An exploratory study of the perceptions and experiences of homeless persons regarding service provision by Khulisa Solutions, a non-governmental organisation in the Western Cape

This study explored the perceptions and experiences of homeless people regarding welfare service provision by Khulisa Solutions, an NGO that provides services to homeless people in the Western Cape. To this end, using primarily a social development perspective, the study focused on five objectives: assessing the available services for homeless people related to shelter, food, employment and health services in general; exploring the perceptions and experiences of homeless persons in accessing welfare services at Khulisa; identifying the strengths and weaknesses of available services for the homeless as provided by Khulisa; examining if homeless people were aware of the services available to them, and assessing the overall challenges in service provision for the homeless. An exploratory qualitative methodology was used through the administration of 15 in depth face to face interviews using a semi-structured interview schedule. Purposive non-probability sampling selection was implemented focusing on homeless beneficiaries of Khulisa services and the Carpenters Shop an affiliate service provider to Khulisa. The findings of the study revealed that food services were the most accessible and reliable services to the homeless providing both stability and routine. Shelter services provided a physical and psychological haven as well as opportunities for employment and self-development. The access to shelter benefits was however, limited as the majority of participants found shelter services too expensive or that the shelters were structured to perpetuate the exclusion of homeless families. Participants showed extensive knowledge about where to access health care services which however did not translate into the frequent use of such services. Employment services were criticised for only providing temporary employment and not providing opportunities for skills development. Khulisa Solutions was highly commended for providing long term employment as well as involving beneficiaries in the growth of projects. Beneficiaries indicated a need for a similar emphasis and input on shelter service provision by Khulisa which was not their main focus of service delivery. Recommendations are made based on the findings of the study which are inclusive of solutions proposed by the participants

A Seed on Good Soil or a Seed on Rocks: Museveni’s Contestations with Democracy in Sowing the Mustard Seed

This paper discusses Yoweri Museveni’s Sowing the Mustard Seed and argues that he uses this literary text to construct identities of him as a nationalist leader. In his autobiography he guides the reader to approach it, not as a scheme to glorify himself, but as an insight into true leadership. However, this paper reveals that Museveni is the quintessential politician determined to retain power using any means available to him, including likening himself to Jesus Christ, the fêted sower. The paper argues, Sowing the Mustard Seed, is Museveni’s scheme to hold onto power. It hinges on the thinking that Museveni’s rereading of Fanon is faulty and malicious. Although he draws from Biblical parables and imagery, this paper hints that Museveni’s seed might have fallen on rocks and arguably has failed to sprout. He fictionalizes Ugandan history in his autobiography through the use of several stylistic devices to portray himself as a Che Guevera of Uganda, a revolutionary saviour of a dilapidated state. Museveni conceptualises democracy in Uganda through the parable of the mustard seed. By anchoring the title of his autobiography on the Bible, Museveni hopes to create an intellectual space whereby the readers may view him as the sower who sows the seed of democracy in Uganda. Keywords: democracy, yoweri museveni, parable, saviour, jesus chris

Multilingualism and Language Use Patterns: Students Attitude towards Kiswahili in Garissa Town, Kenya

This study investigated language attitudes of secondary school learners of Somali descent toward Kiswahili and their patterns of language use in various domains in a multilingual context as evidenced in Garissa Town. The target population was secondary school students in public and private schools within Garissa town, Garissa County, Kenya. Field data was collected through questionnaires. A total of 100 respondents were involved in this study. This sample was obtained through simple random sampling technique. This study obtained quantitative data from respondents’ responses to guided questionnaires in order to determine their attitude towards Kiswahili. Data was analysed descriptively and by way of tables. The findings reveal that secondary school students within Garissa town have a positive attitude toward Kiswahili. Somali language is mainly spoken at home. English is mainly spoken at school while Kiswahili is used for intercultural and interethnic communication. Keywords: Patterns of Language Use, Language Attitudes, Multilingualism, Kiswahil

Spatial models for infants HIV/AIDS incidence using an integrated nested laplace approximation approach

A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Statistical Sciences (MSc.SS) at Strathmore UniversityBackground: Kenya has made significant progress in the elimination of mother to child transmission of HIV through increasing access to HIV treatment and improving the health and wellbeing of women and children living with HIV. Despite this progress, broad geographical inequalities in infant HIV outcomes still exist. This study aimed at assessing the spatial distribution of HIV amongst infants, areas of abnormally high risk and associated risk factors for mother to child transmission of HIV. Methods Data were obtained from the Early infant diagnosis (EID) database that is routinely collected for infants under one year for the year 2017. We performed both areal and point-reference analysis. Bayesian hierarchical Poisson models with spatially structured random effects were fitted to the data to examine the effects of the covariates on infant HIV risk. Spatial random effects were modelled using Conditional autoregressive model (CAR) and stochastic partial differential equations (SPDEs). Inference was done using Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation. Posterior probabilities for exceedance were produced to assess areas where the risk exceeds 1. The Deviance Information Criteria (DIC) selection was used for model comparison and selection. Results: Among the models considered, CAR model (DIC = 306.36) performed better in terms of modelling and mapping HIV relative risk in Kenya. SPDE model outperformed the spatial GLM model based on the DIC statistic. The map of the spatial field revealed that the spatial random effects cause an increase or a decrease in the expected disease count in specific regions. Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and breastfeeding were found to be negatively and positively associated with infant HIV positivity respectively [-0.125, 95% Credible Interval = -0.348, -0.102], [0.178, 95% Credible Interval -0.051, 0.412]. Conclusion: The study provides relevant strategic information required to make investment decisions for targeted high impact interventions to reduce HIV infections among infants in Kenya

Ectopic lymphoid follicles: inducible centres for generating antigen-specific immune responses within tissues

Lymphoid neogenesis is traditionally viewed as a pre-programmed process that promotes the formation of lymphoid organs during development. Here, the spatial organization of T and B cells in lymph nodes and spleen into discrete structures regulates antigen-specific responses and adaptive immunity following immune challenge. However, lymphoid neogenesis is also triggered by chronic or persistent inflammation. Here, ectopic (or tertiary) lymphoid organs frequently develop in inflamed tissues as a response to infection, auto-immunity, transplantation, cancer or environmental irritants. Although these structures affect local immune responses, the contribution of these lymphoid aggregates to the underlining pathology are highly context dependent and can elicit either protective or deleterious outcomes. Here we review the cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for ectopic lymphoid neogenesis and consider the relevance of these structures in human disease

Burkholderia cenocepacia Vaginal Infection in Patient with Smoldering Myeloma and Chronic Hepatitis C

We report a case of a vaginal infection caused by a strain of Burkholderia cenocepacia. The strain was isolated from vaginal swab specimens from a 68-year-old woman with smoldering myeloma and chronic hepatitis C virus infection who was hospitalized for abdominal abscess. Treatment with piperacillin/tazobactam eliminated B. cenocepacia infection and vaginal symptoms

Burkholderia anthina sp. nov. and Burkholderia pyrrocinia , two additional Burkholderia cepacia complex bacteria, may confound results of new molecular diagnostic tools

Nineteen Burkholderia cepacia -like isolates of human and environmental origin could not be assigned to one of the seven currently established genomovars using recently developed molecular diagnostic tools for B. cepacia complex bacteria. Various genotypic and phenotypic characteristics were examined. The results of this polyphasic study allowed classification of the 19 isolates as an eighth B. cepacia complex genomovar ( Burkholderia anthina sp. nov.) and to design tools for its identification in the diagnostic laboratory. In addition, new and published data for Burkholderia pyrrocinia indicated that this soil bacterium is also a member of the B. cepacia complex. This highlights another potential source for diagnostic problems with B. cepacia -like bacteria.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/71564/1/j.1574-695X.2002.tb00584.x.pd

Distribution of immune cells in head and neck cancer: CD8+ T-cells and CD20+ B-cells in metastatic lymph nodes are associated with favourable outcome in patients with oro- and hypopharyngeal carcinoma

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Tumour infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) are generally considered to represent a host immune response directed against tumour antigens. TIL are also increasingly recognised as possible prognostic parameters. However, the effects observed are variable indicating that results cannot be extrapolated from type of tumour to another. Moreover, it has been suggested that primary solid tumours may be ignored by the immune system and that a meaningful immune response is only mounted in regional lymph nodes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We have examined the local distribution of immune cells in tumour-related compartments in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC). In a second step, the prognostic impact of these cells on disease-free survival (DFS) was analysed. A total of 198 tissue cores from 33 patients were evaluated using tissue mircroarray technique and immunohistochemistry. Tumour-infiltrating immune cells were identified using antibodies specific for CD3, CD8, GranzymeB, FoxP3, CD20 and CD68 and quantified using an image analysis system.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We demonstrate a relative expansion of FoxP3⁺regulatory T-cells (Treg) and of cytotoxic T-cells among tumour infitrating T-cells. We also show that intratumoural CD20⁺B-cells are significantly more frequent in metastatic deposits than in primary tumours. Furthermore, we observed a reduced number of peritumoural CD8⁺T-cells in metastatic lymph nodes as compared to univolved regional nodes suggesting a local down-modulation of cellular immunity. All other immune cells did not show significant alterations in distribution. We did not observe an association of tumour infiltrating immune cells at the primary site with outcome. However, increased numbers of intraepithelial CD8⁺TIL in metastatic tumours as well as large numbers of peritumoural B-cells in lymph node metastases were associated with favourable outcome. Unexpectedly, no effect on patient outcome was observed for Treg in any compartment.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results suggest that alterations in lymphocyte distribution in regional lymph nodes rather than at the primary tumour site may be relevant for patient prognosis. Moreover, we demonstrate that in addition to cellular immunity humoral immune responses may be clinically relevant in anti-tumour immunity.</p