Solar powered peltier cooling storage for vaccines in rural areas

The research presented in this paper proposes a new design of a vaccine cooling and storage unit that can keep vaccines in the cold chain (2°C to 8°C). This design was done to facilitate effective completion of the African vaccination week. The cooling and storage unit was designed to be compact, portable, well isolated and to make use of a PV solar energy system as a source of electricity. The cooling unit makes use of a Liquid to Air thermoelectric cooling module connected to some tubing and a liquid pump to cool the inside of the cooling unit. The design process also included designing a control system that controls the temperature inside the cooling holder and a monitoring system to monitor the battery voltage and capacity. The system also has a user interface that displays the temperatures inside and outside of the cooling holder, as well as the battery voltage and capacity. The cooling system successfully developed was able to keep vaccines in the cold chain for up to three days, the system could control the temperature of the vaccines with an accuracy of 1°C and was small and portable, but still had enough room to house up to 250 vaccines

'n Kwalitatiewe ontleding van die gevoelens en probleme wat vroue in die egskeidingsproses ondervind

M.A. (Social Work)Please refer to full text to view abstrac

The relationship between work locus of control and psychological capital amongst middle managers in the recruitment industry of South Africa

Orientation: The role of traits as a determinant of states has resulted in researchers closely examining their potential for enhancing work behaviour. This is achieved through the examination of the trait and state perspectives. Research purpose: This research sought to determine the relationship between work locus of control (WLOC) and psychological capital (PsyCap), with the objective of increasing alertness on the trait and state approach. Motivation for the study: The current study investigated the role of traits and states in contributing to the positive psychology arena within the recruitment industry. Research approach, design and method: This longitudinal research design involved 425 middle managers at Time 1 (T1), at both supervisory and specialist levels, and 190 middle managers at supervisory levels at Time 2 (T2). This longitudinal study used a biographical, WLOC and PsyCap questionnaires. Main findings: The findings indicated that WLOC has predictive value for PsyCap: a statistically significant and practical relationship was established between WLOC and PsyCap at T1 and T2. However, the multiple regression analysis results were not consistently demonstrated over time. Practical managerial implications: Understanding the role of personality traits and psychological states can provide managers with additional means of increasing employee efficiency through improving work processes such as recruitment and selection. Contributions/value-add: The recruitment and other industries are encouraged to utilise a strength-based approach to enhance work performance through selection processes that incorporate traits and states to further increase organisational competitiveness

The production and reception of Deon Meyer’s works : an evaluation of the factors contributing to bestseller status

Deon Meyer is a household name in South Africa as a bestselling crime fiction author. This article explores how and why Meyer’s career has evolved in the way that it has, in an attempt to answer the question of what has made him so successful. The focus is not, like so much academic analysis of fiction, on the form or content of Meyer’s work, but rather on the wider social context, and in particular the publishing and reception history of this author. In particular, attention is paid to a few key success factors: the role of the literary agent, the building of international market awareness through the sale of English-language translation and other subsidiary rights, literary awards, and branding decisions. With careful branding, a marketable personality, media exposure and well-chosen paratext, the “Deon Meyer” legend has been able to reach bestselling status.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rscr202015-12-31hb201

Psychological capital, job demands and organisational commitment of employees in a call centre in Durban, South Africa

Orientation: The South African call centre industry is growing as call centres are increasingly used as a means of service delivery to customers. Positive psychologists posit that psychological capital could lead to positive outcomes such as organisational commitment of call centre staff. Research purpose: This study investigated the relationship between psychological capital, job demands and organisational commitment and intended to determine whether psychological capital and job demands predict call centre employees’ organisational commitment. Motivation for the study: The study aimed to explore potential links between psychological capital, job demands and organisational commitment of call centre employees. It is premised on previous research that call centre job demands may be related to commitment to the organisation. Research approach, design and method: This cross-sectional study sampled 117 call centre employees from Durban, South Africa, and used a biographical questionnaire, psychological capital questionnaire, the job-demands-resources scale and the organisational commitment questionnaire to collect data. Main findings: Findings indicated a statistically significant relationship between psychological capital and work overload, as well as a practically and statistically significant relationship (medium effect) between psychological capital and continuance organisational commitment. The results showed that psychological capital has predictive value for continuance organisational commitment. Practical/managerial implications: Psychological capital has predictive value for continuance organisational commitment. Organisations can develop initiatives to enhance positive psychological states and address this relationship. Contribution: The findings could be beneficial to management and employees in considering ways to boost psychological capital in order to improve organisational commitment

(1-Ferrocenyl-4,4,4-trifluoro­butane-1,3-dionato-κ2 O,O)bis­(triphenyl­phosphane)copper(I)

In the title mononuclear coordination complex, [CuFe(C5H5)(C9H5F3O2)(C18H15P)2], the CuI ion is coordinated by the chelating β-diketonate 1-ferrocenyl-4,4,4-trifluoro­butane-1,3-dione ligand through two O atoms and the two datively bonded triphenyl­phosphane ligands resulting in a distorted tetra­hedral coordination sphere. The CuI ion, together with its chelating butane-1,3-dione group, is mutually coplanar [greatest displacement of an atom from this plane = 0.037 (1) Å], and the CuI ion lies slightly above [0.013 (1) Å] the plane. The overall geometry, including the bond distances and angles within the complex, corresponds to those of other reported copper(I) β-diketon­ates featuring organic groups at the β-diketonate ligand

Tetrabenzoporphyrin and -mono-, - Cis -di- and tetrabenzotriazaporphyrin derivatives: Electrochemical and spectroscopic implications of meso CH Group replacement with nitrogen

Nonperipherally hexyl-substituted metal-free tetrabenzoporphyrin (2H-TBP, 1a) tetrabenzomonoazaporphyrin (2H-TBMAP, 2a), tetrabenzo-cis-diazaporphyrin (2H-TBDAP, 3a), tetrabenzotriazaporphyrin (2H-TBTAP, 4a), and phthalocyanine (2H-Pc, 5a), as well as their copper complexes (1b-5b), were synthesized. As the number of meso nitrogen atoms increases from zero to four, Îmax of the Q-band absorption peak becomes red-shifted by almost 100 nm, and extinction coefficients increased at least threefold. Simultaneously the blue-shifted Soret (UV) band substantially decreased in intensity. These changes were related to the relative electron-density of each macrocycle expressed as the group electronegativity sum of all meso N and CH atom groups, âχR. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy differentiated between the three different types of macrocyclic nitrogen atoms (the Ninner, (NH)inner, and Nmeso) in the metal-free complexes. Binding energies of the Nmeso and Ninner,Cu atoms in copper chelates could not be resolved. Copper insertion lowered especially the cathodic redox potentials, while all four observed redox processes occurred at larger potentials as the number of meso nitrogens increased. Computational chemical methods using density functional theory confirmed 1b to exhibit a Cu(II) reduction prior to ring-based reductions, while for 2b, Cu(II) reduction is the first reductive step only if the nonperipheral substituents are hydrogen. When they are methyl groups, it is the second reduction process; when they are ethyl, propyl, or hexyl, it becomes the third reductive process. Spectro-electrochemical measurements showed redox processes were associated with a substantial change in intensity of at least two main absorbances (the Q and Soret bands) in the UV spectra of these compounds

Community Engagement newsletter, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Autumn 2014

Cosmo City community engagement / Justina Allison -- There’s no business like monkey business: Working together towards environmental enrichment for brown capuchins / Michelle Westhof and Natasja Burger -- Back to basics at the Mamelodi Animal Health Clinic (MAHC) / Dr Jeanne Rudman -- Veterinary Student Community Outreach / Khomotso Patrick Ntsibande -- Community Engagement Project at the Pretoria National Zoological Gardens / Rozanne Buitendach.News articles with colour photos about the various community engagement projects of the Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria.ab201

Synthesis, structure and electrochemistry of Fischer alkoxy- and aminocarbene complexes of tungsten : the use of DFT to predict and understand oxidation and reduction potentials

Reactions of Fischer alkoxycarbene complexes [W(CO)5{C(OEt)Ar}], Ar = thienyl (1) or furyl (2), with ethylene diamine lead to the formation of two different reaction products: an aminolysis product (5 or 6) where the ethoxy substituent of the carbene ligand is replaced by the ethylene diamine moiety, as well as a chelated product where aminolysis and substitution of one carbonyl ligand had taken place, yielding 7 or 8. Aminolysis of 1 and 2 with cyclohexyl amine (CHA) produced the aminocarbene complexes 3 (Ar = thienyl) and 4 (Ar = furyl). Complexes 1-8 are electrochemically investigated by means of cyclic voltammetry. The relative shifts in the oxidation and reduction potentials are discussed and related to density functional theory (DFT) calculated energies. DFT calculations further show that the oxidation center is located on the metal and the carbonyl groups, while the reduction center is localized on the carbene moiety and is strongly influenced by the electronic properties of its substituents. Crystal structures of 1-4, 6 and 8 are reported.Norwegian Supercomputing Program (NOTUR) through a grant of computer time (Grant No. NN4654K) (J.C.), the South African National Research Foundation (J.C.) and the Central Research Fund of the University of the Free State, Bloemfontein (J.C.), and the University of Pretoria (M.L. and P.H.v.R.).http://pubs.acs.org/journal/orgnd7hb201

Consequences of electron-density manipulations on the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic properties of ferrocenyl-β-diketonato complexes of manganese(III). structure of [Mn(FcCOCHCOCH3)3]

Reaction of [Mn3(OAc)6O·3H2O](+) (1) with ferrocenyl β-diketones of the type FcCOCH2COR with R = CF3 (2a) and CH3 (2b), Ph = C6H5 (2c), and Fc = Fe(II)(η(5)-C5H4)(η(5)-C5H5) (2d) yielded a series of ferrocene-functionalized β-diketonato manganese(III) complexes 3a-3d, respectively, of general formula [Mn(FcCOCHCOR)3]. The mixed-ligand β-diketonato complex [Mn(FcCOCHCOFc)2(FcCOCHCOCH3)] (4) was obtained by reacting mixtures of diketones 2b and 2d with 1. A single-crystal X-ray structure determination of 3b (Z = 2, triclinic, space group P1̅) highlighted a weak axial elongating Jahn-Teller effect and a high degree of bond conjugation. An X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic study, by virtue of linear relationships between group electronegativities of ligand R groups, χR, or ∑χR, and binding energies of both the Fe 2p3/2 and Mn 2p3/2 photoelectron lines, confirmed communication between molecular fragments of 2a-2d as well as 3a-3d. This unprecedented observation allows prediction of binding energies from known β-diketonato side group χR values.J.C.S. acknowledges the NRF (Grant 2054243) and the UFS for financial support. Financial support from Syngaschem BV, The Netherlands, and the UFS is also gratefully acknowledged (B.E.B., E.E., and J.C.S.).http://pubs.rsc.org/en/journals/journalissues/ic2017-03-31hb2016Chemistr