Barriers and factors affecting personal protective equipment usage in St. Mary’s Hospital Lacor in Northern Uganda

Background: To protect health workers (HCWs) from risky occupation exposure, CDC developed the universal precautions (Ups) including Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs). However compliance to it by HCWs has remained poor even in high-risk clinical situation. The objective of this study was to identify and describe the factors that influence a HCWs’ decision to wear PPEs and the barriers that exist in preventing their use Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out in the St. Mary’s Hospital Lacor in all the wards to collected quantitative information as well as qualitative and observational data on PPE use Results: Out of the total 59 respondents, 2% do not know the purpose of PPE, 23.7% do not know how to don and doff PPEs, 13.6% do not use PPE even when indicated and 10% are not using an appropriate PPE. The main barriers relates to poor fitting and weak domestic gloves, few of aprons, frequent stock out and inadequate PPE as well as lack of training in PPE Conclusion: This study provides a baseline for measuring the effectiveness of interventions to improve compliance

Age-dependent mating tactics in male bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus)

Intra-specific variation in mating behaviour has been described for a number of taxa including arthropods, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain the various mating behavioural variations observed in mammals. For example, an individual’s behaviour may be constrained by its condition or status (making-the- best of-a-bad-job strategy) or an alternative phenotype may be maintained by frequency-dependent selection influencing a genetic polymorphism (alternative strategies). In the majority of ungulates, variation in mating tactics is most likely maintained as a conditional strategy influenced by multiple internal factors like age, health or body size, as well as external factors such as population density, number of competitors and social dominance rank. In the present study, we investigated male mating tactics in a cryptic, bush-dwelling antelope from tropical Africa, the bushbuck, Tragelaphus scriptus (Figures.1, 2). Different mating strategies are expected to emerge, if variation in mating tactic is maintained as a conditional strategy influenced by age and / or body size: 1) Defending a territory when old and strong, what allows the owner to associating more frequently with females within the combined territory and home-range area. 2) No territory defence when young and weak, thereby associating with females less frequently and therefore sneak-mating with them

Let‘s talk about… different things! Communication within and among sexes in Farasan gazelles

Scent marking in localized defecation sites (latrines) has often been interpreted in the context of male territory defense. Still, latrines could have different functions in both sexes, especially where territorial males monopolize groups of females with stable social alliances. We assessed the spatial distribution of latrines within home ranges of wild ranging Arabian gazelles (Gazella arabica) on Farasan Island (Red Sea, Saudi Arabia)

Reducing the power consumption in LTE-advanced wireless access networks by a capacity based deployment tool

As both the bit rate required by applications on mobile devices and the number of those mobile devices are steadily growing, wireless access networks need to be expanded. As wireless networks also consume a lot of energy, it is important to develop energy-efficient wireless access networks in the near future. In this study, a capacity-based deployment tool for the design of energy-efficient wireless access networks is proposed. Capacity-based means that the network responds to the instantaneous bit rate requirements of the users active in the selected area. To the best of our knowledge, such a deployment tool for energy-efficient wireless access networks has never been presented before. This deployment tool is applied to a realistic case in Ghent, Belgium, to investigate three main functionalities incorporated in LTE-Advanced: carrier aggregation, heterogeneous deployments, and Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO). The results show that it is recommended to introduce femtocell base stations, supporting both MIMO and carrier aggregation, into the network (heterogeneous deployment) to reduce the network's power consumption. For the selected area and the assumptions made, this results in a power consumption reduction up to 70%. Introducing femtocell base stations without MIMO and carrier aggregation can already result in a significant power consumption reduction of 38%

THE PREVALENCE OF SELF-MEDICATION PRACTICE AMONG UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AT LIRA UNIVERSITY, LIRA DISTRICT. A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY.

Background: The study aims to determine the prevalence of self-medication practice among undergraduate students, at Lira University, Lira district. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduate students, at Lira University. The study was conducted at Lira University. The university is located in Ayere village, Barapwo parish, Lira sub-county, Erute County in Lira district. It covers a total area of 621 acres (251.3 hectares). Lira University has 3 faculties i.e. faculty of Management Sciences, Health Sciences, and Education and it runs 17 programmes, with a total enrolment of 976 students (531 males and 445 females) by the academic year 2018/2019. The study population was all students enrolled in undergraduate programs at Lira University, Lira district. By use of the purposive sampling technique, Lira University undergraduate students were chosen. Stratified random sampling was used to divide the study population into strata of gender (male or female). Simple random sampling was used finally to identify the participants that were involved in the research from each stratum. Results: Out of those who participated in the study, 129(45.42%) were females and 155(54.58%) were male. The prevalence of self-medication was 82.95%. Conclusions: The prevalence of self-medication among undergraduate students was found to be 82.95% which was considerably high. Recommendations: National guidelines and policies on medical access should be developed, need for public medical insurance for all people in the community, needs to be investigated more on student-related factors

Essays on water resources management in the agricultural sector of South Africa: the role of technology, policy and institutions in mitigating farm level water scarcity

South Africa is a water-stressed country prone to multi-year droughts and water shortages, with varying impacts on several sectors, including agriculture. Agriculture, as the largest user of the country's freshwater resources, is the most sensitive sector to water scarcity and would be the hardest hit by intensifying climate change, droughts, and water shortages. Yet the agricultural sector has the largest potential to make adjustments and take actions to promote resilience to water scarcity by implementing water conservation, water quality regulation, legitimate allocation, and an appropriate management response in the face of growing water scarcity. This thesis, therefore, provides an understanding of how the agricultural sector of South Africa is responding to the water scarcity problem. Its general objective is to further the stock of knowledge in natural resources management, with special emphasis on water resources management in the agricultural sector. It consists of three core chapters (chapters 2, 3, and 4), alongside the introduction (chapter 1) and conclusion (chapter 5). The first core chapter (Chapter 2) examines the factors that drive farmers' multiple adoption of six water conservation practices (WCPs) and the intensity of their adoption. Using survey data from 555 farmers in the Limpopo River Basin (LRB) of South Africa, a multivariate probit model is estimated to determine these factors, and for the intensity of their adoption, an ordered probit model is estimated. The results show that gender, age, education, and farm size, among other factors, influence the probability and extent of adoption of WCPs. Furthermore, combinations like drip and/or sprinkler irrigations and cover cropping, drip and/or sprinkler irrigations, and intercropping, among other practices, are complements, suggesting the bundling of these WCPs. This chapter provides a clear framework in agriculture not only to prepare farmers to be resilient in the midst of intensifying climate change, droughts, and water shortages but also to enhance their water conservation efforts. This would help farmers become better acclimatized to the growing realities of water scarcity and enhance the sustainability of the resource, enabling them to continue to make meaningful contributions to economic growth. The second core chapter (Chapter 3) employs a discrete choice methodology to investigate farmers' willingness to accept compensation to control agricultural nonpoint source (agNPS) pollution in the LRB. The LRB is highly polluted, yet it is important for agriculture, mining, and industry, which contribute to employment, income, and poverty alleviation. Reducing this pollution is part of the restoration and protection plan for the basin. However, because agNPS pollution does not easily lend itself to traditional forms of regulation, monetary incentives that induce farmers to adjust their farming practices to reduce agriculture's impact on water quality are seen as an effective means of controlling it, hence this chapter. Conditional logit and restricted latent class models are used to estimate the survey data of 552 farmers. This chapter identified one random choice class and three preference classes of farmers (low, moderate, and high resistance) with dissimilar compensation requirements to improve water quality. The chapter offers new insights to enrich the efficient design of tailored water quality improvementrelated agri-environmental schemes for more persistent environmental benefits that would ultimately result in positive externalities beyond benefits to farmers and the environment. The third core chapter (Chapter 4) presents a meta-analysis of the empirical literature that investigates the performance of water institutions. This chapter synthesized and quantified the overall water institution-performance effect using data extracted from 23 original studies that reported the effect of water institutions on the performance of the water sector in various regions of the world. The results from the bivariate and multivariate meta-regressions suggest the presence of a publication selection bias that favours a positive impact of water institutions on performance. Also, a genuine positive empirical effect of water institutions on the performance of the water sector is found. In addition, the variations in the primary studies are attributable to differences in the way the primary studies capture water institutions, the dependent variables used to capture performance, and the estimation strategy/methodology, among others. The main novelty of this chapter is its use of meta-analysis to increase the statistical power of this set of literature, which covers different methodologies, geographic and environmental conditions under which water institutions performed compared to single studies. This thesis concludes by underscoring forcefully that farmers need sustainable supplies of water but must also manage the impact of agriculture on water resources to ensure sufficient quantity and quality of water for production, but robust water management institutions are key. In terms of policy recommendations, this thesis offers several of them, including but not limited to the fact that WCPs are interdependent, and therefore, the design of any effective strategy(ies) aimed at increasing their uptake rate must take this interdependence into consideration. It also advocates the promotion and use of monetary incentives to induce farmers to lessen agriculture's impact on water quality. Finally, it recommends that to engender water sector reforms and/or for the further development, facilitation, and strengthening of water institutions, there is the need to incorporate and strengthen the water law and/or the water policy in policy formulation and reforms for successful water resource management and governance

College Biology Students\u27 Conceptions Related to the Nature of Biological Knowledge: Implications for Conceptual Change.

Adequate understanding of the nature of science is a major goal of science education. Understanding of the evolutionary nature of biological knowledge is a means of reinforcing biology students\u27 understanding of the nature of science. It provides students with the philosophical basis, explanatory ideals, and subject matter-specific views of what counts as a scientifically-acceptable biological explanation. This study examined 121 college introductory biology and advanced zoology students for their conceptions related to the nature of biological knowledge. A 60-item Likert-scale questionnaire called the Nature of Biological Knowledge Scale and student interviews were used as complementary research instruments. Firstly, the study showed that 80--100% of college biology students have an adequate understanding of scientific methods, and that a similar percentage of students had learned the theory of evolution by natural selection in their biology courses. Secondly, the study showed that at least 60--80% of the students do not understand the importance of evolution in biological knowledge. Yet the study revealed that a statistically significant positive correlation exist among students\u27 understanding of natural selection, divergent, and convergent evolutionary models. Thirdly, the study showed that about 20--58% of college students hold prescientific conceptions which, in part, are responsible for students\u27 lack of understanding of the nature of biological knowledge. A statistically significant negative correlation was found among students\u27 prescientific conceptions about basis of biological knowledge and nature of change in biological processes, and their understanding of natural selection and evolutionary models. However, the study showed that students\u27 characteristics such as gender, age, major, or years in college have no statistically significant influence on students\u27 conceptions related to the nature of biological knowledge. Only students\u27 depth of biological knowledge or course was found to have a statistically significant influence on students\u27 conceptions related to scientific methods, the scope and limits of biological knowledge, the importance of evolution in biology, and students\u27 understanding of homologous and analogous structural features as products of divergent and convergent evolutionary processes. Findings of this study have implications for college biology teaching, student learning, and conceptual change among college biology students

Continuous positive airway pressure for children with undifferentiated respiratory distress in Ghana: an open-label,cluster, crossover trial

Background In low-income and middle-income countries, invasive mechanical ventilation is often not available for children at risk of death from respiratory failure. We aimed to determine if continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), a form of non-invasive ventilation, decreases all-cause mortality in children with undifferentiated respiratory distress in Ghana. Methods This open-label, cluster, crossover trial was done in two Ghanaian non-tertiary hospitals where invasive mechanical ventilation is not routinely available. Eligible participants were children aged from 1 month to 5 years with a respiratory rate of more than 50 breaths per min in children 1–12 months old, or more than 40 breaths per min in children older than 12 months, and use of accessory muscles or nasal flaring. CPAP machines were allocated to one hospital during each study block, while the other hospital served as the control site. The initial intervention site was randomly chosen using a coin toss. 5 cm of water pressure was delivered via CPAP nasal prongs. The primary outcome measure was all-cause mortality rate at 2 weeks after enrolment in patients for whom data were available after 2 weeks. We also did post-hoc regression analysis and subgroup analysis of children by malaria status, oxygen saturation, and age. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01839474. Findings Between Jan 20, 2014, and Dec 5, 2015, 2200 children were enrolled: 1025 at the intervention site and 1175 at the control site. Final analysis included 1021 patients in the CPAP group and 1160 patients in the control group. 2 weeks after enrolment, 26 (3%) of 1021 patients in the CPAP group, and 44 (4%) of 1160 patients in the control group, had died (relative risk [RR] of mortality 0·67, 95% CI 0·42–1·08; p=0·11). In children younger than 1 year, all-cause mortality was ten (3%) of 374 patients in the CPAP group, and 24 (7%) of 359 patients in the control group (RR 0·40, 0·19–0·82; p=0·01). After adjustment for study site, time, and clinically important variables, the odds ratio for 2-week mortality in the CPAP group versus the control group was 0·4 in children aged up to 6 months, 0·5 for children aged 12 months, 0·7 for children aged 24 months, and 1·0 for those aged 36 months. 28 patients (3%) in the CPAP group and 24 patients (2%) in the control group had CPAP-related adverse events, such as vomiting, aspiration, and nasal, skin, or eye trauma. No serious adverse events were observed. Interpretation In the unadjusted analysis the use of CPAP did not decrease all-cause 2-week mortality in children 1 month to 5 years of age with undifferentiated respiratory distress. After adjustment for study site, time, and clinically important variables, 2-week mortality in the CPAP group versus the control group was significantly decreased in children 1 year of age and younger. CPAP is safe and improves respiratory rate in a non-tertiary setting in a lowermiddle- income country

Food and Commensality in Non-state Armed Groups: The Case of the Lord\u27s Resistance Army in northern Uganda, 1987-2008

The subfield of food and eating practices has registered a significant volume of theoretical and empirical studies. However, there is very limited research targeting non-state armed groups. This article contributes to understanding the nuanced role of food and eating practices (or commensality) in conflict, and its significance in the construction and sustenance of sense of community in non-state armed groups that use particularly elaborate means of indoctrination to build a following. Drawing on the case of northern Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) that thrived on mass abduction of children, youth and women between 1987 and 2008, this article argues that being a member of the LRA entailed taking part in its meticulously planned and well-structured food and eating practices. The article further argues that this was an important contributor to the transformation of recruits into followers with a strong sense of community