PEMANFAATAN ROTAN SEBAGAI KERAJINAN OLEH MASYARAKAT DI DESA EMBALA KECAMATAN PARINDU KABUPATEN SANGGAU

Indonesian forests have abundant non-timber forest products. In Embala Village, rattan is a potential biological wealth. Rattan is usually used by the community as a material for plaiting, rigging, and other purposes. The study aims to describe how the use of rattan and to record the types of rattan from handicrafts by the people of Embala Village, Parindu District, Sanggau Regency. Research methods are carried out by surveys and interview. Data retrieval uses purposive sampling techniques to determine respondents. The result showed that there are 10 types of rattan commonly used by the community in Embala Village, that is: Korthalsia rigida Blume, Calamus javensis Blume, Daemonorops geniculata (Griff) Mart, Calamus caesius Blume, Korthalsia echinometra Beccari, Calamus inops Becc, Calamus manan Miq, Calamus trachycoleus Becc, Daemonorops Melanochaetes Blume, Daemonorops didymophylla Mart. From 10 rattan produces 21 form of handicraft in the form of  jarai, bakol, tomikng, raga, oyok podi, pongonae sidu, pongomat tilap, kobab, soo’, pingat, pongampe podi, koranyak, korosah, sapu, simpae, solongko, juah, lokar, jampot, kanol, ntudok. The resulting woven has different uses according to the shapes and size produced such as jarai used to transport firewood from the forest and bakol is used to wash rice into the river.Keywords: Craft, Public, Rattan

Prevalence and Predictors of HIV Infection among Under FiveYear Children Born to HIV Positive Mothers in Muheza District, North-Eastern Tanzania

Background: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) pandemic has become a serious public health concern worldwide. The prevalence of paediatric HIV infection is largely unknown in many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We aimed to determine the prevalence and predictors of HIV infection among under-5 years children in Muheza District, Tanzania.Methods: A facility-based study among mothers/guardians with their under-5 years children exposed to HIV infection was conducted from June 2015 to June 2016. Information on HIV status, socio-demographic and other family characteristics was collected using a structured questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using STATA version 13.0.Results: A total of 576 HIV-exposed under-5 years children were recruited together with their respective mothers/guardians. The HIV prevalence among under-5 years children was 10.6% (95% CI: 8.1-13.1%). The burden of HIV infection was observed among older children aged 25 to 59 months (AOR= 8.0, 95% CI 2.5-26.0) than in the younger children. There was a four-fold (AOR=3.9, 95% CI 1.7-9.1) risk of HIV infection among children born to mothers of unknown HIV status at conception than among children born to mothers with known HIV status. The odds of HIV infection were higher among children who were delivered from home (AOR=2.6, 95% CI 1.0-6.5), received mixed feeding (AOR=2.4, 95% CI 1.2-4.9), and those living far from a health facility (AOR=3.0, 95% CI 1.4-6.5).Conclusion: The prevalence of HIV among under-5 years children in Muheza is higher among older children. The high prevalence is associated with being born to mothers with unknown HIV status at conception, received mixed feeding, home delivery, and living far from the health facility. Campaigns that provide health educational massages addressing risk factors of HIV need to be emphasised in order to promote the control and prevention of HIV among children

Accessibility of services for early infant diagnosis of Human Immunodeficiency Virus in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review

Background: Early Infant Diagnosis (EID) of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is one of the major interventions for HIV and AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. However, the coverage is still lower than the recommended levels. The objective of this review was to systematically assess factors associated with accessibility of EID services in sub-Saharan Africa.Methods: Scientific engines were searched from library catalogues and public databases. The review included free full text articles in English published from 1996 to 2015 and fitting to the objectives of the study.Results: A total of 1,039,715 results appeared on the databases after initial searching. Of these, 48 eligible articles were identified and reviewed. From 2004 to 2014, the proportion of HIV exposed infants who received a virological test within the first 2 months of life in sub-Saharan Africa varied from 3 to 58%, far below the 80% recommended level by the World Health Organization. EID services were not available in more than 30% of health facilities in most sub-Saharan African countries. Factors associated with accessibility of EID services included parents with low formal education level, maternal unemployment, geographical relocation, religious beliefs, lack of paternal support, insufficient awareness of HIV control and prevention services, poor compliance to prevention of mother to child transmission services, lack of general knowledge of HIV transmission, stigma and discrimination, inadequate human resource for health, weak infrastructure, inadequate supplies of laboratory materials and late feedback of HIV test results.Conclusion: Availability and accessibility of EID services in sub-Saharan Africa is still low despite the investment made during the past decade. Both individual and institutional factors affect the availability and accessibility of the services. It is important that these factors are urgently addressed to improve EID services

Malaria surveillance and use of evidence in planning and decision making in Kilosa District, Tanzania

Background: Since 2001, Tanzania has been making concerted efforts to strengthen its Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response system. In this system, malaria is one of the priority diseases that are to be reported monthly. The objectives of this study were to (i) assess malaria surveillance system at facility and district levels to identify key barriers, constraints and priority actions for malaria surveillance strengthening; and (ii) to explore the use of evidence in health planning and decision making at these levels.Methods: The study was carried in Kilosa District in central Tanzania, during October 2012 and involved health facility workers and members of the district health management team. The existing information system on malaria was evaluated using a structured questionnaire and check list. Data collection also involved direct observations of reporting and processing, assessment of report forms and reports of processed data.Results: Three district officials and 17 health facility workers from both public and private health facilities were interviewed. Of the 17 informants, 15 were familiar with disease surveillance functions. A good percentage (47%, 8/17) received training on disease surveillance during the previous two years. Public transport and motorcycles were the main means of reporting epidemiological information from facility to district level. Most of the health facilities (93%, 14/15) faced difficulties in submitting reports due to lack of resources and feedback from the district authority. Analysis of malaria data was reported in 52.9% (9/17) of the facilities, but limited to malaria incidence per age groups. Challenges in data analysis included unavailability of compilation books; lack of computers; poor data storage; incomplete recording; lack of adequate skills for data analysis; and increase in workloads. Data at both facility and district levels were mainly used for quantification and forecasting of drug requirements.Conclusion: Malaria surveillance system in Kilosa district is weak and utilization of evidence for planning and decision making is poor. Capacity strengthening on data analysis and utilization should be given a priority at both facility and district levels of the health systems in Tanzania

Accessibility, availability and utilisation of malaria interventions among women of reproductive age in Kilosa district in central Tanzania

This study showed that pregnant women had only average knowledge about malaria in pregnancy and intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp), and this is likely reflected in low IPTp coverage. Campaigns that provide educational messages on the risk of malaria during pregnancy and the usefulness of IPTp need to be emphasised. The research aimed to determine factors affecting accessibility, availability and utilisation of malaria interventions among women of reproductive age in Kilosa district in central Tanzania. As well, sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) stock-outs and lack of qualified health workers were common in all health facilities in the district

Challenges and opportunities for implementing an intersectoral approach in malaria control in Tanzania

Background: Malaria is a complex health problem related to socio-economic and environmental factors that cut across a number of sectors. Establishing intersectoral linkages is important to facilitate joint efforts to address the problem at all levels. The objectives of this study were to explore key sectoral engagements in malaria control policy formulation and implementation, and to determine decision and policy makers’ opinions about different sectoral activities that contribute to malaria transmission and control in Tanzania.Methods: This study included documentary review, self-administered interviews and group discussion. Interviews and group discussions involved key informants at district and national levels. The sectors involved were health, agriculture, environment, livestock, fisheries, education, works, irrigation, water resources, land development, forestry, and community development.Results: Institutions and organizations that were involved in the development of the previous and current National Malaria Strategic Plan (2007-2013 and 2013-2020) were the Ministries of Health and Social Welfare, Prime Minister’s Office of Regional Administration and Local Government, Public universities and non-governmental organizations. All the individuals involved in the development of the plans were either medical or health professionals. According to key informants, sectoral activities identified to contribute to malaria transmission included farming systems, deforestation, fishing, nomadic pastoralism, household water storage, water resource development projects, road and house construction and mining. The lack of intersectoral approaches in malaria control programme included the facts that the Health Sector does not involve other sectors during planning and development of policy guidelines, differences in sectoral mandates and management culture, lack of a national coordinating framework and lack of budget for intersectoral activities.Conclusion: The current strategies for malaria control in Tanzania need to address socio-economic and development activities across sectors and emphasise the need for intersectoral collaboration. It is recommended that the future of malaria control strategies should, therefore, be broad based and intersectoral in planning and implementation

Improving birth weight measurement and recording practices in Kenya and Tanzania: a prospective intervention study with historical controls

BACKGROUND: Low birth weight (LBW) is a significant public health concern given its association with early-life mortality and other adverse health consequences that can impact the entire life cycle. In many countries, accurate estimates of LBW prevalence are lacking due to inaccuracies in collection and gaps in available data. Our study aimed to determine LBW prevalence among facility-born infants in selected areas of Kenya and Tanzania and to assess whether the introduction of an intervention to improve the accuracy of birth weight measurement would result in a meaningfully different estimate of LBW prevalence than current practice. METHODS: We carried out a historically controlled intervention study in 22 health facilities in Kenya and three health facilities in Tanzania. The intervention included: provision of high-quality digital scales, training of nursing staff on accurate birth weight measurement, recording and scale calibration practices, and quality maintenance support that consisted of enhanced supervision and feedback (prospective arm). The historically controlled data were birth weights from the same facilities recorded in maternity registers for the same calendar months from the previous year measured using routine practices and manual scales. We calculated mean birth weight (95% confidence interval CI), mean difference in LBW prevalence, and respective risk ratio (95% CI) between study arms. RESULTS: Between October 2019 and February 2020, we prospectively collected birth weights from 8441 newborns in Kenya and 4294 in Tanzania. Historical data were available from 9318 newborns in Kenya and 12,007 in Tanzania. In the prospective sample, the prevalence of LBW was 12.6% (95% confidence intervals [CI]: 10.9%-14.4%) in Kenya and 18.2% (12.2%-24.2%) in Tanzania. In the historical sample, the corresponding prevalence estimates were 7.8% (6.5%-9.2%) and 10.0% (8.6%-11.4%). Compared to the retrospective sample, the LBW prevalence in the prospective sample was 4.8% points (3.2%-6.4%) higher in Kenya and 8.2% points (2.3%-14.0%) higher in Tanzania, corresponding to a risk ratio of 1.61 (1.38-1.88) in Kenya and 1.81 (1.30-2.52) in Tanzania. CONCLUSION: Routine birth weight records underestimate the risk of LBW among facility-born infants in Kenya and Tanzania. The quality of birth weight data can be improved by a simple intervention consisting of provision of digital scales and supportive training

Machine learning methods applied to combined Raman and LIBS spectra: Implications for mineral discrimination in planetary missions

Producción CientíficaThe combined analysis of geological targets by complementary spectroscopic techniques could enhance the characterization of the mineral phases found on Mars. This is indeed the case with the SuperCam instrument onboard the Perseverance rover. In this framework, the present study seeks to evaluate and compare multiple machine learning techniques for the characterization of carbonate minerals based on Raman-LIBS (Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy) spectroscopic data. To do so, a Ca-Mg prediction curve was created by mixing hydromagnesite and calcite at different concentration ratios. After their characterization by Raman and LIBS spectroscopy, different multivariable machine learning (Gaussian process regression, support vector machines, ensembles of trees, and artificial neural networks) were used to predict the concentration ratio of each sample from their respective datasets. The results obtained by separately analyzing Raman and LIBS data were then compared to those obtained by combining them. By comparing their performance, this work demonstrates that mineral discrimination based on Gaussian and ensemble methods optimized the combine of Raman-LIBS dataset outperformed those ensured by Raman and LIBS data alone. This demonstrated that the fusion of data combination and machine learning is a promising approach to optimize the analysis of spectroscopic data returned from Mars.Agencia Estatal de Investigación, grant (PID2022-142490OB-C32)Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO),Grant/Award Number (RDE2018-102600-T

Raman-IR spectroscopic, and XRD analysis of selected samples from Fogo Island, Cabo Verde: Implications for ancient Martian volcanology

Several space missions from NASA, and ESA have visited and will land on Mars in the search for life. The last mission to arrive was the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover on 18 February 2021. The next mission to Mars will be ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover, expected to touch down sometime after 2028. Both Mars2020 and ExoMars are equipped with Raman spectroscopic systems: SuperCam and SHERLOC on Perseverance, and Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS) on Rosalind Franklin (RF). These instruments will be tasked with identifying rocks, minerals, and potential organic biosignatures on the Martian surface. There are many challenges associated with the qualitative and quantitative analysis of resulting data received from current missions on Mars. It is our belief that studies of new terrestrial Martian analogues can help to overcome these challenges. Here, we introduce Chã das Caldeiras Outcrop, Fogo Island, Cabo Verde as a new volcanic terrestrial analog for Mars. We sampled several areas of relevance in Chã das Caldeiras and conducted a complete band analysis of Raman spectra for targets from this site. Additional analyses included ATR-FTIR and XRD. We detected several pyroxene types (augite and diopside) and plagioclase feldspar species (orthoclase, bytownite, sanidine, albite, and anorthite), olivine (forsterite), oxides (magnetite), and leucite. The alteration and secondary minerals detected were carbonates (calcite and dolomite), oxides (goethite, anatase, and hematite), spinel (chromite), phosphate (apatite), various clays, and zeolites (chabazite and muscovite and analcime). We present the Chã das Caldeiras site as a possible new volcanic analogue for Mars given: 1) the similarities to other volcanic places in the Canary Islands; 2) the exclusive geological evolution that is only present in the volcanic emplacement from the Macaronecia-group; 3) the pristine quality of the samples from the outcrop as well as the alteration volcanic minerals.MGD at CRESS, York University, is especially thankful for the financial support provided by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Ontario Centre of Excellence (OCE), and the Canadian Space Agency. GLR, MV, FR, and JAM would like to acknowledge the financial support provided for this project by the European Research Council in the H2020- COMPET-2015 Programme (grant 687302) and the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO, grant PID2019-107442RB-C31/AEI/10.13039/501100011033). EAC thanks the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Research Manitoba, NSERC, the Canadian Space Agency, and the University of Winnipeg for supporting this study. Finally, EAL and MK want to thank Pebbles for her logistical support.Peer reviewe