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This case study concerns the challenges for knowledge production through the curriculum of a newly merged `Comprehensive University'. The rationalisation of South Africa's higher education system formed a crucial part of the transformation strategy proposed by the National Commission on Higher Education (1996). The subsequent Report of the Shape and Size Task Team of the Council for Higher Education (CHE 2000) proposed mergers between certain higher education institutions to create Comprehensive Universities. Their primary function would be to deliver vocational qualifications. The Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) is such an institution comprising the former University of Port Elizabeth and the Port Elizabeth Technikon. The article examines the perspectives of middle management of the challenges that the merger poses for the development of the curriculum. Interviews were subjected to content analysis and compared to draw generalizations and identify contrasts. These were critically discussed to draw conclusions about the curriculum of a Comprehensive University. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reflection x-ray topography has been used to show that incoherent radiation annealing of complete 2-in.-diam GaAs wafers results in extensive crystallographic slip networks. These slip lines are believed to be due to small temperature nonuniformities induced during the anneal by both edge radiation and thermal mass effects. The use of a series of annular guard rings around the wafer during the anneal is shown to reduce both the severity and the number of slip lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Knowledge, access, and use of testing and antiviral treatments is critical to managing and mitigating the continuing burden of the novel Corona Virus (COVID-19) in the United States. This study measured knowledge, attitude, behaviors, and self-reported barriers towards COVID-19 testing and outpatient anti-viral medications (OPA) treatments among Black and older individuals who face greater hospitalization and mortality from the disease., Study Design: Cross-sectional structured survey., Methods: Respondents were randomly selected from an opt-in national panel in December 2022. Equal numbers of Black and White US adults over the age of 40 (n = 1037) completed the 42 item online survey. The main measures were key sociodemographic variables of respondents, race, age, political affiliation and COVID-19 attitudes, beliefs, testing behaviors, and knowledge and barriers to OPA access., Results: Overall , awareness and knowledge of COVID-19 outpatient treatments was low. Black respondents were more likely to test for COVID-19 than White respondents but less likely to know about OPA treatments. Insurance coverage was a significant factor in use of home tests. Knowledge of OPA treatments was low across groups. White respondents were more likely than Black respondents to be aware of OPA treatments (1.75, 95 % CI [1.31-2.33]) as were higher income respondents (1.13, 95 % CI [1.08-1.17]) and self-identified Liberals (1.79, 95 % CI [1.29-2.49])., Conclusions: Clinicians should know large numbers of patients may not be testing for COVID-19, nor are they aware of outpatient treatment options and may hold inaccurate beliefs about them. Developing culturally specific patient education materials are warranted to increase testing, utilization of vaccinations and OPAs., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)