Examining Social Media Data Analytics and Decision-making in a South African Bank.

This paper investigates the interplay between social media data analytics (SMDA) and strategic decision-making in the banking industry, to understand how these factors impact sales lead generation. Using the General Systems Theory as an integrative framework, we analysed semi-structured interviews and conducted a thematic analysis to identify patterns in the data. The study identifies and explores the constraints between the socio and technical aspects of decision-making and how they affect sales lead generation in banks. We present five themes that emerged from our analysis, including social media data (SMD) perceptions, challenges of data analytics, social media use for lead generation, data availability and quality, and subsystems of decision-making. By synthesizing our findings, we provide a thematic model to provide insights into the relationship between SMDA, strategic decision-making, and sales lead generation in the banking industry

Shared Crossover Method for Solving Traveling Salesman Problem

Abstract. Genetic algorithms (GA) are evolutionary techniques that used crossover and mutation operators to solve optimization problems using a survival of the fittest idea. They have been used successfully in a variety of different problems, including the traveling salesman problem. The main idea of Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) is to find the minimum traveling cost for visiting cities; the salesman must visit each city exactly once and return to the starting point of origin. Genetic algorithms are search methods that employ processes found in natural biological evolution. These algorithms search on a given population of potential solutions to find those that pass some specifications or criteria. In this paper, we apply modified genetic algorithm methodology for finding near-optimal solutions for TSP problem using shared neighbours to insure that the closest cities to have the highest priorities to be carried out to the next generation

Exploring teacher learning through memory work in a teacher development studies postgraduate programme : a narrative inquiry.

M. Ed. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2014.The South African education system prior to democracy in 1994 was influenced by the apartheid ideology. Since 1994, various educational reforms were introduced by the new democratic Government. In order to democratise education and eliminate the inequalities of the past, teachers are negotiating their learning and unlearning through a variety of self-driven initiatives. South African teachers’ lives are a rich storehouse of information and tapping into this treasure trove of teachers’ memories through memory work has rewarding effects for teaching and learning. This study explores teacher learning through memory work in a Teacher Development Studies (TDS) postgraduate programme at a university in South Africa. The main purpose was to gain a deeper understanding of what and how memory work has enabled teacher learning on a personal, professional and social level and whether this elicited change in the teachers’ lives - how they feel, what they think and how they act in the position they inhabit in South African schools. This qualitative research study was located within an interpretivist paradigm using narrative inquiry as a methodology. Four postgraduate teacher participants teaching in various schools were purposively selected for this study. All participants had completed the Bachelor of Education Honours programme at a university in KwaZulu-Natal. Drawing on multiple methods and strategies that included open-ended, unstructured interviews, portfolio inquiry and collage inquiry, data was generated to reconstruct four storied narratives of teachers’ lived lives and their learning. The analysis revealed that in the postgraduate programme that the participants completed, the module employed memory work as a pedagogical tool, and this afforded them certain opportunities that engaged them in the active process of remembering and revising their memories in the process of creating a new image of themselves as South African teachers. In getting to understand their personal and professional self through memory work, learning became more meaningful and the participants responded to change. Teacher learning through story-telling, we conclude is an important pedagogical tool to link the past to the present for the future. The module enabled the participants to tell their stories and learn about themselves, and healing became part of their learning. In healing, they learnt to recreate themselves as people and as teachers. Teachers’ personal, professional and social learning worked in entangled, non-linear ways because of the processes and conditions that were set up and that evolved spontaneously through the process of memory work. It is these conditions in which teacher learning through memory work happens, that makes the potential for reinvention possible. The relationships that were built between the teacher learners extended to different spaces. Teacher learning happens collectively and individually in physical and virtual ways. Teacher learning for development and change is a non-linear, complex and mediated process

Investigation of the Effect of n3-Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on Vulnerability to Atrial Fibrillation in Cardiomyopathy

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common and serious arrhythmia. Current treatments are of limited efficacy, and most do not treat the atrial structural remodeling (hypertrophy and fibrosis) that underlies most clinical AF. Our group has created an experimental dog model of atrial mechanical stretch called the simultaneous atrial and ventricular pacing (SAVP) model (which results in atrial fibrosis and susceptibility to AF) in order to study novel treatments for structural remodeling induced AF. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n3 PUFAs), particularly the marine derived forms eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), have been shown to be effective in treating arrhythmias (including AF) in some animal studies and clinical trials. The mechanism for this effect of n3 PUFAs is not well understood. In this study we sought to characterize the n3 PUFA effect on AF vulnerability, atrial electrophysiology, histology, and gene expression, and determine relevant mechanisms. Dogs were paced for 0, 2, 7 or 14 days and given n3 PUFAs, olive oil or nothing. Prophylactic n3 PUFAs significantly reduced both AF vulnerability and conduction slowing in SAVP dogs (%AF inducibility: 9.2±8.8 vs. 4.7±6.3; global atrial conduction time: 75±11ms vs. 65±6ms [SAVP 14 days vs. SAVP 14 days with n3 PUFAs, P<0.05 for both comparisons]). Prophylactic n3 PUFAs also reduced inflammation (mean CD18 grade: 2.1±0.8 vs. 1.3±0.6 [SAVP 2 days vs. SAVP 2 days with n3 PUFAs, P=0.055]), hypertrophy (myocyte cross-sectional area: 498±64µm2 vs. 322±111µm2 [SAVP 14 days vs. SAVP 14 days with n3 PUFAs, P<0.05]), and fibrosis (%collagen area vs. unpaced dogs: 178±58 vs. 127±37 [SAVP 14 days vs. SAVP 14 days with n3 PUFAs, P<0.05]). N3 PUFAs were also found to reduce the expression of structural remodeling related molecules such as TGF-β, EGF, ERK and Akt. N3 PUFAs given after some pacing had already occurred were found to be less effective at reducing AF vulnerability and structural remodeling. The results of this study suggest that, in the SAVP model, n3 PUFAs reduce vulnerability to AF by attenuation of adverse structural remodeling at the genetic level.Ph

The influence of a complementary system of industry 4.0 capabilities on the performance of South African financial services firms

A research report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Commerce, School of business sciences (Information Systems), University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023In this study, the relationships between Industry 4.0 (I4.0) complementary capability and performance outcomes were examined by utilising the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm. To achieve this, a conceptual framework was developed and tested, with a focus on eight specific I4.0 capabilities: Digitalisation, Integration, Decentralisation, Virtualisation, Real-time capability, Modularity, Service Orientation, and Human Resources. A relational cross- sectional survey examined how I4.0 complementary capability affects firm performance outcomes. The study employed a positivist perspective and utilised deductive reasoning to measure these effects. Data was gathered via structured questionnaire from 73 business and IT decision-makers within South Africa. The study employed correlation and multiple regression techniques to analyse the statistical relationship between I4.0 complementary capability and performance outcomes. The study's results indicate that adopting I4.0 complementary capability has a positive effect on firm performance. This suggests that businesses that implement I4.0 complementary capability are more likely to experience improved performance outcomes. The study found that digitalisation is a consistent and significant contributor to firm performance and that when combined with virtualisation, it has a positive and significant effect. However, there was no statistically significant relationship between I4.0 complementary capability and Innovation Capability. Nevertheless, digitalisation alone showed a strong positive and statistically significant relationship with innovation capability. Lastly, the study found no statistical significance in the relationship between I4.0 complementary capability and Value Outcomes. Digitalisation, on the other hand, was found to be a consistent and significant contributor to value outcomes, and when combined with virtualisation, it also had a positive and significant effect. The research study provides a unique contribution by utilizing the resource-based view of the firm to establish a connection between I4.0 complementary capabilities and performance outcomes within Financial Services. The study's results offer valuable insights for researchers and organisations seeking to understand which I4.0 capabilities are most significant and how they can enhance a firm ability to achieve performance outcomes. The financial services industry is showing a strong interest in understanding the potential benefits of I4.0. This research provides insight into the relationship between an I4.0 complementary capability and firm performance outcomes, which can help practitioners prioritize their efforts to develop such a capability and determine the most important underlying I4.0 capabilities. By identifying the most critical I4.0 capabilities and their impact on firm performance, practitioners can focus their resources on implementing effective interventions that can improve their overall performance outcomes.MM202

Investigation of the Effect of n3-Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on Vulnerability to Atrial Fibrillation in Cardiomyopathy

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common and serious arrhythmia. Current treatments are of limited efficacy, and most do not treat the atrial structural remodeling (hypertrophy and fibrosis) that underlies most clinical AF. Our group has created an experimental dog model of atrial mechanical stretch called the simultaneous atrial and ventricular pacing (SAVP) model (which results in atrial fibrosis and susceptibility to AF) in order to study novel treatments for structural remodeling induced AF. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n3 PUFAs), particularly the marine derived forms eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), have been shown to be effective in treating arrhythmias (including AF) in some animal studies and clinical trials. The mechanism for this effect of n3 PUFAs is not well understood. In this study we sought to characterize the n3 PUFA effect on AF vulnerability, atrial electrophysiology, histology, and gene expression, and determine relevant mechanisms. Dogs were paced for 0, 2, 7 or 14 days and given n3 PUFAs, olive oil or nothing. Prophylactic n3 PUFAs significantly reduced both AF vulnerability and conduction slowing in SAVP dogs (%AF inducibility: 9.2±8.8 vs. 4.7±6.3; global atrial conduction time: 75±11ms vs. 65±6ms [SAVP 14 days vs. SAVP 14 days with n3 PUFAs, P<0.05 for both comparisons]). Prophylactic n3 PUFAs also reduced inflammation (mean CD18 grade: 2.1±0.8 vs. 1.3±0.6 [SAVP 2 days vs. SAVP 2 days with n3 PUFAs, P=0.055]), hypertrophy (myocyte cross-sectional area: 498±64µm2 vs. 322±111µm2 [SAVP 14 days vs. SAVP 14 days with n3 PUFAs, P<0.05]), and fibrosis (%collagen area vs. unpaced dogs: 178±58 vs. 127±37 [SAVP 14 days vs. SAVP 14 days with n3 PUFAs, P<0.05]). N3 PUFAs were also found to reduce the expression of structural remodeling related molecules such as TGF-β, EGF, ERK and Akt. N3 PUFAs given after some pacing had already occurred were found to be less effective at reducing AF vulnerability and structural remodeling. The results of this study suggest that, in the SAVP model, n3 PUFAs reduce vulnerability to AF by attenuation of adverse structural remodeling at the genetic level.Ph

How Are n-3 LCPUFAs Antiarrhythmic? A Reassessment of n-3 LCPUFAs in Cardiac Disease

Long-chain n-3-polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LCPUFAs), referring particularly to marine-derived eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), have been shown to be effective in treating arrhythmias in some clinical trials and animal studies. The mechanism for this effect of n-3 LCPUFAs is not well understood. Experimental studies and clinical trials published in the 1980s and 1990s suggested that n-3 LCPUFAs may be antiarrhythmic drugs, but more recent trials have not confirmed this. In this paper, we examine evidence for, and against, the direct antiarrhythmic action of n-3 LCPUFAs and suggest that antistructural remodeling effects of n-3 LCPUFAs may be more relevant in accounting for their clinical effects

How Are n-3 LCPUFAs Antiarrhythmic? A Reassessment of n-3 LCPUFAs in Cardiac Disease

Long-chain n-3-polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LCPUFAs), referring particularly to marine-derived eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), have been shown to be effective in treating arrhythmias in some clinical trials and animal studies. The mechanism for this effect of n-3 LCPUFAs is not well understood. Experimental studies and clinical trials published in the 1980s and 1990s suggested that n-3 LCPUFAs may be antiarrhythmic drugs, but more recent trials have not confirmed this. In this paper, we examine evidence for, and against, the direct antiarrhythmic action of n-3 LCPUFAs and suggest that antistructural remodeling effects of n-3 LCPUFAs may be more relevant in accounting for their clinical effects.Peer Reviewe