Politico-geographical Analysis of Territorial and Political Systems

Стаття присвячена проблемам дослідження територіально-політичної систем (ТПС), як об‟єкта вивчення політичної географії. Сформульовано основні положення до схеми політико-географічного аналізу територіально-політичних систем на мікро-, мезо- та макрорівнях. Зінтерпретовано поняття, що формують сучасне поле політико-географічних досліджень ТПС на різних ієрархічних рівнях. The article is devoted to the research problems of territorial and political system (TPS) as an object of study of political geography. The main principles to scheme politico-geographical analysis of territorial and political systems on the micro-, meso- and macro levels were made. The system of concepts that form the modern field of politico-geographical research TPS on different hierarchical levels was interpreted

Risk factors for preeclampsia and eclampsia at a main referral maternity hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone: a case-control study

Background: In the African region, 5.6% of pregnancies are estimated to be complicated by preeclampsia and 2.9% by eclampsia, with almost one in ten maternal deaths being associated with hypertensive disorders. In Sierra Leone, representing one of the countries with the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, 16% of maternal deaths were caused by pregnancy-induced hypertension in 2016. In the light of the high burden of preeclampsia and eclampsia (PrE/E) in Sierra Leone, we aimed at assessing population-based risk factors for PrE/E to offer improved management for women at risk. Methods: A facility-based, unmatched observational case-control study was conducted in Princess Christian Maternity Hospital (PCMH). PCMH is situated in Freetown and is the only health care facility providing 'Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care services' throughout the entire country. Cases were defined as pregnant or postpartum women diagnosed with PrE/E, and controls as normotensive postpartum women. Data collection was performed with a questionnaire assessing a wide spectrum of factors influencing pregnant women's health. Statistical analysis was performed by estimating a binary logistic regression model. Results: We analyzed data of 672 women, 214 cases and 458 controls. The analysis yielded several independent predictors for PrE/E, including family predisposition for PrE/E (AOR=2.72, 95% CI: 1.46-5.07), preexisting hypertension (AOR=3.64, 95% CI: 1.32-10.06), a high mid-upper arm circumflex (AOR=3.09, 95% CI: 1.83-5.22), presence of urinary tract infection during pregnancy (AOR=2.02, 95% CI: 1.28-3.19), presence of prolonged diarrhoea during pregnancy (AOR=2.81, 95% CI: 1.63-4.86), low maternal assets (AOR=2.56, 95% CI: 1.63-4.02), inadequate fruit intake (AOR=2.58, 95% CI: 1.64-4.06), well or borehole water as the main source of drinking water (AOR=2.05, 95% CI: 1.31-3.23) and living close to a waste deposit (AOR=1.94, 95% CI: 1.15-3.25). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that systematic assessment of identified PrE/E risk factors, including a family predisposition for PrE/E, preexisting hypertension, or obesity, should be performed early on in ANC, followed by continued close monitoring of first signs and symptoms of PrE/E. Additionally, counseling on nutrition, exercise, and water safety is needed throughout pregnancy as well as education on improved hygiene behavior. Further research on sources of environmental pollution in Freetown is urgently required

Introducing medical parasitology at the University of Makeni, Sierra Leone

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version.Capacity building in Sierra Leone (West Africa) is critical to prevent potential future outbreaks similar to the 2013-16 Ebola outbreak that had devastating effects for the country and its poorly developed healthcare system. De Montfort University (DMU) in the United Kingdom (UK), in collaboration with parasitologists from the Spanish Universities of San Pablo CEU and Miguel Hernández de Elche, is leading a project to build the teaching and research capabilities of medical parasitology at the University of Makeni (UniMak, Sierra Leone). This project has two objectives: a) to introduce and enhance the teaching of medical parasitology, both theoretical and practical; and b) to implement and develop parasitology research related to important emerging human parasites such as Cryptosporidium spp. due to their public health significance. Two UniMak academics, hired to help initiate and implement the research part of the project, shared their culturally sensitive public health expertise to broker parasitology research in communities and perform a comprehensive environmental monitoring study for the detection of different emerging human parasites. The presence of targeted parasites are being studied microscopically using different staining techniques, which in turn have allowed UniMak’s academics to learn these techniques to develop new practicals in parasitology. To train UniMak’s academics and develop both parts of our project, a DMU researcher visited UniMak for two weeks in April 2019 and provided a voluntary short training course in basic parasitology, which is currently not taught in any of their programmes, and was attended by 31 students. These sessions covered basic introduction to medical parasitology and life-cycle, pathogenesis, detection, treatment and prevention of: a) coccidian parasites (Cryptosporidium, Cyclospora and Cystoisospora); b) Giardia intestinalis, Entamoeba and free-living amoebas; c) malaria and d) microsporidia. A theoretical session on common staining techniques was also provided. To facilitate the teaching and learning of these parasites, the novel resource DMU e-Parasitology was used, a package developed by the above participating universities and biomedical scientists from the UK National Health Service (NHS): http://parasitology.dmu.ac.uk/ index.htm. Following the two weeks of training, UniMak’s academics performed different curriculum modifications to the undergraduate programme ‘Public Health: Medical Laboratory Sciences’, which includes the introduction of new practicals in parasitology and changes to enhance the content of medical parasitology that will be subjected to examination. Thus, a new voluntary practical on Kinyoun stain for the detection of coccidian parasites was introduced in the final year module of ‘Medical Bacteriology and Parasitology’; eighteen students in pairs processed faecal samples from pigs provided by the Department of Agriculture and Food Security from a nearby farm. Academics at UniMak used the Kinyoun staining unit (available at http://parasitology.dmu.ac.uk/learn/lab/Kinyoun/story_html5.html; [1]) to deliver this practical. Although our project is at a preliminary stage, it has been shown to be effective in promoting the introduction and establishment of medical parasitology at UniMak and could be viewed as a case-study for other universities in low-income countries to promote the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and improve public health understanding of infectious diseases

Genotype by environment interaction and stability of extra-early maize hybrids (Zea Mays L.) for yield evaluated under irrigation.

Maize (Zea mays L.) is the most important cereal crop produced in Ghana. However the change in environmental conditions, the expansion of maize to new agro-ecologies coupled with inadequate maize varieties available for the different environments affects yield improvement programmes in Ghana. Hence, the study is to investigate the influence of genotype by environment interaction on the maize hybrids and to identify stable and high yielding hybrids with superior agronomic for famers use in the country. The objectives of the study was to investigate the influence of genotype by environment interaction on the maize hybrids and to identify stable and high yielding hybrids with superior agronomic performance for famers use in Ghana. Thus, fifteen extra-early maize hybrids and three locally released checks were evaluated in a randomized complete block design with three replications in two locations in Ghana. The experiment was carried out at KNUST and Akomadan which represent the forest and forest transition zones of Ghana. Nine of the hybrids out of the fifteen hybrids evaluated produce above the average yield and the effect of genotype, location and genotype by location interaction was significant for grain yield. The GGE biplot used in this study revealed that TZEEI-1 x TZEEI-21, TZEEI-6 x TZEEI-21, TZEEI-15 x TZEEI-1 and TZEEI-29 x TZEEI-21 were high yielding and stable hybrids because they were closer to the ideal. The GGE biplot also identified Akomadan as the most ideal testing environment for these hybrids under irrigation

Influence of preload and nonlinearity of railpads on vibration of railway tracks under stationary and moving harmonic loads

In railway track dynamics, the stiffness and damping properties of railpads have a significant effect on track vibration, decay rates as well forces transmitted to the track supporting structure. Many studies have shown that railpads exhibit pronounced nonlinear behaviour, with preload and frequency dependent properties. This paper presents a three parameter railpad model, together with its differential equation of motion and the required model parameters obtained from experimental data. A time domain model of a rail discretely supported on these railpads is then formulated using the finite element method. The model is subjected to static and dynamic loading in order to study the effects of preload and frequency on its dynamic behaviour. Results are shown as time histories and frequency spectra for the track displacements and reaction forces for various preload levels. They emphasise the necessity of accounting for nonlinear behaviour based on the large disparities (up to 20 dB) observed between the linear and nonlinear cases for the parameters used in this study

Current status of schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis in Beyla and Macenta Prefectures, Forest Guinea

A cross-sectional survey was undertaken in children aged 9-14 years in Beyla and Macenta Prefectures, Forest Guinea. Stool samples were examined by Kato-Katz and urine samples were examined by the centrifugation method. The overall prevalence and intensity of infection was 66.2% and 462.4 eggs per gram of faeces (epg) for Schistosoma mansoni, 21.0% and 17.8 eggs per 10ml of urine for S. haematobium, 51.2% and 507.5 epg for hookworm, 8.1% and 89.1 epg for Ascaris lumbricoides and 2.4% and 16.7 epg for Trichuris trichiura. The overall prevalence of schistosomiasis (S. mansoni and/or S. haematobium) was 70.7%. The prevalence of schistosomiasis was similar to those reported in the 1990s in the region; however, the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminths has since fallen. These findings illustrate the need for schistosomiasis control in Guine

Supplementary feeding and infection control in pregnant adolescents-A secondary analysis of a randomized trial among malnourished women in Sierra Leone

Undernutrition during pregnancy in adolescence confers a high risk of maternal morbidity and adverse birth outcomes, particularly in low-resource settings. In a secondary analysis, we hypothesized that younger undernourished pregnant adolescents (\u3c18 years) would benefit more than undernourished pregnant adults (\u3e20 years) from the intervention of supplementary food and anti-infective treatments. The original trial in Sierra Leone enrolled 236 younger adolescents (\u3c18 years), 454 older adolescents (aged 18-19 years), and 741 adults (≥20 years), all with a mid-upper arm circumference ≤23 cm. Younger adolescents had lower final fundal height as well as smaller newborns (-0.3 kg; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.3, -0.2; p \u3c 0.001) and shorter newborns (-1.1 cm; 95% CI, -1.5, -0.7; p \u3c 0.001) than adults. The intervention\u27s effect varied significantly between maternal age groups: adults benefited more than younger adolescents with respect to newborn birth weight (difference in difference, 166 g; 95% CI, 26, 306; interaction p = 0.02), birth length (difference in difference, 7.4 mm; 95% CI, 0.1, 14.8; interaction p = 0.047), and risk for low birth weight (\u3c2.5 kg) (interaction p = 0.019). The differences in response persisted despite adjustments for maternal anthropometry, the number of prior pregnancies, and human immunodeficiency virus status. Older adolescents similarly benefited more than younger adolescents, though differences did not reach statistical significance. In conclusion, newborns born to younger adolescent mothers had worse outcomes than those born to adult mothers, and adults and their newborns benefited more from the intervention than younger adolescents