Global trends towards the professionalization of Health Professions Education (HPE) have catalyzed the proliferation of degree-awarding programmes in HPE. We apply the theoretical lens of threshold ...concepts to explore the required levels of Master's in HPE (MHPE) learning and teaching, with a view to determining how students might be supported to engage meaningfully with learning.
Qualitative data were collected with a series of nominal group discussions. The methodology and data analysis followed a consensus building approach.
Four threshold concepts were identified: Being in the HPE world, the nature of HPE knowledge, the nature of HPE practice and the nature of HPE scholarship. We also mapped the threshold concepts to the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) master's level academic skills and the Scottish Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) facets of mastersness.
It is envisaged that our findings will enhance alignment between the outcomes and assessment in an MHPE programme, form the basis of understanding feedback received from students, and inform teaching and supervisory practices. The findings also complement the WFME and QAA frameworks by clarifying the depth and complexity of academic skills expected at master's level and informing teaching and learning approaches to support the development of the identified threshold concepts.
BACKGROUND. Reflective practice has become an integral component of the new Bachelor of Science (BSc) radiography programme in South Africa (SA). As a result, lecturers on the programme are required ...to facilitate reflective learning, and are assumed to be skilled in this. However, relevant literature indicates that health professions educators may not necessarily possess the requisite competence or experience in facilitating reflective learning. Moreover, there is a paucity in the literature on lecturers' perceptions and understanding of reflective practice in the context of undergraduate radiography curricula, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. OBJECTIVE. To gain insight into BSc radiography lecturers' perceptions and understanding of reflective practice at a selected university of technology in SA. METHODS. This was a qualitative exploratory study in which individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with lecturers teaching on the new BSc Radiography programme. The purposively selected sample consisted of 11 participants. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed. RESULTS. Analysis of the data revealed three themes, namely diverse understandings of reflective practice among lecturers, factors influencing optimal facilitation of reflective learning and strategies to improve reflective practice. CONCLUSION. The findings of this study indicated that lecturers felt unprepared to facilitate reflective practice in the new BSc radiography curriculum. The need for faculty development initiatives, such as an introduction to reflective tools and educational strategies to support lecturers in facilitating reflective practice, was highlighted. Furthermore, it was found that if objectives were clearly outlined and facilitator guides available, a desired reflective practice could be established.
HEALTH Recent studies have shown that the detection of SARS-CoV-2 genetic material in wastewater may provide the basis for a surveillance system to track the environmental dissemination of this virus ...in communities. An effective wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) system may prove critical in South Africa (SA), where health systems infrastructure, testing capacity, personal protective equipment and human resource capacity are constrained. In this proof-of-concept study, we investigated the potential of SARS-CoV-2 RNA surveillance in untreated wastewater as the basis for a system to monitor COVID-19 prevalence in the population, an early warning system for increased transmission, and a monitoring system to assess the effectiveness of interventions. The laboratory confirmed the presence (qualitative analysis) and determined the RNA copy number of SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (quantitative) analysis from 24-hour composite samples collected on 18 June 2020 from five wastewater treatment plants in Western Cape Province, SA. The study has shown that a WBE system for monitoring the status and trends of COVID-19 mass infection in SA is viable, and its development and implementation may facilitate the rapid identification of hotspots for evidence-informed interventions.
•South Africa's largest floodplain not been assessed for OCPs for three decades.•High OCP concentration found in other aquatic ecosystems of eastern South Africa.•OCPs and stable isotopes assessed in ...ecologically and economically important fishes.•High levels of γ-HCH (Lindane) in all species sampled•Trophic transfer of DDT demonstrated major ecological and human health risks.
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Background. Reflective practice has become an integral component of the new Bachelor of Science (BSc) radiography programme in South Africa (SA). As a result, lecturers on the programme are required ...to facilitate reflective learning, and are assumed to be skilled in this. However, relevant literature indicates that health professions educators may not necessarily possess the requisite competence or experience in facilitating reflective learning. Moreover, there is a paucity in the literature on lecturers' perceptions and understanding of reflective practice in the context of undergraduate radiography curricula, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.Objective. To gain insight into BSc radiography lecturers' perceptions and understanding of reflective practice at a selected university of technology in SA.Methods. This was a qualitative exploratory study in which individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with lecturers teaching on the new BSc Radiography programme. The purposively selected sample consisted of 11 participants. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed.Results. Analysis of the data revealed three themes, namely diverse understandings of reflective practice among lecturers, factors influencing optimal facilitation of reflective learning and strategies to improve reflective practice.Conclusion. The findings of this study indicated that lecturers felt unprepared to facilitate reflective practice in the new BSc radiography curriculum. The need for faculty development initiatives, such as an introduction to reflective tools and educational strategies to support lecturers in facilitating reflective practice, was highlighted. Furthermore, it was found that if objectives were clearly outlined and facilitator guides available, a desired reflective practice could be established.
The use of 1,1′-(2,2,2-Trichloro-1,1-ethanediyl)bis(4-chlorobenzene) (DDT) as a pesticide for the control of insects vectors responsible for the spread of many life threatening diseases was ...officially banned in 1972 by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). It was banned throughout the world, in most developed countries, because of the toxic effects it causes in wildlife, including birds and fish. However, DDT is still used in approximately 43 African countries, including South Africa, to control the spread of malaria. The lipophilic nature of DDT and therefore its persistence in the environment makes it extremely important for laboratory based studies to be conducted in an effort to evaluate the accumulation potential and possible physiological effects of DDT in aquatic organisms under controlled conditions. The aim of this study was to establish baseline bioaccumulation concentrations within Synodontis zambezensis following an acute exposure to 4,4′-DDT. The three metabolites analysed were 4,4′-DDE, 4,4′-DDD and 4,4′-DDT. None of the 2,4′-isomers were analysed in this study since the acute exposure used a solution of 98.7% pure 4,4′-DDT (Sigma-Aldrich PESTANAL®, Analytical Standard, CAS-No 50-29-3, Batch number SZBE057XV) and not a mixture of 4,4′-DDT and 2,4′-DDT as found in technical grade DDT. Soxhlet extraction of tissue samples and liquid/liquid extraction of water samples followed by analysis through Gas-chromatography mass-spectrophotometry was completed. Mean 4,4′-DDE, 4,4′-DDD and 4,4′-DDT concentrations ranged from 15.34 ng/g to 45.34 ng/g, 28.16 ng/g to 63.25 ng/g and 28.64 ng/g to 96.21 ng/g respectively. All of the accumulated concentrations fell within environmentally relevant concentrations with no input through the food web. The accumulated concentrations of 4,4′-DDT and its three metabolites resulted in oxidative stress responses within the gills and the liver tissue of S. zambezensis. Significant differences (p ≤ .05) were observed between malondialdehyde (MDA) and reduced glutathione (GSH) within the liver and in superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and reduced glutathione (GSH) in the gills.
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•4,4′-DDT bio-accumulates in fish muscle tissue after an acute exposure period.•Bio-accumulation occurs directly through the aquatic environment.•Physiological adaptations are clearly indicated through oxidative stress biomarkers.•Oxidative stress biomarkers are seen in both the gills and liver tissue.
This study evaluated the occurrence and fate of fourteen contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) at two South African wastewater treatment works (WWTW). Daily loads of the drug targets were ...calculated in the aqueous phase of influent- and effluent wastewater to evaluate their fate at the treatment works, along with population-normalised daily loads in raw influent wastewater to identify community-wide substance use patterns in the two study areas. Environmental risk characterisation of the CECs at WWTW effluent discharge was done using conventional risk quotient (RQ) estimations. A significant reduction of most CECs was observed at both WWTW locations, except for some that have been previously recorded to persist through various WWTW processes globally, including the illicit drug methaqualone that was reported here for the first time to evaluate its fate during wastewater treatment, substance use trends, and potential toxicological risk. Moderate-to high-RQs were estimated for several target CECs during the sampling period for both treatment facilities. The results presented here suggest the need for a multi-disciplinary approach to WWTW monitoring of CECs and highlight the need for further refinement of risk assessment approaches to mitigate recalcitrant- or pseudo-persistent CECs in wastewater discharge. Such refinement should include: (1) identifying the potential ecological risk on a wider range of sentinel indicators, (2) interaction of CECs with various biochemical pathways (including sub-lethal toxicity responses), (3) identifying the persistence and toxicological risks of breakdown products and (4) partitioning of CECs in the aqueous environment and/or bioaccumulation in freshwater biota.
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•Occurrence of 14 CECs at two South African WWTWs over a period of two years.•A novel report on the presence and fate of the illicit drug methaqualone in WWTWs.•Population-normalised daily load estimates of consumed drugs in the study areas.•Moderate-to high toxicity risk estimations of selected CECs in the WWTW effluents.
•Row orientation and microclimate affected berry pulp temperature.•Berries gained heat energy from ambient temperature and direct irradiance.•Pulp temperature responded to skin colour ...development.•Berry temperature and ripeness level affected primary and secondary composition.•Phenols and individual anthocyanins reacted to radiation and temperature changes.
Ambient radiation and temperature are global drivers of grapevine growth, grape yield and composition, and wine quality. Knowledge of the implications of vineyard row orientation/microclimate is required for decision-making in current and future macro- and mesoclimates. Temporal and cumulative microclimatic changes, induced by vine row orientation (NS; EW; NE-SW; NW-SE) of vertically trellised Shiraz grapevines, on berry pulp temperature and composition at different ripeness levels were investigated. Berries dynamically gained heat energy relative to: ambient climate/weather; direct canopy wall/bunch irradiance; and berry skin colour development. Berries exposed to direct solar radiation during the morning, leading to higher pulp temperatures than ambient, but having a cooling profile after that, resulted in slightly advanced sugar ripening and generally higher skin total anthocyanins and phenols, without significant effects on pH and titratable acidity, at the respective ripeness levels. In contrast, excessive exposure of bunches and those that built up heat, reaching highest temperatures during late afternoon, seemed not conducive to grape composition associated with higher quality. The S, SE, E and NE canopy sides showed consistently higher skin total anthocyanin and phenol contents than their counter sides. Except for acylated forms of peonidin-glucoside, anthocyanin (mono-, acetyl- and coumaroyl-glucosides) accumulation was mostly favoured in berries exposed to exterior canopy sides, but differences in acylated anthocyanins between exterior-facing and interior-facing berries were less than for mono-glucoside anthocyanins. Over-exposure and heat peaking during late afternoon seemed detrimental. Novel information on berry pulp temperature variation in a developing composite grape bunch, exposed to weather and microclimate fluctuation, is provided. An ostensibly homogeneous bunch in reality represents a dynamic berry pulp thermal range at any point in time. Cumulative thermal and radiation impact was evident. This is the first comprehensive attestation on the role of grapevine row orientation (or any viticulture practice) in the management of seasonal nocturnal- and diurnal berry temperature and concomitant composition.
•The impact of row orientation and grape ripeness level (NS, EW, NE-SW, NW-SE; 23°B, 25°B, 27°B) on grapevine growth and yield was studied under field conditions.•Novel information was obtained at ...different grape ripeness levels, profiling the vegetative development, yields, and reproductive characteristics.•Overall average yields (over ripeness levels) of NS, EW, NE-SW and NW-SE orientations were 18.2, 17.1, 17.1 and 17.4ton/ha, respectively.•Despite minor changes in vegetative canopy development, yield:cane mass ratios indicated that row orientation changed growth balances.•Results are globally relevant within the context of particularly climate profiles and general viticulture cultivation methods, mainly with respect to vertical canopy architecture.•Results are vital for field crop establishment, management and production and show the value of grapevine row orientation as viticulture practice.
Effects of vineyard row orientation (NS, EW, NE-SW, NW-SE) and harvesting dates/grape ripeness levels (23°B, 25°B and 27°B) on vegetative and reproductive growth characteristics of vertically trellised, shoot positioned Vitis vinifera L. cv. Shiraz, grafted onto rootstock 101–14Mgt, were investigated for seven consecutive seasons on a flat site of approximately 3ha with uniform clayey loam soil at the experiment farm of ARC Infruitec-Nietvoorbij in the Breede River Valley, Robertson, South Africa. Primary and secondary shoot characteristics showed minor differences between row orientations and canopy sides. Primary shoot lengths and primary leaf area:secondary leaf area ratios averaged 110–120cm and 0.80–0.90, respectively. Secondary leaf area of primary shoots on S and SW sides tended to be lower. The SW canopy side displayed generally lower values for most characteristics. Higher cane mass was obtained for NS and EW orientations. Bud fertility, berry set and general morphology of bunches were largely unaffected by row orientation. Bunch and berry mass and volume progressively decreased during ripening for all row orientation treatments. The EW row orientation resulted in consistently higher berry mass and volume. Leaf area (10–12cm2)/g fresh mass values showed equal balance for differently orientated vines, aligned with generally acknowledged criteria. Average yields of three ripeness levels over row orientations and seasons were 19.2, 17.4 and 15.9tons/ha. Overall total yield losses from ripeness level 1–2 and 2–3 averaged 9.5% and 8.6%, respectively, with an overall total yield loss from ripeness level 1–3 of 17.3%. This is mainly attributed to a decrease in berry mass; rachis mass showed high stability. The NS orientated vines had highest yields over seasons and at all ripeness levels; it also displayed most stable yields over the years of study and may be considered the most ideal row orientation for yield within the terroir of study. Yields of the other row orientations varied according to season/ripeness level: at ripeness level 1, NE-SW was followed by NW-SE and EW; at ripeness level 2, NW-SE was followed by EW and NE-SW; and at ripeness level 3; EW was followed by NW-SE and NE-SW. The NW-SE row orientation was stable at an average level and EW and NE-SW orientations were variable. Overall average yields (over ripeness levels) of NS, EW, NE-SW and NW-SE orientations were 18.2, 17.1, 17.1 and 17.4ton/ha, respectively. Despite minor differences in vegetative characteristics, yield:cane mass ratios indicated that growth balances were affected by row orientation. These trends are of great significance in considerations of an optimal ripeness level for a specific product objective and are very important aspects of sustainability. Results showed significant trends that can globally be used as guidelines for row orientation choices, even when multiple (straight or curved) row orientations per vineyard are used and when vineyards are established in more complex terrains/terroirs. The study provided the first comprehensive and much needed scientific evidence on the role of row orientation in vegetative and reproductive growth of the grapevine and as viticulture practice.
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