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Background: Diabetes is considered one of the largest global health challenges of this century and one of the top 10 causes of death across the world. Studies indicate an increased economic burden in relation to diabetes, not only on government revenue but also within private industries. Exploring the perceptions of employees with diabetes mellitus as related to their self-management practices could assist in encouraging behaviours that are associated with positive management outcomes. Aim: The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the perceptions of employees with diabetes mellitus, seen by professional nurses in selected occupational health clinics, about the self-management of their disease. Methods: A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive contextual design was followed through 17 individual interviews with 17 employees working in various industries in Cape Town, using a semi-structured interview schedule. Open coding of the data followed, and four themes emerged. Measures to ensure trustworthiness were also adhered to in the study, and approval for the study was granted. Results: The study findings gave insight into the manner in which employees perceived their behaviour changes in terms of their self-management practices. Various emotions were expressed by employees relating to the disease as well as the lifestyle adaptations required for self-management thereof. Employees noted that knowledge acquisition and greater understanding of the motivators for lifestyle changes could improve aspects of their day-to-day living as well as the disease outcomes. Conclusion: Employees expressed an awareness of the changes and lifestyle adaptations needed but found aspects thereof to be an ongoing challenge. The areas of challenge varied amongst employees. A consciousness of the possible consequences of poor self-management practices and self-modification behavior to address these was observed.

This article is a historical–theological inquiry into the Reformed Churches in South Africa (RCSA) and the doctrine behind her historic practice of essentially singing only God’s inspired songs. The catalyst for this investigation is the 2012 RCSA Synod decision to revise Article 69 of the church order – an order based on the one formulated at the 1618–1619 Synod of Dordrecht – to allow for the singing of free hymns. Such a decision marked a significant break with the early Reformed and confessional tradition of singing only God’s inspired songs, as well as a driving reason for the formation of the RCSA in 1859. This article challenges the 2012 revision of the Dort-modelled Article 69 on historical and theological grounds. In addition to failing to reckon adequately with her pre-formation history, the RCSA did not give appropriate attention to her rich legacy of singing predominantly Psalms only. More specifically, this article contends that within her own history the RCSA has a confessional and theological category that can help re-establish continuity with the best of her Reformed liturgical past. This category is the scriptural or regulative principle of worship (S/RPW) – a doctrine that has encouraged the reformation of public worship across the globe and one at least latent in the historical RCSA theological discourse. This essay commends its recovery for the future reformation of worship for the glory of God.

Background: Structural empowerment is an ever-evolving concept interpreted and applied in many different ways as it focuses on the structures in a healthcare organisation to allow competent nurses to manage empowering opportunities in a professional manner. At a public hospital in the Western Cape, nurses complained about a lack of access to structural empowerment in a hospital, including structures of power, such as clear information, to partake in important decisions. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to describe how nurse managers could support nurses in accessing structural empowerment through power resources. Method: A quantitative design was followed with a survey. The accessible population in this study was different categories of nurses of professional, enrolled and assistant nurses (N = 200), which were on duty at the time of data gathering. The sample was selected by means of probability sampling (n = 110). An existing instrument based on a five-point Likert scale was distributed that took 45 minutes to complete. Descriptive and inferential statistics were calculated, and the chi-square was used to indicate statistical significance differences among the nursing categories on the items (p 0.05). Results: The general results indicated that the majority of nurses had challenges to access structural empowerment through power sources (information, support and resources). Significant differences were found between nurse categories for having the necessary supplies for the job (p = 0.043) and rewards for unusual job performance (p = 0.023). Those aspects on which no significant differences were found are of utmost importance, as they indicate the urgency of addressing limitations in power sources for all categories of nurses. Conclusion: Empowerment can be achieved by enabling access to structural empowerment through power sources (i.e. opportunities, information, resources and support) at different levels for all categories of nurses.

This article presents a historical–theological investigation into, and retrieval of, the principle underlying Article 69 of the 1618–1619 church order of the Synod of Dordrecht for the reformation of worship in the Reformed Churches in South Africa (RCSA). Article 69 essentially mandates the singing of Scripture only in corporate worship. The Dordrecht church order was adopted by the RCSA (originally the Vrye Gereformeerde Kerk) at her founding in 1859, a founding in part as a reaction to the singing of free hymns in the mother Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk. In her formation, the RCSA re-established vital continuity with a catholic and Reformed tradition of singing Scripture only in public worship. And yet, in 2012, the General Synod of the RCSA decided to revise Article 69 to allow for the singing of free hymns. In the name of Semper Reformanda, this article seeks to challenge the historical–theological validity of this decision by recovering a central principle overlooked at the aforementioned Synod, yet present in the continental Reformed tradition. That principle is the Scriptural or regulative principle of worship (S/RPW). Simply stated, it is doing in public worship only what God commands. The presence of the S/RPW in the founding standards of the RCSA is of significance for appreciating her historic 150-year legacy of singing Scripture only and for her ongoing responsible critique of introducing free hymns.

Abstract Background Sustainable Development Goals set a challenge for the elimination of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection as a public health concern by the year 2030. Deployment of a robust prophylactic vaccine and enhanced interventions for prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) are cornerstones of elimination strategy. However, in light of the estimated global burden of 290 million cases, enhanced efforts are required to underpin optimisation of public health strategy. Robust analysis of population epidemiology is particularly crucial for populations in Africa made vulnerable by HIV co-infection, poverty, stigma and poor access to prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Methods We here set out to evaluate the current and future role of HBV vaccination and PMTCT as tools for elimination. We first investigated the current impact of paediatric vaccination in a cohort of children with and without HIV infection in Kimberley, South Africa. Second, we used these data to inform a new parsimonious model to simulate the ongoing impact of preventive interventions. By applying these two approaches in parallel, we are able to determine both the current impact of interventions, and the future projected outcome of ongoing preventive strategies over time. Results Existing efforts have been successful in reducing paediatric prevalence of HBV infection in this setting to

The quantitative relationships at the performance measurement system (QRPMS) is a methodology for identifying and quantifying relationships between key performance indicators. These relationships present additional information for decision-making purposes. QRPMS employs the Guttman-Kaiser criterion (K1) to complete a critical step during the methodology. This study presents evidence that the K1 criterion has limitations that compromise the reliability of QRPMS’s results. An improved QRPMS version is developed, and the results of the existing and improved QRPMS are compared in a mining industry case study. It is shown that the improved QRPMS delivers more accurate and reliable results.

This article will critically analyze the global citizen concept in the world full of deep-rooted historical injustices and past and present structural inequalities. We will explore higher education's (HE) engagement with the concept and whether this is polarizing HE and distracting its attention from the critical internationalization and transformational activities. The article will further explore whether it is worthwhile to spend time and resources on vague rhetoric and attempts to popularize buzzwords while the majority of students in the global South live in an unjust world. We will argue that the South needs to focus on development of globally competent graduates who are fully aware of their roles in the quest for a better tomorrow for their communities, countries, regions, and the world as a whole.

As part of the Caltrans Long Life Pavement Rehabilitation Strategies (LLPRS), a concrete pavement constructed with fast setting strength hydraulic cement concrete (FSHCC) and Portland cement concrete (PCC) blend was constructed on State Route 14 about 5 miles south of Palmdale, California. The test pavement was evaluated under Heavy Vehicle Simulator (HVS) testing beginning June 1999 and finishing December 2001. This report summarizes part of the testing program which was undertaken on three 70-m long test sections with a 200-mm thick FSHCC and the following design features:* Section 7 was constructed with plain joints (no dowels), relying on aggregate interlock for joint load transfer, with an asphalt concrete shoulder and a normal lane width of 3.66 m. * Section 9 was constructed with dowels and a concrete shoulder with tie bars and a normal lane width of 3.66 m. * Section 11 was constructed using a widened truck lane (4.26 m wide) and doweled joints with an asphalt concrete shoulder.The most significant observations are briefly discussed subsequently.

Trafficking of rhinoceros (rhino) horn threatens the persistence of two species living in Kruger National Park. Anti-poaching initiatives form part of an integrated approach adopted by South Africa. Several scholars see these initiatives as green militarization when authorities put people in readiness and assemble equipment, funding or approaches for war to deal with environmental emergencies. The militarization of rhino protection receives critique from several scholars and focuses on 1) ranger functions shifting more to law enforcement that are 2) increasingly militarized which 3) increases alienation of people living next to protected areas. We highlight that law enforcement was always a key element of ranger functions and that it is increasing. We illustrate militarization of rangers in Kruger, a responsible response given the changing global social context. We challenge, however, the hypothesis that militarization further alienates neighbours. The present qualitative narrative-based social science approaches introduce uncertainties that make it hard to evaluate the hypothesis. Complimentary formal hypothesis-based approaches may overcome these uncertainties. In addition, we postulate that improving protection of wildlife may carry crime reduction footprints into areas abutting reserves that can be beneficial to people living next to protected areas., IntroductionWildlife trafficking is a primary threat to the persistence of several species worldwide. (1) Drivers of trafficking wildlife products associate with long histories of trade, inelastic demand for products often [...]

Abstract Background In South Africa, HIV is increasingly becoming a chronic disease as a result of advances in HIV treatment and prevention in the last three decades. This has changed the perception from a life threating to a potentially manageable disease. However, little is known about self-perceived health status of HIV-infected individuals. Self-rated health (SRH) has been shown to be a sensitive indicator of health-relatedchanges directly linked to HIV, but can also be influenced by differences in social and material conditions. The aim of this paper was to identify determinants of excellent/good SRH among HIV-infected individuals using socio-demographic, life style and health related data. Methods The study used data from the nationally representative 2012 South African population-based household survey on HIV prevalence, incidence and behaviour conducted using multi-stage stratified cluster sampling design. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to identify determinants of SRH among HIV-infected individuals. Results Out of a total of 2632 HIV positive participants 74.1% (95% CI: 68.4-74.2) reported excellent/good SRH. Increased likelihood of reporting excellent/good SRH was significantly associated with being Black African [OR= 1.97 (95%CI: 1.12-3.46), p = 0.019] and belonging to least poor household [OR= 3.13 (95%CI: 1.26-7.78), p = 0.014]. Decreased likelihood of reporting excellent/good SRH was significantly associated with those aged 25 to 34 years [OR= 0.49 (95% CI: 0.31-0.78), p = 0.003], 35 to 44 years[OR= 0.27 (95% CI: 0.17-0.44), p

The main objective of the series of tests on the South Tangent was to evaluate the fatigue behavior of the fast setting hydraulic cement concrete/Portland cement concrete blend under the influence of accelerated wheel loads. It was assumed that the behavior of this mix is similar to that of a pure FSHCC mix. Thirteen HVS tests were undertaken on the South Tangent during the period 07/15/1998 to 05/21/1999. This report summarizes the results and observations of all HVS tests conducted on the South Tangent. Included in this report are all test sections on the plain jointed (no-dowels, no-tie bars, standard lane width) sections with concrete thicknesses of 100 mm, 150 mm, and 200 mm. All of the data summarized in this report is included in the Pavement Research Center electronic database.