Multicriteria Risk Ranking of Zoonotic Diseases in a Developing Country: A Case Study of Zambia

The integration of a multicriteria decision analysis approach, including techniques such as the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), has yielded valuable insights in the realm of zoonotic disease risk assessment. This analytical framework draws from the OIE-supported manual, utilizing impact assessments, transmission pathways, and categorizations as provided by the OIE itself. Moreover, the consideration of specific zoonotic disease scenarios tailored to individual countries enhances the contextual relevance of the analysis. Through this approach, the ranking of zoonotic diseases is systematically established, offering a comprehensive evaluation of their potential impacts and risks. This methodology encompasses pivotal criteria, including prevalence, economic impact, health impact, transmission pathways, and healthcare capacity, collectively offering a holistic perspective that mirrors the intricate nature of zoonotic diseases. The resultant rankings, derived from both ECDC and OIE data, illuminate diseases that harbor significant threats to both human and animal populations. This ranking fosters the identification of diseases with potential for rapid spread and substantial impact, guiding resource allocation towards prevention, control, and mitigation strategies. The alignment between ECDC and OIE rankings underscores the robustness of the applied methodology, with Plague and Zoonotic TB consistently emerging as high-ranking diseases, reinforcing their acknowledged significance. A consolidated ranking, amalgamating data from both sources, provides an insightful overview of potential risks linked to various zoonotic diseases. Plague, Zoonotic TB, Brucellosis, Trypanosomiasis, and Rabies consistently occupy top positions, presenting a valuable instrument for policymakers, public health officials, and stakeholders in prioritizing resource allocation and intervention strategies. The implementation of a multicriteria decision analysis approach, integrating AHP and TOPSIS methodologies, underpins the generation of informed rankings for Zambian zoonotic diseases. The intricate interplay of criteria like prevalence, economic impact, health impact, transmission pathways, and healthcare capacity forms a comprehensive framework for evaluating the potential risks of diverse diseases. The ensuing ranking, led by Plague and succeeded by Anthrax, Rabies, and others, mirrors their collective risk scores calculated via the adopted methodology. This approach empowers strategic decision-making by pinpointing diseases with heightened potential for adverse impacts on both human and animal populations. The rankings serve as invaluable aids in directing resources, devising strategic interventions, and formulating targeted measures for prevention and control. However, acknowledgment of the dynamic disease landscape and the imperative of adaptive strategies underscores the ongoing importance of monitoring and managing zoonotic diseases effectively in Zambia. By amalgamating data from authoritative sources and embracing a systematic, evidence-based approach, this study accentuates the necessity of addressing zoonotic diseases with a holistic lens, fostering proactive perspectives that augment public health and avert future outbreaks

Assessing the association between changing NRTIs when initiating second-line ART and treatment outcomes.

BACKGROUND After first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) failure, the importance of change in nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) in second-line is uncertain due to the high potency of protease inhibitors used in second-line. SETTING We used clinical data from 6,290 adult patients in South Africa and Zambia from the International Epidemiologic Databases to Evaluate AIDS-Southern Africa cohort. METHODS We included patients who initiated on standard first-line ART and had evidence of first-line failure. We used propensity score-adjusted Cox proportional hazards models to evaluate the impact of change in NRTI on second-line failure compared to remaining on the same NRTI in second-line. In South Africa, where viral load monitoring was available, treatment failure was defined as two consecutive viral loads >1,000 copies/mL. In Zambia, it was defined as two consecutive CD4 counts <100 cells/mm. RESULTS Among patients in South Africa initiated on zidovudine, the adjusted hazard ratio for second-line virologic failure was 0.25 (95% CI: 0.11, 0.57) for those switching to tenofovir vs. remaining on zidovudine. Among patients in South Africa initiated on tenofovir, switching to zidovudine in second-line was associated with reduced second-line failure (adjusted hazard ratio = 0.35 [95% CI: 0.13, 0.96]). In Zambia where viral load monitoring was not available, results were less conclusive. CONCLUSION Changing NRTI in second-line was associated with better clinical outcomes in South Africa. Additional clinical trial research regarding second-line NRTI choices for patients initiated on tenofovir or with contraindications to specific NRTIs is needed

Single Axis Solar Tracking System

This paper is about the design and development of a microcontroller based solar tracking system. Solar energy is rapidly becoming an alternative means of electrical source in Kenya and all over the world and the solar energy becomes profitable when the solar rays are tracked with its maximum efficiency. The best way to get the maximum power output of solar array is by sun tracking. Usually, solar panels are steady and always the front faces the direction the sun rises from and it evident from the stationary mounted panels we see on buildings and other solar plants, this causes less amount of light incident on the panel. When we use the solar tracker system, it will move in the direction of the sun and get more amount of light incident. The great benefits of solar energy is that it is sustainable, highly reliable and requires little maintenance. Therefore, came up a system that deals with the design and construction of solar tracking system, whereby the solar panel follows the sun as it moves. The project is based on a microcontroller which controls the system by communicating with sensors and motor based on movement of the sun, the system employs light dependent resistors that will vary their resistance depending on the light intensities, light dependent resistors give output to the Arduino every time and Arduino processes the data and sends a control signal to the motor. Through the design, implementation, testing and results of the project, an efficient way of increasing the production of solar power is demonstrated

Motor Speed Control Kits Using a Microcontroller.

The aim of this project is to make a motor laboratory kits for AC motors. It aims on making affordable kits which are made from locally available materials and applying the obtained knowledge from the four-year curriculum I have undertaken initially laboratory equipment's are very expensive and require huge amount of capital for an institution to purchase or acquire them. The methods used before used resistance rheostat to control the input voltage. The method we have used has a great advantage, since it doesn't involve use of variable resistors to control the high-power input side of a motor. It uses the method of PWM technique to vary the speed of motor. The PWM has high and low pulses which in turn sample the input voltage hence varying the frequency of the applied voltage high power input side. The implemented idea can even be applied in industries to control AC motors. It can also be applied in training institutions to practically educate the trainees on the field of AC motors and enable them to enhance acquired skills on the field of motors and machine drives. Arduino mega Microcontroller is used to produce the PWM for the speed control and also to interface with other components like IR, voltage and Current sensors and the LCD. The method is quite efficient and accurate in precision and also cheap to maintain

Energy Management System for Solar And Grid System

Electricity is an important resource both in domestic and industrial environment. The rise in electricity demand has led to conventional resources being exhausted and possibly lead to rise in electricity prices. since conventional resources are being exhausted, there is need to search for alternative energy sources to supplement the conventional sources. Use of green energy as an alternative to generation of electricity from conventional sources is currently on the rise. This study aims to design and implement an Energy Management System (EMS) in a grid-tied solar Photovoltaic (PV) system. The aim of this EMS is to reduce the grid electricity need to an ordinary consumer in Kenya and create dependency on renewable energy sources. One of the major expenses of the ordinary consumer in Kenya is the cost of electricity. Murang'a University of Technology was chosen as the case study. Arduino Uno chosen to switch between the micro sources and the utility grid with the micro sources given priority over the utility grid. With sufficient solar irradiation, the solar PV supplies the load power provided the load demand is met, the excess charges the battery through charge controller. With a drop in irradiance, the battery storage system supplies the load provided the load demand is met. The grid supplies the load when the battery power drops below the load demand. With the drop in supply current drawn from the micro sources below specified thresh hold value, the load with the highest current rating was disconnected first and immediately reconnected to the utility grid

Profile and predictors of normal ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer thickness measured with frequency-domain optical coherence tomography.

PurposeTo describe the profile and identify the predictors of the ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) thickness measured with frequency-domain optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT) in normal eyes.MethodsTwo hundred eighty-two normal subjects underwent macular and optic disc scanning in both eyes with Cirrus high-definition (HD)-OCT (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, CA). Linear regression analyses were performed to determine the association between GCIPL thickness and age, sex, ethnicity (Europeans, Africans, Hispanics, Asians, and Indians), eye laterality, refraction, intraocular pressure, axial length, central corneal thickness, mean retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, disc and rim areas, cup-to-disc area, vertical and horizontal cup-to-disc diameter ratios, vertical rim thickness, and OCT signal strength.ResultsThe mean (±SD) age was 46.2 ± 16.9 years (range, 18-84 years). The mean and minimum GCIPL thicknesses (±SD) were 82.1 ± 6.2 and 80.4 ± 6.4 μm, respectively. There were significant differences in GCIPL thickness between macular sectors (P &lt; 0.05), except between the superotemporal and inferonasal sectors (P = 0.63). The superonasal sector had the thickest and the inferior had the thinnest GCIPL. The GCIPL of the superior hemisphere was thicker than that of the inferior, and the nasal sector GCIPL was significantly thicker than the temporal one (P &lt; 0.001). The average GCIPL did not differ between male and female subjects (P = 0.16) after adjustment for axial length and between ethnic groups (P = 0.41) after adjustment for age, axial length, and RNFL thickness. Significant predictors of mean GCIPL thickness were average RNFL thickness (β = 0.37, P &lt; 0.001), age (β = -0.083, P &lt; 0.001), axial length (β = -0.87, P = 0.001), and male sex (β = -1.62, P = 0.005).ConclusionsThe independent factors associated with thinner GCIPL include thinner RNFL, older age, longer ocular axial length, and being male. Although the magnitude of the effect of age, axial length, and sex are small, these factors should be taken into account when interpreting Cirrus HD-OCT-based GCIPL thickness measurements

Profile and predictors of normal ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer thickness measured with frequency-domain optical coherence tomography.

PurposeTo describe the profile and identify the predictors of the ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) thickness measured with frequency-domain optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT) in normal eyes.MethodsTwo hundred eighty-two normal subjects underwent macular and optic disc scanning in both eyes with Cirrus high-definition (HD)-OCT (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, CA). Linear regression analyses were performed to determine the association between GCIPL thickness and age, sex, ethnicity (Europeans, Africans, Hispanics, Asians, and Indians), eye laterality, refraction, intraocular pressure, axial length, central corneal thickness, mean retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, disc and rim areas, cup-to-disc area, vertical and horizontal cup-to-disc diameter ratios, vertical rim thickness, and OCT signal strength.ResultsThe mean (±SD) age was 46.2 ± 16.9 years (range, 18-84 years). The mean and minimum GCIPL thicknesses (±SD) were 82.1 ± 6.2 and 80.4 ± 6.4 μm, respectively. There were significant differences in GCIPL thickness between macular sectors (P &lt; 0.05), except between the superotemporal and inferonasal sectors (P = 0.63). The superonasal sector had the thickest and the inferior had the thinnest GCIPL. The GCIPL of the superior hemisphere was thicker than that of the inferior, and the nasal sector GCIPL was significantly thicker than the temporal one (P &lt; 0.001). The average GCIPL did not differ between male and female subjects (P = 0.16) after adjustment for axial length and between ethnic groups (P = 0.41) after adjustment for age, axial length, and RNFL thickness. Significant predictors of mean GCIPL thickness were average RNFL thickness (β = 0.37, P &lt; 0.001), age (β = -0.083, P &lt; 0.001), axial length (β = -0.87, P = 0.001), and male sex (β = -1.62, P = 0.005).ConclusionsThe independent factors associated with thinner GCIPL include thinner RNFL, older age, longer ocular axial length, and being male. Although the magnitude of the effect of age, axial length, and sex are small, these factors should be taken into account when interpreting Cirrus HD-OCT-based GCIPL thickness measurements