Male involvement: the missing dimension in promoting child spacing

Experience of male involvement in child spacing is very scarce in this part of Africa. In Malawi even information on views of men about child spacing and their concerns is scanty. But traditionally, the concept of involving men is not new in Malawi. Men were in the past involved in child spacing and in fact this formed the foundation of traditional child spacing practices. The present child spacing programme is a component of Maternal and Child Health Programme which targets women mostly and the fact that most modem contraceptive are female-oriented and that most service providers are women, has further distanced men's participation, And yet the local realities are that men remain the chief decision makers in most homes and that a thing like child spacing requires men's endorsement or at least support. Many misconceptions and rumours have resulted in some men discouraging their wives from starting child spacing. A local health care NCO, Banja La Mtsogolo, has been experimenting with an Information, Education and Motivation programme targeted at men. The experiences have been quite revealing of the men's apparent interest in the subject and their lack of adequate accurate information. It seems the concept of involving men In child spacing could be revitalised as a strategy to help harmonise the situation and enhance better understanding in the promotion of modern child spacing methods. It is also hoped that by involving men, not only will more women be allowed access to contraceptives, but that this could pave the way for ready acceptance of male contraceptive methods. Greater sensitivity to information needs for men, the training of male medical staff in child spacing and orienting them to the concept could to such staff acting as counsellors for fellow men beside their other responsibilities. There is great scope in the country for involving men in child spacing and the number of agencies interested to adopt this model seems to confirm this

A faunistic survey of digenean larvae infecting freshwater snails Biomphalaria, Radix and Bulinus species in the Lake Victoria and Mindu dam, Morogoro in Tanzania

Biomphalaria and Bulinus spp have been reported in Tanzania as vectors of Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosoma haematobium respectively. Thus most schistosomiasis control efforts have focussed on elimination of these molluscs in freshwater systems or deworming infected persons. In addition almost there is limited information of larval trematodes infecting freshwater snails in Tanzania and whether the trematode antagonism found elsewhere could be used for control of schistosomiasis. We report and describe larval digeneans infecting Biomphalaria pfeifferi, Bulinus spp and Radix natalensis, snails collected at Mindu dam, Morogoro and Mwanza gulf of the Lake Victoria from January 2011 to January 2012. Out of a total 9194 snails, belonging to Biomphalaria pfeifferi, Bulinus tropicus and Radix natalensis, collected from Mindu dam and the Mwanza gulf, Lake Victoria, 678 (7.34%) were infected with 14 larval trematode species: 3 xiphidiocercariae, 6 furcocercariae, l gymnocephalous cercariae, 1 amphistome, 2 echinostome and 1 undescribed metacercaria. From 386 infected B. pfeifferi 67 (1.69%) were infected with S. mansoni, the causative agent of intestinal schistosomiasis. These findings show that despite the increased effort to control schistosomiasis and other neglected tropical diseases in Tanzania, the diseases are still highly prevalent in freshwater systems. However, the absence of trematode antagonism or low multiple infections mean redia cannot coexist with sporocysts, hence can be used for control of schistosomiasis.Keywords: Bulinus, Biomphalaria, Radix, Digenean larvae, neglected tropical disease

A Survey of Fish Parasites from Pangani Catchment and Lake Kitangiri in Singida, Tanzania

Inland water fisheries are a significant source of dietary protein to human populations, and consequently they are essential economic activities worldwide. However, both natural waters and aquaculture systems, which form the freshwater fisheries are faced with a problem of fish parasitic diseases which may result in reduced productivity and market value. The present study, therefore, carried out a survey on fish parasites from the Pangani catchment (Nyumba ya Mungu dam and Lake Jipe) and Lake Kitangiri in Singida Region in Tanzania to seal the gap of occurrence, diversity and abundance of helminths. Three species of fish viz. 111 African sharptooth catfish (Clarias gariepinus), 36 African butter catfish (Schilbe mystus) and 9 cichlid tilapia (Oreochromis amphimelas) were examined for parasites. Most fishes were co-infected with two helminth genera, Contracaecum in the abdominal cavities and Tylodelphys in the cranial cavities with prevalences higher than 70%, while a few fish were infected with Diplostomum in the eyes’ vitreous humour and unidentified trematodes in the intestines. Pangani catchment and Lake Kitangiri were recorded as new localities for Tylodelphys species, and O. amphimelas as a new host species. Keywords: Fish; Helminths; Nyumba ya Mungu Dam; Lakes Kitangiri; Lake Jip

Spread of Tylodelphys mashonense (digenea: diplostomidae) by grey heron Ardea cinerea and great white egret a. Alba in Lake Victoria, Tanzania

Despite the fact that Tylodelphys mashonense, parasites of the cranial cavity of the catfish Clarias gariepinus, are ubiquitous in freshwater systems, little is known on their spread. As such, we examined a total of 152 piscivorous birds, belonging to 6 species; 43 great cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo, 33 grey heron Ardea cinerea, 26 hamerkop Scopus umbretta, 22 great white egret Ardea alba, 15 marabou stork Leptoptilos crumeniferus and 13 pied kingfisher Ceryle rudis foraging in the Lake Victoria. Out of the six bird species only A. cinerea and A. alba were found infected by T. mashonense with prevalence of 42.4% and 9.1%, respectively. These findings report T. mashonense in A. alba for the first time and its occurrence in A. cinerea in Tanzania is the first record outside Zimbabwe.Keywords: Ardeidae, Ardea cinerea, Ardea alba, intestinal digenean

Radial and axial mixing of particles in a dry batch ball mill

Student Number : 0401422G - MSc dissertation - School of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering - Faculty of EngineeringMixing is an important operation that is carried out in food, paint, pharmaceutical and mineral processing industries. Ball mills are one of the many mixing vessels used in a mineral processing industry. During grinding, the mill’s efficiency depends on particle presentation to the grinding media and the adequate utilisation of the applied forces to effect breakage of particles (ore). Utilisation of applied forces is affected by how well particles and grinding media are mixed. The study of charge mixing is important as it affects the mill’s production rate and accelerates media wear, thus relevant to the cost reduction for the milling process. The kinetics of mixing in a batch ball mill were quantified both radially and axially. Experiments were conducted in a laboratory batch ball mill and two experimental programs were used to study the mixing process. Radial mixing of particles was observed to increase with increasing mill speed. For a mill used in this study, mixing of particles at Nc=90% took almost half the total time taken at Nc=75% to reach completion. A simplified mathematical model is presented, which can be used to predict the radial mixing of particles in a ball mill. Axial mixing of particles was observed to be affected by both the charge system used and segregation of particles from the grinding media. It took a minute for mixing to reach 80% completion for a mill used in the experiments. Mixing of particles was faster in a steel balls/plastic powders charge system than in a glass beads/quartz charge system. The distribution of particles in a batch mill was observed to vary along the axis of the mill. The centre of the mill was overfilled with particles, U>1, while the regions near the mill ends were underfilled, U<1. The opposite was true for the grinding media. The data reported was based on measurements of particle distribution along the mill as affected by different charge systems. The work presented in this thesis is a contribution to the continuing research on mixing of particles in ball mills

Economic impacts of cassava research and extension in Malawi and Zambia

This paper estimates the economic impacts of cassava research and extension in Malawi and Zambia over the period 1990-2008. The data come from sample household surveys, planting material production records, and a series of cassava improvement experiments conducted in the two countries. Past investments in cassava improvement have led to the development and release of a good number of high-yielding and cassava mosaic virus disease (CMD)-tolerant cassava varieties. The results show relatively higher adoption rates for the CMD-free local varieties compared to CMD-tolerant varieties that have been released in the two countries. The adoption of new varieties has been low and slow largely due to the fact that most of these varieties lacked the consumption attributes highly valued by farmers. The multiplication and distribution of CMD-free planting materials of the recommended local varieties led to greater adoption, but infection with CMD three to four years after adoption meant that the yield gains and economic benefits could not be sustained. Nevertheless, the multiplication and distribution of clean cassava planting materials generated a modest rate of return of 24%, which is actually consistent with an earlier rate of return estimate of 9 to 22% for cassava improvement in developing countries. Analysis of the ex ante impacts of current and future investments in cassava improvement shows that cassava improvement research that focuses on the development and dissemination of varieties with highly preferred consumption and industrial attributes would yield a greater rate of return of 40%

An assessment of the implementation of the national decentralisation policy in Zomba District Council in Malawi: (2009-2010)

This study was aimed at assessing the implementation status of the National Decentralisation Policy in Zomba District Council in Malawi given the current situation where the council is operating without ward councilors. It also undertook an exploration of factors affecting the implementation of the National Decentralisation Policy in Zomba District Council and made recommendations which can positively contribute to the effective implementation of the National Decentralisation Policy in Zomba District Council. Using both qualitative and quantitative research design, data for the study was collected using interviews, questionnaires and document analysis. The study found that the implementation of the National Decentralisation Policy in Zomba District Council during the period under study was unsatisfactory. The major challenges to the implementation of the National Decentralisation Policy in Zomba District Council were largely linked to the absence of councilors in the current council setup, violation of legal instruments governing the implementation of the National Decentralisation Policy by the incumbent leadership, lack of political will among the ruling elite to see full implementation of the National Decentralisation Policy, poor performance of structures operating in place of ward and council committees and inadequate finances at the disposal of Zomba District Council. The study concluded that Zomba District Council needed ward councilors to fully implement the National Decentralisation Policy. However the study also observed that it would be impossible to attain the objectives of the decentralization policy if there was no political will on the part of the incumbent leadership to see the National Decentralisation Policy implemented in full at Zomba District Council

Social policy outcomes of Zimbabwe's fast track land reform program (FTLRP) : a case study of Kwekwe District

This thesis explores social policy outcomes of the FTLRP. The thesis comes from an appreciation that there has been a lot of attention that has been given to the process and outcomes of the FTLRP. Various and sometimes antagonistic analytical frameworks have been employed by different scholars who come from different epistemological standings resulting in academic polarity on the subject of the FTLRP in Zimbabwe. This thesis transcends all the analytical frameworks to provide a unique perspective of the extent to which the FTLRP achieved social policy outcomes. Some of the scholars who have written on this subject have grappled with some of the social policy outcomes without however a deliberate focus on social policy outcomes. The main contribution of this thesis to the body of knowledge is its exploration of the extent to which the FTLRP has been a social policy tool that has achieved social policy outcomes. This is important because for a long time land reform has not been generally considered as a social policy tool in the main stream social policy literature. The reason for this is that social policy literature has been dominated by OECD scholars who naturally focused more on social policy tools that are more relevant to their contexts. In the process they have sought to transpose the tools that are more prevalent in their contexts to Africa. Consequently, social policy tools from the global south, such as land reform, have not featured in any significant way in mainstream social policy literature. The thesis used the transformative social policy framework in both the research and analysis of the data. The conceptual framework identifies five functions of social policy namely redistribution, production, protection, reproduction and social cohesion. Using a mixed methods approach, the thesis interrogated the extent to which the five functions of social policy were realised by the FTLRP. Research findings have shown that the major outcome that was unequivocally realised was redistribution. This is so because the country’s agrarian structure dramatically changed from a bi-modal set up where 6000 white farmers owned more than 35 percent of the arable land to a new structure where about 180 000 households of diverse backgrounds, inter alia former farm workers, people from communal areas, civil servants, war veterans, pensioners, government senior civil servants and the unemployed, now work and live on the same land. The other four social policy functions were achieved to varying degrees. Lastly, the research looked at the human development outcomes of the FTLRP by focusing on the state of education in the resettled areas. The research observed that the FTLRP increased both primary (13%) and secondary (31%) education accessibility for the children of land beneficiaries. Due to the abrupt nature with which education services were on demand, the quality was compromised.Development StudiesD. Litt. et Phil. (Development Studies

Ethics in global research:Creating a toolkit to support integrity and ethical action throughout the research journey

Global challenge-led research seeks to contribute to solution-generation for complex problems. Multicultural, multidisciplinary, and multisectoral teams must be capable of operating in highly demanding contexts. This brings with it a swathe of ethical conflicts that require quick and effective solutions that respect both international conventions and cultural diversity. The objective of this article is to describe the process of creating a toolkit designed to support global researchers in navigating these ethical challenges. The process of creating the toolkit embodied the model of ethical research practice that it advocates. Specifically, at the heart of ethical decision-making is consideration of the following: Place , solutions must be relevant to the context in which they are to be used; People , those impacted by the outcomes must be partners in co-creation; Principles , ethical projects must be guided by clear values; and Precedent , the existing evidence-base should guide the project and, in turn, the project should extend the evidence-base. It is the thesis underlying the toolkit that consideration of these 4Ps provides a strong basis for understanding ethical conflicts and allows for the generation of potential solutions. This toolkit has been designed in two phases of collaborative work. More than 200 researchers participated from more than 30 countries and more than 60 different disciplines. This allowed us to develop a model for contextual, dynamic analysis of ethical conflicts in global research that is complementary to traditional codes of ethics. It emphasizes the need to consider ethical analysis as an iterative, reflective, process relevant at all stages of the research journey, including, ultimately, in evaluating the legacy of a project. The toolkit is presented as an open access website to promote universal access. A downloadable “pocket guide” version is also now available in 11 languages