Youth drinking: the impact of socialisation agents and personal attitudes on alcohol consumption among the youth in South Africa

A research study submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management in Strategic Marketing (MMSM) Wits Business School May 2017The research investigated the impact of three socialisation agents (i.e. advertising, parents and peers) and personal attitudes on alcohol consumption among South Africa youth. There is a growing concern of the high and year-on-year increase in alcohol consumption in the country which has not only been linked to social ills such as crime, violence, sexual abuse, but also to health concerns. Of greater concern is the ever growing penetration of alcohol consumption among young people. The South African government has pledged its support to the World Health Organisation to reduce the harmful use of alcohol; and appointed an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) to develop programs that seek to reduce alcohol-related harm. The findings generated from this study provide insights into social influences and social interventions that might assist in reducing the harmful use of alcohol. The research employed a quantitative approach and was cross-sectional in design. Non-random quota sampling was employed and a total of 300 youths from Gauteng were issued with self-administered questionnaires. The young people were at different life stages; students, blue and white collar workers. Using SPSS 22 and AMOS 22 software programs, structural equation modelling (SEM) was performed to analyse the data set. The results revealed that personal attitude, peer influence, and advertising exposure have positive and significant influences on youth alcohol consumption. Parental influence had a positive, yet weak and unimportant, effect on youth alcohol consumption. The implication of the results in this study is that government, alcohol manufacturers and the community at large need to consider, and possibly prioritise, other harmful uses of alcohol interventions and address personal attitudes that young people have developed to reduce the effects of peer pressure.MT201

Canine tick-borne pathogens in Cyprus and a unique canine case of multiple co-infections

Canine tick-borne pathogens such as Ehrlichia canis and Hepatozoon canis are widespread in the Mediterranean basin but have never been reported or investigated in Cyprus. We describe herein the presence of canine tick-borne pathogens in three dogs with clinical signs compatible with vector-borne diseases from Paphos area of Cyprus. Molecular and phylogenetic analysis revealed the presence of E. canis, Anaplasma platys, H. canis, Babesia vogeli and Mycoplasma haemocanis in Cyprus. One dog co-infected with E. canis, H. canis, B. vogeli and M. haemocanis is, to the best of our knowledge, the first report of this multiple co-infection in dogs. The tick-borne pathogens reported in the current study should be considered in the differential diagnoses in dogs exposed to ticks in Cyprus

Experiences of Students with Visual Impairments at an Open Distance and e-Learning University in South Africa: Counselling Perspective

The purpose of the qualitative study on which this article is based was to explore the experiences of students with visual impairments registered at an Open Distance and e-Learning University in South Africa, through a phenomenological research design. Literature was reviewed on student support in distance education and concepts from the critical disability theory, biopsychosocial model of disability, connectivism and affect theories formed the conceptual framework for the study. Telephonic semi-structured interviews were used as a technique to collect data from seven participants. Data were transcribed and then coded employing ATLAS.ti. The emerged themes centred on students’ counselling experiences, the synergy between the departments, and accessibility of services. It was also determined that students lose academic time due to the lack of resources and study materials in alternative and accessible formats. While policies and implementation plans were claimed to be in place, they do not address the reality on the ground due to a lack of coordination of disability issues, and late referral of students to counselling services. The study recommends the prioritisation of disability issues, and it needs to be incorporated in the wider university’s strategic plan to accelerate its implementation. This will translate to (i) training ICT staff on various computer software programs needed to support students with visual impairments, (ii) developing alternative formative and summative assessments, (iii) developing a graduateness and job readiness intervention programme to empower the students financially and add value to the university’s employment equity agenda, and lastly (iv) putting the disability unit at the centre of all disability matters for coordinating purposes

The role of kisspeptin and its cognate receptor GPR54 in normal and abnormal placentation

Poor invasion of trophoblast cells in early pregnancy has been associated with preeclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction as well as other adverse pregnancy outcomes such as miscarriage, preterm birth and intrauterine death. Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, including pre-eclampsia are one of the leading causes of maternal mortality in South Africa (Third report on Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths in South Africa (2002-2004)) and the rest of the world. The currently accepted mechanism underlying the development of preeclampsia implicates poor trophoblast invasion and inadequate transformation of the maternal spiral arteries. Despite extensive research in this area, the control of trophoblast invasion and early placental development remains poorly understood. A whole host of factors such as oxygen tension, activation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), angiogenic factors (VEGF-A) and immunological factors such as TNF alpha, interleukins and TGFβ have been shown to be involved in the control of trophoblast invasion. Our knowledge of the molecular details of pregnancy is unfortunately limited to in-vitro experiments and animal studies. Recently kisspeptins and their cognate receptor GPR-54 originally involved in tumour metastasis suppression and regulation of puberty, have been implicated in the inhibition of trophoblast invasion. Expression levels of kisspeptin and its receptor in trophoblast cells are highest in the first trimester, when control of trophoblast invasion is critical, and lower towards term

Evaluation of student support services at an open distance and e-learning university: towards a framework for students who are deaf and hard of hearing

This explanatory sequential study aims to evaluate the student support services (SSS) provided to Deaf and Hard of Hearing students (SDHH) at an Open Distance and eLearning (ODeL) institution. The objective was to identify 1) whether SDHH were aware of the SSS offered, 2) accessibility, 3) efficacy, 4) level of inclusiveness, and 5) whether the existing student support offering is in line with and contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the Republic of South Africa. The study is theoretically undergirded by the critical disability the ory, transactional distance theory, and theory of change, which offer recommendations for how to support SDHH in ODeL spaces. The literature reviewed not only reveal areas of population, methodological, theoretical, and practical research gaps, but also offer the theoretical founda tion for associated studies. To adopt the transformative research paradigm as a conceptual foun dation for the study, transformative mixed method research (TMMR) is applied. Census is used as a data collection tool for 105 SDHH and 118 staff members from various departments, ap plying a stratified simple random sampling technique. Descriptive and inferential statistics are used to analyse quantitative data. Furthermore, correlation analysis and Chi-square are testing the strengths of associations. Results reveal that participants (staff and SDHH) were unaware of the SSS offered at an ODeL university. Where they were aware of it, they discovered that the services were inaccessible, ineffective, and exclusive. The mixing of data occurs after the quantitative data analysis where an interview protocol is developed to understand quantitative results through the semi-structured interview with five SDHH and eight staff members. The qualitative findings offer explanations for the lack of accessibility, efficacy, and inclusion, as well as suggestions for reasonable accommodations. The study meets all of its aims, while theoretical, empirical, and research design, as well as practical contributions are made to fill the research gap, identified in the literature review. Future research, useful interventions, and a framework for inclusive student support for SDHH in ODeL universities are also recom mended. Practical interventions, future research, and an inclusive student support framework for SDHH in ODeL institutions are recommended. Lastly, an inclusive student support frame work for SDHH in ODeL is developed and is transferable to different contexts based on the identified assumptions, inputs, strategies, outputs, outcomes, and external factors. The study and framework are important for creating a scientific foundation for SDHH in higher education (HE) settings, particularly now that sign language is getting much attention on becoming an official language.Ph.D. (Psychology)Psycholog

Gender issues in the media : an exploratory study of the coverage and portrayal of gender in community radio programming

Thesis (M.A. (Media Studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2020The 21st century has been characterised by a growth in community radio (CR) programming for development and gender awareness sensitisation campaigns. Many radio programmes and documentaries feature issues that deal with gender and diversity issues. However, most are excessively packaged with content that depicts stereotypes and lack sensitivity. This study explores how CR covers and presents gender in the production and construction of programmes and news. It also offers basic strategies on how to produce gender sensitive programming. Furthermore, the study assessed the knowledge and attitudes of CR volunteers on gender mainstreaming as a concept. A mixed methods research paradigm combining both qualitative and quantitative methods was applied in this study. The review of literature involved an extensive analysis of gender reporting in the media and CR. Data was collected using questionnaires, focus group interviews, personal interviews and archival material. A transformation model was utilised for data interpretation and analysis. Study findings show that CRs do not adequately cover gender issues, portray gender in stereotypical norms, and the majority of volunteers have a negative attitude towards gender mainstreaming. The study endorsed formal gender training and the diversification of views as a primary solution to addressing gender disparity in the media. Keywords: Gender, gender mainstreaming, Community radio, programmin