A Qualitative Study of the Motivations and Experiences of African Students in Community Colleges in the United States

This is a study of African students in community colleges. A qualitative study was conducted during the summer and fall semesters of 2020 to collect data from a sample of African students in two community colleges in the mid-west region of the United States. The study provided an in-depth look at the study participants, their journey to the colleges, expectations, hopes, and needs they brought with them to the two-year institutions. This study also explores students’ feelings about their experiences in the campuses and how those experiences impact their academic advancements as well as their socio-cultural adjustment in the United States. Theoretically, Bohman\u27s international student community college decision-making model as well as Hofstede’s cultural dimension theory are the guiding frameworks for this research. Qualitative data collected from eight study participants was analyzed and discussed using thematic analysis technique. Specifically, three main themes emerged that revealed the peculiarity of the journey and experiences of the students in the community colleges, offering insights for institutions engaged in recruiting and hosting African students

A comparative study of design teaching in undergraduate mechanical engineering degree courses.

Abstract Not Provided

Financial Reporting for Non-Profit Organizations: The Case of Peace Corps Gambia

Concerns about the non-profit sector's alleged lack of accountability and transparency have led to calls for the creation of accounting standards or recommended practices. This should be a framework for covering all aspects of the NPO sector, from governance and compliance to information asymmetry and transparency, and effectiveness. The purpose of this article is to review the Financial Statements of the Peace Corps Gambia, in view of the IFR4NPO prepared by CIPFA and search for some common points

Seroepidemiology of HIV in Moyamba District, Sierra Leone, 2013-2016

HIV infection is one of the health problems plaguing resource-poor countries. There are limited data on the prevalence in remote towns and districts. In this study we aimed at investigating the seroprevalence of HIV in Moyamba District using data from voluntary counseling and testing(VCT), prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV(PMCT) and from blood donors from 2013 to 2016.The seroprevalence of HIV from VCT was 2.87%(357/12434) for the four years, 2013 to 2016. Seroprevalence from PMCT was 0.91%(153/16,745) while the prevalence from healthy blood donors was 1.53%(27/1756). Overall, 537 persons tested positive for HIV out of 30,935 persons tested in Moyamba from 2013 to 2016 with a prevalence of 1.74(95%CI:1.6-1.89%).Statistically, our result is significantly different from the results of the DHS where HIV seroprevalence was reported at 1.0% in Moyamba(P<0.001).Our result provide an update on the HIV situation in Moyamba and shows an epidemic that is consistent with the national seroprevalence of 1.5%

CHANGING TRENDS IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF MALARIA AND TYPHOID FEVER

Malaria In tropical Africa, fever is commonly associated with malaria that was known variously as Roman fever,   marsh fever(Rocco 2003),  and whose name was derived from the Italian ‘Mal=bad, Aria=air.’(Prakash et al. 2013).    Malaria is caused by five species of the plasmodium parasite: P. falciparum, P. vivax, P.ovale, P. malariae and P. knowlesi all of which are transmitted by the female anopheles mosquito, which is the vector of the parasite. Over 2.4 billion people are at risk of P. falciparum infection, which results in about 300 to  500 million clinical episodes and 1million deaths annually (Bousema & Drakeley 2011). While about 2.9 billion persons are at risk for P. vivax infection with up to 300 million clinical episodes per year(Bousema & Drakeley 2011). A vast proportion of malaria morbidity occurs in sub-Saharan Africa, (SSA). However, there is substantial evidence that the intensity of malaria transmission in Africa is declining (Snow et al. 2012, Graz et al. 2011), and rapid malaria parasitemia tests are well distributed in endemic countries and easy to use (Graz et al. 2011).    Certain recent developments, however, are worth considering when assessing malaria burden and control.First, the discovery of Plasmodium falciparum with deleted histidine-rich repeat region of the histidine-rich-protein 2 and the evidence that parasites not detected by HRP2 lateral flow immunoassay(LFI) cause latent infection(Koita et al. 2012), is of extreme importance in endemic countries such as Sierra Leone, where HRP2  LFIs are predominantly used. LFIs have made malaria testing ubiquitous in sub-Saharan Africa, including in very remote areas. However, false negatives resulting from deleted hrp2 in certain P.falciparum may result in lower prevalence reports. The alternative dipstick to HRP2 LFIs is the Plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase (pLDH)-based LFI. However, in Sierra Leone, the use of pLDH LFIs is less common, and a similar trend exists in the other parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. LFIs were intended to be used primarily in resource-limited locations where expert microscopists are unavailable. So the use of LFIs is not routinely duplicated with smear results in many developing countries. This could be a setback for resource-poor settings.The use of point of care, multiplex molecular detection methods have been highlighted as a means of salvaging diagnosis in resource-poor countries, but cost remains a major limitation. Notwithstanding, PCR is emerging as most sensitive malaria diagnostic apart from rapid antigen tests. Antigens and DNA may persist in blood after parasite clearance through treatment.  A plausible alternative has sought sexual stages of malaria parasites representing a small fraction of parasites during infection(Tao et al. 2014), but which can also be detected in body fluids such as saliva. Prior evidence indicates that saliva is an excellent non-invasive candidate for rapid malaria testing (Fung et al. 2012), but this aspect of malaria diagnostics is still under development including rapid tests based on nano trap technology.There has been a renewed global commitment for malaria elimination and both symptomatic and asymptomatic malaria infections are critical for the elimination of malaria. Novel diagnosis of subclinical malaria targeting sexual stages of the parasite are emerging, but the best candidate for such diagnostics are those that could be adaptable to the resource-poor settings in Africa. One such candidate is the nano trap, saliva-based, malaria rapid test that is under development by Johns Hopkins(http://www.jhsph.edu/news/news-releases/2015/johns-hopkins-bloomberg-school-of-public-health-researchers-receive-grant-to-evaluate-malaria-detection-test.html). Typhoid Fever In the case of typhoid fever, there seems to be an over-diagnosis.  The gold standard for the diagnosis of typhoid is by blood culture, which has a sensitivity of 40-60%(Parry et al. 1999), but low-cost tests, mainly the widal test, are more adaptable to resource-poverty and are commonly used in resource-poor settings such as Sierra Leone. Widal tests have been in use for over 110 years, but the results are very controversial(Olopoenia & King 2000, Nga et al. 2012),  and the test suffers from low specificity in endemic countries probably as a result of an increase in population antibody levels (Clegg et al. 1994).A positive Widal test does not always denote the presence of typhoid fever. Apart from increased population antibody levels, there exist up to 40 cross-reacting antigens between Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi and other Enterobacteriaceae(Parry et al. 1999). Cross-reacting antigens could also be from malaria, brucellosis, dengue fever, chronic liver disease or endocarditis(Colle et al. 1996).Blood culture which is the gold standard is time-consuming and may delay treatment apart from its inherently low sensitivity.  Several typhoid dipsticks have been reported, but side-by-side independent assessments in endemic countries do not always yield the expected outcome.Polymerase chain reaction is currently a better option for diagnosing typhoid fever with same day result, but cost remains a big issue in countries that could be most in need. While suitable alternatives based on economic conditions of countries are sought, the cut-off value for the widal test requires evaluation and standardization. Having a wrong diagnosis at the point of care could lead to wrong clinical outcomes.

An analysis of potential performance improvement in Freetown’s water utility using the AquaRating system

The water utility serving the capital of Sierra Leone, Guma Valley Water Company (GVWC) faces significant challenges delivering sustainable services. To determine the potential scope within GVWC for performance improvement and to identify areas of focus for the planned investment from international partners the AquaRating (AR) system was used for the first time in Africa. The final AR score of 9.62 has underscored the challenges GVWC is presently facing in the management and delivery of quality services. However, analysis at thematic and sub-thematic levels have highlighted some positive practices in corporate governance and stressed other areas, such as customer care and water treatment processes, where efforts should be focused over the next three years. Additionally, the AR results provide an objective baseline to measure improvements over time while GVWC aims to reach the global benchmark of what a ‘well performing’ utility does

Tiered laboratory analyses for common infections to characterize febrile morbidity not related to malaria in Sierra Leone

In tropical Africa, fever is commonly associated with malaria. However, there are many other illnesses presenting with fever. Non-malaria febrile illnesses (NMFIs) may be attributable to multiple etiologic agents including viral, bacterial and parasitic infections in malaria-endemic resource-poor countries. NMFIs pose challenges to peripheral health systems such that they are clinically under-diagnosed while malaria remains over-diagnosed. Misdiagnoses of a febrile condition may lead to wrong prescription that delays treatment and increases expenditure on health-care and also leads to increased morbidity and mortality. In Sierra Leone, dealing with infections other than malaria remain a serious problem, starting from diagnosis to providing care. Several factors make it difficult to test and treat for NMFIs. Fewer febrile people report their fevers to healthcare centers and there are fewer resources generally which include: fewer laboratories, insufficiently trained laboratory technicians, inadequate standardized infrastructure and unsuitable equipment, epileptic power supplies as well as poor cold-chain storage conditions for reagents among others. The primary goal of this Ph.D. study was to investigate the prevalence/incidence of NMFIs in Bo, Sierra Leone, using a tiered laboratory analyzes method. The specific objectives were to: investigate the types and etiology of non-malarial febrile illnesses in Bo, Sierra Leone; determine the prevalence/incidence of non-malarial pathogens causing febrile illnesses, and investigate the distribution of NMFIs. The study started with a baseline and syndromic survey of all households in the study community (n=882 households with 5410 persons). A total cohort of 1403 persons was recruited and followed for a period of one year. After obtaining informed-consent, bio-samples were obtained from febrile subjects and used for laboratory analyses involving three tiers. The first tier (T1) included the use of rapid, lateral flow assays (RLFAs). T1 tests were: chikungunya, malaria, typhoid fever, syphilis, HIV, hepatitis A, B and C, dengue fever, leptospirosis, influenza A and B, RSV and Streptococcus aureus. Subsequent tests at Tier 2 included singleplex and multiplex PCR and bacterial culture; with resequencing pathogen microarray at Tier 3. From the initial survey 882 households with 5410 individuals and 76.6% reported having malaria in a month prior to the study. About 1402 (25.9%) of persons in participating households were reported to have had a fever within the past six months. The rate of fever reported differed by age group and sex, with young children having the highest rate (

Searching for the source of Ebola: the elusive factors driving its spillover into humans during the West African outbreak of 2013–2016

The natural ecology of Ebola virus infection remains enigmatic. No clear reservoir species has been confirmed but there is evidence of infection in a wide spectrum of mammals, including humans, non-human primates, domestic and wild ungulates and a variety of bat species, both frugivorous and insectivorous. Humans and most other species examined appear to be spillover hosts and suffer disease. Bats are the exception and are tolerant to infection in some laboratory studies. Some surveys show a low prevalence of antibodies against Zaire Ebola virus (ZEBOV) strains in bats during human outbreaks and inter-epidemic periods, and this order of mammals is considered to be the likely reservoir for the virus. Other putative sources include insects but this hypothesis is unproven in the field or laboratory. Moreover, some potential sources, such as aquatic species, have yet to be investigated. There are a number of environmental, human behavioural and ecological risk factors proposed with respect to spillover and spread. In the West African outbreak, which was unprecedented in scale and geographic spread, the source of the spillover remains unproven, although an association exists between the proposed index case and a colony of insectivorous bats. In all but a few Ebola virus disease events, spillover has only been superficially investigated and this was also the case in the West African epidemic. The authors suggest that, to address risks at the human–animal–environmental interface, using a One Health approach, more effort is needed to investigate spillover factors at the time of a ZEBOV epidemic, in addition to conducting inter-epidemic surveys in peridomestic environments. The true prevalence of ZEBOV infection in any species of bats remains unknown. Large-scale, expensive, non-randomised surveys, with low sampling numbers per species, are unlikely to provide evidence for Ebola virus reservoirs or to improve our epidemiological understanding

An outbreak of acute haemorrhagic conjunctivitis associated with coxsackievirus A24 variant in The Gambia, West Africa.

OBJECTIVE: An outbreak of acute haemorrhagic conjunctivitis occurred in The Gambia, West Africa in 2011. Affected individuals presented with conjunctival haemorrhages, swelling and ocular discharge. In an effort to identify a causative agent of the disease, ocular swabs were taken from patients during the acute and convalescent phases. Total RNA was extracted from all samples and reverse-transcriptase PCR performed using primers specific for all enteroviruses. Resulting amplicons were sequenced and data compared to known sequences using the BLAST algorithm. RESULTS: Forty-eight swabs were included in the analysis. Of these, 21 acute and 9 convalescent swabs (65% of the total) gave positive PCR results. Sequence analysis of the resulting amplicons indicated 99% sequence identity with coxsackievirus A24 variant identified during independent outbreaks of acute haemorrhagic conjunctivitis around the world and suggest the Gambian outbreak was due to this virus

Syndrome de la personne raide associé à une dermatite herpétiforme: à propos d´un cas

Le syndrome de la personne raide (SPR) est une maladie rare affectant le système nerveux central et qui peut être d´origine auto-immune, paranéoplasique ou idiopathique. Sa présentation classique typique est caractérisée par une rigidité progressive du tronc et des membres, associée à des spasmes. Le diagnostic est soutenu par l'existence d'une activité musculaire continue et spontanée en détection à l'électroneuromyogramme, la présence d'anticorps anti-acide glutamique décarboxylase (anti-GAD) sériques, et une réponse aux benzodiazépines. Nous rapportons le cas d'un patient de 46 ans ayant une forme classique de syndrome de la personne raide auto-immune associée à une dermatite herpétiforme