published_or_final_version / abstract / Linguistics / Master / Master of Arts

Thesis (M. A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

The study sought to explore technology challenges faced by some rural women in Intsika-Yethu and Emalahleni local municipalities, under the Chris Hani District Municipality, in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Available literature reveals that some rural women in South Africa and other developing parts of the world face technology challenges. The study is qualitative and focuses on two municipalities. Thirty-two women participated in the study. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and focus group interviews. Data were presented, analysed and discussed according to the themes derived from the sub-research questions. It emerged from the study that while most women in both municipalities were aware of ICT, they are however facing ICT access challenges in most areas of the municipalities. The findings do not depict the South African government national ICT policy goals which realises the importance of technology in the integration of services for the development of rural areas. Designing intervention programs for secondary school girls and some rural women, as well as monitoring and evaluating ICT programs in rural areas are recommended. / Communication Science / MA ( Communication)

Epidemiology of primary paediatric brain tumours has been studied extensively in developed countries of the west. Such studies are lacking in developing countries especially sub-Saharan Africa. This study seeks to establish the epidemiology of primary brain tumours seen among children that were treated at Chris Hani Baragwanath and Johannesburg Hospitals from April 1995 to April 2005. The records of 252 patients who presented with this condition during the study period were reviewed, for the following details: ● Demographic details such as age, gender and race ● Diagnosis and the date when it was made ● The follow-up period at the hospital(s)/clinic(s) ● The anatomical location of the tumours; supratentorial or infratentorial ● The treatment that was given which included mainly surgery for tumour removal or biopsy, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and others which included ventriculoperitoneal shunt, external ventricular drain insertion. ● The outcome of treatment included: - alive - dead - presumed alive - lost to follow-up It was found: ● That 225 patients had full demographic details of race, gender and age. ● That there was a slight male predominance among children with primary brain tumour. ● That the majority of children with brain tumours were black, followed by whites which is in keeping with the country’s demographics. ● The three most common tumours were astrocytomas, medulloblastomas and brainstem gliomas in the descending order of frequency. ● Medulloblastomas were the commonest tumours in the infratentorial region while craniopharyngiomas were commonest tumours in the supratentorial region. ● More children had infratentorial tumours ● Younger children were more likely to have infratentorial tumours. ● Majority of patients had surgery either for diagnosis or for diagnosis and treatment. ● Few patients were presumptively diagnosed clinically and by imaging modalities ● Combination therapy of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy had the best survival outcome while chemotherapy as the only form of treatment had the worst outcome. ● The overall 5 year survival rate for all the study participants was much lower than that of their counterparts in the literature. ● Children who had craniopharyngiomas and astrocytomas had better survival. ● Mortality incidence was slightly higher for whites than blacks but that could have been skewed by a high number of blacks that was lost to follow-up. ● A higher infratentorial tumour prevalence than in the literature was noted. It was noted that racial prevalence of primary paediatric brain tumours follows population demographics. From the results of this study, there is a need for a better record keeping and improved patients follow-up. There is also a need for a larger epidemiological study in the two hospitals. There is need to establish a specialized paediatric unit which will help start a paediatric team comprising of a paediatric neurosurgeon, paediatric oncologist, paediatric intensivist and neuroradiologist with dedicated neuropaediatric ICU. Such a team given resources will improve survival outcome of children with brain tumours.

The study sought to explore technology challenges faced by some rural women in Intsika-Yethu and Emalahleni local municipalities, under the Chris Hani District Municipality, in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Available literature reveals that some rural women in South Africa and other developing parts of the world face technology challenges. The study is qualitative and focuses on two municipalities. Thirty-two women participated in the study. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and focus group interviews. Data were presented, analysed and discussed according to the themes derived from the sub-research questions. It emerged from the study that while most women in both municipalities were aware of ICT, they are however facing ICT access challenges in most areas of the municipalities. The findings do not depict the South African government national ICT policy goals which realises the importance of technology in the integration of services for the development of rural areas. Designing intervention programs for secondary school girls and some rural women, as well as monitoring and evaluating ICT programs in rural areas are recommended. / Communication Science / MA ( Communication)

Objectives The study aims to describe the socio-demographic characteristics, clinical outcomes of the patients in the Gauteng public sector roll-out programme and establish the association between these. There are contradictory results from international studies on these associations, in the absence of SA results. Methods This is a retrospective cohort, exploratory, secondary data, record review study and a comparison between two sites. Routinely collected socio-demographic data and clinical data were used to establish the impact of socio-demographic factors on response to HAART. This was collected for patients who enrolled from April 2004 to August 2004. Chris Hani Baragwanaath (CHB) had 494 records, Helen Joseph (HJ) had159 records collected. Exposure variables (age, sex, marital status, education level, residential area, employment, baseline viral load and baseline cd4 count). Outcome variables were (CD4 and Viral load at 3 months, 6 months and 12 months). Data Analysis T tests were used for comparing means; logistic regression was used to find the effect of ordered exposure variables and binary outcome. Chi square and fishers exact were used to find frequencies and association between the categorical variables. Regression was used to find the association between the continuous exposure variables and the continuous outcome variables. In a multivariate model, to assess the effect of the exposure variables to the outcome variables Multivariate regression was used. Statistical significance was assessed at the 5% significance level, giving 95% confidence interval. Results The majority of the patients (653) were female, African, unemployed and were literate. At CHB, at the end of the first year, three quarters were still on treatment however; just under a fifth (19%) had died. The majority responded well to treatment and had a mean baseline CD4 count of 58.9cells/mm3 (CHB) and 78.4cells/mm3 (HJ) and mean CD4 count of 245 (CHB) and 268 (HJ) after 12 months. increasing age, and being widowed, lowers the immunological response. Employment, education, sex and had no impact on response. Conclusion • There is positive virological and immunological response to HAART in Gauteng ARV roll-out programme despite the low socio economic status of the majority of the patients. • Provision of free antiretroviral drugs and access to the disability grant has assisted in mitigating the effects of HIV/ AIDS on the socio-economically disadvantaged. • The elderly and the widowed might need close monitoring as their response appears to be lower than the others. • The group with no schooling is not well represented in this sample; the question is whether the HIV/AIDS prevention messages and treatment is accessible for this group. This needs further research.

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Abstract is in English, Xhosa and Afrikaans / By means of a qualitative multiple case study, I investigated the compliance of the administrations of three rural secondary schools in the Chris Hani West District, Eastern Cape Province with the constitutional democratic principles of cooperation, accountability and transparency. I consulted legal sources to identify provisions dealing with the implementation of these principles and to create a framework for data analysis and interpretation. Fieldwork commenced with a document analysis of relevant school documents, followed by focus groups with members of representative councils of learners, school management teams and school governing bodies. I concluded with semi-structured interviews with principals. I discovered a general lack of compliance with the identified principles, possibly attributable to the exclusion of learners from decision-making processes, unhealthy relationships among educators, autocratic leadership style, lack of communication, and lack of knowledge of the legal prescripts on the part of learners and the parent component of the school governing body. / Ngokwenza uphando olusebenzisa imizekelo yeemeko ezininzi, ndiphande indlela eziyithobela ngayo imigaqo yolawulo izikolo ezithathu kwisithili sakuKomani eMpuma Koloni ngokumalunga neenqobo zedemokhrasi zentsebenziswano, ukwamkela uxanduva nokusebenza ngokungafihlisiyo. Ndithethe namaziko omthetho ngenjongo yokuchonga izibonelelo eziphathelene nokusetyenziswa kwezi nqobo, ndifuna nokuqulunqa uphahla lokwakha isakhelo sokuhlalutya nokutolika iinkcukacha zolwazi eziqokelelweyo. Umsebenzi wasentsimini (ukutyelela amaziko achaphazelekayo) uqale ngokuphengulula imibhalo yesikolo ebalulekileyo, kwalandela amaqela angundoqo namalungu eekomiti ezimele abafundi, abalawuli besikolo nabameli babazali abakwiikomiti ezilawula isikolo. Kugqityelwe ngodliwano ndlebe oluphantse lwaqingqwa neenqununu zezo zikolo. Ndifumanise ukungathotyelwa jikelele kweenqobo ezichongiweyo, mhlawumbi ngenxa yokungabandakanywa kwabafundi kwiinkqubo zokuthatha izigqibo, ukungavisisani kwabafundisi ntsapho, ukuphatha ngegqudu, ukungabonisani, nokungabi nalwazi lomthetho kwabafundi nabazali abangabameli bekomiti elawula isikolo. / Die navorser het ’n kwalitatiewe veelvoudige gevallestudie gebruik om die administrasies van drie landelike sekondêre skole in die Chris Hani West-distrik, Oos-Kaap, se nakoming van die grondwetlik demokratiese beginsels van samewerking, aanspreeklikheid en deursigtigheid te ondersoek. Die navorser het regsbronne geraadpleeg om bepalings rakende die implementering van hierdie beginsels te identifiseer en ’n raamwerk vir die ontleding en vertolking van data tot stand te bring. Die veldwerk het met ’n analise van tersaaklike skooldokumente begin, wat deur fokusgroepsessies met lede van verteenwoordigende leerlingrade, skoolbestuurspanne en skoolbeheerliggame opgevolg is. Die veldwerk is met semigestruktureerde onderhoude met skoolhoofde afgesluit. Die navorser het ’n algemene gebrek aan nakoming van die geïdentifiseerde beginsels gevind, wat moontlik aan die uitsluiting van leerders van besluitnemingsprosesse, ongesonde verhoudings onder opvoeders, ’n outokratiese leierskapstyl, ’n gebrek aan kommunikasie en ’n gebrek aan kennis van die tersaaklike regsvoorskrifte onder leerders en die ouerkomponent van die skoolbeheerliggame toegeskryf kan word. / Educational Management and Leadership / M. Ed. (Education Management)

Student Number : 9402058P - M Med Research Report - School of Clinical Medicine - Faculty of Health Sciences / Objective In view of recent suggestions that HIV infection may protect against pre-eclampsia, this study was done to estimate whether untreated HIV positive pregnant women have a lower rate of preeclampsia-eclampsia than HIV negative women. Methods Subjects for this study were pregnant women from Soweto, South Africa, who gave birth from March to December 2002 at midwife-run clinics or at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, and in whom the HIV status was known. A sample size calculation indicated that 2588 subjects would be required to show statistical significance at P<0.05 with a power of 80% for a reduction in the rate of preeclampsia from 8% to 5% with HIV seropositivity, assuming an HIV seroprevalence rate of 30%. Data collection was by record review from randomly selected patient files and birth registers. Results In the total sample of 2600 women, 1797 gave birth at the hospital and 803 at the midwife-run clinics. The HIV seroprevalence rate was 27.1%. Hypertension was found in 17.3% of women, with 5.3% having preeclampsia-eclampsia. The rates of preeclampsia-eclampsia were 5.2% in HIV negative and 5.7% in HIV positive women (P=0.61). CD4 count results were available for only 13 women (0.5%). Conclusion HIV seropositivity was not associated with any reduction in the risk of developing preeclampsia-eclampsia.