Latest news with #SafetyProtocol
The Citizen
25-07-2025
- The Citizen
Education Department devises plans to root out crime in schools
Education Department devises plans to root out crime in schools FOLLOWING a recent break-in at Ganges Secondary School in Merebank, during which computers were stolen, the KZN Department of Education has vowed to take stronger action against school burglaries. In response to the incident, the department held a meeting with the national police launched a new safety initiative on July 23. The aim is to curb the growing number of break-ins affecting schools across the province. The department aims to have forge strong relations with the police in a bid to eradicate criminal activities in schools. Also read: Montclair residents rescue elderly couple from blaze Director of school safety in the department, Sifiso Ngobese said the department also aims to discourage learners from bringing weapons to schools. The recently launched programme aims to curb bullying, gangsterism, substance abuse, and gender-based violence in schools. Ganges Secondary is still grappling with a significant challenge as rampant cable theft, vandalism and criminal activities continue to rear their ugly heads. In February, unknown suspects broke into the school premises and removed 16 CCTV cameras worth more than R70 000. The cameras were installed to enhance safety and security at the school. The National Department of Basic Education, in collaboration with the KZN Department of Education and the police, rolled out the school safety protocol activation programme (SSPP). Also read: Police warn of social media accounts impersonating Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi The programme is designed to enhance security measures, particularly in schools that have already been targeted by criminals. Department spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi said the department is implementing measures to safeguard affected schools and prevent further incidents. 'Following the Safety Protocol to protect the schools that were recently signed by both the ministers of education and police. Among other issues that we are dealing with are the breaking-ins,' said Mahlambi. The school safety protocol programme was signed by Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube and the former Minister of Police, Senzo Mnchunu on June 24. The programme will be rolled out in all provinces in the country. The SSPP is initially targeting schools in areas that are in the top 10 police stations nationwide with the most contact crimes reported in the last quarter report. The department has developed an implementation plan to ensure the effective and adherence to the safety protocol. For more Southlands Sun news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok. Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter and get news delivered straight to your inbox.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Scientists Just Figured Out How Food Aversions Actually Form
In a new study published in the scientific journal Nature, scientists analyzed how animal brains learn to associate certain foods or flavors with becoming ill. When your stomach sends out distress signals from feeling sick, it can reactivate parts of your memory associated with what you recently ate, even if your last meal was several hours earlier. Researchers found that animals only stored adverse responses to new or novel flavors, not familiar ones, which may be connected to mechanisms for evolutionary ways in which your body works to protect you without you even noticing are astonishing — and that includes your brain's efforts to save you from food poisoning. In early April, researchers published findings in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Nature that explored how animal brains — specifically mice — learn to associate certain flavors with sickness, even when symptoms of illness don't appear until several hours later. The study investigated how animal brains perform what's known as "credit assignment," a process that helps them determine which food or event caused them to get sick, even when the culpable meal was eaten some time ago. It works like this: When your gut sends out a distress signal — the study calls this postingestive feedback, but it may help to think of it as a literal "gut reaction" — the brain selectively reactivates your memories of what you recently ate. This neural replay helps the brain link the thing that made you sick (i.e., the food) to the effect (i.e., puking all night long), even if they are separated by hours. Related: The FDA Is Updating Its Food Safety Protocol Specifically for Berries — Here's Why The research, led by Christopher Zimmerman and Ilana Witten from the Princeton Neuroscience Institute, uncovered this connection by tracking how mice learned to avoid certain flavors. In the experiments, mice were offered a sip of grape Kool-Aid, followed by an injection of lithium chloride to induce gastrointestinal malaise, a more formal way of saying digestive discomfort. After just one go-around with an upset tummy, the mice developed a strong aversion to the specific Kool-Aid flavor, and when offered it again a few days later, said "no thanks" in their own little mouse way. Interestingly, the mice did not develop the same aversion when they fell ill after consuming a flavor that they were previously familiar with. This suggests the brain flags novel experiences — or in this case, new flavors — as potentially dangerous, a behavior the scientists said is rooted in evolutionary survival. The memory of the novel flavor and the resulting aversion were found to be stored in the amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for processing emotions, including fear and stress. Only when a flavor was new and paired with food poisoning were neurons in the amygdala reactivated during gut distress. Related: How to Understand Food Expiration Dates While this study was performed on mice, it offers insight into how humans learn about food dangers, too. The findings suggest that our brains don't just passively store events, but rather can actively revisit past experiences when new information (like nausea) arises. The study also highlights the gut-brain pathway, which further supports a growing body of research that suggests our digestive system plays a crucial role in and can impact brain function, behavior, mood, and anxiety. The ability to "gut check" our experiences, the researchers note, is "essential for survival — nutritious foods are valuable, whereas poisonous foods can be deadly." Even if we're no longer at a stage in evolutionary development where we're tasting unfamiliar ingredients that might be toxic, these learnings provide valuable information for better understanding the relationship between the gut and mind. Read the original article on Food & Wine
