Sampling Plan for Lab Extracted Beverages Data with Multiple Dependent States Using the Odd Log-Logistic Distribution

In this paper, we propose a Multiple Dependent State Sampling (MDSS) plan for decision-making on lot acceptance/rejection based on properties of current and preceding lots sampled. The plan uses the Odd Log-Logistic Generalized Exponentiated (OLLGE) distribution to determine the median life of the product through a truncated-time life test. Optimal parameters such as sample size, acceptance/rejection numbers, and preceding lots are obtained using the operating characteristic curve (OC-curve). The plan’s performance is compared to that of single sampling (SS) plans using Lab Extracted Beverages data sets on carbon dioxide pressure (MPa)

Investigating Education Stakeholders Awareness and Acceptance of Open and Distance Learning in Simiyu Region.

This study was conducted in order to investigate education stakeholders’ awareness and acceptance of Open and Distance Learning (ODL) in Simiyu Region, Tanzania. The study was guided by four objectives namely to assess education stakeholders’ awareness of ODL as a means of education and training in Simiyu region, second was to determine acceptance level of ODL in Simiyu region, to examine challenges of ODL in Simiyu region and lastly to identify strategies that can be employed to improve education stakeholder’s. The study was undertaken using a sample size of 200 research subjects by using questionnaires. The study findings revealed that there was limited knowledge of using ODL in Simiyu region. Moreover the findings revealed that there was negative perception about quality of ODL knowledge as 43.5% had the view that the knowledge provided was of low quality. This reflects the finding paused by SADC framework which also pointed out that there were no mechanisms or systems to regulate and monitor the quality and implementation of ODL programmes. Another challenge found by the study was the cost associated with ODL access as it was too expensive to reach the regional centre for accessing ODL services. The study recommends for proper policies to be put in place to guide ODL services. There should be a national policy framework to regulate and monitor provision of ODL programmes. The study also recommends increasing the number of ODL provisional centres to possibly district level through partnership with Private, NGO and international organizations. Furthermore, the study recommends the use of variety of media and technologies to install a quality assurance mechanism for ODL programmes to improve its acceptance. Keywords: Distance Learning, Open Distance Learning, Stakeholders, Acceptance

Figurations of displacement in and beyond Tanzania: reflections on protracted displacement and translocal connections of Congolese and Burundian refugees in Dar es Salaam

This working paper investigates the livelihoods, trajectories, networks and self-generated opportunities of vulnerable migrants in refugee-like situations in Dar es Salaam. Its main purpose is to arrive at a deeper understanding of protracted displacement through a 'figurational approach', which stresses the networks and the interdependencies of urban refugees in Dar es Salaam, across Tanzania, and across national borders. Refugees' social relations do not unfold in a vacuum but are shaped by the regimes of aid and asylum that govern their lives. In a context of constant fear of imprisonment and deportation, this working paper gives particular attention to the alliances that the vulnerable migrants build within Dar es Salaam. It underlines their agency and coping strategies, as they bring with them many valuable skills. Capitalising on these skills can result in longstanding partnerships between vulnerable migrants and locals. Spaces of freedom where displaced people do not need to live in a perpetual state of fear and uncertainty are equally important. More than focusing on constraints, this paper underlines the urban refugees' agency and survival strategies. We pay particular attention to the mobility and connectivity of female urban refugees, also within a digital context. Through (social media) entrepreneurship, women in refugee-like situations have managed to overcome immobilisation and create new opportunities for themselves. By analysing a variety of life situations throughout this paper, we seek to recognise and pro mote urban refugees' agency and dignity

Maternal peripheral blood level of IL-10 as a marker for inflammatory placental malaria

Background: Placental malaria (PM) is an important cause of maternal and foetal mortality in tropical areas, and severe sequelae and mortality are related to inflammation in the placenta. Diagnosis is difficult because PM is often asymptomatic, peripheral blood smear examination detects parasitemia as few as half of PM cases, and no peripheral markers have been validated for placental inflammation. Methods: In a cohort of Tanzanian parturients, PM was determined by placental blood smears and placental inflammation was assessed by histology and TNF mRNA levels. Maternal peripheral blood levels of several immune mediators previously implicated in PM pathogenesis, as well as ferritin and leptin were measured. The relationship between the levels of these soluble factors to PM and placental inflammation was examined. Results: Peripheral levels of TNF, TNF-RI, TNF-RII, IL-1, IL-10, and ferritin were elevated during PM, whereas levels of IFN-[gamma], IL-4, IL-5 and IL-6 were unchanged and levels of leptin were decreased. In receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, IL-10 had the greatest area under the curve, and would provide a sensitivity of 60% with a false positive rate of 10%. At a cut off level of 15 pg/mL, IL-10 would detect PM with a sensitivity of 79.5% and a specificity of 84.3%. IL-10 levels correlated with placental inflammatory cells and placental TNF mRNA levels in first time mothers. Conclusion: These data suggest that IL-10 may have utility as a biomarker for inflammatory PM in research studies, but that additional biomarkers may be required to improve clinical diagnosis and management of malaria during pregnancy.This work was supported by grants from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (grant 29202), NIH (R01 AI52059 and TW05509) and Puget Sound Partners for Global Health to P.E.D

Fetal origins of malarial disease: cord blood cytokines as risk markers for pediatric severe malarial anemia.

BACKGROUND: Severe malarial anemia (SMA) remains a major cause of pediatric illness and mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa. Here we test the hypothesis that prenatal exposures, reflected by soluble inflammatory mediators in cord blood, can condition an individual's susceptibility to SMA. METHODS: In a Tanzanian birth cohort (n = 743), we measured cord blood concentrations of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), TNF receptors I and II (TNF-RI and TNF-RII), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, and interferon gamma (IFN-γ). After adjusting for conventional covariates, we calculated the hazard ratios (HR) for time to first SMA event with log(e) cytokine concentrations dichotomized at the median, by quartile, and per standard deviation (SD) increase. RESULTS: Low levels of TNF, TNF-RI, IL-1β, and IL-5 and high levels of TNF-RII were associated statistically significantly and respectively with approximately 3-fold, 2-fold, 8-fold, 4-fold, and 3-fold increased risks of SMA (Hb < 50 g/L). TNF, TNF-RI, and IL-1β concentrations were inversely and log-linearly associated with SMA risk; the HR (95% confidence interval [CI]) per 1-SD increase were respectively 0.81 (.65, 1.02), 0.76 (.62, .92), and 0.50 (.40, .62). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that proinflammatory cytokine levels at birth are inversely associated with SMA risk and support the hypothesis that pediatric malarial disease has fetal origins

Parasite Burden and Severity of Malaria in Tanzanian Children

BACKGROUND: Severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria is a major cause of death in children. The contribution of the parasite burden to the pathogenesis of severe malaria has been controversial. METHODS: We documented P. falciparum infection and disease in Tanzanian children followed from birth for an average of 2 years and for as long as 4 years. RESULTS: Of the 882 children in our study, 102 had severe malaria, but only 3 had more than two episodes. More than half of first episodes of severe malaria occurred after a second infection. Although parasite levels were higher on average when children had severe rather than mild disease, most children (67 of 102) had high-density infection (>2500 parasites per 200 white cells) with only mild symptoms before severe malaria, after severe malaria, or both. The incidence of severe malaria decreased considerably after infancy, whereas the incidence of high-density infection was similar among all age groups. Infections before and after episodes of severe malaria were associated with similar parasite densities. Nonuse of bed nets, placental malaria at the time of a woman’s second or subsequent delivery, high-transmission season, and absence of the sickle cell trait increased severe-malaria risk and parasite density during infections. CONCLUSIONS: Resistance to severe malaria was not acquired after one or two mild infections. Although the parasite burden was higher on average during episodes of severe malaria, a high parasite burden was often insufficient to cause severe malaria even in children who later were susceptible. The diverging rates of severe disease and high-density infection after infancy, as well as the similar parasite burdens before and after severe malaria, indicate that naturally acquired resistance to severe malaria is not explained by improved control of parasite density. (Funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and others.

Cord Blood Hepcidin: Cross-Sectional Correlates and Associations with Anemia, Malaria, and Mortality in a Tanzanian Birth Cohort Study.

Hepcidin, the master regulator of bioavailable iron, is a key mediator of anemia and also plays a central role in host defense against infection. We hypothesized that measuring hepcidin levels in cord blood could provide an early indication of interindividual differences in iron regulation with quantifiable implications for anemia, malaria, and mortality-related risk. Hepcidin concentrations were measured in cord plasma from a birth cohort (N = 710), which was followed for up to 4 years in a region of perennial malaria transmission in Muheza, Tanzania (2002-2006). At the time of delivery, cord hepcidin levels were correlated with inflammatory mediators, iron markers, and maternal health conditions. Hepcidin levels were 30% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 12%, 44%) lower in children born to anemic mothers and 48% (95% CI: 11%, 97%) higher in placental malaria-exposed children. Relative to children in the lowest third, children in the highest third of cord hepcidin had on average 2.5 g/L (95% CI: 0.1, 4.8) lower hemoglobin levels over the duration of follow-up, increased risk of anemia and severe anemia (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] [95% CI]: 1.18 [1.03, 1.36] and 1.34 [1.08, 1.66], respectively), and decreased risk of malaria and all-cause mortality (adjusted HR [95% CI]: 0.78 [0.67, 0.91] and 0.34 [0.14, 0.84], respectively). Although longitudinal measurements of hepcidin and iron stores are required to strengthen causal inference, these results suggest that hepcidin may have utility as a biomarker indicating children's susceptibility to anemia and infection in early life

Kinetic model for noncatalytic supercritical water gasification of cellulose and lignin

This article reports the first kinetics model for Supercritical Water Gasification (SCWG) that describes the formation and interconversion of individual gaseous species. The model comprises 11 reactions, and it uses a lumping scheme to handle the large number of intermediate compounds. We determined numerical values for the rate constants in the model by fitting it to experimental data previously reported for SCWG of cellulose and lignin. We validated the model by showing that it accurately predicts gas yields at biomass loadings and water densities not used in the parameter estimation. Sensitivity analysis and reaction rate analysis indicate that steam-reforming and water–gas shift are the main sources of H 2 in SCWG, and intermediate species are the main sources of CO, CO 2 , and CH 4 . © 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2010Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/77986/1/12165_ftp.pd