Introduction Tuberculosis is still a leading cause of deaths in low and middle income countries especially those of Sub-Saharan Africa. The successful implementation of strategies to improve TB outcomes remains critical for South Africa as the country is faced with the burden of many TB related deaths. South Africa has included TB management as a priority programme for the country in its strategies to the achieve millennium development goals. The National Department of Health introduced the CCG programme to assist professional health workers in the control and management of various health conditions including TB. The competent management of the CCGs is central to meeting service delivery objectives. Aim of the study The aim of the study was to explore and describe the experiences of community care givers caring for TB clients. Methodology A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive design was used to conduct the study. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 24 community care givers that were employed by Department of Health receiving a stipend and had been working as community care givers for at least two years. Data was collected using semi structured interviews and was subsequently analysed using Tesch’s method of data analysis Results The themes that emerged from the interviews included: accessibility of kits and protective clothing to the CCGs, their safety and security, training and development, ii including financing of the CCG programme. The following sub-themes emerged as part of the themes: Insufficient supply of kits, alternative means of making kits available to the CCG’s, promotion and supply of uniforms for the CCGs, procurement and supply of protective clothing, alternative ways of getting protective clothes, vaccination against communicable diseases, safety allowance, transparency on criteria for further training and development, age limits regarding the selection of the CCGs, lack of career pathing, stipend received by the CCGs and employment benefits for the CCGs. Recommendations Recommendations were made with regards to institutional management and practice, policy development and implementation, and further research. These included establishing processes for: supply of kits, protective clothes and vaccines, pre and periodical medicals, criteria for further training and development, and issuing of stipend. A broader study involving all the CCGs affiliated to all PHC clinics in eThekwini district on the required support and supervision was also recommended.
An automatic voltage regulator (AVR) is an electronic device used to control, adjust, and maintain a constant voltage level at the stator terminals of a synchronous generator (SG). Hence, the voltage stability of a power system network is affected by AVR’s performance. Maintaining constancy and stability of the nominal voltage level in power systems remains a major control problem. Another critical reason for effective control of the generator's terminal voltage is that real line losses are determined by the real and reactive power flows and variation in terminal voltage has a large effect on reactive power flow and thus on these losses. A large power system consists of several synchronous generators that operate in synchronism; the terminal voltage and frequency are to be kept constant with minimal variation to ensure the stability of the power system. The voltage stability of a synchronous generator is highly affected when the terminal voltage varies above the nominal acceptable range. To maintain a constant voltage at a SG’s terminal, an AVR is used. The performance of an AVR is highly dependent on efficient controller design, which improves the output of the AVR by restoring the voltage of the synchronous generator to its nominal value in the presence of disturbances. The selection of a suitable controller is one of the most challenging aspects of AVR system design. This study presents the design, modeling, and performance analysis of an AVR system employing a Proportional Integral and Derivative (PID) controller, a Fuzzy Logic controller (FLC), and a Model Predictive Controller (MPC) for the performance enhancement and transient response of the AVR system with these controllers. Initially, a transfer function is used to develop a mathematical model of an AVR in order to observe its step response when the terminal voltage of a generator is disturbed. A PID controller is then added to the system and tuned to enhance the step response of an AVR. The third model develops and implements an AVR system based on MPC, while the final model implements an FLC for an AVR system. Simulating the models in Matlab Simulink 2021a, the results have demonstrated the need for a controlling mechanism to enhance the dynamic performance of the AVRS, and MPC has shown to be the most effective controller.
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