Predictors of short birth interval among women of reproductive age attending the young child clinic at a tertiary hospital in Western Uganda: a cross-section study

Background: Short birth interval continues to increase in sub-Sahara Africa of which Uganda is part. If all birth-to-pregnancy intervals were spaced at least 2 years apart as recommended by the world health organization, most under-five deaths would be avoided. We aim at determining the predictors of short birth interval among women of reproductive age at tertiary hospitals, Uganda. Methods: A cross-sectional study involving 325 women of reproductive age attending the young child clinic at Fortportal Regional Referral Hospital was conducted from July 2022 to October 2022. Interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to obtain data used for analysis. Descriptive statistics followed by binary logistic regression were conducted to achieve the study objectives using SPSS version 22.0. Results: Out of 325 participants, 94 (29%) had short birth interval. Maternal age (OR=3.4, 95% CI: 1.15-10.13; p=0.02), no previous pregnancy planning (OR=3.4, 95% CI: 1.23-9.41; p=0.01), duration of breastfeeding less than 12 months (OR=1.9, 95% CI: 0.06-0.58; p=0.003), less or equal to 4 antenatal care visits (OR=8.7, 95% CI: 3.19-23.80; p≤0.001) and not using postpartum contraceptives (OR=5.7, 95% CI: 1.64-19.81; p=0.006) were independently associated with short birth interval. Conclusions: The prevalence of short birth interval is still high in Uganda as compared to global report. The predictor factors of short birth interval include maternal lack of pregnancy planning, low number of antenatal care visits, breastfeeding for less than 12 months and lack of postpartum contraceptive use. Women of reproductive age should routinely be educated about child spacing by healthcare workers

Basin-scale estimates of greenhouse gas emissions from the Mara River, Kenya: Importance of discharge, stream size, and land use/land cover

Greenhouse gas fluxes (CO2, CH4, and N2O) from African streams and rivers are under-represented in global datasets, resulting in uncertainties in their contributions to regional and global budgets. We conducted year-long sampling of 59 sites in a nested-catchment design in the Mara River, Kenya in which fluxes were quantified and their underlying controls assessed. We estimated annual basin-scale greenhouse gas emissions from measured in-stream gas concentrations, modeled gas transfer velocities, and determined the sensitivity of up-scaling to discharge. Based on the total annual CO2-equivalent emissions calculated from global warming potentials (GWP), the Mara basin was a net greenhouse gas source (294 ± 35 Gg CO2 eq yr−1). Lower-order streams (1–3) contributed 81% of the total fluxes, and higher stream orders (4–8) contributed 19%. Cropland-draining streams also exhibited higher fluxes compared to forested streams. Seasonality in stream discharge affected stream widths (and stream area) and gas exchange rates, strongly influencing the basin-wide annual flux, which was 10 times higher during the high and medium discharge periods than the low discharge period. The basin-wide estimate was underestimated by up to 36% if discharge was ignored, and up to 37% for lower stream orders. Future research should therefore include seasonality in stream surface areas in upscaling procedures to better constrain basin-wide fluxes. Given that agricultural activities are a major factor increasing riverine greenhouse gas fluxes in the study region, increased conversion of forests and agricultural intensification has the possibility of increasing the contribution of the African continent to global greenhouse gas sources

Scoping review of qualitative studies investigating reproductive health knowledge, attitudes, and practices among men and women across Rwanda.

BackgroundResearch efforts in Rwanda to improve sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are increasing; however, comprehensive literature reviews on SRHR are limited. This scoping review examines individual and contextual factors shaping knowledge, attitudes, and practices in the domains of: 1) family planning, 2) abortion care, and 3) other SRHR in Rwanda. Recognizing that individual, community, and societal factors influence RH, this review is guided by Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory.MethodsEligible studies were conducted in Rwanda, included males and/or females of any age, and were published within the past 20 years. Studies reporting views of only healthcare or other professionals were excluded.ResultsThirty-six studies were included. The majority addressed individual and contextual considerations. At the individual level, studies explored knowledge about SRHR problems while at the interpersonal level, the support and attitudes of men and community members for adolescent SRHR were investigated. In terms of healthcare organization, maternal health practices, increased access to family planning programs, and the need for sexually transmitted infection programs was explored. At the social and cultural level, researchers investigated beliefs and traditional gender roles. Regarding public health policy, studies mentioned promoting and increasing funding for SRHR and reducing gender inequities.ConclusionOur findings can inform SRHR research programs, public health campaigns, and policy advances in Rwanda

High Temperature Fire Experiment for TET and LANDSAT 8 in Test Site DEMMIN (Germany)

In 2012, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) launched the small satellite TET-1 (Experimental Technology Carrier) as a test platform for new satellite technologies and as a carrier for the Multi-Spectral Camera System (MSC) with five spectral bands (Green, Red, Near Infrared, Middle Infrared, and Thermal Infrared). The MSC has been designed to provide quantitative parameters (e.g. fire radiative power, burned area) observing high-temperature events. The detection of such events provides information for operational support to fire brigades, to change detection of hotspots, to assess CO2 emissions of burning vegetation, and, finally, contributes to the monitoring programs that support climate models. In order to investigate the sensitivity and accuracy of the MSC system, a calibration and validation fire campaign was developed and executed, to derive characteristic signal changes of corresponding pixels in the MWIR and LWIR bands. The planning and execution of the validation campaign and the results are presented

SEARCH STRATEGIES | Scoping review of qualitative studies investigating reproductive health knowledge, attitudes, and practices among men and women across Rwanda

Scoping review search strategies.A search of the literature was conducted by a health sciences informationist (GKR) in March 2022. The eight databases searched were MEDLINE (via Ovid interface), EMBASE (via Embase.com), Scopus, CINAHL (via EBSCOhost), Web of Science Core Collection (via Thomson Reuters), Global Health (via CABI), PsycINFO (via EBSCOhost) and Women's Studies International (via EBSCOhost). Keyword and controlled vocabulary search terms were used to represent three main search concepts related to aspects of SRH: 1) family planning; 2) abortion care; and 3) sexual and reproductive health rights. Geographic search terms were used to focus the search retrieval on articles referencing Rwanda at the country level, by province, or by the capital city of Kigali. Lastly, a revised qualitative/mixed methods search filter was used in all eight database searches. Two unique qualitative/mixed methods search filters were revised for use in Ovid Medline to maximize retrieval of qualitative studies.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/175847/1/Rwanda SRHR _ Scoping Review of Qualitative Studies_ ALL SEARCH STRATEGIES _ March 2022.pdf-1Description of Rwanda SRHR _ Scoping Review of Qualitative Studies_ ALL SEARCH STRATEGIES _ March 2022.pdf : Search strategiesSEL