintain and expand the network established during the workshop. This would enable a more collaborative and successful approach to incorporating CV technology in the country's marine research initiatives, ultimately leading to ground-breaking discoveries and advancements in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Travel motivation is a leading research interest and of value to various tourism sectors, including festivals and events. Most national arts festivals in South Africa compete for the same market, and it is crucial to understand what motivates visitors to attend such events. Utilizing a multi-year destination-based data collection technique at Woordfees produced a combined sample size of 1005 responses. Four phases of analysis: a descriptive analysis to profile the respondents; an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) on motives for attending the festival; a cluster analysis based on the motives for attending the festival; and an analysis of significant differences between the market segments was performed. Two motivation factors were identified: festival attributes and attraction and escape, socialization, and enjoyment. Three market segments are identified: arts, ambivalent, and hedonic festival seekers. Arts and ambivalent festival seekers are more motivated by festival attributes and attraction (pull motive), while the hedonic festival seeker is more motivated by escape, socialization, and enjoyment (push motive). Motivation-based segmentation provides an excellent alternative perspective based on an Afrikaans literary festival. Although similar segments are expected to be present at other national arts festivals, more personalization could be implemented to satisfy market needs based on motivation to attend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore and analyze the significance of proximal influences of maternal and paternal traits associated with bearing a child with a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Methods: Aggregated, maternal interview‐collected data (N = 2515) concerning alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use were examined to determine risk for FASD from seven cross‐sectional samples of mothers of first‐grade students who were evaluated for a possible diagnosis of FASD. Results: Mothers of children with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) reported the highest alcohol use throughout pregnancy, proportion of binge drinking, drinks per drinking day (DDD), drinking days per week, and total drinks per week. Mothers of children with FAS also consumed significantly more alcohol than mothers of children with partial FAS (PFAS), alcohol‐related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND), or typically developing controls. Mothers of children with PFAS and ARND reported similar drinking patterns, which exposed fetuses to 3–4 times more alcohol than mothers of controls, but the PFAS group was more likely than the ARND group to abstain in latter trimesters. Fathers of all children were predominantly drinkers (70%–85%), but more fathers of children with FASD binged heavily on more days than fathers of controls. Compared to the few mothers of controls who used alcohol during pregnancy, the ARND group binge drank more (3+ DDD) throughout pregnancy and drank more DDD before pregnancy and first trimester. Regression analysis, controlling for tobacco use, indicated that mothers who reported drinking <1 DDD were significantly more likely than abstainers to bear a child with FASD (OR = 2.75) as were those reporting higher levels such as 5–5.9 DDD (OR = 32.99). Exclusive, first‐trimester maternal drinking increased risk for FASD five times over that of abstinence (p < 0.001, OR = 5.05, 95% CI: 3.88–6.58), first‐ and second‐trimester drinking by 12.4 times, and drinking all trimesters by 16 times (p < 0.001, OR = 15.69, 95% CI: 11.92–20.64). Paternal drinking during and prior to pregnancy, without adjustment, increased the likelihood of FASD significantly (OR = 1.06 and 1.11, respectively), but the significance of both relationships disappeared when maternal alcohol and tobacco use were controlled. Conclusions: Differences in FASD risk emerged from the examination of multiple proximal variables of maternal alcohol and tobacco use, reflecting increased FASD risk at greater levels of maternal alcohol consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resilience, or adaptive behavior in the face of adversity, has recently come to be understood as a phenomenon that should not be uniformly conceptualized across contexts and cultures. This emerging understanding has urged exploration of what resilience might mean in specific cultural contexts. As in other majority nation contexts, there is scant documentation of what resilience might mean in an African context. In this article, the authors report on an exploratory qualitative study, rooted in a constructivist grounded theory approach, in which 11 South African adults from an impoverished rural area were invited to provide a description of resilient Basotho youth. In contrast to Eurocentric perspectives, their descriptions, verbal, written, and hand-drawn, offer an Africentric understanding of resilience. This emerging African conceptualization of resilience advocates for deeper exploration of collectivist philosophies underpinning Black youth resilience and continued research into the process of African resilience. (Contains 1 table, 2 figures and 2 notes.)

Salmonella Isangi is an infrequent serovar that has recently been reported in several countries due to nosocomial infections. A considerable number of reports indicate Salmonella Isangi multidrug resistance, especially to cephalosporins, which could potentially pose a risk to public health worldwide. Genomic analysis is an excellent tool for monitoring the emergence of microorganisms and related factors. In this context, the aim of this study was to carry out a genomic analysis of Salmonella Isangi isolated from poultry in Brazil, and to compare it with the available genomes from the Pathogen Detection database and Sequence Read Archive. A total of 142 genomes isolated from 11 different countries were investigated. A broad distribution of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) genes was identified in the Salmonella Isangi genomes examined (blaCTX-M-15, blaCTX-M-2, blaDHA-1, blaNDM-1, blaOXA-10, blaOXA-1, blaOXA-48, blaSCO-1, blaSHV-5, blaTEM-131, blaTEM-1B), primarily in South Africa. Resistome analysis revealed predicted resistance to aminoglycoside, sulfonamide, macrolide, tetracycline, trimethoprim, phenicol, chloramphenicol, and quaternary ammonium. Additionally, PMQR (plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance) genes qnr19, qnrB1, and qnrS1 were identified, along with point mutations in the genes gyrAD87N, gyrAS83F, and gyrBS464F, which confer resistance to ciprofloxacin and nalidixic acid. With regard to plasmids, we identified 17 different incompatibility groups, including IncC, Col(pHAD28), IncHI2, IncHI2A, IncM2, ColpVC, Col(Ye4449), Col156, IncR, IncI1(Alpha), IncFIB (pTU3), Col(B5512), IncQ1, IncL, IncN, IncFIB(pHCM2), and IncFIB (pN55391). Phylogenetic analysis revealed five clusters grouped by sequence type and antimicrobial gene distribution. The study highlights the need for monitoring rare serovars that may become emergent due to multidrug resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The shortage of trained surgeons, anesthesiologists, and obstetricians is a major contributor to the unmet need for surgical care in low- and middle-income countries, and the shortage is aggravated by migration to higher-income countries. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional observational study, combining individual-level data of 43,621 physicians from the Health Professions Council of South Africa with data from the registers of 14 high-income countries, and international statistics on surgical workforce, in order to quantify migration to and from South Africa in both absolute and relative terms. Results: Of 6670 surgeons, anesthesiologists, and obstetricians in South Africa, a total of 713 (11%) were foreign medical graduates, and 396 (6%) were from a low- or middle-income country. South Africa was an important destination primarily for physicians originating from low-income countries; 2% of all surgeons, anesthesiologists, and obstetricians from low- and middle-income countries were registered in South Africa, and 6% in the other 14 recipient countries. A total of 1295 (16%) South African surgeons, anesthesiologists, and obstetricians worked in any of the 14 studied high-income countries. Conclusion: South Africa is an important regional hub for surgical migration and training. A notable proportion of surgical specialists in South Africa were medical graduates from other low- or middle-income countries, whereas migration out of South Africa to high-income countries was even larger. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study determined the level of financial literacy of young black African adults in rural and low-income areas in South Africa. This study adopted a quantitative research approach and used a selfadministered questionnaire to collect primary data among young black African adults in Fetakgomo Tubatse and Intsika Yethu local municipalities as these municipalities were considered the most rural and low-income areas in South Africa. Young black African adults' level of financial literacy was found to be moderate in terms of financial knowledge and decision-making, but low in financial behaviour and financial attitude. Furthermore, young black African adults performed well concerning Financial decision-making. However, the overall level of Financial literacy amongst young black African adults was low. This has implications for the financial management of young black African adults. This study recommended strategies to improve the financial literacy of young black African adults in Fetakgomo Tubatse and Intsika Yethu municipalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Market participants, policymakers, and practitioners might have ignored the connection between global commodities and the currency markets in sub-Saharan Africa and the potential for contagion at various time scales. We examine the degree of time-varying connectivity and contagion between commodities and the exchange rates of sub-Saharan African countries (SSA). We use the Barunik and Krehlik (BK18) spillover index on monthly data from 1990 to 2019 to illustrate the dynamic connectivity in the time and frequency domains. The BK18 captures the nonlinear, nonstationary, asymmetric, and time-dependent comovements in the relationship. Our analysis indicates that the relationship between commodity returns and exchange rates in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is both time- and frequency-dependent, but stronger at higher frequencies. We observe that, among the three commodities, only crude oil is a dominant spillover propagator. The exchange rates of South Africa dominate spillover transmission among metal-producing countries, and those of Cote d'Ivoire dominate agricultural-producing countries. The dynamic results reveal significant spillovers between commodities and exchange rates during economic turmoil, indicating contagion among the markets. Since uncertainty spillover is more severe amid market upheaval, investors should use their awareness of market dynamics and fluctuations to protect their holdings from lower asset returns. Policymakers should keep a close eye on spillovers because they endanger cross-market connections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper examined supply chain disruptions in the manufacturing industry in South Africa and how additive manufacturing technology was used to help deal with disruptions encountered. Design/methodology/approach: The study adopted a qualitative research approach in order to meet the objectives of the study. A total of ten (10) managers of conventional manufacturing firms and ten (10) managers of 3D printing firms in Free State, South Africa participated in the study through the use of a purposive sampling technique. Interview guides were used in the collection of data. Data transcriptions and thematic analysis were used to analyze data gathered from the interviews. Findings: The results of the study showed that 3D printing contributed positively in dealing with manufacturing disruptions that were encountered by manufacturing firms in Free State, South Africa through the production of components and spare parts that were broken down in manufacturing machinery/plants. From the study, the researchers recommend that 3D printing technology should be adopted by manufacturing firms because of its practicality in providing manufacturing support and production continuity even in supply chain disruptive experiences caused by pandemics such as Covid-19. Originality/value: The study proves that due to the versatility of the 3D printing technology it could be used to minimize the effect of supply chain disruption during cries such as the Covid-19 pandemic. One of the unique contributions of the current study is the realization that additive manufacturing was not of much relevance to the generic supply chain challenges encountered in supply chain activities, but rather very relevant in helping to prevent disruptions of the manufacturing process by improvising spare parts at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In South Africa, informal rental accommodation constructed in the backyards of formal houses is the fastest growing housing segment. These backyard dwellings (BDs) are makeshift structures made from timber frames, metal sheets or wooden planks. Despite the proliferation of BDs, national and local governments have done little to improve the living standards of backyard dwellers. The research uses focus groups, interviews and building surveys to examine the current state of backyard dwellings and identify opportunities and barriers for government interventions. We analyse the barriers to home improvements, highlighting the important role of tenant dignity and landlord-tenant relations. Furthermore, the research discusses the challenges of potential government-led interventions, which could easily fail in the context of resistance, mistrust and anxiety over housing. We present four key considerations that any intervention to upgrade BDs in South Africa or similar rental units in other localities must consider. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engaging people with controversial and emotive issues that are inherently complex is challenging, especially when those issues are multifaceted or multidisciplinary, span environmental, economic, social, and political contexts, are global in scope, or where circumstances and implications differ spatially. Teaching such issues requires teachers and learners to navigate a challenging landscape of nuance and conflicting perspectives; immersive place-based learning might facilitate more meaningful exploration of such issues, but this has not previously been studied. In a multi-institution international study, we surveyed 164 participants (12 groups; 9 institutions) before and after an immersive fieldtrip in South Africa to assess perceptions on contentious issues. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests showed that participants had statistically significant opinion shifts for 17 of 18 statements, including those where change was likely due to improved knowledge or indicative of deeper attitude shifts. Generalised Linear Modelling revealed that propensity for opinion shifts was not influenced by demographics (age, gender), location (country of origin) or trip type (formal or informal). We conclude that in an increasingly complex world, context-relevant immersive experiences that facilitate deep learning by providing opportunities to explore contentious issues in situ are an ever-more valuable tool, not just for attainment but also for developing personal perspectives and as a catalyst for societal transitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on policy initiatives and strategies used to promote the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in higher education in South Africa. It explores a wider international outlook and current debates in South Africa to map out an emerging South African perspective concerning the integration of ICT in higher education. It also provides a brief survey of key policy developments on e-education in general to contextualize the use of ICTs. In doing so, the paper addresses the following questions: What general goals do policy makers in South Africa express in national policy documents for the integration of ICT in the education system? What is the role of government regarding the use of ICT in higher education? What policies and strategies for ICT do leaders of South African higher education institutions develop? How do South African national priorities and higher education institutional strategies match?

Precise adjustments of farm management activities, such as irrigation and soil treatment according to site-specific conditions, are crucial. With advances in smart agriculture and sensors, it is possible to reduce the cost of water and soil treatment inputs but still realize optimal yields and high-profit returns. However, achieving precise application requirements cannot be efficiently practiced with spatially disjointed information. This study assessed the potential of using an electromagnetic induction device (EM38-MK) to cover this gap. An EM38-MK was used to measure soil apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) as a covariate to determine soil salinity status and soil water content θ post irrigation at four depth layers (Hz: 0–0.25 m; Hz: 0–0.75 m; Vz: 0.50–1 m). The inverse distance weighting method was used to generate the spatial distribution thematic layers of electrical conductivity. The statistical measures showed an R2 = 0.87; r > 0.7 and p ≤ 0.05 on correlation of ECa and SWC. Based on the South African salinity class of soils, the area was not saline ECa < 200 mS/m. The EM38-MK can be used to estimate soil salinity and SWC variability using ECa as a proxy, allowing precise estimations with depths and in space. These findings provide key information that can aid in irrigation scheduling and soil management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyze simultaneous photometric observations of thundercloud discharges from the Modular Multispectral Imaging Array of the Atmosphere‐Space Interactions Monitor (ASIM) on board the International Space Station with ground‐based vertical electric field measurements in South Africa on 3 February 2019 at 23:00–23:05 UTC. During this time, ASIM flew over an extended thunderstorm front of several hundreds of kilometers and recorded a blue discharge with the photometer at 337 nm which emitted strong electric fields. It is found that the rising edge of the blue photomultiplier tube light pulse allows the estimation of the blue discharge height: ∼10.9–16.5 km which is constrained by cloud top height in a range of ∼13.3–16.7 km deduced from infrared radiometry on board the geostationary Meteosat satellite. The electric field measurements are used to infer the height of the blue discharge to be ∼16.0–18.8 km by use of skywave arrival times. It is shown that the height determinations are consistent with each other within the measurement uncertainties and the possible presence of an overshooting cloud top is discussed. The height of blue discharges is important to better understand how they can affect the chemistry in the upper troposphere. Plain Language Summary: Recently, Transient Luminous Events (TLEs) and lightning activity from thunderstorm tops above thunderstorms have attracted great interest. The Atmosphere‐Space Interactions Monitor (ASIM) and the Modular Multispectral Imaging Array (MMIA) are on board the International Space Station to record the lightning activity and TLEs in the UV band (180–230 nm) as well as the blue (337 nm) and the red (777.4 nm) emissions. In total, 188 MMIA triggers were recorded and more than 2,000 lightning strokes were reported by the lightning detection and location network during 23:00–23:05 UTC on 3 February 2019. We focus on a blue discharge event that happened at 23:02:41 UTC. The novelty of this work is that the height determination is carried out by using ground‐based electric field measurements and space‐based optical measurements from ASIM. This study can help to understand the chemistry effects at the tropopause level caused by such blue discharge events. Key Points: A blue discharge was detected by the Atmosphere‐Space Interactions Monitor during an overpass of thunderstorms in South AfricaThe blue discharge height is determined by modeling the light propagation through the thundercloud constrained by cloud top heightsThe height of the blue discharge is also determined with ground‐based electric field measurements of skywaves [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Data on the economic burden of RSV-associated illness will inform decisions on the programmatic implementation of maternal vaccines and monoclonal antibodies. We estimated the cost of RSV-associated illness in fine age bands to allow more accurate cost-effectiveness models to account for a limited duration of protection conferred by short- or long-acting interventions. Methods: We conducted a costing study at sentinel sites across South Africa to estimate out-of-pocket and indirect costs for RSV-associated mild and severe illness. We collected facility-specific costs for staffing, equipment, services, diagnostic tests, and treatment. Using case-based data we calculated a patient day equivalent (PDE) for RSV-associated hospitalizations or clinic visits; the PDE was multiplied by the number of days of care to provide a case cost to the healthcare system. We estimated the costs in 3-month age intervals in children aged < 1 year and as a single group for children aged 1–4 years. We then applied our data to a modified version of the World Health Organization tool for estimating the mean annual national cost burden, including medically and non-medically attended RSV-associated illness. Results: The estimated mean annual cost of RSV-associated illness in children aged < 5 years was US dollars ($)137,204,393, of which 76% ($111,742,713) were healthcare system incurred, 6% ($8,881,612) were out-of-pocket expenses and 13% ($28,225,.801) were indirect costs. Thirty-three percent ($45,652,677/$137,204,393) of the total cost in children aged < 5 years was in the < 3-month age group, of which 52% ($71,654,002/$137,204,393) were healthcare system incurred. The costs of non-medically attended cases increased with age from $3,307,218 in the < 3-month age group to $8,603,377 in the 9–11-month age group. Conclusions: Among children < 5 years of age with RSV in South Africa, the highest cost burden was in the youngest infants; therefore, interventions against RSV targeting this age group are important to reduce the health and cost burden of RSV-associated illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Vaccines and monoclonal antibodies to protect the very young infant against the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-associated illness are effective for limited time periods. We aimed to estimate age-specific burden to guide implementation strategies and cost-effectiveness analyses. Methods: We combined case-based surveillance and ecological data to generate a national estimate of the burden of RSV-associated acute respiratory illness (ARI) and severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) in South African children aged < 5 years (2011–2016), including adjustment for attributable fraction. We estimated the RSV burden by month of life in the < 1-year age group, by 3-month intervals until 2 years, and then 12 monthly intervals to < 5 years for medically and non-medically attended illness. Results: We estimated a mean annual total (medically and non-medically attended) of 264,112 (95% confidence interval (CI) 134,357–437,187) cases of RSV-associated ARI and 96,220 (95% CI 66,470–132,844) cases of RSV-associated SARI (4.7% and 1.7% of the population aged < 5 years, respectively). RSV-associated ARI incidence was highest in 2-month-old infants (18,361/100,000 population, 95% CI 9336–28,466). The highest incidence of RSV-associated SARI was in the < 1-month age group 14,674/100,000 (95% CI 11,175–19,645). RSV-associated deaths were highest in the first and second month of life (110.8 (95% CI 74.8–144.5) and 111.3 (86.0–135.8), respectively). Conclusions: Due to the high burden of RSV-associated illness, specifically SARI cases in young infants, maternal vaccination and monoclonal antibody products delivered at birth could prevent significant RSV-associated disease burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The irrational use of antibiotics is a leading contributor to antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic stewardship (AS) interventions predominantly focus on prescribers. This study investigated the influence and participation of inpatients in infection‐related care, including antibiotic decision‐making, within and across two tertiary hospitals in South Africa (Cape Town) and India (Kerala). Methods: Through ethnographic enquiry of clinical practice in surgical pathways, including direct nonparticipant observation of clinical practices, healthcare worker (HCW), patient and carer interactions in surgical ward rounds and face‐to‐face interviews with participants (HCWs and patients), we sought to capture the implicit and explicit influence that patients and carers have in infection‐related care. Field notes and interview transcripts were thematically coded, aided by NVivo 12® Pro software. Results: Whilst observational data revealed the nuanced roles that patients/carers play in antibiotic decision‐making, HCWs did not recognize these roles. Patients and carers, though invested in patient care, are not routinely involved, nor are they aware of the opportunities for engagement in infection‐related decision‐making. Patients associated clinical improvement with antibiotic use and did not consider hospitalization to be associated with infection acquisition or transmission, highlighting a lack of understanding of the threat of infection and antibiotic resistance. Patients' economic and cultural positionalities may influence their infection‐related behaviours. In the study site in India, cultural norms mean that carers play widespread but unrecognized roles in inpatient care, participating in infection prevention activities. Conclusion: For patients to have a valuable role in AS and make informed decisions regarding their infection‐related care, a mutual understanding of their role in this process among HCWs and patients is crucial. The observed differences between the two study sites indicate the critical need for understanding and addressing the contextual drivers that impact effective patient‐centred healthcare delivery. Patient or Public Contribution: Ethnographic observations and interviews conducted in this study involved patients as participants. Patients were recruited for interviews after obtaining signed informed consent forms. Patients' identities were completely anonymized when presenting the study findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION: We describe the development and feasibility of using an online consensus approach for diagnosing cognitive impairment and dementia in rural South Africa. METHODS: Cognitive assessments, clinical evaluations, and informant interviews from Cognition and Dementia in the Health and Aging in Africa Longitudinal Study (HAALSI Dementia) were reviewed by an expert panel using a web‐based platform to assign a diagnosis of cognitively normal, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), or dementia. RESULTS: Six hundred thirty‐five participants were assigned a final diagnostic category, with 298 requiring adjudication conference calls. Overall agreement between each rater's independent diagnosis and final diagnosis (via the portal or consensus conference) was 78.3%. A moderate level of agreement between raters' individual ratings and the final diagnostic outcomes was observed (average κ coefficient = 0.50). DISCUSSION: Findings show initial feasibility in using an online consensus approach for the diagnosis of cognitive impairment and dementia in remote, rural, and low‐resource settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The management of invasive Tamarix genotypes depends on reliable and accurate information of their extent and distribution. This study investigated the utility of the multispectral Sentinel-2 imageries to map infestations of the invasive Tamarix along three riparian ecosystems in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Methods: The Sentinel-2 image was acquired from the GloVis website (http://glovis. usgs.gov/). Random forest (RF) and support vector machine (SVM) algorithms were used to classify and estimate the spatial distribution of invasive Tamarix genotypes and other land-cover types in three riparian zones viz. the Leeu, Swart and Olifants rivers. A total of 888 reference points comprising of actual 86 GPS points and additional 802 points digitized using the Google Earth Pro free software were used to ground-truth the Sentinel-2 image classification. Results: The results showed the random forest classification produced an overall accuracy of 87.83% (with kappa value of 0.85), while SVM achieved an overall accuracy of 86.31% with kappa value of 0.83. The classification results revealed that the Tamarix invasion was more rampant along the Olifants River near De Rust with a spatial distribution of 913.39 and 857.74 ha based on the RF and SVM classifiers, respectively followed by the Swart River with Tamarix coverage of 420.06 ha and 715.46 hectares, respectively. The smallest extent of Tamarix invasion with only 113.52 and 74.27 hectares for SVM and RF, respectively was found in the Leeu River. Considering the overall accuracy of 85% as the lowest benchmark for a robust classification, the results obtained in this study suggests that the SVM and RF classification of the Sentinel-2 imageries were effective and suitable to map invasive Tamarix genotypes and discriminate them from other land-cover types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding long-term land use/land cover (LULC) change patterns is vital to implementing policies for effective environmental management practices and sustainable land use. This study assessed patterns of change in LULC in the Vaal Dam Catchment area, one of the most critically important areas in South Africa, since it contributes a vast portion of water to the Vaal Dam Reservoir. The reservoir has been used to supply water to about 13 million inhabitants in Gauteng province and its surrounding areas. Multi-temporal Landsat imagery series were used to map LULC changes between 1986 and 2021. The LULC classification was performed by applying the random forest (RF) algorithm to the Landsat data. The change-detection analysis showed grassland being the dominant land cover type (ranging from 52% to 57% of the study area) during the entire period. The second most dominant land cover type was agricultural land, which included cleared fields, while cultivated land covered around 41% of the study area. Other land use types covering small portions of the study area included settlements, mining activities, water bodies and woody vegetation. Time series analysis showed patterns of increasing and decreasing changes for all land cover types, except in the settlement class, which showed continuous increase owing to population growth. From the study results, the settlement class increased considerably for 1986–1993, 1993–2000, 2000–2007, 2007–2014 and 2014–2021 by 712.64 ha (0.02%), 10245.94 ha (0.26%), 3736.62 ha (0.1%), 1872.09 ha (0.05%) and 3801.06 ha (0.1%), respectively. This study highlights the importance of using remote sensing techniques in detecting LULC changes in this vitally important catchment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigated black South Africans' perceptions about affirmative action, focusing on the assertion that racial preferences for blacks result in collective and individual demoralization. Data from students within a graduate Associate in Management program that supported disadvantaged students showed enhanced self-confidence for ostensible beneficiaries of more widely embraced redress policies in South Africa 2 years into ANC rule. Skepticism about the intentions of white controlled business to genuinely deracialize persisted. (SM)

Resilience, or multilevel processes related to thriving, offers a strengths-based approach to reducing HIV and sexual risk behaviors among girls and young women. Processes of resilience may change based on the experience of living with HIV. However, little is known about how resilience and serologically verified HIV status influence sexual health. Using weighted cross-sectional data collected during 2017–2018 from South African girls and young women aged 15–24 (N = 7237), this article examines associations between resilience and three sexual risk behaviors among those living with and without HIV. Logistic regression models indicated greater resilience scores were associated with reduced odds of engaging in transactional sex and early sexual debut. Results also identified differing associations between resilience and sexual risk behaviors by HIV status. Findings provide implications for programming to prevent HIV and improve sexual health while underscoring the need for tailored resilience-promoting interventions for South African girls and young women living with HIV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Of the 8 million people in South Africa living with HIV, 74% of persons living with HIV are on antiretroviral therapy (ART) and 65% are virally suppressed. Detectable viral load results in HIV-associated morbidity and mortality and HIV transmission. Patient barriers to care, such as missed wages, transport costs, and long wait times for clinic visits and ART refills, are associated with detectable viral load. HIV differentiated service delivery (DSD) has simplified ART delivery for clients who achieve viral suppression and engage in care. However, DSD needs adaptation to serve clients who are not engaged in care. Methods: A Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial will be undertaken in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, to test adaptive ART delivery for persons with detectable viral load and/or who are not engaged in care. The types of differentiated service delivery (DSD) which will be examined in this study are clinic-based incentives, community-based smart lockers, and home delivery. The study plans to enroll up to 900 participants-people living with HIV, eligible for ART, and who are not engaged in care. The study aims to assess the proportion of ART-eligible persons living with HIV who achieve viral suppression at 18 months. The study will also evaluate the preferences of clients and providers for differentiated service delivery and evaluate the cost-effectiveness of adaptive HIV treatment for those who are not engaged in care. Discussion: To increase population-level viral suppression, persons with detectable viral load need responsive DSD interventions. A Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial (SMART) design facilitates the evaluation of a stepped, adaptive approach to achieving viral suppression with "right-sized" interventions for patients most in need of effective and efficient HIV care delivery strategies. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05090150. Registered on October 22, 2021 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shoreline analysis in response to the rapid erosion of sandy beaches has evolved along with geospatial and computer technology; it remains an essential task for sustainable coastal management. This severe and rapid erosion has been reported at several sandy beaches worldwide, including Yzerfontein beaches, on the southwest coast of South Africa. We determined this vulnerability from 1937 to 2020 and predicted its change by 2040 by manually delineating shoreline positions from 1937, 1960, and 1977 from aerial photographs and Landsat products between 1985 and 2020 in an automated fashion using the CoastSat toolkit and Google Earth Engine. We then integrated these datasets to calculate the extent of shoreline dynamics over the past eight decades using the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS). Our results show that the coastline changed dynamically between 1937 and 2020, culminating in an average net erosion of 38 m, with the most extensive erosion occurring between 2015 and 2020. However, coastal projections indicate a slight change in shoreline position over the next two decades. Further studies should integrate additional high resolution remote sensing data and non-remote sensing data (e.g., field surveys) to improve our results and provide a more thorough understanding of the coastal environment and overcome some of remotely-sensed data underlying uncertainties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) is the leading cause of global maternal deaths, accounting for 30–50% of maternal deaths in sub-Saharan Africa. Most PPH-related deaths are preventable with timely detection and initiation of care, which may be facilitated by using a clinical care bundle. We explore influences on current PPH detection and management and on the future implementation of a new PPH bundle (E-MOTIVE) in low-resource, high-burden settings. Methods: Semi-structured qualitative interviews based on the Theoretical Domains Framework were conducted with 45 healthcare providers across nine hospitals in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa, to identify barriers and enablers to current PPH detection and management and future implementation of a new PPH care bundle. Data were analysed using thematic and framework analysis. The Behaviour Change Wheel was used to identify potential interventions to address identified barriers and enablers. Results: Influences on current PPH detection and management fell under 12 domains: Environmental Context and Resources (drug and staff shortages), Skills (limited in-service training), Knowledge (variable understanding of the recommended practice), Behaviour Regulation (limited quality improvement culture), Beliefs about Consequences (drawbacks from inaccurate detection), Emotion (stress from the unpredictability of PPH), Social Influence (teamwork), Memory, Attention and Decision-making (limited guideline use), Social/Professional Role and Identity (role clarity), Beliefs about Capabilities (confidence in managing PPH), Reinforcement (disciplinary procedures) and Goals (PPH as a priority). Influences on bundle uptake included: Beliefs about Consequences (perceived benefits of new blood loss measurement tool), Environmental Context and Resources (high cost of drugs and new tools), Memory, Attention and Decision-making (concerns about whether bundle fits current practice), Knowledge (not understanding 'bundled' approach), Social Influence (acceptance by women and staff) and Intention (limited acceptance of 'bundled' approach over existing practice). These influences were consistent across countries. Proposed interventions included: Education, Training, Modelling (core and new skills), Enablement (monitoring uptake), Persuasion (leadership role) and Environmental Restructuring (PPH emergency trolley/kit). Conclusions: A wide range of individual, socio-cultural and environmental barriers and enablers to improving PPH detection and management exist in these settings. We identified a range of interventions that could improve PPH care and the implementation of new care bundles in this context. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04341662 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human‐centered, active‐learning approaches can help students develop core competencies in biology and other STEM fields, including the ability to conduct research, use quantitative reasoning, communicate across disciplinary boundaries, and connect science education to pressing social and environmental challenges. Promising approaches for incorporating active learning into biology courses include the use of course‐based research, community engagement, and international experiences. Disruption to higher education due to the COVID‐19 pandemic made each of these approaches more challenging or impossible to execute. Here, we describe a scalable course‐based undergraduate research experience (CURE) for an animal behavior course that integrates research and community engagement in a remote international experience. Students in courses at two U.S. universities worked with community partners to analyze the behavior of African goats grazing near informal settlements in Western Cape, South Africa. Partners established a relationship with goat herders, and then created 2‐min videos of individual goats that differed in criteria (goat sex and time of day) specified by students. Students worked in small groups to choose dependent variables, and then compared goat behavior across criteria using a factorial design. In postcourse surveys, students from both universities indicated overall enthusiasm for the experience. In general, students indicated that the laboratory provided them with "somewhat more" of a research‐based experience compared with biology laboratories they had taken of similar length, and "somewhat more" to "much more" of a community‐engagement and international experience. Educational benefits were complemented by the fact that international educational partners facing economic hardship due to the pandemic received payment for services. Future iterations of the CURE can focus on goat behavior differences across ecological conditions to help herders increase production in the face of continued environmental and social challenges. More generally, applying the structure of this CURE could facilitate mutually beneficial collaborations with residents of under‐resourced areas around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unfinished burden of poor maternal and child health contributes to the quadruple burden of disease in South Africa with the direct and indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic yet to be fully documented. To investigate the indirect effects of COVID-19 on maternal and child health in different geographical regions and relative wealth quintiles. We estimated the effects of COVID-19 on maternal and child health from April 2020 to June 2021. We estimated this by calculating mean changes across facilities, relative wealth index (RWI) quintiles, geographical areas and provinces. To account for confounding by underlying seasonal or linear trends, we subsequently fitted a segmented fixed effect panel model. A total of 4956 public sector facilities were included in the analysis. Between April and September 2020, full immunisation and first dose of measles declined by 6.99% and 2.44%, respectively. In the follow-up months, measles first dose increased by 4.88% while full immunisation remained negative (−0.65%) especially in poorer quintiles. At facility level, the mean change in incidence and mortality due to pneumonia, diarrhoea and severe acute malnutrition was negative. Change in first antenatal visits, delivery by 15–19-year olds, delivery by C-section and maternal mortality was positive but not significant. COVID-19 disrupted utilisation of child health services. While reduction in child health services at the start of the pandemic was followed by an increase in subsequent months, the recovery was not uniform across different quintiles and geographical areas. This study highlights the disproportionate impact of the pandemic and the need for targeted interventions to improve utilisation of health services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, demographic factors that influence financial literacy have become increasingly important for policymakers than ever before. The primary purpose of this study was to establish the relationship between demographic factors and financial literacy among adults in a rural and low-income areas of South Africa. The objectives were to determine which gender uses a budget, which age cohort keeps copies of financial documents, which category of education level is saving for retirement, and the correlation between education level and saving for retirement. Descriptive statistics and correlation analysis were used to analysed data. The results showed that males used a budget more than females by a low margin. Adults struggled to keep copies of financial documents; however, adults between the ages of 41-50 kept copies of financial documents the most. Those with matric were better savers for retirement than other levels of education, besides the fact that most adults were not saving for retirement. The study also revealed a negative correlation between education level and retirement savings. Thus, the relationship between demographic factors and financial literacy was negative. The study concludes by suggesting interventions that could help adults improve their financial literacy and manage and sustain their financial well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Africa is home to a native Tamarix species, while two were introduced in the early 1900s to mitigate the effects of mining on soil. The introduced species have spread to other ecosystems resulting in ecological deteriorations. The problem is compounded by hybridization of the species making identification between the native and exotic species difficult. This study investigated the potential of remote sensing in identifying native, nonnative and hybrid Tamarix species recorded in South Africa. Leafand canopy-level classifications of the species were conducted using field spectroradiometer data that provided two inputs: original hyperspectral data and bands simulated according to Landsat-8, Sentinel-2, SPOT-6 and WorldView-3. The original hyperspectral data yielded high accuracies for leaf- and plot-level discriminations (>90%), while promising accuracies were also obtained using Landsat-8, Sentinel-2 and Worldview-3 simulations (>75%). These findings encourage for investigating the performance of actual space-borne multispectral data in classifying the species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Euendolithic, or true‐boring, cyanobacteria actively erode carbonate‐containing substrata in a wide range of environments and pose significant risks to calcareous marine fauna. Their boring activities cause structural damage and increase susceptibility to disease and are projected to only intensify with global climate change. Most research has, however, focused on tropical coral systems, and limited information exists on the global distribution, diversity, and substratum specificity of euendoliths. This metastudy aimed to collate existing 16S rRNA gene surveys along with novel data from the south coast of South Africa to investigate the global distribution and genetic diversity of endoliths to identify a "core endolithic cyanobacterial microbiome" and assess global diversification of euendolithic cyanobacteria. The cyanobacterial families Phormidesmiaceae, Nodosilineaceae, Nostocaceae, and Xenococcaceae were the most prevalent, found in >92% of categories surveyed. All four known euendolith clusters were detected in both intertidal and subtidal habitats, in the North Atlantic, Mediterranean, and South Pacific oceans, across temperate latitudes, and within rock, travertine tiles, coral, shell, and coralline algae substrata. Analysis of the genetic variation within clusters revealed many organisms to be unique to substratum type and location, suggesting high diversity and niche specificity. Euendoliths are known to have important effects on their hosts. This is particularly important when hosts are globally significant ecological engineers or habitat‐forming species. The findings of this study indicate high ubiquity and diversity of euendolithic cyanobacteria, suggesting high adaptability, which may lead to increased community and ecosystem‐level effects with changing climatic conditions favoring the biochemical mechanisms of cyanobacterial bioerosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant phytochemicals are an important area of study in ruminant nutrition, primarily due to their antimethanogenic potentials. Plant extract yields, their bioactive compounds and antimethanogenic properties are largely dependent on the nature of the extractive solvents. This study evaluated the yields and phytochemical constituents of four plant extracts, as affected by the aqueous-methanolic (H2O-CH3OH) extraction and their antimethanogenic properties on the in vitro methane production. The plant extracts included Aloe vera, Jatropha curcas, Moringa oleifera, and Piper betle leaves with three levels of extractions (70, 85, and 100% CH3OH). The crude plant extract yields increased with the increasing amount of water. M. oleifera crude extracts yields (g/10 g) increased from 3.24 to 3.92, A. vera, (2.35 to 3.11) J. curcas (1.77 to 2.26), and P. betle (2.42 to 3.53). However, the identified and quantified metabolites showed differing degrees of solubility unique to their plant leaves in which they exist, while some of the metabolites were unaffected by the extraction solvents. The methane mitigating potentials of these extracts were evaluated as additives on Eragrostis curvula hay at a recommended rate of 50 mg kg−1 DM. The plant extracts exhibited antimethanogenic properties to various degrees, reducing (p < 0.05) in vitro methane production in the tested hay, A. vera, J. curcas, M. oleifera and P. betle reduced methane emission by 6.37–7.55%, 8.02–11.56%, 12.26–12.97, and 5.66–7.78 respectively compared to the control treatment. However, the antimethanogenic efficacy, gas production and organic matter digestibility of the plant extracts were unaffected by the extraction solvents. Metabolites, such as aloin A, aloin B and kaempferol (in A. vera), apigenin, catechin, epicatechin, kaempferol, tryptophan, procyanidins, vitexin-7-olate and isovitexin-7-olate (in J. curcas), alkaloid, kaempferol, quercetin, rutin and neochlorogenic acid (in M. oleifera) and apigenin-7,4′-diglucoside, 3-p-coumaroylquinic acid, rutin, 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol, dihydrocaffeic acid, and dihydrocoumaric acid (in P. betle) exhibited a methane reducing potential and hence, additional studies may be conducted to test the methane reducing properties of the individual metabolites as well as their combined forms. Plant extracts could be more promising, and hence, further study is necessary to explore other extraction methods, as well as the encapsulation of extracts for the improved delivery of core materials to the target sites and to enhance methane reducing properties. Furthermore, the use of 70% aqueous extraction on M. oleifera leaf is recommended for practical use due to the reduced cost of extractive solvents, the lower cost and availability of Moringa plants in South Africa, especially in Gauteng Province. Furthermore, 70% aqueous-methanolic extractions of A. vera, J. curcas, and P. betle are recommended for practical use in regions where they exist in abundance and are cost effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the impact of parental financial socialisation on financial attitude of young black African adults in rural and low-income area in South Africa through quantitative research approach, survey design and self-administered questionnaire. Data was collected from young black African adults in Fetakgomo Tubatse and Intsika Yethu local municipalities, low-income and rural areas in South Africa. Multiple regression analysis was used to test the relationship between parental financial behaviour, parental financial monitoring, parental financial discussion, parental financial communication, and parental financial teaching with financial attitude. The results showed that parental financial communication and parental financial teaching had a significant positive relationship with financial attitude. While parental financial behaviour, parental financial monitoring and parental financial discussion had no significant positive relationship with financial attitude. Therefore, the overall results indicated that parental financial socialisation has no impact on financial attitude of young black African adults in rural and low-income area in South Africa. This study provided recommendations to parents, young black African adults, financial educators, financial services institutions, financial counsellors and the government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]