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The rapid growth of cities, owing to rural-urban migration and high birth rate has resulted in encroachment of the land use and land cover (LULC) in the Cape Flats, situated north of Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. PlanetScope imagery and K-Nearest Neighbour (KNN) classifier are used to map and monitor the following LULC classes within the Cape Flats; waterbodies, trees, built-up, and vegetation, we further do a time series map between 2016 and 2021.The results showed that LULC changes between 2016 to 2021 are as follows: a decrease of 2.1% in vegetation, 0.4% in water bodies, and 11% in trees. Built-up areas, on the other hand, showed a significant increase of 13.6% over five years. The LULC changes in the Cape Flats were mainly triggered by an increase in built-up areas due to household construction to accommodate the increased population resulting from rural-to-urban migration and high birth rate. Classification accuracy from 2016 and 2021 was as follows; overall accuracy of 98.31% and 0.97 kappa coefficient in 2016, while overall accuracy 96.54% and kappa coefficient 0.95 in 2021. A combination of machine learning and high-resolution imagery showcased that high classification results can be achieved in monitoring subtle LULC changes. We recommended that all relevant stakeholders, including government officials and municipalities, formulate and adopt policies to protect against LULC degradation.

Abstract Background Natalizumab and fingolimod are used as high-efficacy treatments in relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis. Several observational studies comparing these two drugs have shown variable results, using different methods to control treatment indication bias and manage censoring. The objective of this empirical study was to elucidate the impact of methods of causal inference on the results of comparative effectiveness studies. Methods Data from three observational multiple sclerosis registries (MSBase, the Danish MS Registry and French OFSEP registry) were combined. Four clinical outcomes were studied. Propensity scores were used to match or weigh the compared groups, allowing for estimating average treatment effect for treated or average treatment effect for the entire population. Analyses were conducted both in intention-to-treat and per-protocol frameworks. The impact of the positivity assumption was also assessed. Results Overall, 5,148 relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis patients were included. In this well-powered sample, the 95% confidence intervals of the estimates overlapped widely. Propensity scores weighting and propensity scores matching procedures led to consistent results. Some differences were observed between average treatment effect for the entire population and average treatment effect for treated estimates. Intention-to-treat analyses were more conservative than per-protocol analyses. The most pronounced irregularities in outcomes and propensity scores were introduced by violation of the positivity assumption. Conclusions This applied study elucidates the influence of methodological decisions on the results of comparative effectiveness studies of treatments for multiple sclerosis. According to our results, there are no material differences between conclusions obtained with propensity scores matching or propensity scores weighting given that a study is sufficiently powered, models are correctly specified and positivity assumption is fulfilled.

The purpose of this paper is to describe and reflect on the position of what are called second additional languages in the language teaching landscape of South African schools. This landscape is crowded, with different South African languages vying for attention. Amidst efforts to increase the number of learners who offer an African language as one of the subjects in the school exit examination, initiatives to introduce languages like Mandarin and Swahili put additional pressure on an already over-burdened system. The paper considers this crowded landscape and the implications for the teaching of German, French and Mandarin at secondary school level. These are only three of at least fifteen languages offered as second additional languages. This paper focuses on these three because they are most widely taught in mainstream schools. The policies and practices as well as the problems with teaching these languages are described, focusing on the types of learner who will choose these languages, the approach to teaching them and possible actions that could ensure the continued offering of second additional languages at primary and secondary schools.

Background: The concept of school readiness is well-defined internationally. However, it is unclear how the concept is defined and used in South Africa or understood by preschool teachers. Aim: The aim of this analysis was to develop a clear and accessible summary of the concept of school readiness in South Africa for preschool teachers. Methods: An eight-step systematic approach, including the use of the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis guidelines, was followed to identify research conducted in South Africa that defined school readiness, and to complete a concept analysis. A subsequent seven-step process was followed to create a Plain Language Summary (PLS) of the contextual definition of school readiness. Results: Using ATLAS.ti software, we identified 619 quotations related to school readiness. Through inductive thematic analysis we identified 48 unique concept codes followed by eight categories or attributes of school readiness. The contextual definition of school readiness was developed in plain language and is stated as children who are fully prepared for school can engage in meaningful learning, because they have developed the necessary behavioural, intellectual, language, literacy, numeracy, physical, socio-emotional and classroom skills for formal schooling. Conclusion: A South African school readiness definition, that is consistent with the way school readiness is understood internationally, was developed in plain language. Although the concept of school readiness is not unique to South Africa, the ways in which it is promoted is contextually bound. Contribution: This PLS may contribute to sustainable and affordable access to culture-centred preschool teacher training content.

Education is an integral component of society and is inherently linked to the changes occurring within it. This article discusses four significant developments (globalization, localization, individualization, and collectivization) examining both the threats they pose to education and the opportunities they offer. Additionally, it explores how education can navigate its strengths and weaknesses in relation to these societal shifts. A central theme in this article is the content of the curriculum, which may come under pressure if schools respond too impulsively to contextual changes. The analyses in this article are grounded in the right of children to receive adequate education, as outlined in various international treaties and charters. Adequate education is understood as education where the curriculum sufficiently contributes to the achievement of educational goals. It is recommended that, while considering a country's legal provisions, educational objectives be carefully considered and the curriculum, particularly in terms of content, be aligned accordingly.

The study investigated the influence of demographics, a wide range of motivations of new media use and constraints of its use, on the pattern of new media use for educational purposes by Nigerian university students. The rationale was to proffer appropriate strategies towards sustainable and effective deployment, integration, and utilisation of new media for a better educational experience of students in Nigerian universities. The philosophical perspective was based on positivism. The quantitative approach with survey research design was adopted, covering a cross-section of Nigerian university students using questionnaires as the data collection instrument, complemented with structured interviews. Three large and geographically central universities were purposively selected for the study: University of Ibadan, University of Nigeria, and University of Ilorin. Stratified random sampling was used to select students from the selected faculties in the surveyed universities as respondents. A sample size of 647 students was used for the study. The findings of the study reveal that information seeking and surveillance, convenience and low cost, social interaction, broadcast media involvement, personal utility and self-promotion, affection, maintaining connections, and escape and new trends were significant motivations for using new media for educational reasons. Nevertheless, infrastructure required to use these technologies, privacy and security concerns, confusing acronyms, economic issues, inadequate knowledge and skills, and timing-related issues constitute obstacles to the use of new media for educational reasons. The paper recommends appropriate strategies towards effective and sustainable deployment, integration, ease of access, and utilisation of new media technologies by Nigerian university students.

The Netherlands has a unique dual education system. The government funds both public and private schools. Parents have much freedom to set up schools to realize their religious ideals. The freedom of education enshrined in the Dutch Constitution is controversial. The question has arisen as to whether the government should fund private schools. This paper describes what the Dutch freedom of education entails, gives an overview of educational ideals and mentions some areas where freedom of education is under threat. The conclusion is that although schools still have a great deal of freedom, this is decreasing, and alertness is required.

Predicting long-term prognosis and choosing the appropriate therapeutic approach in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) at the time of diagnosis is crucial in view of a personalized medicine. We investigated the impact of early therapeutic response on the 5-year prognosis of patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS). We recruited patients from MSBase Registry covering the period between 1996 and 2022. All patients were diagnosed with RRMS and actively followed-up for at least 5 years to explore the following outcomes: clinical relapses, confirmed disability worsening (CDW) and improvement (CDI), EDSS 3.0, EDSS 6.0, conversion to secondary progressive MS (SPMS), new MRI lesions, Progression Independent of Relapse Activity (PIRA). Predictors included demographic, clinical and radiological data, and sub-optimal response (SR) within the first year of treatment. Female sex (HR 1.27; 95 ​% CI 1.16–1.40) and EDSS at baseline (HR 1.19; 95 ​% CI 1.15–1.24) were independent risk factors for the occurrence of relapses during the first 5 years after diagnosis, while high-efficacy treatment (HR 0.78; 95 ​% CI 0.67–0.91) and age at diagnosis (HR 0.83; 95 ​% CI 0.79–0.86) significantly reduced the risk. SR predicted clinical relapses (HR ​= ​3.84; 95 ​% CI 3.51–4.19), CDW (HR ​= ​1.74; 95 ​% CI 1.56–1.93), EDSS 3.0 (HR ​= ​3.01; 95 ​% CI 2.58–3.51), EDSS 6.0 (HR ​= ​1.77; 95 ​% CI 1.43–2.20) and new brain (HR ​= ​2.33; 95 ​% CI 2.04–2.66) and spinal (HR 1.65; 95 ​% CI 1.29–2.09) MRI lesions. This study highlights the importance of selecting the appropriate DMT for each patient soon after MS diagnosis, also providing clinicians with a practical tool able to calculate personalized risk estimates for different outcomes.

Microglial cells are crucial patrolling immune cells in the brain and pivotal contributors to neuroinflammation during pathogenic or degenerative stress. Microglia exhibit a heterogeneous "dendrite-like" dense morphology that is subject to change depending on inflammatory status. Understanding the association between microglial morphology, reactivity, and neuropathology is key to informing treatment design in diverse neurodegenerative conditions from inherited encephalopathies to traumatic brain injuries. However, existing protocols for microglial morphology analyses lack standardization and are too complex and time-consuming for widescale adoption. Here, we describe a customized pipeline to quantitatively assess intricate microglial architecture in three dimensions under various conditions. This user-friendly workflow, comprising standard immunofluorescence staining, built-in functions of standard microscopy image analysis software, and custom Python scripts for data analysis, allows the measurement of important morphological parameters such as soma and dendrite volumes and branching levels for users of all skill levels. Overall, this protocol aims to simplify the quantification of the continuum of microglial pathogenic morphologies in biological and pharmacological studies, toward standardization of microglial morphometrics and improved inter-study comparability.

This paper investigates in-service intermediate phase mathematics teachers' metacognitive awareness based on their engagement in a professional development intervention in two rural and one township school in South Africa. Professional teacher development interventions should be structured and collaborative as teachers tend to revert to traditional modes of teaching when interventions are brief and sporadic. This research was scaffolded across the zone of proximal teacher development (ZPTD) as conceptualized by Warford (2011). The aim of the study was to investigate how metacognitive awareness facilitated intermediate phase mathematics teachers' ZPTD, i.e., from their actual knowledge to "proximal development". 10 intermediate phase mathematics teachers participated in the qualitative research (n=10). The professional development intervention was conducted on two consecutive Saturdays, infused with an adapted lesson study approach. The data was collected through (i) individual interviews, (ii) reflective prompts, (iii) observations, and (iv) reflective journals. The data from each data source were coded and categorized and were triangulated to answer the research question. Participants deemed the professional development intervention and the accompanying materials as supportive and showed increased metacognitive awareness of their personal teaching praxis during and after the intervention, hence growth along the ZPTD occurred.

The advent of COVID-19 and the consequent imposition of a national lockdown from March 2020 in South Africa spurred South African universities to introduce new remote ways of delivering their curricula and offering extra-curricular activities. Some of these new modes of delivery tended to disadvantage already socio-economically disadvantaged black students whose lack of access to appropriate equipment, tools and data prevented them from properly accessing and fully utilising the new forms of e-learning on offer. In this context, this article considers the challenges faced by student affairs professionals at the University of Pretoria in offering new, inclusive forms of online leadership-development training to students in leadership positions at the institution. It analyses data collected from student leaders between 2016 and 2020 at the university which indicated that there had been a lack of leadership development among disadvantaged black students at high school level compared with that on offer to white students in high school. In this context, this article describes how student affairs professionals at the University of Pretoria sought to translate face-to-face leadership training into online initiatives that would ensure that already disadvantaged black students would not be disadvantaged further through differential access to leadership-development training, particularly given their greater need for such support due to their relative previous lack of exposure. This article further places black students' needs for equitable access to leadership training in the context of the individual and structural advantages that can accrue from such training, including in relation to career development and occupying leadership positions in the economy and society.

Background: Prematurity is globally the leading cause of neonatal mortality, morbidity and long-term disability. The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) of the United Nations, and specifically MDG 4, address child mortality. Neonatal mortality rates contribute to 37% of all under-five mortality, with the largest proportion (30%) due to prematurity. The overall purpose of this study was to determine factors associated with prematurity and to identify treatable and preventable causes at the Bloemfontein Academic Complex in order to decrease the morbidity and mortality associated with prematurity in line with MDG. Methods: A case control study design was used including all premature babies referred to the Kangaroo Care Unit of the National District Hospital between December 2010 and March 2011. Each baby was included with his/her mother as a pair. For each premature baby and mother pair a term baby and mother pair was included as a control. Data were collected on a data sheet from the mothers’ antenatal records, and from maternal notes as well as the neonatal follow-up and discharge notes. Data gathered included baseline characteristics, habits, diseases and medication of the mother during the antenatal period and delivery as well as baseline demographics of the babies. Results: A total of 194 mothers and 198 babies were included in the study with 109 case mothers and 85 control mothers . Pre-existing medical conditions were more prevalent in the premature group (69%) compared with the control group (27%) with p 0.0001. These conditions included hypertension, HIV disease and syphilis. Possible causes for prematurity identified in this study included teenage mothers and premature rupture of membranes. Conclusion: Risk factors identified for prematurity were: teenage mothers, pre-existing medical conditions in the mother, and preterm rupture of membranes. Smoking and alcohol consumption during pregnancy could not be identified as risk factors for prematurity. It is recommended that patients with any of the above-mentioned identified risk factors be classified as high risk for the development of prematurity and shorter follow-up intervals and more aggressive management of pre-existing medical conditions should be practised.

'n Opvoedingsfilosoof en ’n onderwysregskundige span kragte saam om vas te stel tot welke mate die kernaspekte van ’n Reformatoriese kindbeskouing tot hul reg in die internasionale en Suid-Afrikaanse onderwysregsbestel kom. Die eerste deel van die artikel verskaf ’n filosofies-Reformatoriese kinderantropologie as prinsipiële grondslag, tesame met rigtingwysers vir die daaropvolgende (onderwys)regtelike ondersoek. Die ondersoek bring aan die lig dat Reformatoriese opvoeders in die huidige tydsgewrig nog taamlik rustig en tevrede kan wees met hoe die (onderwys)reg en -regspleging in Suid-Afrika ten opsigte van die belange van kinders behartig word. Daar was egter in die onlangse verlede verwikkelinge wat op gevaar dui, tesame met sake wat in die toekoms meer aandag sal moet geniet. A Reformational view of the child: To what extent is justice done to it in international and South African pedagogical jurisprudence? ABSTRACT A philosopher of education and an education law expert join forces to establish to what degree justice has been done to the core aspects of Reformational child anthropology in the current international and South African education jurisprudence system. The first part of the article provides a philosophical Reformational child anthropology as a foundational basis, together with guidelines for the subsequent (education) legal investigation. The investigation reveals that Reformational educators could be relatively content, for the time being, about how (education) law and jurisprudence in South Africa concerning children are administered. However, there have been recent developments indicating danger, along with matters that will require more attention in the future.

Orientation: Workplace spirituality may previously have been just a new buzzword in the corporate world, but it has now become a topic of serious scientific inquiry, which cannot be ignored or disregarded. The reason for the increased attention given to workplace spirituality in recent years is the positive psychological working environment that it creates for employees. Research purpose: The research established whether workplace spirituality at the individual, work unit and organisational levels influence each other and whether individual spirituality influences workplace flourishing. Motivation for the study: The work and life domains in which employees need to function are not always conducive to their well-being. Therefore, it is necessary to consider to what degree work-related factors such as workplace spirituality influence employees’ flourishing, that is, holistic well-being, in the work context. Research approach/design and method: The study used a deductive approach, employing a correlational cross-sectional research design. Data collection involved a structured questionnaire, resulting in a final sample of 394 respondents. Main findings: The study’s main findings were that individual spirituality impacted emotional well-being. Also, organisational and work unit spirituality influences individual spirituality, and organisational spirituality influences work unit spirituality. Practical/managerial implications: Workplace spirituality should be considered to increase employees’ experience of work-related well-being, expressed as a sense of happiness and contentment and feeling satisfied at work. Furthermore, the spiritual development and growth of spiritual employees should be emphasised. Contribution/value-add: The study contributes to theory development and knowledge creation of the constructs of workplace spirituality and workplace flourishing.