Increasing environmental awareness over the past decade as well as stringent environmental laws forced all factories to invest in water treatment processes for effluent treatment before discharge or re-use. Most of these effluent treatment processes utilize membranes as the physical. barrier for separation. The membranes used in water applications are expensive and alternative materials and production techniques will increase the viability of membrane separation processes. Experiments conducted on irradiated polyethylene showed that some of its properties were enhanced while others deteriorated. However, the enhanced properties make the polyethylene, in particular ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, an ideal membrane material. The manufactured membranes were tested in extraction experiments, and satisfactory results were obtained. Permeation studies on the membranes compared favourably with similar studies done on commercially available membranes. An extraction rate of 1.08 g/(m2h) nickel was achieved. A preliminary cost evaluation showed that these membranes can be manufactured at a low cost (R13.45/m2). and can be applied as supported liquid membranes. Future research should focus on methods to decrease the brittleness and stiffness of the membranes. / Thesis (MIng)--PU for CHE, 1999

Increasing environmental awareness over the past decade as well as stringent environmental laws forced all factories to invest in water treatment processes for effluent treatment before discharge or re-use. Most of these effluent treatment processes utilize membranes as the physical. barrier for separation. The membranes used in water applications are expensive and alternative materials and production techniques will increase the viability of membrane separation processes. Experiments conducted on irradiated polyethylene showed that some of its properties were enhanced while others deteriorated. However, the enhanced properties make the polyethylene, in particular ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, an ideal membrane material. The manufactured membranes were tested in extraction experiments, and satisfactory results were obtained. Permeation studies on the membranes compared favourably with similar studies done on commercially available membranes. An extraction rate of 1.08 g/(m2h) nickel was achieved. A preliminary cost evaluation showed that these membranes can be manufactured at a low cost (R13.45/m2). and can be applied as supported liquid membranes. Future research should focus on methods to decrease the brittleness and stiffness of the membranes. / Thesis (MIng)--PU for CHE, 1999

There is little understanding of marijuana use by psychiatric patients, specifically regarding the issue why they continue smoking marijuana in spite of the negative consequences, such as being readmitted to psychiatric hospitals due to a diagnosis called marijuana–induced psychosis. Therefore, it is important to understand why psychiatric patients continue to use marijuana, despite experiencing its negative effects on their condition. From the above background, the researcher identified the need to explore and describe the perceptions of psychiatric patients regarding marijuana use in Potchefstroom, North–West Province. The exploration and description of these psychiatric patients' perceptions regarding marijuana use will provide insight into more appropriate care and treatment in order to reduce the readmissions of psychiatric patients due to marijuana–induced psychosis. A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual research design was followed in order to give 'voice' to the perceptions of psychiatric patients regarding marijuana use. Purposive sampling was utilised to identify participants who complied with the set selection criteria. The sample size was determined by data saturation, which was reached after ten individual interviews with psychiatric patients. Unstructured individual interviews were utilised to gather data after written approval from the research ethics committee of the North–West University (Potchefstroom campus), North–West Provincial Department of Health, the clinical manager of the psychiatric hospital where data were collected, as well as from the psychiatric patients. After the co–coder and the researcher of the study analysed the data independently, a meeting was scheduled to reach consensus on the categories and subcategories that emerged from the data. The findings of this study indicated perceptions that psychiatric patients have on: the use of marijuana, the negative effects of marijuana use, marijuana use and mental illness, and stopping the use of marijuana. From this results it seems that although some patients realise that stopping the use of marijuana might be difficult, some patients want to walk the extra mile by helping other people to stop smoking marijuana. It is of specific interest that psychiatric patients seem to expect external groups to take responsibility on their behalf to terminate the use of marijuana, namely: foreigners, the police and the Rastafarians. From the findings, literature and the conclusions of this study, recommendations in the fields of nursing education, nursing research as well as nursing practice were made. / Thesis (M.Cur.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

There is little understanding of marijuana use by psychiatric patients, specifically regarding the issue why they continue smoking marijuana in spite of the negative consequences, such as being readmitted to psychiatric hospitals due to a diagnosis called marijuana–induced psychosis. Therefore, it is important to understand why psychiatric patients continue to use marijuana, despite experiencing its negative effects on their condition. From the above background, the researcher identified the need to explore and describe the perceptions of psychiatric patients regarding marijuana use in Potchefstroom, North–West Province. The exploration and description of these psychiatric patients' perceptions regarding marijuana use will provide insight into more appropriate care and treatment in order to reduce the readmissions of psychiatric patients due to marijuana–induced psychosis. A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual research design was followed in order to give 'voice' to the perceptions of psychiatric patients regarding marijuana use. Purposive sampling was utilised to identify participants who complied with the set selection criteria. The sample size was determined by data saturation, which was reached after ten individual interviews with psychiatric patients. Unstructured individual interviews were utilised to gather data after written approval from the research ethics committee of the North–West University (Potchefstroom campus), North–West Provincial Department of Health, the clinical manager of the psychiatric hospital where data were collected, as well as from the psychiatric patients. After the co–coder and the researcher of the study analysed the data independently, a meeting was scheduled to reach consensus on the categories and subcategories that emerged from the data. The findings of this study indicated perceptions that psychiatric patients have on: the use of marijuana, the negative effects of marijuana use, marijuana use and mental illness, and stopping the use of marijuana. From this results it seems that although some patients realise that stopping the use of marijuana might be difficult, some patients want to walk the extra mile by helping other people to stop smoking marijuana. It is of specific interest that psychiatric patients seem to expect external groups to take responsibility on their behalf to terminate the use of marijuana, namely: foreigners, the police and the Rastafarians. From the findings, literature and the conclusions of this study, recommendations in the fields of nursing education, nursing research as well as nursing practice were made. / Thesis (M.Cur.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

This study focused on designing a training programme for audiometricians, using the principles of instructional design. Instructional design is the continuing, systematic development of instructional specifications, utilizing researched strategies and principles to create detailed outcomes for the development, implementation, evaluation and maintenance of training programmes. An audiometrician is defined by SANS (10083:2004), as a person registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa as an audiometrician, hearing aid acoustician or someone trained in audiometry. Audiometricians are adult learners. Therefore, in addition to instructional design principles, the principles of adult learning were also incorporated in the training programme. The successful training of audiometricians may ensure that noise induced hearing loss is significantly reduced when audiometric monitoring is appropriately implemented as part of a hearing conservation programme. Training for audiometricians is critical in this process as incorrect audiometric monitoring may negatively influence the outcomes of a hearing conservation programme. This study followed a descriptive research design where the results were described in a quantitative manner. Data was collected by means of electronically mailed questionnaires. All participants were practicing audiometricians at the time of the study and were registered with the South African Society for Occupational Health Nursing. All participants had an audiometric certificate as qualification. For the analysis of data, 181 completed questionnaires were used. The results were analyzed and described in terms of the respondents’ own experience regarding audiometry; their opinions regarding the topics they have been taught in audiometry; the duration of their own training programmes and their opinions regarding a future training programme for audiometricians. Based on the results of the above analysis, the instructional design programme for audiometricians was developed. The obtained results were used to determine what the topics, content, duration, learning outcomes and learner evaluation methods should be in the development of a training programme for audiometricians. This research study developed a training programme for audiometricians in order to ensure that all future audiometricians have the necessary knowledge to perform comprehensive hearing evaluations, interpret audiometric findings and thereby assist in reducing noise induced hearing loss in the industrial sector through hearing conservation programmes. AFRIKAANS : Hierdie studie is toegespits op die ontwerp van ‘n onderrigprogram vir oudiometriste waarin die beginsels van onderrigontwerp toegepas is. Onderrigontwerp behels die deurlopende en stelselmatige ontwikkeling van onderrigspesifikasies deur gebruik te maak van nagevorsde strategieë en beginsels om gedetailleerde uitkomste vir die ontwikkeing, evaluering en onderhoud van opleidingsprogramme daar te stel. ‘n Oudiometris word gedefinieer deur wetgewing (SANS 10083:2004) as ‘n person wat geregistreer is by die Health Professions Council of South Africa as ‘n oudiometris, gehoorapparaat akoestikus of iemand wat opgelei is in oudiometrie. Oudiometriste is volwasse leerders. Om hierdie rede is nie net die beginsels van onderrigontwerp nie, maar ook die beginsels van volwasse leer in die onderrigprogram geïnkorporeer. Suksesvolle onderrig van oudiometriste kan verseker dat die voorkoms van geraas-geïnduseerde gehoorverlies verminder, mits oudiometriese monitering toepaslik as deel van ‘n program vir gehoorkonservering geïntegreer word. Opleiding vir oudiometriste is krities belangrik in hierdie proses want indien oudiometriese monitering verkeerd gedoen word, kan dit die gehoorkonserveringsprogram in totaliteit negatief beïnvloed. ‘n Beskrywende navorsingsontwerp is in hierdie studie gebruik en die resultate is kwantitatief beskryf. Data is deur middel van vraelyste wat elektronies versend is, versamel. Al die deelnemers was ten tye van die studie praktiserende oudiometriste wat by die South African Society for Occupational Health Nursing geregistreer was. Elkeen was in besit van ‘n oudiometriese sertifikaat as kwalfikasie. Vir data-ontleding is 181 voltooide vraelyste gebruik. Die data was geanaliseer en beskryf in terme van die respondente se eie ervaring ten opsigte van oudiometrie; hul mening omtrent die temas wat by hul opleiding ingesluit was; die duur van hul opleidingsprogramme en hul idees omtrent ‘n toekomstige opleidingsprogram vir oudiometriste. Die onderrigontwerp-program is op grond van die resultate van bognoemde analise ontwikkel. Die resultate wat verkry is, is gebruik om die temas, inhoud, duur, leeruitkomste en evalueringsmetodes in die ontwikkeling van ‘n opleidingsprogram vir oudiometriste te bepaal. Hierdie studie is gerig op die ontwikkeling van ‘n opleidingsprogram vir oudiometriste met die doel om te verseker dat hulle oor die nodige kennis beskik om omvattende gehoorevaluerings uit te voer, om oudiometriese bevindinge te interpreteer en daardeur, in gesondheidssorgprogramme, by te dra tot die vermindering van geraas-geïnduseerde gehoorverlies in die industriële sektor Copyright / Dissertation (MCommunication Pathology)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / unrestricted