The South African Higher Education (HE) sector has faced scrutiny in recent years because of its low participation and high attrition rates. In an attempt to address this, institutions have introduced additional programmes such as Extended Curriculum Programmes (ECPs). In this study, we followed an interpretive research paradigm to explore students' experiences and perceptions of the somatology ECP at the Durban University of Technology DUT). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 individual students out of the 69 graduates of the somatology ECP. The participants believe that social integration and reduced academic workload over an extended period contributed to their academic performance. The participants felt that support subjects such as writing skills and computer literacy and the work done by staff and mentors of the ECP facilitated their academic success. The findings from the study suggest that the somatology ECP was successful, too, in the social integration of students while preparing them for success.

South Africa is a water-scarce country due to the shortage of rainfall. This scarcity is further exacerbated by the loss of water through leakage from faulty pipes. This paper reports on the use of a simple microfluidic device in the early detection of water leakages. The microfluidic paper-based device μPADs) were prepared by printing patterns of wax (100 μm width) on the paper surface and melting the wax into the paper to form hydrophobic barriers. Solutions of lower to higher pH were also prepared and were introduced to the chlorophenol red test strips and a range of colours from yellow (lower pH) to purple (higher pH) were obtained. The digital images obtained with the μPADs were analysed using the CIELab colour system. The optimized pH range was wider than the typical grayscale-based image analysis and was successful for a wide pH range of 2-12. The QR codes attached to the strips enable tracking to obtain the real-time location from which leakage was detected. The study conclusively shows that the combination of digital image analysis and a μPAD device is highly efficient for quantitative analysis, and thus useful for the detection of household water leaks.

Ammonia is a toxic pollutant increasingly found in urban and industrial wastewater and unprotected surface water. Industry discharges and fertilizer run-off release ammonia into sewers and streams, overloading wastewater treatment plants and causing fish deaths in surface water such as rivers, sea and lakes. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of the microfluidic paper-based device (µPAD) for the quantification of ammonia in wastewater. The µPAD fabricated had an oval-shaped pattern which was designed using CorelDraw software. The hydrophilic zones were created by printing a chromatographic paper with a Xerox wax printer (Xerox colorqube 8570). The modified version of the colorimetric method using Nessler reagent was combined with microfluidic technologies to create a low-cost monitoring system for detection of ammonia in wastewater. The method allows for ammonia determination in the range of 0-5 ppm (mg/L) with a limit of detection of 3.34 ppm. This study indicated that a µPAD was successfully used to quantify the concentration of ammonia in wastewater.

Abstract To synthesize Nano eggshell-titanium-dioxide (EB@TiO2) biocomposite and to evaluate its effectiveness in occluding opened dentine tubules. EB@TiO2 was synthesized and characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). Sixteen simulated bovine dentine discs were prepared and randomly assigned into four groups according to the following treatment (n = 4): Group 1: No treatment; Group 2: eggshell powder; Group 3: EB@TiO2; Group 4: Sensodyne. These were then agitated in a solution of 1g powder and 40mL water for 3hours. Thereafter, each dentine discs from the respective groups were post-treated for 5 min with 2wt% citric acid to test their acid resistant characteristics. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) was used to observe the effectiveness of occluded dentine pre-and post-treatment. The cytotoxicity of the synthesized EB@TiO2 was tested using NIH 3T3 assay. ANOVA was used to evaluate the mean values of the occluded area ratio and the data of MTS assay. This was followed by a multi-comparison test with Bonferroni correction (α = .05). The XRD confirmed that EB@TiO2 was successfully modified through ball-milling. The TEM revealed the presence of both spherical and irregular particle shape powders. The SEM result showed that EB@TiO2 could effectively occlude open dentine tubules. Equally, the result demonstrated that EB@TiO2 exhibited the highest acid resistant stability post-treatment. NIH 3T3 assay identified that EB@TiO2 had little effect on the NIH 3T3 cell line even at the highest concentration of 100µg/ml. This study suggests that the application of EB@TiO2 effectively occluded dentine tubules and the occlusion showed a high acid resistant stability.

ABSTRACT This study aimed to determine the characteristics of Hibiscus sabdariffa as a fiber-reinforcement material for denture acrylic resins. The Hibiscus sabdariffa fiber was extracted by hot water retting. The fiber was treated at room temperature in aqueous solution of NaOH for 8 hours at 8% concentration. Micrometre gauge and Field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), Archimedes principle, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and Thermogravimetric analyser were used to characterize the diameter, morphology, density, water content and absorption, functional chemical component and thermal behaviour of Hibiscus sabdariffa fiber. In addition, the reinforcing characteristics of Hibiscus sabdariffa fiber was evaluated using denture acrylic resin. The flexural strength was measured in line with ASTM D 790 using LloydTM three point bending machine. In line with ASTM D 256, the impact strength was measured using HounsfieldTM charpy tester. The Micrometre gauge and FE-SEM analysis confirmed that diameter of Hibiscus sabdariffa fiber is within the range of other established reinforcing lignocellulosic fibers so also are the density, moisture content and absorption. The FTIR spectroscopy and TGA analysis confirmed the presence of cellulose, hemicellulose and other components in the fiber which were modified by treatment resulting in decreased hydrophilicity of the fibers thereby improving the thermal stability of the fiber. Furthermore, the bond fiber/matrix adhesion was improved which resulted in improve mechanical properties of the composite. The salient features of this study indicated that based on the suitable properties, Hibiscus sabdariffa fiber can be applied to reinforcing denture acrylics. In addition, and potentially, the use of Hibiscus sabdariffa fiber in reinforcement of denture acrylic resins can trigger further economic benefit while ensuring sustainable, green and safer environment.