Skills acquired and passed on: the collaboration between the University of Bergen and Makerere University libraries and their new partners in the north and south

Makerere University in Uganda and the University of Bergen in Norway celebrate ten years of collaboration in 2009. The collaboration includes the libraries in the two Universities, focusing on continuing professional development. This paper reports the activities of the collaboration between the two University libraries, and highlights the multiplier effect of the collaboration, which has led to new partners at the University of Juba in Southern Sudan, the East African School of Library and Information Science (EASLIS) at Makerere and the Norwegian School of Librarianship at Oslo University College. The new partners have joined to implement the Juba University Library Automation Project (JULAP) that is funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. JULAP aims to rebuild the Juba University Library that was closed because of the war in 1985. The project has two main components: automation of the library and training of library staff who are already working in the library, as well as sponsoring young people for a Bachelor’s degree in Librarianship at EASLIS. The training of library staff has a theoretical component conducted by EASLIS, while the practical component is handled by Makerere University Library staff using the skills they acquired over time from collaborations with skilled librarians from the North. Part of the project includes the acquisition of a library system, and the training of staff to use the system. The paper then outlines the activities of the project, the challenges faced and how they have been addressed, the achievements and future plans. Although most collaboration usually involves two institutions, this paper highlights the growth of the collaboration from two institutions to where it is now, and the audience is encouraged to learn from this experience and replicate it to be able to ‘build bridges’ of LIS education in Developing countries

Hydrodynamical simulations of colliding jets:modeling 3C 75

Radio observations suggest that 3C 75, located in the dumbbell shaped galaxy NGC 1128 at the center of Abell 400, hosts two colliding jets. Motivated by this source, we perform three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations using a modified version of the GPU-accelerated Adaptive-MEsh-Refinement hydrodynamical parallel code ($\mathit{GAMER}$) to study colliding extragalactic jets. We find that colliding jets can be cast into two categories: 1) bouncing jets, in which case the jets bounce off each other keeping their identities, and 2) merging jets, when only one jet emerges from the collision. Under some conditions the interaction causes the jets to break up into oscillating filaments of opposite helicity, with consequences for their downstream stability. When one jet is significantly faster than the other and the impact parameter is small, the jets merge; the faster jet takes over the slower one. In the case of merging jets, the oscillations of the filaments, in projection, may show a feature which resembles a double helix, similar to the radio image of 3C 75. Thus we interpret the morphology of 3C 75 as a consequence of the collision of two jets with distinctly different speeds at a small impact parameter, with the faster jet breaking up into two oscillating filaments.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Induction of humoral immune response to multiple recombinant Rhipicephalus appendiculatus antigens and their effect on tick feeding success and pathogen transmission

BACKGROUND: Rhipicephalus appendiculatus is the primary vector of Theileria parva, the etiological agent of East Coast fever (ECF), a devastating disease of cattle in sub-Saharan Africa. We hypothesized that a vaccine targeting tick proteins that are involved in attachment and feeding might affect feeding success and possibly reduce tick-borne transmission of T. parva. Here we report the evaluation of a multivalent vaccine cocktail of tick antigens for their ability to reduce R. appendiculatus feeding success and possibly reduce tick-transmission of T. parva in a natural host-tick-parasite challenge model. METHODS: Cattle were inoculated with a multivalent antigen cocktail containing recombinant tick protective antigen subolesin as well as two additional R. appendiculatus saliva antigens: the cement protein TRP64, and three different histamine binding proteins. The cocktail also contained the T. parva sporozoite antigen p67C. The effect of vaccination on the feeding success of nymphal and adult R. appendiculatus ticks was evaluated together with the effect on transmission of T. parva using a tick challenge model. RESULTS: To our knowledge, this is the first evaluation of the anti-tick effects of these antigens in the natural host-tick-parasite combination. In spite of evidence of strong immune responses to all of the antigens in the cocktail, vaccination with this combination of tick and parasite antigens did not appear to effect tick feeding success or reduce transmission of T. parva. CONCLUSION: The results of this study highlight the importance of early evaluation of anti-tick vaccine candidates in biologically relevant challenge systems using the natural tick-host-parasite combination

Knowledge and practices on malaria prevention in two rural communities in Wakiso District, Uganda

Background: Malaria is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Uganda particularly among children under 5 years of age.Objectives: The study assessed the knowledge and practices on malaria prevention in 2 rural communities in Wakiso District, Uganda with emphasis on the various prevention methods.Methods: The study was a cross-sectional survey carried out among 376 households using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Log-binomial regression, chi square and Spearman's rank order correlation were used to test for associations.Results: The majority of participants (64.6%) had low knowledge on malaria prevention methods, with untreated mosquito nets (81.7%), mosquito coils (36.9%) and insecticide treated nets (29.6%) being the most known methods. Knowledge on malaria prevention methods was associated with age (χ2 = 32.1; p < 0.01), employment status (χ2 = 18.1; p < 0.01), education (χ2 = 20.3; p = 0.01), income (χ2 = 14.5; p = 0.01) and having heard a malaria message in the previous 12 months (χ2 = 92.3; p < 0.01). Households that had at least one mosquito net were 45.5% and net ownership increased with household income. Only 0.5% of the houses had undergone indoor residual spraying in the previous 12 months, while 2.1% had complete mosquito proofing in windows and ventilators to prevent mosquito entry.Conclusion: There is potential to improve practices on malaria prevention by targeting other methods beyond mosquito nets such as installing proofing in windows and ventilators. The integrated approach to malaria prevention which advocates the use of several malaria prevention methods in a holistic manner should be explored for this purpose.Keywords: Malaria, prevention, knowledge, practices, integrated approach, Ugand

Do private health providers help achieve Universal Health Coverage? A scoping review of the evidence from low-income countries.

Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is the dominant paradigm in health systems research, positing that everyone should have access to a range of affordable health services. Although private providers are an integral part of world health systems, their contribution to achieving UHC is unclear, particularly in low-income countries (LICs). We scoped the literature to map out the evidence on private providers' contribution to UHC progress in LICs. Literature searches of PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science were conducted in 2022. A total of 1049 documents published between 2002 and 2022 were screened for eligibility using predefined inclusion criteria, focusing on formal as well as informal private health sectors in 27 LICs. Primary qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods evidence was included, as well as original analysis of secondary data. The Joanna Briggs Institute's critical appraisal tool was used to assess the quality of the studies. Relevant evidence was extracted and analysed using an adapted UHC framework. We identified 34 papers documenting how most basic health care services are already provided through the private sector in countries such as Uganda, Afghanistan and Somalia. A substantial proportion of primary care, mother, child and malaria services are available through non-public providers across all 27 LICs. Evidence exists that while formal private providers mostly operate in well-served urban settings, informal and not-for-profit ones cater for underserved rural and urban areas. Nonetheless, there is evidence that the quality of the services by informal providers is suboptimal. A few studies suggested that the private sector fails to advance financial protection against ill-health, as costs are higher than in public facilities and services are paid out of pocket. We conclude that despite their shortcomings, working with informal private providers to increase quality and financing of their services may be key to realizing UHC in LICs

Hydrodynamic simulations of AGN jets:The impact of Riemann solvers and spatial reconstruction schemes on jet evolution

Numerical simulations play an essential role in helping us to understand the physical processes behind relativistic jets in active galactic nuclei. The large number of hydrodynamic codes available today enables a variety of different numerical algorithms to be utilized when conducting the simulations. Since many of the simulations presented in the literature use different combinations of algorithms it is important to quantify the differences in jet evolution that can arise due to the precise numerical schemes used. We conduct a series of simulations using the FLASH (magneto-)hydrodynamics code in which we vary the Riemann solver and spatial reconstruction schemes to determine their impact on the evolution and dynamics of the jets. For highly refined grids the variation in the simulation results introduced by the different combinations of spatial reconstruction scheme and Riemann solver is typically small. A high level of convergence is found for simulations using third-order spatial reconstruction with the Harten–Lax–Van-Leer with contact and Hybrid Riemann solvers

Shorter treatment for minimal tuberculosis (TB) in children (SHINE): A study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) in children is frequently paucibacillary and non-severe forms of pulmonary TB are common. Evidence for tuberculosis treatment in children is largely extrapolated from adult studies. Trials in adults with smear-negative tuberculosis suggest that treatment can be effectively shortened from 6 to 4 months. New paediatric, fixed-dose combination anti-tuberculosis treatments have recently been introduced in many countries, making the implementation of World Health Organisation (WHO)-revised dosing recommendations feasible. The safety and efficacy of these higher drug doses has not been systematically assessed in large studies in children, and the pharmacokinetics across children representing the range of weights and ages should be confirmed. METHODS/DESIGN: SHINE is a multicentre, open-label, parallel-group, non-inferiority, randomised controlled, two-arm trial comparing a 4-month vs the standard 6-month regimen using revised WHO paediatric anti-tuberculosis drug doses. We aim to recruit 1200 African and Indian children aged below 16 years with non-severe TB, with or without HIV infection. The primary efficacy and safety endpoints are TB disease-free survival 72 weeks post randomisation and grade 3 or 4 adverse events. Nested pharmacokinetic studies will evaluate anti-tuberculosis drug concentrations, providing model-based predictions for optimal dosing, and measure antiretroviral exposures in order to describe the drug-drug interactions in a subset of HIV-infected children. Socioeconomic analyses will evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the intervention and social science studies will further explore the acceptability and palatability of these new paediatric drug formulations. DISCUSSION: Although recent trials of TB treatment-shortening in adults with sputum-positivity have not been successful, the question has never been addressed in children, who have mainly paucibacillary, non-severe smear-negative disease. SHINE should inform whether treatment-shortening of drug-susceptible TB in children, regardless of HIV status, is efficacious and safe. The trial will also fill existing gaps in knowledge on dosing and acceptability of new anti-tuberculosis formulations and commonly used HIV drugs in settings with a high burden of TB. A positive result from this trial could simplify and shorten treatment, improve adherence and be cost-saving for many children with TB. Recruitment to the SHINE trial begun in July 2016; results are expected in 2020

Health information access and use in rural Uganda : an interaction-value model.

The study investigated the accessibility and use of health information within the lower echelons of Primary Health Care service delivery. Hence, it focused on women and health workers' experiences with information in rural Uganda. Face-to-face interviews were conducted using an interview schedule that consisted of open questions and one relating to health information critical incidents. The qualitative interviews added depth, detail and meaning at a very personal level of experience. A holistic inductive paradigm was used in the study with a grounded theory analysis. This approach was adopted because of its ability to generate findings inductively from empirical data. An 'Interaction-value model' emerged from the study. The model was driven by the value and impact of information unlike previous information models which have been driven by information needs. This study has demonstrated that although an information need could trigger off an information activity, the subsequent information process could only be sustained by the value of information. Hence, access and use of information depends on the value and impact of information to overcome or reduce constraints. The value of information is therefore the core category, while the moderation of constraints and interaction with sources for latent or apparent needs are the two main categories that make up the model. The study has also shown that not all information users are active seekers. The main difference between the two groups of interviewees was that health workers' needs were generally apparent and led to active information seeking, whereas the women's needs were generally latent. Women mainly accessed information passively. Passivity, however, was generally limited to the act of accessing information. After passive information access, the subsequent user behaviour was active. Hence, women passively accessed information, but actively used it. Women's information behaviour was therefore dynamic. This was confirmed throughout the study when, for example, their information needs changed from latent to active and vice versa. The difference in the findings appears to stem from the fact that for women, the process of information access and use was dependant on the relationship and interaction between their social and information environment in everyday life; while for the health workers, professional matters added a further dimension to their information activities. The ways in which women and health workers accessed and used information as elaborated in this study have a number of implications for improving information provision, policies, training of health workers, and further research

Numerical simulations of colliding jets in an external wind:application to 3C 75

The radio galaxy 3C 75 is remarkable because it contains a pair of radio-loud active galaxies, each of which produces a two-sided jet, with the jet beams appearing to collide and merge to the west of the galaxies. Motivated by 3C 75, we have conducted three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations of jet collisions. We have extended previous studies by modelling the physical properties of the cluster atmosphere, including an external wind, and using realistic jet powers obtained from observational data. We are able to produce a morphology similar to that of 3C 75. The simulations imply that direct contact between the bulk jet flows on the west of the source is required to produce a morphology consistent with 3C 75. We quantify how the merging jets decelerate, how the wind deflects the jets and cocoons, the entrainment of intra-cluster material into the cocoons, the cocoon energetics, and how the jet interactions generate enstrophy. By comparing simulations of pairs of two-sided jets with those of single two-sided sources, we determine how the interaction between two bipolar jets changes their evolution. The unprecedented sensitivity and angular resolution of upcoming observatories will lead to the detection of many more complex sources at high redshift, where interacting jets are expected to be more numerous. The morphology of these complex sources can provide significant insight into the conditions in their environments