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Abstract Introduction Assigning qualified interpreters is considered one of the most effective approaches to facilitate communication in language-discordant encounters in mental healthcare. However, particularly in settings with fewer resources, they are not always available and informal practices are often used. Objective This study aimed to investigate informal interpreting practices in mental healthcare in South Africa, focusing on security guards (SGs) serving as interpreters. Methods Guided interviews were conducted with SGs (n = 12) and mental healthcare providers (MHCPs) (n = 18) at a psychiatric hospital in South Africa. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. Results Despite recognizing that SGs serving as interpreters is not an ideal solution to overcome language barriers and could potentially jeopardize the quality of treatment and its outcomes, MHCPs reported relying heavily on them due to the underrepresentation of South Africa’s linguistic diversity among them. Given the lack of formal interpreting services, the perceived racial, linguistic and socioeconomic similarities between SGs and some service users, as well as their immediate accessibility, were described as beneficial to providing a minimal level of care (e.g. obtaining information about service users’ backgrounds, getting an understanding of their symptoms, psychoeducation, explaining treatment options). Drawbacks reported are SGs being pulled away from their actual duties, experiencing emotional distress, juggling multiple sometimes conflicting roles, and the risk of incorrect interpretation, which could compromise ethical standards of care. Additionally, the complexity of power became apparent: While SGs hold little institutional power within the mental healthcare system, they become powerful figures when serving as interpreters. Conclusion It can be assumed that MHCPs will resort to informal interpreting practices as long as effective alternatives are lacking. In doing so, risks such as reduced quality of care are accepted, and the consequences and effects on those serving as interpreters are neglected, which raises concerns from an ethical point of view.

Editorial Note - 2024-10-22 The article has been retracted, see the corresponding retraction notice: https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2281-4485/20311. --- This work investigates the application of artificial neural networks (ANN) and response surface methodology (RSM) in developing a technique for removing Pb2+ and Ni2+ ions from wastewater using chitosan derivative. The materials including chitosan beads (CS) and grafted chitosan beads (MCS) were evaluated using infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The process factors were modeled and optimized using the central composite design (CCD) derived from RSM. Removal efficiency was described as the response for the output layer. However, the input layer feed data consists of pH, adsorbent dose, contact duration, temperature, and concentration. Two neurons were used as the ANN algorithm's output layers, which correspond to the adsorption of Pb2+ and Ni2+ ions. Both models were measured using statistical metrics like average relative errors (ARE), coefficient of determination (R2), Marquart's percentage standard deviation (MPSD), mean squared error (MSE), Pearson's Chi-square (), root means square errors (RMSE), and the sum of squares of errors (SSE). The ideal trained neural network depicts the training, validation, and testing phases, with R2 values of 1.0, 0.968, and 0.961, respectively. The findings, however, showed that the ANN technique is superior to the RSM-CCD model approach. At pH 5, starting concentration of 100 mg/L, an adsorbent mass of 6.0 g, a reaction time of 55 min, and a temperature of 40 oC, the RSM-CCD model's optimization results for the process variables were achieved. The greatest removal percentages for Pb2+ and Ni2+ ion was 98.14% and 98.12%, respectively. The findings suggest that ANN can be utilized in forecasting the removal of adsorbates from wastewater.

In the 2020-2021 epoch, South Africa faced the arduous challenge of fighting COVID-19 due to limited resources. This paper reflects how the disease affected communities in eclectic rural contexts in South Africa. This article applied a review of the literature methodology. The researchers drew their literature from journal articles, book chapters, and informal community conversations amid the researchers’ experiential intuition. The article reflects that South African rural communities faced coronavirus-driven dilemmas due to the following factors: Society being subjected to conflicting messages, a state of stigma and stigmatisation, misleading information packaging, fear associated with failure to understand the disease’s aetiology and epidemiology; and states of poverty associated with loss of several business closures and termination of employment; the phenomenon of myths and misinformation; scepticisms and conspiracies; as well as a manifestation of various forms of love deficit. This article recommends that social service professionals such as psychologists, counsellors, and social workers be on the frontline to conduct psychotherapeutic education to communities to build their resilience to fight the coronavirus. The study provides scientific data on the historical glimpse of the impact of pandemics in rural communities of South Africa. It prepares societies for other pandemics that may come in the future.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, several educational institutions were thrust into a forced culture change as learning, teaching, and assessment moved from traditional face-to-face (F2F) instruction to remote delivery with a profound effect on pedagogy. This paper uses transformative learning theory to explore various aspects of academics' transition from face-to-face to remote teaching. Findings from an online cross-sectional survey of academics in higher education institutions (n = 95) indicate that academics were confronted with a disorienting dilemma that challenged previously unquestioned teaching experiences, beliefs, and values upon transition to remote teaching. This was followed by reflection, adoption, and implementation of different modes of instructional delivery. The results indicate statistically significant differences in critical reflection, openness, and teaching differently based on race. As higher education institutions transition to a "new" phase of instructional delivery, re-thinking professional development and support for the transformed academic in a new operating environment that remains prone to disruptive events becomes imperative.

Unequivocally, South Africa, amid an environment of paucity of resources, faces the arduous challenge of fighting the scourge of coronavirus. This has necessitated assessing the parenting hurdles experienced during the lockdown in eclectic contexts in South Africa. This article applied a review of the literature methodology. The researchers drew their literature from journal articles, monographs, and book chapters and used informal conversations amid their intuitive and experiential powers. The article established that South African families face parenting hurdles driven by the COVID-19 lockdown due to the following factors: Children and their parents driven to a state of duress; children facing various kinds of mistreatment; pecuniary dimensions; lockdown presenting states of distress to people generally; and a surge of gender-based violence. This article recommends that social service professionals such as psychologists, counsellors, and social workers be on the frontline in discharging various psychotherapeutic education to the communities. These researchers also recommend that the government and other community development practitioners emphasize the application of the tenets of ubuntu as a conflict resolution tool to reduce conflicts and afford the children qualitative parenting. This research provides some interventions for handling parenting during any other disruptions, such as the coronavirus-imposed lockdown.

As the population increases and manufacturing grows, greenhouse gas and other harmful emissions increase. Contaminated with chemicals such as dyes, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, oil, heavy metals or radionuclides, wastewater purification has become an urgent issue. Various technologies exist that can remove these contaminants from wastewater sources, but they often demand high energy and/or high cost, and in some cases produce contaminant laden sludge that requires safe disposal. The need for methods which are less capital intensive, less operationally costly and more environmentally friendly is suggested. Cellulose-based materials have emerged as promising candidates for wastewater treatment due to their renewability, low cost, biodegradability, hydrophilicity, and antimicrobial property. In this review article, we focussed on developing sustainable and biodegradable cellulose-based materials for wastewater treatment. This article deals with cellulose-based materials’ scope and their conversion into valuable products like hydrogel, aerogel, cellulose composites, and nanocellulose. The cellulose-based materials have no harmful environmental impact and are plentiful. The modified cellulose-based materials applying as membrane, adsorbent, sorbent, and beads to purify the wastewater were discussed. Finally, the challenges and future prospects of cellulose-based materials for wastewater treatment were considered, emphasizing their potential to be sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives to traditional materials used in wastewater treatment.

This study sought to examine the factors that influence women’s health in conflict zones for the period spanning 1975–2018. The investigation was motivated by the fact that war and violent conflict strain already underdeveloped healthcare systems and frequently put disadvantaged groups—particularly women and children—at risk of being denied access to essential services like healthcare. Living in or close to conflict zones puts women at a higher risk for sexual assault, poor reproductive health, unwanted pregnancy, and poor maternal health outcomes. By destroying infrastructure, food, water, and sanitation systems, armed conflict reduces access to healthcare. The results showed that the remittances and life expectancy have a negative relationship with maternal mortality. Development assistance, the number of refuges, and military expenditure were seen as having a positive relationship with maternal mortality, but no significant relationship was found with either economic growth or internet usage. This calls for new policy and self-care interventions. There is also a need to explore how to maximise the benefits of technology in delivering health interventions to hard-to-reach populations. There is also a need for policymakers to explore how to maximise the benefits of technology in delivering health interventions to hard-to-reach populations.

This paper documents the pedagogical competencies of Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) students prepared to teach Accounting. There is an arguably perspective that students who tailored their teaching qualification through the PGCE programme are not competent to teach at a school level compared to students who did an Initial Teacher Education Bachelors degree. Further, there is an observation that school principals prefer to employ B.Ed. teachers than PGCEs underpinned by the thinking that the former are better prepared in terms of pedagogy. The Social Learning theory foregrounded this study and sought to respond to two questions: What are the pedagogical competencies of PGCE students to teach Accounting? How can pedagogical competency be enhanced in the PGCE programme? This study adopted a qualitative approach and a constructivist paradigm to understand the research phenomenon. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three school mentors and thematic analysis was employed to analyse the data. The study found that PGCE students are pedagogically incompetent to teach Accounting since they possess insufficient subject knowledge, limited conceptualisation of teaching strategies, and PGCE students dawdle to complete Accounting content. Furthermore, pedagogical competency among PGCE can be enhanced through programme development splitting into two phases and content modules development. In light of the above findings, this study recommends that PGCE students must be provided continuous professional development which would act as a bridge to the perceived incompetency among PGCE students in South Africa. The study also concludes that the PGCE programme among universities must focus more on pedagogical competency through Social Learning theory as it can fully capacitate students to achieve the expected competencies in teaching. The study contributes knowledge and proposes suggestions to improve teaching training programmes, particularly PGCE among South African universities.

Abstract Background Diabetes affects 75% of people in low-income countries, where conventional drugs like metformin are available, but newer drugs like alpha-glucosidase inhibitors are not accessible to most Southern African patients. Aim To evaluate the α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitory activities of fractionated aqueous extracts of Kigelia africana fruit (KAFE) and their phytochemical fingerprints using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Materials and methods We studied K. africana fruit fractions' inhibitory effects on alpha-glucosidase and alpha-amylase using bioassay-guided fractionation, and analyzed their phytochemical profiles with GC–MS. Key findings Both the aqueous extract and ethyl acetate fraction of the aqueous extract exhibited a low dose-dependent inhibition of alpha-amylase activity (p

Abstract Background Tuberculosis (TB), a leading cause of infectious death, is curable when patients complete a course of multi-drug treatment. Because entry into the TB treatment cascade usually relies on symptomatic individuals seeking care, little is known about linkage to care and completion of treatment in people with subclinical TB identified through community-based screening. Methods Participants of the Vukuzazi study, a community-based survey that provided TB screening in the rural uMkhanyakude district of KwaZulu-Natal from May 2018 – March 2020, who had a positive sputum (GeneXpert or Mtb culture, microbiologically-confirmed TB) or a chest x-ray consistent with active TB (radiologically-suggested TB) were referred to the public health system. Telephonic follow-up surveys were conducted from May 2021 – January 2023 to assess linkage to care and treatment status. Linked electronic TB register data was accessed. We analyzed the effect of baseline HIV and symptom status (by WHO 4-symptom screen) on the TB treatment cascade. Results Seventy percent (122/174) of people with microbiologically-confirmed TB completed the telephonic survey. In this group, 84% (103/122) were asymptomatic and 46% (56/122) were people living with HIV (PLWH). By self-report, 98% (119/122) attended a healthcare facility after screening, 94% (115/122) started TB treatment and 93% (113/122) completed treatment. Analysis of electronic TB register data confirmed that 67% (116/174) of eligible individuals started TB treatment. Neither symptom status nor HIV status affected linkage to care. Among people with radiologically-suggested TB, 48% (153/318) completed the telephonic survey, of which 80% (122/153) were asymptomatic and 52% (79/153) were PLWH. By self-report, 75% (114/153) attended a healthcare facility after screening, 16% (24/153) started TB treatment and 14% (22/153) completed treatment. Nine percent (28/318) of eligible individuals had TB register data confirming that they started treatment. Conclusions Despite high rates of subclinical TB, most people diagnosed with microbiologically-confirmed TB after community-based screening were willing to link to care and complete TB treatment. Lower rates of linkage to care in people with radiologically-suggested TB highlight the importance of streamlined care pathways for this group. Clearer guidelines for the management of people who screen positive during community-based TB screening are needed.

Our study evaluates students' approaches to and perceptions of the use of hands-on at-home laboratory kits (HALK) experiments, open-source computer-based simulations (OSCBS), and their combination (OSCBS-HALK) in undergraduate introductory asynchronous online physics courses. Anonymous survey data from students who had completed online physics courses with labs based on simulations, at-home lab kits, or both were collected using a modified version of the Learn Questionnaire (MVLQ). Findings in this study indicate that among the six scales (interest and relevance; peer support; staff enthusiasm and support; teaching for understanding; alignment; and constructive feedback) used to measure students' perceptions of the teaching and learning environments, interest and relevance, peer support, and teaching for understanding had statistically significant different means across the three lab types. Post-hoc comparisons using the Tukey HSD test for the interest and relevance scale indicated that students viewed using a combination approach of OSCBS and HALK labs (M = 3.98, SD = 0.61) more significantly positive than using computer-simulated labs only (M = 3.56, SD = 0.75). Compared to other labs, computer-simulated labs were perceived to lead to a deep approach to learning. However, they had the lowest interest and relevance, peer support, and alignment ranking among the three lab groups. Thus, developing strategies to improve students' engagement and ability to translate the simulations into physical processes is recommended for OSCBS.

Background: Cardiovascular complications of COVID-19 are numerous and aspects of this phenomenon are not well known. The main objective of this manuscript is a systematic review of the acute and chronic cardiovascular complications secondary to COVID-19. Methods: A systematic review of the literature through Medline via PubMed was conducted (2020–2024). Results: There is a plethora of effects of COVID-19 on the heart in the acute setting. Here we discuss pathophysiology, myocardial infarctions, heart failure, Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy, myocardial injury, myocarditis and arrhythmias that are caused by COVID-19. Additionally, these cardiovascular injuries can linger and may be an underlying cause of some Long COVID symptoms. Conclusions: Cardiovascular complications of COVID-19 are numerous and life-threatening. Long COVID can affect cardiovascular health. Microclotting induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection could be a therapeutic target for some aspects of Long Covid.

Orientation: Globally, employee workplace stress and anxiety are at an all-time high. Yet, we lack knowledge of work-from-home job demands that prompt it. Research purpose: The study sought to determine the influence of work-from-home job demands on workplace anxiety and, in turn, how workplace anxiety affects psychological capital. Motivation for the study: We propose a model that considers four job demands – role ambiguity, work overload, job insecurity and work-home conflict – as sources of workplace anxiety, and in turn the effects of workplace anxiety on psychological capital. Our model posits gender and technology as moderators of the associations among job demands, workplace anxiety and psychological capital. Research approach/design and method: The study utilised partial least squares structural equation modelling to analyse cross-sectional data from a convenience sample of 162 South African employees working from home. Main findings: We found positive effects of job insecurity on workplace anxiety and moderated effects of both job insecurity and work overload on workplace anxiety, with these associations being stronger for females. Workplace anxiety showed a negative but nonsignificant association with psychological capital. Additionally, the buffering effects of perceived ease of use of technology on psychological capital were evident only when workplace anxiety was low. Practical/managerial implications: Organisations should address job insecurity and consider gender’s moderating effects. Additionally, they should foster low-anxiety workplaces and provide proactive training on digital technologies. Contribution/value-add: This study provides one of the first empirical tests of workplace anxiety theory, examining the associations among workplace anxiety, digital technology characteristics and psychological capital.

In my previous work published in an acknowledged publication, titled "Factory test of a TP-100 Lithium Ion Vision Battery System for possible Implementation in Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa," According to the findings from the study report, the TP-100 Vision Lithium-Ion battery system was found to be suitable for implementing a wind turbine system in Soweto. Furthermore, the study's findings indicated that Lithium-Ion batteries were the optimal choice for storing energy in wind turbines. These batteries provided significant total cost of ownership (TCO) reductions over a 10-year period, without the inconvenience and expenses associated with replacing lead-acid batteries. This research paper aims to validate the precision of parameters obtained from the integration of a 160 kVA Vetiv Three Phase UPS to a TP-100 Vision Lithium Ion Battery system in contrast to those obtained from the Battery Monitoring System (BMS) while using Tool BMS Version 1.3 Software. The results validation was evident as the parameters acquired from the UPS and Battery system were found to be accurate when compared to those observed through the BMS tool. Finally, utilizing the Smart Cloud Management System (SCMS), validity was shown by the ability to remotely monitor the operation of both the UPS and the Li-ion Battery system.

In this paper, we extend the block hybrid method with equally spaced intra-step points to solve linear and nonlinear third-order initial value problems. The proposed block hybrid method uses a simple iteration scheme to linearize the equations. Numerical experimentation demonstrates that equally spaced grid points for the block hybrid method enhance its speed of convergence and accuracy compared to other conventional block hybrid methods in the literature. This improvement is attributed to the linearization process, which avoids the use of derivatives. Further, the block hybrid method is consistent, stable, and gives rapid convergence to the solutions. We show that the simple iteration method, when combined with the block hybrid method, exhibits impressive convergence characteristics while preserving computational efficiency. In this study, we also implement the proposed method to solve the nonlinear Jerk equation, producing comparable results with other methods used in the literature.

Abstract Mycobacterial pathogens present a significant challenge to disease control efforts globally due to their inherent resistance to multiple antibiotics. The rise of drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis has prompted an urgent need for innovative therapeutic solutions. One promising way to discover new tuberculosis drugs is by utilizing natural products from the vast biochemical space. Multidisciplinary methods can used to harness the bioactivity of these natural products. This study aimed to evaluate the antimycobacterial efficacy of functional crude extracts from bacteria isolated from gold mine tailings in South Africa. Bacterial strains were identified using 16S rRNA sequencing. The crude extracts obtained from the bacteria were tested against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv, Mycobacterium smegmatis mc2155, and Mycobacterium aurum A+. Untargeted HPLC-qTOF and molecular networking were used to identify the functional constituents present in extracts that exhibited inhibitory activity. A virtual screening workflow (VSW) was used to filter compounds that were strong binders to Mycobacterium tuberculosis Pks13 and PknG. The ligands returned from the VSW were subjected to optimization using density functional theory (DFT) at M06-2X/6-311++ (d,p) level of theory and basis set implemented in Gaussian16 Rev.C01. The optimized ligands were re-docked against Mycobacterium tuberculosis Pks13 and PknG. Molecular dynamics simulation and molecular mechanics generalized born surface area were used to evaluate the stability of the protein–ligand complexes formed by the identified hits. The hit that showed promising binding characteristics was virtually modified through multiple synthetic routes using reaction-driven enumeration. Three bacterial isolates showed significant activity against the two strains of Mycobacterium, while only two, Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis, exhibited activity against both Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv, Mycobacterium smegmatis mc2155, and Mycobacterium aurum A+. The tentatively identified compounds from the bacterial crude extracts belonged to various classes of natural compounds associated with antimicrobial activity. Two compounds, cyclo-(L-Pro-4-OH-L-Leu) and vazabitide A, showed strong binding against PknG and Pks13, with pre-MD MM-GBSA values of − 42.8 kcal/mol and − 47.6 kcal/mol, respectively. The DFT-optimized compounds exhibited the same docking scores as the ligands optimized using the OPSL-4 force field. After modifying vazabitide A, its affinity to the Pks13 binding site increased to − 85.8 kcal/mol, as revealed by the post-MD MM-GBSA analysis. This study highlights the potential of bacteria isolates from gold mine tailings as a source of new scaffolds for designing and optimizing anti-Mycobacterium agents. These agents synthesized in-silico can be further tested in-vitro to evaluate their efficacy.

Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) in Africa, covering 66 % of the continent and are home to around 200 million people, face significant water scarcity challenges due to harsh climatic conditions. This systematic review assesses the effectiveness, socio-economic impacts, and implementation challenges of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for water resource management in these regions. Analysing 9906 research articles narrowed to 143 studies, the review identified critical NbS interventions, including water conservation, soil moisture and conservation, water harvesting, conservation agriculture, agroforestry, and afforestation. The studies focused on biophysical aspects (31 %), socio-economic issues (39 %), or both (30 %), with an emphasis on water quantity (96 %) over quality (3 %). These interventions' direct (43 %) and indirect (55 %) impacts were examined. Findings show that 52 % of the studies meet all effectiveness criteria: socio-economic benefits, sustainable resource use, resource enhancement and conservation, and infrastructure sustainability. Stakeholder engagement in co-designing NbS significantly enhances their effectiveness and the integration of indigenous knowledge. Geographic distribution highlights concentrated research in eastern, southern, and western Africa, particularly in Ethiopia, Kenya, and South Africa, with underrepresentation in northern and central regions. The review identifies gaps in water quality interventions and calls for more comprehensive approaches. The review highlights NbS' potential to improve water availability, ecosystem resilience, and socio-economic development in ASALs. However, challenges such as limited stakeholder involvement, inadequate integration of indigenous knowledge, and regional research disparities need addressing. The study recommends prioritising the participation of local communities and stakeholders from the planning stages to implementation to enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of future NbS projects.

BackgroundMinors who sell sex are likely to have complex mental health needs that may persist into adulthood. This topic is understudied in sub-Saharan Africa. This study hypothesized that adult female sex workers in Eswatini who started selling sex as minors have a higher prevalence of depression than those who started as adults. We also examined correlates of depression and underage initiation of selling sex, including stigma and condom-related behaviors.MethodsFrom October-December 2014, women aged 18 or older who sold sex in the past 12 months in Eswatini were recruited through venue-based sampling. Participants completed a survey including the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and a question about the age at which they first sold sex for money. T-tests, χ2 tests and multivariable logistic regression were used to assess associations.ResultsOverall, 43.1% of participants (332/770) had probable depression, and 16.6% (128/770) started selling sex as minors under the age of 18. Over half (55.5%, 71/128) of those who started selling sex as minors had depression. This was significantly higher than the 40.7% (261/642) prevalence of depression among participants who started selling sex as adults (p = 0.002). After adjusting for confounders, female sex workers who started selling sex as minors had higher odds of depression than those who started as adults (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.70, 95% confidence interval 1.11-2.60).ConclusionResults highlight the need for trauma-informed and adolescent-friendly mental health services in settings free of stigma toward female sex workers in Eswatini.

Following the Ukraine humanitarian crisis, which was a result of the war in Ukraine, ordinary citizens stepped up to spontaneously coordinate various humanitarian responses to support affected populations. In this article such individuals who founded or coordinated this form of spontaneous humanitarian aid are referred to as citizen aid actors (CAA). This paper explores the work of citizen aid actors in Poland, a country which received many of the people displaced by the war in Ukraine. The study applies the concept of digital affordances to illustrate and argue that citizen aid actors relied on the features available on digital platforms to attain their goals. It is an outcome of a qualitative research approach where interviews, participant observation, and analysis of relevant online material about the studied citizen aid actors were used as methods of collecting data. The findings indicate that these actors used diverse digital platforms at different stages of the humanitarian aid projects, from establishment, organization and sustenance. While this study demonstrates how specific digital platforms contributed to the accomplishment of the work done by CAAs, it also highlights how problematic it can be when the actors largely rely on digital platforms. As such, potential risks associated with overreliance on digital platforms as a way of implementing projects are factored in. Ensuing concerns include the presence of online trolls, the spreading of fake news, and internet disruptions as potential obstacles for the success of the aid projects.

Flue Gas Desulfurization Gypsum (FGDG), an industrial by-product generated by power plants, was thermally treated and incorporated in cement-free fly ash bricks. This study aimed to determine the effects of using a thermally treated FGDG as an additive to improve the mechanical and structural properties of cement-free fly ash bricks. FGDG was thermally treated for 2 h at different temperatures. The influence of varying amounts (10–50%) of thermally treated FGDG on the performance of cement-free bricks was analyzed through mechanical properties, micrography, durability, the evolution of particle size distribution and environmental characteristics experiments. The effect of curing temperatures and curing age on the strength development and microstructural properties was also investigated. A Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) was carried out to determine the leachability of metals from the synthesized FA cement-free brick. The results showed that the FGDG had a high calcium oxide content. In contrast, FA is mainly composed of silica, and both materials carry cementitious properties making both good raw materials for this study. The FA cement-free bricks containing 30% of thermally treated FGDG, oven-cured at 60 ℃, yielded the highest unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of 7.14 MPa. However, curing at ambient temperature for 28 days yielded a better UCS of 7.37 MPa. The particle size distribution showed that particles transformed from fine particles at 7 days to larger particles at 28 days due to particle growth. Durability tests showed that the developed bricks could withstand 7 wet/dry cycles. The TCLP showed that the leachability concentrations of all metals are within the limit and, therefore, can be potentially used as a building material in backfilling. The synthesis of FA/FGDG composite will aid in reducing the generated waste gypsum in landfills consequently eradicating human health challenges and loss of biodiversity. This paper showed that developing FA/FGDG composites will reduce their environmental impact and make them a resource for other valuable products such as backfilling applications and green building bricks.

Abstract Objectives The objectives were to determine the surgical modality with the lowest aerosol and droplets generated by commonly used modalities in oropharyngeal and laryngeal surgery. Methods A simulation of oropharyngeal and laryngeal surgery was set up using fresh sheep heads. Four common surgical modalities were utilized: cold steel, electrocautery, coblation, and microdebrider. The resultant aerosol generated was evaluated using two measurement modalities at two key positions in the theater. (1) DustTrak Pro Aerosol Monitor was used to measure the concentration of particles. (2) Fluorescein dye coated on the oropharynx and larynx, and the resultant scatter on paper. Results Electrocautery and coblation produced statistically significant increases in the concentration of aerosols (p

Science, technology, and innovation (STI) play a vital role in driving economic growth and social development. STI measurement, including the measurement of Research and Development (R&D) investment, is crucial in providing evidence for policy and decision-making to support STI in a country. In South Africa, the Human Sciences Research Council's Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators (CeSTII), has, on behalf of the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), conducted the annual national R&D Survey over the past two decades. As part of this, CeSTII has maintained an extensive database of historic unit-level survey responses. To date, the centre has a rich repository of curated R&D survey data series. These datasets are key tools for enhancing the system of STI indicators for evidence-based policy-making within the National System of Innovation (NSI). In this survey, CeSTII annually collects and reports on the country's R&D expenditure and personnel data across five sectors: business, not-for-profit organisations, government, science councils, and higher education institutions. Recently, these individual datasets have been merged to establish a coherent time series dataset to mitigate the challenge of repeatedly seeking historical data, which may be cumbersome and time-intensive process. The R&D indicators statistics are used by the government to inform STI policy on R&D for national priorities and required R&D funding levels and for monitoring and benchmarking purposes.

Abstract The endoxylanase XT6 produced by Geobacillus stearothermophilus is a desirable candidate for industrial applications. In this study, the gene encoding XT6 was cloned using the pET-28a expression vector and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) cells. Recombinant XT6 production was improved by optimizing cell lysis (sonication, chemical, and enzymatic lysis) and expression conditions. Sonication in a 0.05 M sodium phosphate (pH 6.0) buffer resulted in the highest xylanase activity (16.48 U/ml). Screening and optimization of induction conditions using the Plackett–Burman Design and Box-Behnken Design (BBD) approaches revealed that cell density pre-induction (OD600 nm), post-induction incubation time, and IPTG concentration significantly (p

The necessity to utilise environmentally friendly resources has emerged due to environmental management. With the demand for the production of plastics and wood materials, pollution has increased. Consequently, the attraction in natural fibre-reinforced polymer composites (NFPCs) is rapidly emerging in the construction industry, mainly to replace synthetic fibre composites. The intensified interest is associated with manufacturing ‘green’ and lightweight panels. This review provides insight into the prospects and challenges related to the processing of wood waste-reinforced polymer composites. Using natural fibres, especially waste as raw material, is desirable for developing value-added products to mitigate environmental pollution. The current materials used for the wood-based composites are reviewed as disadvantages associated with wood plastic composites, such as low interfacial bonding. Efforts such as chemical treatment are outlined to wood fibres to manufacture an environmentally friendly, cost-effective, lightweight, and biodegradable composite with enhanced structural properties was provided. Various waste plastics, plant dust, and coupling agents-based composites investigated for applications, and emerging aspects of wood plastic composite for construction materials applications are outlined.

Since apartheid was formally abolished in 1994, South Africa has had a complicated social environment. Even though the end of apartheid was a great achievement, this country is now facing a number of societal issues that affect social cohesiveness. These issues include high unemployment rates, racial conflicts, economic inequality, and land reform-related problems. In addition, South Africa has problems with crime, corruption, and service delivery, all of which erode public confidence in institutions and exacerbate social unrest. Rainbowism is one tactic employed to promote social cohesion; however, much debate exists about its capacity to deliver. Therefore, this study proposes Kwame Nkrumah’s philosophical consciencism as a means of promoting social cohesion in South Africa.

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) occurs when HIV depletes CD4+ helper T cells. Some patients develop AIDS slowly or not at all, and are termed long-term non-progressors (LTNP), and while mutations in the HIV-1 Viral Protein R (vpr) gene such as R77Q are associated with LTNP, mechanisms for this correlation are unclear. This study examines the induction of apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, and pro-inflammatory cytokine release in the HUT78 T cell line following infection with replication-competent wild-type strain NL4-3, the R77Q mutant, or a vpr Null mutant. Our results show a significant enhancement of apoptosis and G2 cell cycle arrest in HUT78 cells infected with R77Q, but not with WT NL4-3 or the vpr Null strain. Conversely, HUT78 cells infected with the WT virus show higher levels of necrosis. We also detected lower TNF and IL-6 release after infection with R77Q vs. WT. The apoptotic phenotype was also seen in the CEM cell line and in primary CD4+ T cells. Protein expression of the R77Q vpr variant was low compared to WT vpr, but expression levels alone cannot explain these phenotypes because the Null virus did not show apoptosis or G2 arrest. These results suggest that R77Q triggers a non-inflammatory apoptotic pathway that attenuates inflammation, possibly contributing to LTNP.

This study introduces data mining methods to accounting education scholarship to explore the relationship between accounting students' current academic performance (grades), demographic information, pre-university entrance scores and predicted academic performance. It adopts a C4.5 classification algorithm based on decision-tree analysis to examine 640 accounting students enrolled in an undergraduate accounting program at an Australian university. A significant contribution of this study is improved prediction of academic performance and identification of characteristics of students deemed to be at risk. By partitioning students into sub-groups based on tertiary entrance scores and employing clustering of study units, this study facilitates a more nuanced understanding of predictor attributes. Key findings were the dominance of a cluster of second year units in predicting students' later academic performance; that gender did not influence performance; and that performance in first year at university, rather than secondary school grades, was the most important predictor of subsequent academic performance.

Learning and teaching of Accounting at all levels of education require the adoption of learner-centred approaches. However, a number of studies have shown that educational initiatives that entail a shift from teacher-centred to learner-centred learning and teaching practices often fail at classroom level. Lack of ability to teach in learner-centred ways may be constrained by limited understanding of learner-centred pedagogy which is caused by various mechanisms including conflicting cultures and discourses. This paper is different from other studies in that it neither analyses pedagogic practices nor explains why teachers cannot teach in learner-centred ways, but attempts to support teachers as agents of change by developing an understanding of learner-centred pedagogy from a Bernsteinian perspective. Bernstein's principles of classification and framing are used as a framework for describing and explaining learnercentred pedagogy with the aim of making contributions towards improving Accounting learning and teaching practices through enhancing the "recognition" of learner-centred pedagogy as an important step towards its "realisation".