Subjects In South Africa Research Articles

A qualitative comparison of the intended curriculum ideologies of STEM subjects in South Africa

AbstractThe democratically elected government of South Africa has enacted several curricular reforms which sought to promote citizenship education. By instituting citizenship education, the government intended to promote student engagement in decision-making, rebuilding, and emancipation of society. The curriculum would facilitate the training of students to become logical thinkers and informed citizens who actively participate in rectifying the injustices and inequalities of the apartheid state. However, a curriculum ideology foregrounding citizenship education has not been extensively understood, especially in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) education. In the current study, we investigated the intended ideologies foregrounding the curriculum of three purposively selected subjects: Natural Sciences, Life Sciences, and Physical Sciences. While Life Sciences and Physical Sciences are taught in grades 10 to 12, Natural Sciences is compulsory and taught in grades 7 to 9. We used structured document analysis to analyze the curriculum documents qualitatively. We discovered evidence of a combination of citizenship-centered, service-centered, discipline-centered, and student-centered ideologies in the subjects to varying degrees. We found neither a single dominant ideology nor evidence of coherence and integration of these ideologies. Given the lack of a dominant curriculum ideology, we argue that teachers and other educational stakeholders may interpret and use the curriculum differently, leading to an “ideological war.” We conclude that these science subjects are unlikely to promote citizenship education as the South African government intends.

Horizontal and vertical individualism and collectivism and preferences for altruism: A social discounting study

Preferences for altruism are important in prosocial human behaviour. Studies have documented some differences in social discounting between cultures based on group-level comparisons. It is not clear however how cultural values such as individualism and collectivism are associated with social discounting at the individual-level. The research reported in this paper is based on an incentivized social discounting experiment conducted with 133 laboratory subjects in South Africa, using the standard social discounting task (SDT) and the 14-item reduced-form IND-COL scale. The analysis explores the associations between preferences for altruism and the Individualism and Collectivism (IC) dichotomy and, more specifically, with the Horizontal and Vertical Individualism and Collectivism (HVIC) schema. The study finds only horizontal collectivism to be associated with greater preferences for altruism. Global shifts toward greater individualism therefore need not threaten the realisation of the benefits of altruism.

BCX9930, a Potent, Selective, Oral Factor D Inhibitor, Demonstrates Proof-of-Concept As Monotherapy in Patients with Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH)

BCX9930, a Potent, Selective, Oral Factor D Inhibitor, Demonstrates Proof-of-Concept As Monotherapy in Patients with Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH)

Political Competition, Partisanship, and Interpersonal Trust Under Party Dominance: Evidence from Post-Apartheid South Africa

AbstractHow does single-party dominance influence interpersonal trust? We draw on evidence from trust games played by more than 2,000 subjects in South Africa, where, since Apartheid, race-based social enmity has persisted under democratic competition characterized by single-party dominance. We find that partisan-based trust discrimination is most pronounced for those who identify with the main opposition party and is driven by strong distrust of rival partisans. These findings underscore how electoral competition, in general, shapes trust across party lines and suggests one-sided competition, in particular, has asymmetrical effects between parties in dominant party systems. Moreover, this study provides additional evidence regarding the relative weights of trustworthiness stereotypes tied to partisanship and race.

5.10-P4Expression of circulating microRNA’s (miRNAs) in blood of mixed ancestry subjects in South Africa with glucose intolerance

5.10-P4Expression of circulating microRNA’s (miRNAs) in blood of mixed ancestry subjects in South Africa with glucose intolerance

Azygos lobe in a South African cadaveric population

Knowledge of the prevalence, morphology, and location of the azygos lobe is essential for diagnostic and surgical procedures of the lungs related to mediastinal pathologies, especially to minimize intraoperative vascular injuries, shock, possible thoracotomy, and even the possibility of pulmonary torsion. Reports on the prevalence of the azygos lobe vary between 0.11% and 1.06%. The aim of this study was to record the prevalence and morphological description of the azygos lobe in the South African cadaveric population. A total of 704 adult cadavers dissected over a 10-year period by students in the Department of Human Anatomy at the Medunsa Campus, University of Limpopo, were studied. The prevalence and dimensions of the azygos lobe were determined with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Results indicate that an azygos lobe was present in the right lung in only four cases (prevalence 0.57%, 95% CI: 0.2%-1.6%). The mean height and width were 6.7 cm (95% CI: 4.4-9.2) and 4.5 cm (95% CI: 3.7-5.2), respectively. Observations on the morphology of the azygos lobe showed that it was rectangular (n = 3) and triangular (n = 1) in shape with smooth margins. In conclusion, the azygos lobe is a rare anomaly in the South African cadaveric population. The present results are comparable with those reported in the literature for other populations. Future radiological studies on the azygos lobe on living subjects in South Africa will be useful for further understanding of this rare but significant anomaly.

Intercontinental hearing assessment – a study in tele-audiology

We evaluated the validity of remote pure tone audiometric testing conducted from North America on subjects in South Africa. Desktop-sharing computer software was used to control an audiometer in Pretoria from Dallas, and PC-based videoconferencing was employed for clinician and subject communication. Thirty adult subjects were assessed, and the pure tone audiometric thresholds (125-8000 Hz) obtained through conventional face-to-face and remote testing were compared. Face-to-face and remote audiometry thresholds differed by 10 dB in only 4% of cases overall. The limits of agreement between the two techniques were -8 and 7 dB with a 90% confidence interval of -5 to 5 dB. The average reaction times to stimulus presentations were similar, within -108 and 121 ms. The average test duration was 21% longer for remote testing (10.4 vs. 8.2 min). There were no clinically significant differences between the results obtained by remote intercontinental audiometric testing and conventional face-to-face audiometry. It may therefore be possible to expand the reach of audiological services into remote underserved regions of the world.

RESEARCH VULNERABILITY: AN ILLUSTRATIVE CASE STUDY FROM THE SOUTH AFRICAN MINING INDUSTRY

The concept of 'vulnerability' is well established within the realm of research ethics and most ethical guidelines include a section on 'vulnerable populations'. However, the term 'vulnerability', used within a human research context, has received a lot of negative publicity recently and has been described as being simultaneously 'too broad' and 'too narrow'. The aim of the paper is to explore the concept of research vulnerability by using a detailed case study - that of mineworkers in post-apartheid South Africa. In particular, the usefulness of Kipnis's taxonomy of research vulnerability will be examined. In recent years the volume of clinical research on human subjects in South Africa has increased significantly. The HIV and TB pandemics have contributed to this increase. These epidemics have impacted negatively on the mining industry; and mining companies have become increasingly interested in research initiatives that address these problems. This case study explores the potential research vulnerability of mineworkers in the context of the South African mining industry and examines measures that can reduce this vulnerability.

RESEARCH VULNERABILITY: AN ILLUSTRATIVE CASE STUDY FROM THE SOUTH AFRICAN MINING INDUSTRY

ABSTRACTThe concept of ‘vulnerability’ is well established within the realm of research ethics and most ethical guidelines include a section on ‘vulnerable populations’. However, the term ‘vulnerability’, used within a human research context, has received a lot of negative publicity recently and has been described as being simultaneously ‘too broad’ and ‘too narrow’.1 The aim of the paper is to explore the concept of research vulnerability by using a detailed case study – that of mineworkers in post‐apartheid South Africa. In particular, the usefulness of Kipnis’s taxonomy of research vulnerability will be examined.2In recent years the volume of clinical research on human subjects in South Africa has increased significantly. The HIV and TB pandemics have contributed to this increase. These epidemics have impacted negatively on the mining industry; and mining companies have become increasingly interested in research initiatives that address these problems. This case study explores the potential research vulnerability of mineworkers in the context of the South African mining industry and examines measures that can reduce this vulnerability.

Safety and efficacy of atovaquone and proguanil hydrochloride for the prophylaxis of Plasmodium falciparum Malaria in South Africa

The objective of this study was to determine the safety and efficacy of atovaquone and proguanil hydrochloride combination therapy for the prophylaxis of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in at-risk nonimmune subjects in South Africa. This openlabel trial was conducted at research sites in South Africa during the main malaria transmission season, February through July. The study volunteers were temporarily living in, or traveling to, a malariaendemic area. They received 1 tablet of 250 mg atovaquone and 100 mg proguanil hydrochloride once daily for up to 10 weeks. Subjects were monitored using sequential clinical and laboratory assessments. Thick blood smears were stained and evaluated by a central laboratory. An immunochromatographic test for P falciparum was also used for on-site patient management. Prophylactic success was summarized using a 95% confidence interval for the proportion of subjects who did not develop parasitemia or who withdrew due to a treatment-related adverse event. A total of 175 subjects (15% women) were enrolled in the trial. The mean duration of drug exposure was 8.9 weeks. The combination of atovaquone and proguanil hydrochloride was well tolerated. The most frequently reported adverse events considered possibly related to study treatment were headache (7%), abdominal pain (2%), increased cough (2%), and skin disorder (2%). No serious adverse events were reported, and no treatment-emergent effects were noted for any laboratory variables. One subject who was noncompliant with therapy developed parasitemia, and 3 subjects withdrew due to a treatment-related adverse event (2 subjects with headache and 1 with nausea and dizziness). The prophylaxis success rate was 97%. In this study, atovaquone and proguanil hydrochloride combination therapy had an excellent safety and efficacy profile for prophylaxis of P falciparum malaria in nonimmune subjects.

Speech-language evaluation of closed head injured subjects in South Africa: Cultural applicability and ecological validity of a test battery

This paper addresses the communicative outcome of a group of closed head injured (CHI) subjects in South Africa. Communicative outcome is evaluated on one test battery currently used for medico-legal assessments in South Africa. It was found that a number of the tests were sensitive to breakdown in this sample, but that the demographic factors of first language and pre-injury education significantly affected performance on some tests. Many test performances were significantly related to return to work, thus confirming the importance of communicative skills in the workplace, and the speech-language pathologist's role in vocational assessment and rehabilitation.

Association of Serum Antibodies to Adherence Lectin with Invasive Amebiasis and Asymptomatic Infection with Pathogenic Entamoeba histolytica

The recognition of the Entamoeba histolytica galactose-inhibitable adherence lectin by antibodies was studied using sera obtained from subjects in South Africa with an amebic liver abscess or asymptomatically pathogenic or nonpathogenic E. histolytica infection and from uninfected regional controls. In addition, sera from healthy American controls or Americans known to be infected with other parasites were studied. Of the 95 sera containing antibodies to total parasite protein, 95% demonstrated antibodies to the 170-kDa heavy subunit but not to the 35-kDa light lectin subunit. All sera (n = 253) were tested by ELISA for antibodies to lectin: 99% from liver abscess patients and all 4 from individuals asymptomatically infected with pathogenic E. histolytica were positive; all from the 40 healthy American controls and the 29 infected with other parasites were negative (P less than .01). The prevalence of serum anti-lectin antibodies was identical (25%) in asymptomatic South Africans with either a nonpathogenic infection or a negative stool culture for E. histolytica. Thus, the presence of serum antibodies to lectin seems to indicate current or prior invasive amebiasis or asymptomatic intestinal infection with pathogenic E. histolytica.

Genitourinary Pathology in Urban Male Blacks of South Africa

A 10-year study of genitourinary cancer in black urban male subjects in South Africa shows that all tumors of the genitourinary tract are rare except for nephroblastoma, which has a similar incidence to other population groups throughout the world. Carcinoma of the bladder is rare despite the endemicity of Bilharzia and, although carcinoma of the prostate is not infrequent in patients up to the seventh decade, after that the incidence is lower than in other population groups in which the rate increases steeply. In accord with other black groups throughout the world tumors of the testis are excessively rare. The comparative infrequency of carcinoma of the penis is ascribed to the relatively high rate of circumcision.

Oral Contraceptives, Anti-Thrombin III and Fibrinolytic Activity in Africans

A comparison of the effects of progestogen-only and combined progestogen-oestrogen types of oral contraceptives on anti-thrombin III activity and fibrinolysis in African subjects in South Africa is reported. The changes in anti-thrombin III activity are similar to those reported in other races, but the augmentation of fibrinolytic activity is more marked than has been reported elsewhere. The possible significance of these findings is discussed.