Vitamins A and E content of commercial infant foods in the UK: A cause for concern?

According to the European Food Safety Authority, currently, there are no reliable data or robust guidelines available in relation to the micronutrient composition of infant foods. This study evaluated the intake of vitamins A and E of infants from ‘ready-to-feed’ foods and formulas. Normal phase high performance liquid chromatography was employed for simultaneous quantification of retinyl acetate, retinyl palmitate, α-tocopherol and γ-tocopherol, reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography for the quantification of β-carotene, and UV spectrophotometry for the quantification of carotenoids from selected infant food samples. Based on the results of this study, the estimated total daily intake of vitamin A (retinol equivalents) and vitamin E (α-tocopherol equivalents) from both infant food and formula milk exceed recommendations set by the UK Department of Health. This requires further analysis of risk of exposure, whilst a cause for concern over deficiency might arise when the intake of milk is compromised

Do orders of law enforcement officials supersede the provisions of the Constitution and justify a command of ‘skop, skiet en donder’? Khosa & Others v Minister of Defence & Military Defence & Military Veterans & Others (21512/2020) [2020] ZAGPPHC 147

In Khosa and others v Minister of Defence, the High Court was tasked with assessing whether the use of force by Police and Military personnel was lawful and justifiable in enforcing the COVID-19 Lockdown Regulations. The Court declared that when executing Regulations developed to address the COVID-19 pandemic, law enforcement officers are bound by the Constitution, the law, and international law. Mr Collins Khosa was accused by members of the Police and South African National Defence Force (SANDF) of having violated the Lockdown Regulations. Consequently, Mr Khosa was assaulted in his home by military personnel assigned to enforce the COVID-19 Lockdown Regulations. Hours after the assault Mr Khosa succumbed to his injuries and died. The Court found that the use of force against Mr Khosa was unlawful and violated his fundamental constitutional rights. The court emphasised the significance of protecting constitutional rights, especially during times of a national state of disaster, and emphasised that the Police and Military forces must act within the bounds of the Constitution and respect the rights of all individuals. Additionally, the Court highlighted numerous inflammatory public comments made by the Minister of Defence that impacted the enforcement of the Regulations by law enforcement. The Court specified the measures that the Minister of Defence and Police had to implement to effectively investigate the assault on Mr Khosa and prevent further instances of abuse at the hands of Police and Military personnel enforcing the COVID-19 Lockdown Regulations

Sport architecture as a resource for social revitalization in an urban area: a multi-purpose sports complex in Durban.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.This thesis explores how the lack of pubic social space contributes to social issues in the urban context. The research will investigate how social space within the urban context affects the social development of people, the social, economic development and the architectural responses of the urban environment. The aim of this dissertation is to understand the importance of urban social space in the context of Durban and how sport can be used as a tool to revitalize social space through an architectural response. The outcome of the dissertation is to explore how a suitable architectural response such as a sports complex will adhere to the social issues of youth development to promote social revitalization. The response to the social-economic and architectural aspects of social revitalization will be developed through the exploratory study of theories, concepts, literature, supporting precedents, case studies and inclusive primary research through questioners and interviews that will justify the appropriate design development

Isolation and characterization of feather degrading bacteria from Mauritian soil

This study is aimed at isolating and characterizing new culturable feather degrading bacteria from soils of the University of Mauritius Farm. Bacteria that were isolated were tested for their capability to grow on feather meal agar (FMA). Proteolytic bacteria were tested for feather degradation and were further identified according to their morphological and biochemical characteristics. All of the three isolates were from the Bacillus genus. Maximum enzyme activity was obtained from isolate DF1a. Maximum keratinolytic activity of 128 U/ml and maximum proteolytic activity of 373 U/ml were obtained. The optimal conditions for the keratinolytic activity of this strain were determined to be pH 8.0 and temperature of 70°C. In addition, this isolate was able to completely degrade a whole chicken feather within a period of 14 days at room temperature (28±2°C). These three Bacillus strains (DF1a, DF2b and DF3) are therefore promising strains for the management of chicken feather waste through biotechnological processes.Key words: Bacillus, keratinolytic proteases, keratin waste management

The Hijab: Islam, Women and the Politics of Clothing

Introduction: Dedicated to the ‘Muslim girls and women protesting for their rights in India and Iran’, historians P. K. Yasser Arafath and G. Arunima have compiled a deeply engaging collection of essays that explore the wearing of the hijab from a multitude of perspectives. The contributions traverse different national contexts and explore multiple and entangled strands of the debates around the hijab, underscoring its breadth and complexity. And as the essays in The Hijab: Islam, Women and the Politics of Clothing demonstrate, not only is this is a complex debate, but also one on very rugged terrain

TEM-145 and TEM-146 &#223-lactamases produced by Escherichia coli isolates from state hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Two Escherichia coli isolates which were isolated from the urine of patients in state hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa were investigated to determine the sequence of the TEM -lactamases responsible for their resistance to -lactamase inhibitors. The isolates were subjected to MICdeterminations, iso-electric focusing analysis, plasmid analysis, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the detection of -lactamase genes and sequencing of the blaTEM. Analysis of the nucleotide sequencesrevealed the presence of two novel TEM -lactamases, TEM-145 and TEM-146 which had the R244H mutation. Mutations at position 244 have been previously reported in other inhibitor-resistant TEMs (IRTs)

Construction of a wide-frequency range double heterodyne conductance bridge and its use in the investigation of polarisation errors in conductance measurements

(1) Developments in a.c. conductance techniques during the past ninety years have been reviewed, and a brief outline is given of the older theories regarding electrolytic polarisation. (2) A conductance bridge - incorporating the double heterodyne principle - has been constructed, capable of giving resistance readings to an accuracy of 0.01% over a range of frequencies covering the best part of 100 kc/s. It has also been found possible to calibrate the oscillator so that frequency settings can be guaranteed to an accuracy of , at least, 0.1% in the range: 2 kc/S to 50 kc/S. (3) The Wheatstone Bridge Network has been slightly modified to enable measurements at the high frequencies. (4) Resistances in the measuring arm of the bridge have been calibrated 'in situ' by the method of intercomparison. (5) A brief description is given of the modern theories regarding electrode processes and modern methods of eliminating electrode effects. (6) Two types of conductance cells, with bright Pt electrodes, have been used to carry out measurements on potassium chloride solutions: (a) Thomas- Gledhill Cell (b) Nichol-Fuoss Cell. The latter incorporates concentric, cylindrical electrodes with the lead to the outer electrode acting as an electrical shield for the lead to the inner electrode. This cell was constructed and used for the first time in this laboratory. (7) From resistance-frequency graphs plotted, it is shown that the Jones and Christian extrapolation procedure cannot be applied (with any degree of confidence) to obtain the true resistance, when measurements are effected over an extended range of frequencies. (8) The method of resistance-reactance diagrams is discussed and applied to various networks of resistances and capacitances. (9) By drawing resistance-reactance diagrams for the experimental readings obtained, equivalent circuits have been derived - for all the solutions investigated in the N-F cell, and for the approx. O.OlD solution in the T-G cell - which approximate to cell behaviour in the range: 500 c/s to 75 kc/s. The less concentrated solutions in the T-G cell show peculiar behaviour at the high frequencies. (10) Probable reasons are advanced for deviations from linearity on resistance-frequency graphs. (11) A new method is proposed for determining the true resistance of solutions measured in cells of the N-F type. Summary, p. 166-167

Beta-lactamase mediated resistance in Salmonella spp. at a tertiary hospital in KwaZulu-Natal.

Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2008.Extended spectrum (3-lactamases (ESBLs) were characterized in Salmonella spp. isolates from a pediatric ward of a hospital in Durban. Forty one Salmonella spp. were subjected to serotyping, antibiotic susceptibility testing, E-Tests for ESBL detection, iso-electric focusing, polymerase chain reaction for detection of genes and sequencing. Isolates were screened for the presence of WaTEM, WaSHV, WaCTX-M, WaOXA , WaCMY, WaDHA and WaACC genes. The most common serotype was Salmonella Typhimurium. Isolates were multi-drug resistant with 100% susceptibility only to meropenem and ciprofloxacin. Tazobactam was the most effective inhibitor. Forty-one percent of the isolates were resistant to ceftriaxone, thus limiting therapeutic options for Salmonella infections.TEM-1 was the most predominant (3-lactamase found in 51% of isolates while SHV-12 found in 39 % was the most common ESBL. TEM-63 was evident in 29 %, TEM-116 in 10 % and TEM-131 was found in one isolate. The high ceftazidime MICs of isolates expressing only TEM-63 were indicative of R164S substitution which widens the binding cavity to accommodate the bulky side chains of oxyiminoaminothiazolyl cephalosporins. The identification of TEM-131 which differs from TEM-63 by 1 amino acid reiterates the evolutionary potential of the TEM-type plactamase. Other ESBLs identified included SHV-2, CTX-M-3, CTX-M-15 and CTX-M-37. CMY-2 and the OXA-1 p-lactamase were also detected. This is the first report of TEM-116, CTX-M-3, -15 and -37 in Salmonella spp. in South Africa. All isolates with nalidixic acid MICs > 48 ug/ml had the mutation D87N, or D87G in the QRDR of the gyrA gene. This study showed that Salmonella spp. may be multi-drug resistant with the propensity to harbour p-lactamases in unique combinations. The diversity of ESBLs and the co-expression of quinolone resistance suggests that their incidence in salmonellae needs to be monitored