Browsing by Author "Laher, Muhammad"
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Item Assessment of the knowledge of usage of blood and blood products amongst medical doctors in the Department of Medicine at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand affiliated academic hospitals(2017)Background Rational and appropriate use of blood and blood products is important in a resource limited setting. Proper education is required in decision-making and management with regard to blood transfusion. Current knowledge status is required in order to identify target areas of teaching. Objective To assess the knowledge regarding blood and blood products among doctors of varying ranks at the University of the Witwatersrand affiliated academic hospitals. Research design and methods This is an observational, descriptive study using a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire was divided into sections covering areas of red blood cells, platelets, plasma products, consent, blood ordering and side effects with a total of 40 questions, approximately equally distributed in each of the above sections. A section on the demographics of the participants as well as an opinion section of how to impart further information was also included comprising of 2 questions each. Results A response rate of 33% was obtained from the distributed questionnaires. The average score obtained for the questionnaire was 61% amongst all the doctors. The consultants achieved the highest score of 64%. In comparison, the interns, who averaged 56%, achieved the lowest score. The medical officers and registrars both averaged 63%. The community service doctors averaged 58%. A similar gradient was seen across the different sections of the questionnaire. Participants scored the best in the section pertaining to ‘consent’ with a score of 87%. The next best score (64%) was achieved for the section regarding ‘side effects’. The section regarding ‘red blood cell usage’ and ‘blood product ordering’ was scored at 60%. The section with regards to ‘platelets usage’ achieved a score of 44%. The lowest score was achieved in the section regarding ‘plasma product usage’, i.e. 30%. A statistically significant gap in knowledge was noted from intern up to medical officer level, after which the increase in knowledge up to consultant level was not found to be statistically significant. Conclusions The overall results obtained appear to be suboptimal and can be improved upon significantly. Formalized and on-going teaching around blood and blood product usage is required at the University of the Witwatersrand affiliated hospitals, at all levels, from interns through to consultants to ensure that this scarce, but invaluable resource is used judiciously and appropriately.Item Pairs Trading via Unsupervised Learning on the JSE(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024)Pairs trading, a strategy that capitalises on temporary price discrepancies between two correlated assets, has garnered attention for its potential to generate profits in financial markets. This research explores the viability of employing unsupervised learning techniques for pairs trading on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). Using clustering algorithms to identify pairs and considering both price data and firm characteristics, the study examines the performance of pairs trading portfolios constructed via different clustering methods. Empirical results reveal that while agglomerative clustering shows promise with the highest monthly mean return for long-short portfolios, none of the strategies consistently outperform benchmark indices. Furthermore, considering only momentum features in the clustering process leads to deteriorated portfolio performance, emphasizing the importance of incorporating firm characteristics. Despite the potential benefits offered by unsupervised learning, challenges such as the limited number of listed stocks and algorithm selection hinder the strategy's effectiveness on the JSE. The findings suggest that further research is needed to refine methodologies and address practical implementation challenges for pairs trading strategies in emerging markets like the JSE