MSc (Nursing), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 2009 / Pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH) occurring during pregnancy, labour and puerperium is a major contributor to the high percentage of maternal morbidity and mortality in the Eastern Cape Province, and worldwide. In South Africa (SA), PIH is the second most common of all primary causes of maternal mortality reported in the triennium from 1999 to 2001. From 1999 to 2001, PIH was the cause of 20,7 % (n = 507) of all maternal mortalities in SA (Department of Health (DOH), 2001:38). In the light of these statistics and other statistics related to other causes of MMR, the National Confidential Committee on Enquiries into Maternal Deaths (NCCEMD) developed the National Guidelines for Maternity Care in South Africa, a Manual for Clinics, Community Health Centres and District Hospitals. The guidelines related to PIH were of particular interest in this study. A quantitative, descriptive and contextual survey was conducted to determine the implementation of the National Guidelines for Maternity Care for the management of PIH by the midwife at level-1 clinics in the Eastern Cape, and to make recommendations for the management of PIH by midwives at level-1 clinics with the intention of reducing maternal mortality and morbidity due to PIH. The research method comprised a retrospective record review of the records of all patients admitted with PIH at a level-3 hospital who were referred by a midwife from a level-1 clinic. Data were collected by means of a researcher-administered data collection tool based on the iii National Guidelines for Maternity Care in SA for the management of PIH. The researcher wished to determine whether the National Guidelines for Maternity Care in SA was being implemented for the management of PIH by midwives at level-1 clinics in East London. A purposive sample of 290 maternal records of mothers who had been admitted for PIH at level 3 after being referred from level-1 clinics from May 1999 to June 2003 were used. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Ethical issues were taken into consideration. Validity and reliability were ensured. In conclusion, given the study findings, the researcher has made recommendations with the intention of reducing mortality due to PHI in the Eastern Cape.

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) is a powerful tool for performing chemical analysis measurements of materials, such as slurries, soils, plastics and powder samples. The LIBS technique has proven to be sensitive, selective and robust for rapid, in situ analysis. The focus of this dissertation is the optimization of laser spectroscopic sensing methodologies for material characterization. The applications of the LIBS technique to slurry samples is very challenging due to the water content (~80%). A new sample preparation method called “spin-on-glass” was adopted to reduce the water content in slurry samples and improve the LIBS signal. The feasibility of using the new sampling method with a LIBS system was tested by applying multivariate analysis to the LIBS spectral data. The calibration results demonstrated that the LIBS technique with the new sampling method could successfully predict the elemental concentrations of slurry samples qualitatively and quantitatively. The possibility of developing a LIBS-based sensor system for total carbon quantification in soil samples was studied. The soil samples were studied in pellet form and the calibration models were developed by using simple linear regression (SLR) and multiple linear regression (MLR) analysis. It was found that both SLR- and MLR-based calibrations successfully predicted the carbon concentration in an unknown sample with relative accuracy (RA) within 8%. The LIBS experimental setup was designed, developed and tested for the determination of elemental impurities in plastic calibration standards that are used in dual-energy computed tomography (CT) scanning for petrophysical applications. Univariate calibration (UC) and multiple linear regression (MLR) analysis were used to develop calibration models. From this study, it was concluded that MLR improved the calibration results and data derived from the LIBS analysis enhanced the predictive capabilities of dual-energy CT scanning in general. A comparative study was performed for quantification of strontium (Sr) in an aluminum (Al) batch with both the atomic and molecular LIBS emissions. The calibration models were developed using SLR analysis and the limits of detection (LOD) were obtained. The study confirmed that molecular LIBS could be used for quantification of Sr in a binary mixture.

When a bluff body is placed in flow, vortices are shed downstream of the body. For the case of a bluff body with a circular cross-section (a cylinder) attached to a spring and a damper, when the frequency of vortex shedding is close to the natural frequency of the structure, the cylinder oscillates in a direction perpendicular to the flow. This is called Vortex Induced Vibration (VIV) and is a canonical problem in fluid-structure interactions. The majority of studies on VIV of a flexibly mounted rigid cylinder are for the cases where the flow direction is perpendicular to the long axis of the structure. However, in many engineering applications, such as cable stays in bridges, mooring lines of floating offshore wind turbines and undersea pipelines, the flow direction may not be perpendicular to the structure. The hypothesis is that the VIV in inclined cylinders is similar to a normal-incidence case, if only the component of the free stream velocity normal to the cylinder axis is considered. This is called the Independence Principle (IP). The IP neglects the effect of the axial component of the flow, which is legit for small angles of inclination, but not for large angles. In this Thesis, a series of experiments have been conducted on a flexibly-mounted rigid cylinder placed inclined to the oncoming flow with various angles of inclination (0° < θ < 75°) in a subcritical Reynolds number range of 500 – 4,000 to investigate how the angle of inclination affects VIV. In these experiments, a rigid cylinder was mounted on springs, and air bearings were used to reduce the structural damping of the system. The system was placed in the test section of a recirculating water tunnel and crossflow displacements were measured. Even at high angles of inclination, large-amplitude oscillations were observed. The IP was found to be valid for angles of inclination up to 55°. While for all inclinations the onset of lock-in was observed to be at the same normalized flow velocity, for angles of inclination larger than 55°, the lock-in region (the range of dimensionless flow velocities for which the cylinder oscillates with a large amplitude) was smaller. These results show that the influence of the axial component of the flow is non-negligible for angles of inclination larger than 55°.

Prostaglandin E 2 vaginal suppositories are a highly effective method of second-trimester pregnancy termination. Management of a failed prostaglandin abortion must include a search for the cause of the failure. This case report is the first description of a failed prostaglandin abortion associated with placenta accreta.

No description available.

Since the introduction of Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors as guideline therapy for both uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus and heart failure, these medications have become popular options as add-on therapy. This class of medication reduces blood glucose levels via inhibition of glucose reabsorption in the proximal convoluted tubules leading to enhanced renal excretion. Not only do SGLT2 inhibitors provide advantages in improved glucose control, but also have proven to reduce cardiovascular mortality. Generally, SGLT2 inhibitors are well tolerated, however adverse reactions of genitourinary tract infections secondary to glucosuria and hypotension from associated osmotic diuresis have been reported. Less commonly, pancreatitis has been associated with use of SGL2 inhibitors. We present a case of suspected empagliflozin induced pancreatitis notable for delayed onset at approximately 120 days since SGLT2 inhibitor initiation.

Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) is a phenomenon with many applications, such as chemical sensors, biological probes, immunoassay markets, and active layers in fabricating organic light-emitting diodes. AIE materials in polymers can enhance the emissivity of such materials while having the benefits of polymeric materials. This thesis examines the use of AIE polymers to study the effect of structure on the properties. This is done by first synthesizing a monomer with AIE characteristics, tetraphenylethylene-methacrylate (TPEMA). Secondly, polymerizing TPEMA using free and controlled radical polymerizations. Finally, the copolymerization of TPEMA with methyl methacrylate (MMA) to understand the effect of spaced-out TPE groups in the polymer chain on the photoluminescence of the polymer. The structures of all intermediates and final products were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and size exclusion chromatography (SEC). The AIE characteristics were proven and compared using the photoluminescence graphs, showing that the homopolymer had increased emission intensity than its monomer. The copolymer had higher emission intensity than TPEMA and higher normalized emission intensity than that of the homopolymer, showing the effect of structure on the photoluminescence. Both the homopolymer and the copolymer were easier to aggregate than the monomer, making it more effective to utilize the material in applications where it needs to be emissive in diluted solutions. The glass transition temperature and the tacticity of the homopolymer and copolymer were also compared. The thesis is divided into the following five chapters; 1. Introduction, where a brief background along with the scope of the thesis is provided; 2. Literature Review, where a summary of controlled radical polymerization and AIE is given; 3. Experimental Section, where the materials' detailed procedure and characterization are provided; 4. Results and Discussion, where results of successful experiments are discussed; 5. Concluding Remarks, where the results are summarized, and future work is discussed.

No description available.

<p> The variation in sensitivity of L60T cells to gamma rays has been studied as a function of position in the cell division cycle. For a dose range of 0-12,000 rads, no significant variation was found for mitotic delay. Such was not the case for sensitivity to cell killing, which was found to increase as the cells passed from G1 through S to G2 of the division cycle. The results of mitotic delay are in disagreement with results published by other workers although the survival data agree with previous reports for a similar cell line. Results reported in connection with cell cycle determinations and mitotic delay suggest that the existence of a repair cycle operating concurrently with the normal cell cycle may be postulated. The theoretical treatment of mitotic delay given by Lea is examined and is not found to describe adequately the present results. Finally, the evidence reported here suggests that mitotic delay and radiation lethality are not separate manifestations of the same phenomenon. Experimental materials for further investigation into the repair processes involved are suggested.</p> / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

<p> Under certain conditions, an induced torque measurement is a measure of the ratio of the resistivity to the square of the Hall constant. Induced torque measurements can be directly related to the connectivity of the Fermi surface.</p> <p> A modulation technique for measuring induced torque is justifield theoretically, and an instrument employing this technique is characterized. Operational limitations on parameters such as sample resistivity and modulation rate are specified. A new procedure is proposed to extract more information from induced torque measurements. This procedure would allow the measurement of resistivity and Hall constant of ellipsoidal samples. The procedure is untested but appears to be feasible.</p> <p> Observations of the induced torque of Hg3-δAsF6 show that the Fermi surface supports an open orbit in one direction. This is discussed in the context of a model (Razavi et al., 1979), which has Fermi surface cylinders of common direction. This is based on conduction in Hg chain directions, which lie in only two directions. At magnetic fields greater than 3.0 Tesla, magnetic breakdown is observed. A Brillouin zone constructed using Hg chain symmetry and crystal parameters yields reciprocal lattice vectors compatible with the observed magnetic breakdown. The model is confirmed but a refinement is needed to allow an undulation of the Fermi surface cylinders.</p> / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)