The problem of this study concerns the admissions and transition programs of undergraduate institutions which are members of the Christian College Coalition. The purposes of this study are to determine whether Christian College Coalition member institutions have encountered the same national concerns in the area of the transition from high school to college as identified by Ernest Boyer in College: The Undergraduate Experience in America, and to determine whether admissions programs in the member institutions are adhering to the principles of good practice of the National Association of College Admission Counselors (NACAC).

Yes / Routine administrative data have been used to show that patients admitted to hospitals over the weekend appear to have a higher mortality compared to weekday admissions. Such data do not take the severity of sickness of a patient on admission into account. Our aim was to incorporate a standardized vital signs physiological-based measure of sickness known as the National Early Warning Score to investigate if weekend admissions are: sicker as measured by their index National Early Warning Score; have an increased mortality; and experience longer delays in the recording of their index National Early Warning Score. Methods: We extracted details of all adult emergency medical admissions during 2014 from hospital databases and linked these with electronic National Early Warning Score data in four acute hospitals. We analysed 47,117 emergency admissions after excluding 1657 records, where National Early Warning Score was missing or the first (index) National Early Warning Score was recorded outside ±24 h of the admission time. Results: Emergency medical admissions at the weekend had higher index National Early Warning Score (weekend: 2.53 vs. weekday: 2.30, p

Background: With a shift in psychiatric care where inpatient places have been reduced and the psychiatric care will increasingly take place in outpatient settings, patients are expected to take greater responsibility for their well-being. The difficulty for patients with serious and complex disease may be that they potentially be at risk of being refused admission when they seek help at an early stage. Therefore they might feel compelled to signal deterioration in one's health dramatic and in a destructive way, which can lead to compulsory psychiatric care with sometimes long periods of care. Aim: To explore patients experiences of the method brief admission in psychiatric care. Method: A literature study with 16 articles that were investigated using a qualitative approach and reviewed with thematic analysis. Result: The results are presented in three themes with two associated subthemes. The main finding was that the participants perceived brief admission as safe. The predictability and the increased control before and during hospitalization contributed to the participants becoming more responsible for their mental well-being, they were able to focus on their coping strategies and their recovery and experienced increased health. With increased responsibility, the care relationship changed to the nurse and became more equal. Conclusion: Brief admission increases participation, promotes self-care and changes the care relationship with the nurse. With Orem’s self-care theory, the nurse can promote cooperation with patients and contribute to increased quality of life.

In Malawi the future of a child in terms of academic achievement is known before a child completes a higher secondary education. This is determined by the type of secondary school a child has been selected to. The secondary schools in Malawi are classified into three types namely the grant aided, secondary schools, the district conventional secondary schools and the community day secondary schools. When a pupil has been selected to a grant aided secondary school the general public expectation is that such a student would achieve a high academic standard, similarly when a pupil has been selected to the community day secondary school the public expectation is that such a pupil would not achieve a high academic standard. On the other hand those who are selected to attend the district conventional secondary schools will have an academic achievement which is between the other two types of secondary schools. This research was carried out to find out the impact of the ADMISSIONS POLICY OF STUDENTS INTO MALAWI SECONDARY SCHOOLS by examining the factors which contribute to disparities in academic achievements from the three types of secondary schools. The study was carried out in Dowa District in the Central Region of Malawi. Specifically it was conducted in the Central East Education Division which is comprised of five education districts namely: Dowa, Ntchisi, Nkhotakota, Salima and Kasungu. The research was conducted using a number of methods namely: survey questionnaires, convenient sampling, interviews and snowballing. Through the research it was established that the grant aided secondary schools offer excellence of education where many students excel in academics and is seconded by the district conventional secondary schools, while the community day secondary schools offer poor education which attributes to poor academic achievement. The research has explained what has been responsible for the differences in academic achievement. / Public Administration & Management / MPA

Thesis (MSc) Stllenbosch University, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: A prospective study was conducted in 1999 to establish the incidence and nature of acute poisonings in the Cape Town / Western Cape region. This study was based on an analysis of Poison Centre queries and acute poisoning admissions to Tygerberg Hospital over a period of 1 year (1999). Summary of findings for Hospital admissions (1010 cases): Acute poisonings were more common in adults (83%) than in children (17%) and drug overdose was by far the most common clinical entity in adult Hospital admissions (89% of cases). Most overdoses in adults were intentional (97%). Seventy five percent of these cases were female, predominantly in the 20-40 year age group. The incidence of non-drug chemical exposures in adults was relatively low (11%). In children, on the other hand, there was much less of a discrepancy between drug and non-drug chemical exposures (41% and 59% respectively). Paracetamol was the drug most commonly used in overdose in both adults and children. In adults ethanol featured in 17% of cases. Ingestion of paraffin and related volatile hydrocarbons were the most important cause of acute poisoning in children. Acute poisoning admissions due to drugs of abuse, excluding ethanol, were minimal in both age groups (1%). Toxic exposures to non-drug chemicals in the agricultural and industrial settings were low (3%). The number of exposures to biological toxins was also minimal (2%). Summary of findings for Poison Centre inqueries (3744 consultations): In 1999 the Tygerberg Poison Information Centre received 3744 calls, of which 2690 were related to acute human exposures to poisonous substances. The remainder of the calls (1054) was either about drug therapy, or general non-patient related toxicological matters. There were more calls regarding poisoning in adults (61%) than in children (39%). Most of the paediatric poisonings were accidental (97%), whereas in adults 55% were deliberate and 45% accidental. Forty four percent of the children and 52% of adults were female. In children, inqueries about exposures to potentially harmful non-drug household chemical products comprised 56% of poison calls, while drug overdose was 28% and exposures to biological toxins 16%. In adults 44% of inqueries were with regard to household products, 40% about drugs and 16% biological toxins. A comparison of Hospital admissions versus Poison Centre consultations: In order to make a valid comparison between Hospital admissions and Poison Centre consultations, acute poisoning cases originating from the same area were compared. Eight hundred and thirty four (90%) of patients admitted to Tygerberg Hospital and 592 (25%) of Poison Centre consultations originated from the same region, the Tygerberg catchment area. Several differences were noted when comparing poisoning cases reported to the Poison Centre and Hospital admissions. Six hundred and eighty eight (83%) adults and 145 (17%) children were admitted to Hospital in contrast to Poison Centre inqueries, where 322 (54%) were adults and 270 (46%) children. In adults, 99% of Hospital admissions versus 59% of Poison Centre consultations were regarded as self-inflicted. Ninety three percent of adults admitted to Hospital were drug overdoses, whereas only 48% of adult Poison Centre consultations involved ingestion of medicines. In adult overdoses with paracetamol and other analgesics, tricyclic antidepressants, antiepileptics, theophylline and ethanol were significantly higher in Hospital admissions than in Poison Centre consultations. In contrast, exposures to pesticides e.g. pyrethroids, misuse of recreational drugs e.g. cannabis and biological toxin exposures e.g. spider bites, were significantly higher in Poison Centre consultations than in Hospital admissions. In children, poisoning exposures to volatile hydrocarbons, especially paraffin, were significantly higher in Hospital admissions compared to Poison Centre enqueries. As is evident from the disparity in the results above, inqueries to the Tygerberg Poison Information Centre cannot be regarded as a reflection of the true incidence of acute poisonings in the community. Poison Information Centre statistics are distorted because of two factors: 1. Under-reporting to the Poison Information Centre. Healthcare providers are familiar with how to manage drugs commonly used in overdose (e.g. paracetamol) and certain household non-drug chemicals (e.g. paraffin), and often do not consult the Poison Centre for poison cases involving these substances. The number of inqueries received by the Poison Information Centre regarding these substances is, therefore, an under representation of actual incidence. 2. Over-reporting to the Poison Information Centre. The Tygerberg Poison Information Centre is well known for its expertise in biological toxins (e.g. spider and snake bites, scorpion stings, plant and mushroom ingestions, and marine toxins). Therefore, the number of inqueries received by the Centre with regard to these exposures is far higher than actual incidence of exposures. It is clear from this study that one cannot use data derived from a poison centre alone as an indicator of true incidence of poisoning in the community. A more accurate estimate of incidence of acute poisoning could be obtained by including data from hospital admissions, as well as those from primary health care facilities. Another prominent finding in this study was the high incidence of self-inflicted drug overdose in adult females, with paracetamol being the drug of choice. Poison prevention should therefore not be limited to children. Adult prevention programs need urgent attention. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: ‘n Prospektiewe studie om die insidensie en aard van akute vergigtigings in die Wes-Kaap vas te stel, is gedurende 1999 in Tygerberg Hospitaal uitgevoer. Die studie is gebaseer op ‘n analise van oproepe wat deur die Tygerbergse Vergifinligtingsentrum ontvang is en pasiente wat gedurende dieselfde tydperk met ‘n diagnose van akute vergiftiging by die Hospitaal toegelaat is. Qpsomming van Hospitaal toelatinqs (1010 qevalle): Toelatings van akute vergiftigings was meer algemeen by volwassenes (83%) as by kinders (17%). Die meeste hospitaal toelatings (83%) by volwassenes is a.g.v. geneesmiddeloordoseing. By 97% van volwassenes was gifstowwe doelbewus ingeneem, met vroue in die meerderheid (75%). Die insidensie van vergiftigings met nie-geneesmiddel verwante gifstowwe by volwassenes was laag (11%). By kinders was daar egter ‘n meer eweredige verspreiding tussen geneesmiddel (41%) en nie-geneesmiddel verwante (59%) gifstowwe. By beide volwassenes en kinders, was parasetamol die middel wat by die meeste oordoserings betrokke was. Alkohol was by 17% van vergiftigings by volwassenes betrokke. Paraffien en verwante vlugtige substanse was die belangrikste gifstowwe betrokke by akute vergiftigings by kinders. Akute vergiftigings as gevolg van die gebruik van dwelmmiddels was laag in alle ouderdomsgroepe (1%). Vergiftigings in die landbou en industriele sektore was laag (3%). Dit was ook die geval ten opsigte van blootstelling aan biologiese toksienes (2%). Opsomminq van Tyqerberq Verqifinliqtinqsentrum konsultasies (3744 qevalle): Gedurende 1999 het die Tygerberg Vergifinligtingsentrum 3744 oproepe ontvang waarvan 2690 as gevolg van akute vergiftigings was. Die ander 1054 oproepe het gehandel oor geneesmiddel terapie of algemene, nie-pasient verwante navrae. Daar is aangetoon dat oproepe ten opsigte van akute vergiftigings by volwassenes meer algemeen was as by kinders (61% en 39% respektiewelik). By kinders was die meeste vergiftigings per ongeluk (97%), terwyl by volwassenes die meeste doelbewus (55%) was. By kinders was 44% van die vroulike geslag teenoor 52% by volwassenes. By kinders was nie-geneesmiddel gifstowwe by 56% van akute vergiftigings betrokke en geneesmiddels by 44%. By volwassenes was dit 60% en 40%, respektiewelik. ‘n Verqelvkinq ten opsigte van Hospitaal toelatinqs en Verqifsentrum konsultasies: Om ‘n geldige vergelyking tussen Hospitaal toelatings en Vergifinligtingsentrum konsultasies te maak is gevalle van akute vergiftigings afkomstig uit dieselfde geografiese gebied.vergelyk. Toelatings tot Tygerberg Hospitaal 834 (90%) en 592 (25%) oproepe wat deur die Tygerbergse Vergifsentrum ontvang is, kom uit dieselfde opvangsgebied, naamlik die Tygerbergse substruktuur. Verskeie verskille tussen die twee instansies ten opsigte van die tipe vergiftigings is aangetoon. Volwassenes 688 (83%) en 145 (17%) kinders is met ‘n diagnose van akute vergiftiging by Tygerberg Hospitaal toegelaat in teenstelling met die Inligtingsentrum konsultasies waar 322 (54%) volwassenes en 270 (46%) kinders by betrokke was. By volwassenes was 99% van die toelatings die gevolg van doelbewuste vergiftiging (paraselfmoord), terwyl dit 59% van die Inligtingsentrum se navrae was. Drie en negentig persent van die volwassenes was in die Hospital toegelaat met geneesmiddel oordosering. Heelwat minder geneesmiddel oordosering (48%) was deur die Inligtingsentrum hanteer. Parasetamol en ander analgetika, trisikliese antidepressante, anti-epilepsie middels, alkohol en teofillien oordoserings by volwassenes was beduidend hoer by Hospitaal toelatings as by Vergifsentrum konsultasies. Akute vergiftiging deur paraffien en verwante vlugtige substanse by kinders was beduidend hoer by Hospitaal toelatings as wat gevind is by Inligtingsentrum navrae. Navrae ten opsigte van pestisied vergiftiging, gebruik van dwelmmiddels en blootstelling aan biologiese toksiene was beduidend hoer as by Hospitaal toelatings. Hierdie duidelike kontrasterende data dui daarop dat die tipe navrae wat deur die Tygerberg Vergifinligtingsentrum hanteer word nie noodwendig ‘n weerspieeling van die ware insidensie van akute vergiftiging in die gemeenskap is nie. Daar is 2 hoofredes hiervoor. 1. Onderrapportering by die Inligtingsentrum. Gesondheidverskaffers (dokters, verpleegsters, aptekers ens.) is vertroud met die behandeling van sekere algemene vergiftigings soos byvoorbeeld parasetamol oordosering en paraffien inname. Hulle ag dit derhalwe onnodig om die Sentrum hieroor te konsulteer. Dit lei dus tot onderrapportering. 2. Oorrapportering by die Inligtingsentrum. Die Tygerbergse Vergifinligtingsentrum is bekend vir sy vakkundigheid ten opsigte van blootstelling aan biologiese toksiene (spinnekopbyte, slangbyte, skerpioensteke, plante-en sampioen vergiftigings, ens). Dit is om hierdie rede dat vergiftigings deur biologiese agense, geraporteer aan die Sentrum, ‘n hoer syfer verteenwoordig as wat die werklike insidensie ten opsigte van die vergiftigings is. Hierdie studie toon dat vergifinligtingsentrum data nie noodwendig ‘n indikator van die ware insidensie van akute vergiftigings in die gemeenskap is nie. Dit is dus belangrik dat hospitaaltoelatingsdata asook data van primere gesondheidsklinieke ingesluit word om sodoende ‘n beter beeld te verkry van die ware insidensie van akute vergiftigings. ‘n Opmerklike bevinding tydens die studie was die hoe insidensie van doelbewuste geneesmiddel oordosering by volwasse vroue, met veral parasetamol as die middel van keuse. Programme wat fokus op die voorkoming van akute vergiftigings in volwassenes het dringende aandag nodig.

This qualitative study seeks to assess the effectiveness of homeschool collegiate preparation through the eyes of homeschool alumni. Four alumni who are current college students participated in the study. A triangulation of methods, which included surveys, open-ended questionnaires, and interviews, ensured reliability and validity. Although the students represented a wide range of varied homeschool experiences, the perceptions of all the students were that their environments prepared them for collegiate-level work at levels that are above average.

An overwhelming number of models in the literature use average inter-cell interference for the calculation of capacity of a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network. The advantage gained in terms of simplicity by using such models comes at the cost of rendering the exact location of a user within a cell irrelevant. We calculate the actual per-user interference and analyze the effect of user-distribution within a cell on the capacity of a CDMA network. We show that even though the capacity obtained using average interference is a good approximation to the capacity calculated using actual interference for a uniform user distribution, the deviation can be tremendously large for non-uniform user distributions. Call admission control (CAC) algorithms are responsible for efficient management of a network's resources while guaranteeing the quality of service and grade of service, i.e., accepting the maximum number of calls without affecting the quality of service of calls already present in the network. We design and implement global and local CAC algorithms, and through simulations compare their network throughput and blocking probabilities for varying mobility scenarios. We show that even though our global CAC is better at resource management, the lack of substantial gain in network throughput and exponential increase in complexity makes our optimized local CAC algorithm a much better choice for a given traffic distribution profile.

In this thesis, optimization techniques for a joint admission control and radio resource allocation are developed for multicasting over high altitude platforms. First, a primary system model in a multicellular high altitude platform system is considered, in which each user can receive any requested multicast session in its cell from no more than only one HAP antenna simultaneously. All the users have equal priority for admission. The users are selected to join the respective multicast groups and the power, subchannels and time slots are allocated such that the spectrum utilization is maximized while satisfying the quality of service requirements. Lagrangian relaxation and the subgradient algorithm are used to obtain solution bounds for the primary system model problem formulation. These bounds were then used in the branch and bound algorithm for pruning of nodes. The numerical results illustrate the goodness of the bounds for different constraint set dualizations and for different subgradient step size rules. The system model is then extended to allow the multicast group users to receive a session's transmission from more than one antenna simultaneously at different frequencies. This also allows the user to receive multicast sessions transmitted in neighboring cells too, not just those transmitted in the cell which the user resides in. The users have different priority levels of admission and the objective is to maximize the admission of highest priority users to the system. A much efficient formulation is obtained for the extended model in terms of size, as compared to the primary model. Linear outer approximation using McCormick underestimators are used for the relaxation of the mixed binary quadratically constrained problem. The solution method is based on branch and cut scheme in which cutting planes, domain propagation and heuristics are integrated. Various branching schemes are considered and a presolving reformulation linearization scheme for a specific set of quadratic constraints is considered. The numerical experiments compare the performances in terms of the duality gap, number of nodes, number of iterations, the number of iterations per node, the time needed to obtain the first feasible solution and the percentage of instances a feasible solution was found. / October 2016

The overall aim of the present thesis was to study factors related to transfers of older people between nursing homes, emergency department and hospital care. The thesis was based on four studies and used three methods: focus group discussions, structured review of electronic healthcare records, semi-structured interviews with registered nurses and general practitioners. Study I: nursing home nurses found it difficult to decide whether older residents should be referred to hospital from the nursing home. Hospital registered nurses reported often trying to stop premature discharges or having to carry out the discharge although it had not been fully prepared. Study II: transfer rate to ED was 594 over 9 months among a total of 431 residents (M 1.37 each). 25% were caused by falls and/or injuries, 63% resulted in hospitalization (M 7.12 days). The transfer rate was 0.00-1.03 transfers/bed; it was higher for private for-profit providers than for public/private non-profit providers. Study III: nursing homes with high transfer rates had fewer updated advance care plans than did nursing homes with lower transfer rates. More nurses from nursing homes with low transfer rates had a specialist education and training in dementia care and had worked longer in eldercare. Study IV: general practitioners perceived registered nurses’ continuity, competence and collaboration with family members as important to quality of care in nursing homes; inadequate staffing, lack of medical equipment and less-than-optimal IT systems for electronic healthcare records are impediments to patient safety. The findings indicate that organizational factors could explain differences in transfer rates between nursing homes. The studies highlight the importance of advance care planning together with residents and family members in facilitating future medical decisions. Registered nurses’ continuity and competence are perceived as crucial to quality of care. To meet increasing demands for more complex medical treatment at nursing homes and to provide high-quality palliative care several changes should be made: Nursing homes should be equipped with suitable medical equipment and registered nurse staff should be matched accordingly; importantly, registered nurses and general practitioners should be able to access each other’s healthcare record systems.

Magister Curationis - MCur / The provision of mental health care, treatment and rehabilitation of the acutely ill mental health care users (MHCUS) poses a major challenge to the nurses working in acute units. Nurses spend long hours ensuring that acutely ill psychiatric patients receive quality patient care in acute admission units in different psychiatric hospitals in South Africa. With few studies showing a rise in the prevalence of mental disorders in the South Africa and the Western Cape Province, acute psychiatric inpatient units across the province have experienced intense pressure and persistent rise in the number of acute patient admissions. Dealing with this group of patients is a difficult task particularly for nurses who spent prolonged hours caring for them. Despite the continuing provision of care to MHCUS by nurses in acute admission units, very little is known about the lived experiences of nurses in acute admission units. The aim of this study was to explore and describe the lived experiences of nurses who care for the acutely ill MHCUS in an acute male admission unit at a psychiatric hospital in the Western Cape. Acutely ill MHCUS in acute psychiatric units show severely disturbed behaviour at times, aggression, hostility, acute psychotic symptoms and many other symptoms related to psychiatric illness. Methods: a qualitative, descriptive phenomenological research design was used to explore and describe the lived experiences of nurses who care for acutely ill patients in an acute admission unit. A purposive sample of eight nurses was selected. Individual, semi structured phenomenological interviews were used to collect data from nurses caring for MHCUS in an acute admission unit. Data saturation was reached after carrying out the eight interviews. These interviews were audio taped and transcribed verbatim and Collaizi’s (1978) seven steps method of qualitative data was applied to analyse the collected data. Findings: The study found that nurses in the acute admission unit experienced several challenges while caring for MHCUs. Nurses reported both negative and positive experiences. Positive experiences included MHCUs recovery, teamwork and passion for caring while negative experiences were feeling unappreciated and unsupported by authorities. Furthermore, they reported physical assault by MHCUs which led to fear. Challenges experienced included shortage of staff and increased workload which led to burnout amongst nurses in acute admission units.