Qualitative study to develop processes and tools for the assessment and tracking of African institutions’ capacity for operational health research

Objectives Research is key to achieving global development goals. Our objectives were to develop and test an evidence-informed process for assessing health research management and support systems (RMSS) in four African universities and for tracking interventions to address capacity gaps. Setting Four African universities. Participants 83 university staff and students from 11 cadres. Intervention/methods A literature-informed ‘benchmark’ was developed and used to itemise all components of a university’s health RMSS. Data on all components were collected during site visits to four African universities using interview guides, document reviews and facilities observation guides. Gaps in RMSS capacity were identified against the benchmark and institutional action plans developed to remedy gaps. Progress against indicators was tracked over 15 months and common challenges and successes identified. Results Common gaps in operational health research capacity included no accessible research strategy, a lack of research e-tracking capability and inadequate quality checks for proposal submissions and contracts. Feedback indicated that the capacity assessment was comprehensive and generated practical actions, several of which were no-cost. Regular follow-up helped to maintain focus on activities to strengthen health research capacity in the face of challenges. Conclusions Identification of each institutions’ strengths and weaknesses against an evidence-informed benchmark enabled them to identify gaps in in their operational health research systems, to develop prioritised action plans, to justify resource requests to fulfil the plans and to track progress in strengthening RMSS. Use of a standard benchmark, approach and tools enabled comparisons across institutions which has accelerated production of evidence about the science of research capacity strengthening. The tools could be used by institutions seeking to understand their strengths and to address gaps in research capacity. Research capacity gaps that were common to several institutions could be a ‘smart’ investment for governments and health research funders

Qualitative study to develop processes and tools for the assessment and tracking of African institutions’ capacity for operational health research

Objectives Research is key to achieving global development goals. Our objectives were to develop and test an evidence-informed process for assessing health research management and support systems (RMSS) in four African universities and for tracking interventions to address capacity gaps. Setting Four African universities. Participants 83 university staff and students from 11 cadres. Intervention/methods A literature-informed ‘benchmark’ was developed and used to itemise all components of a university’s health RMSS. Data on all components were collected during site visits to four African universities using interview guides, document reviews and facilities observation guides. Gaps in RMSS capacity were identified against the benchmark and institutional action plans developed to remedy gaps. Progress against indicators was tracked over 15 months and common challenges and successes identified. Results Common gaps in operational health research capacity included no accessible research strategy, a lack of research e-tracking capability and inadequate quality checks for proposal submissions and contracts. Feedback indicated that the capacity assessment was comprehensive and generated practical actions, several of which were no-cost. Regular follow-up helped to maintain focus on activities to strengthen health research capacity in the face of challenges. Conclusions Identification of each institutions’ strengths and weaknesses against an evidence-informed benchmark enabled them to identify gaps in in their operational health research systems, to develop prioritised action plans, to justify resource requests to fulfil the plans and to track progress in strengthening RMSS. Use of a standard benchmark, approach and tools enabled comparisons across institutions which has accelerated production of evidence about the science of research capacity strengthening. The tools could be used by institutions seeking to understand their strengths and to address gaps in research capacity. Research capacity gaps that were common to several institutions could be a ‘smart’ investment for governments and health research funders

African baobabs with a very large number of stems and false stems : radiocarbon Investigation of the baobab of Warang

Author Posting. © Studia Chemia, 2017. This article is posted here by permission of Studia Chemia for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Studia Universitatis Babes-Bolyai, Seria Chemia 62, no. 1 (2017): 111-120, doi:10.24193/subbchem.2017.1.09.The article presents the AMS (accelerator mass spectrometry) radiocarbon dating results of the baobab of Warang, Senegal. The investigation of the baobab revealed that it consists of 18 partially fused stems, which represents the largest number of stems reported for an African baobab. Three stems build the ring that closes a false cavity, while 15 stems grow outside the ring. Seven wood samples were collected from the false cavity and from the outer part of other stems. The dating results evinced that the stems belong to four different generations, out of which the first generation is around 500 years old. We also documented the presence of false stems, which emerge from a large adjacent stem, are triangular in horizontal section and act as an anchor. The baobab of Warang possesses 12 ordinary stems and 6 false stems.The research was funded by the Romanian Ministry of National Education CNCS-UEFISCDI under grant PN-II-ID-PCE-2013-76

Safety and Efficacy of Adding a Single Low Dose of Primaquine to the Treatment of Adult Patients With Plasmodium falciparum Malaria in Senegal, to Reduce Gametocyte Carriage: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Introduction: More information is needed about the safety of low-dose primaquine in populations where G6PD deficiency is common. Methods: Adults with Plasmodium falciparum malaria were randomized to receive 1 of 3 artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs) with or without primaquine (0.25 mg/kg). Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) status was determined using a rapid test. Patients were followed for 28 days to record hemoglobin concentration, adverse events, and gametocyte carriage. The primary end point was the change in Hb at day 7. Results: In sum, 274 patients were randomized, 139 received an ACT alone, and 135 received an ACT + primaquine. The mean reduction in Hb at day 7 was similar in each group, a difference in the ACT + PQ versus the ACT alone group of -0.04 g/dL (95% confidence interval [CI] -0.23, 0.31), but the effect of primaquine differed according to G6PD status. In G6PD-deficient patients the drop in Hb was 0.63 g/dL (95% CI 0.03, 1.24) greater in those who received primaquine than in those who received an ACT alone. In G6PD-normal patients, the reduction in Hb was 0.22 g/dL (95% CI -0.08, 0.52) less in those who received primaquine (interaction P = .01). One G6PD normal patient who received primaquine developed moderately severe anaemia (Hb < 8 g/dL). Dark urine was more frequent in patients who received primaquine. Primaquine was associated with a 73% (95% CI 24-90) reduction in gametocyte carriage (P = .013). Conclusion: Primaquine substantially reduced gametocyte carriage. However, the fall in Hb concentration at day 7 was greater in G6PD-deficient patients who received primaquine than in those who did not and one patient who received primaquine developed moderately severe anemia. Clinical Trial registration: PACTR201411000937373 (www.pactr.org)

Epidemiological Interactions between Urogenital and Intestinal Human Schistosomiasis in the Context of Praziquantel Treatment across Three West African Countries

© 2015 Knowles et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. The attached file is the published version of the article

Introgressive Hybridization of Schistosoma haematobium Group Species in Senegal: Species Barrier Break Down between Ruminant and Human Schistosomes

The file attached is the Published/publisher’s pdf version of the article.Copyright: © 2013 Webster et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

Indoor Localization of Mobile Robots with Wireless Sensor Network Based on Ultra Wideband using Experimental Measurements of Time Difference of Arrival

This paper presents investigations into wireless localization techniques for mobile robots operating in indoor environments. Localization systems can guide robots to perform different tasks such as monitoring children or elderly people, aid mobility of the visually impaired and localize mobile objects or packages in warehouses. They are essential for localization of robots operating in re-mote places that are inaccessible or hazardous to humans. Currently, ultra wide band (UWB) in indoor environments provides an accuracy of 24 mm under line of sight (LOS) or non-line of sight (NLOS) conditions in a working range of 160 m indoors. The work presented in this paper carries out experimental validation of localization algorithms using mobile robots and UWB signals. These are measured in LOS and NLOS environments. The measurements are performed with the UWB radio PulsON 410 (P410) and mobile robots (AmigoBot) with maximum travel-ling speed of 1 m/s and equipped with an on-board computer, sonar, odometer, camera and inertial navigation system. Experimental results obtained for the system show positioning errors of less than 55 mm

Comparison of MUSIC and ESPRIT DOA Estimation algorithms for Wireless Communications

This paper presents simulation of Angle of Arrival (AOA) estimation using the Multiple Signal Classification (MUSIC) and Estimation of Signal Parameters via Rotational Invariance Technique (ESPRIT) algorithms. We study the localization techniques using the wireless communication systems and there are several algorithms that have the ability in calculate the Direction of Arrival (DOA) of the incident signals. We investigate and compare MUSIC and ESPRIT algorithms. The simulations indicate that the MUSIC algorithm is more accurate and stable compared to the ESPRIT algorithm

Educational Bandwidth Traffic Prediction using Non-Linear Autoregressive Neural Networks

Time series network traffic analysis and forecasting are important for fundamental to many decision-making processes, also to understand network performance, reliability and security, as well as to identify potential problems. This paper provides the latest work at London South Bank University (LSBU) network data traffic analysis by adapting nonlinear autoregressive exogenous model (NARX) based on the Levenberg-Marquardt backpropagation algorithm. This technique can analyze and predict data usage in its current and future states, as well as visualise the hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly activities with less computation requirement. Results and analysis proved the accuracy of the prediction techniques

Overview of biologically digested leachate treatment using adsorption

Biological process is effective in treating most biodegradable organic matter present in leachate; however, a significant amount of ammonia, metals and refractory organic compounds may still remain in this biologically digested leachate. This effluent cannot be released to receiving bodies until the discharge limit is met. Several physical/chemical processes have been practiced as post-treatment to remove the remaining pollutants including coagulation–flocculation, oxidation and adsorption. Adsorption is often applied in leachate treatment as it enhances removal of refractory organic compounds. This chapter will focus on works related to adsorption as one of the commonly used methods to treat biologically digested leachate further down to acceptable discharge limit