A cross-sectional study of Ig-E mediated food sensitisation and food allergy in an unselected population of South African children aged 12-36 months

Includes bibliographical references.Background: Food allergy (FA) is a significant and often life-threatening health problem affecting about 4-6% of children and their families globally. In some developed countries FA prevalence has reached 10% and it is believed that developing economies may follow a similar trend since there is a reported rise in the global burden of other allergic diseases like asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema. However, there is a dearth of population studies at global level documenting challenge-proven Ig-E mediated food allergy (FA) prevalence. As such, we studied an unselected population of children attending crèches in Cape Town, South Africa. Methodology All children aged 12-36 months attending the selected crèches between February 2013 and October 2013 were eligible for the study. Participants were assessed with an allergy questionnaire, had skin prick tests (SPTs) done and if they qualified, were invited for an oral food challenge (OFC) at the Red Cross Hospital Paediatric Allergy Clinic (RCHPAC). The SPT wheal size results were categorised into ≥1mm, ≥3mm and ≥7mm. We gave a general description of the study sample with respect to the demographic characteristics and compared participants and non-participants. We reported sensitisation pattern towards foods in the panel i.e. egg white extract, peanut, cow’s milk, wheat(flour), soy, hazelnut and fish (cod) according to the SPT categories. The effects of age, ethnicity, sex and concomitant allergy on sensitisation patterns were assessed. Associations between the potential predictor variables and sensitisation were assessed by Z-test for proportions and Chi-square/Fisher’s exact. PART I presents the study protocol with a brief motivation for the relevance of the study and the methodology used. PART II presents a structured literature review on FA and FS in large populations of selected and unselected cohorts. It provides an overview of empirical evidence on prevalence estimates from both the developed and developing world, and the potential risk factors causing Fav. PART III summarises the methodology, results and interpretation of the analysis conducted in a journal-ready manuscript according to Current Allergy and Clinical Immunology Journal requirements. Results The sample consisted of; 39% black African, 20% Caucasian and 41% mixed race participants, with a median age 26 months (IQR: 22-31). Amongst 121 participants (66% response rate, 92% participation rate and 94% completion rate), the prevalence of SPT≥1mm to any food was 16%, SPT≥3mm 12% and SPT≥7mm 4%. The prevalence of challenge-proven Ig-E mediated raw egg allergy was 1.7% and peanut allergy 0.8%. Black African participants had higher sensitisation rates (23%) of SPT≥1mm to any food, when compared to Caucasian (13%) and mixed race (10%) participants despite the difference not reaching statistical significance (p=0.17). Conclusions: This study was acceptable and feasible in this population that has a low prevalence of Ig-E mediated FA that is comparable to other studies from developed countries using objective measures in unselected cohorts. The prevalence of FS is appreciably high in this sample and there are ethnic differences that require further investigation. The findings seem to suggest an existing burden of Ig-E mediated FAs in the South African context that is un-diagnosed and therefore not manage

Tourism Certification for Promoting Tourism Sustainability in the Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

This paper examines and ranks sustainable tourism certification concerns raised by managers of the pilot certified facilities in Zimbabwe. In the broader context, these concerns could be the reasons for the low uptake of these schemes in the country and on the continent. An email questionnaire with a three-item Likert scale and follow-up telephone interviews with 13 pilot test eco-certified facilities in the country were undertaken to collect the data. The results were thematically analysed. A ranked analysis of the concerns revealed a low uptake level of the scheme and the exclusion of guests in the certification process was the most important concern. Thirteen concerns were raised to corroborate previously raised concerns. It is recommended that there should be concerted efforts towards addressing the issue of low adoption levels of this tool both at the country and continental levels

Modelling association between two Multiple Response Categorical Variables (MRCV) using generalized log-linear models: the case of urban agriculture in Mutare City

Purpose: This research aimed to apply log-linear modelling to model association between multiple response categorical variables (MRCV) on urban agriculture and enhance data analysis of the paper by Basera, Chakaipa, & Dube (2020) impetus of urban agriculture on open spaces of Mutare City. Research methodology: The research data was obtained from households and farmers in Mutare City - urban and peri-urban (inclusive of plots in Weirmouth Park and Fern Valley area in December 2020. A total of one hundred and fifteen (115) household farmers were surveyed. Results: Simultaneous Pairwise Marginal Independence (SPMI) tests revealed the presence of associations. Log-linear tests revealed a perfect fit based on small standardized Pearson residuals and a strong positive association based on observed and model-predicted odds ratios on-field agricultural activities and use of herbicides. Log-linear and further application of heterogeneity tests revealed partial and near no perfect fit in other pairs of MRCVs with a strong negative association between municipality vacant places and field agricultural activities. Limitations: The research could not carry out log-linear model associations of three or more MRCVs because files exceeded 2GB in memory on both MI.test () function for SPMI tests and genloglin regressions. Contribution: The study contributes to urban agriculture planning especially in enactment of urban agriculture laws, agriculture one stop shop business centers housing farm input supply shops, farm produce shops, and determining fit support that can be rendered to urban farmers. Keywords: Multiple Response Categorical Variables (MRCV), Association, Urban agricultur

A snap on quality management in Zimbabwe: a perspectives review

Purpose: The main objective of this article was to provide evidence concerning the level of Quality Management (QM) in Zimbabwe. Submitted evidence regarding QM in Zimbabwe will help organizations that want to implement QM systems. The results can guide government agents in making informed decisions towards QM systems implementation since very few organizations are officially quality certified. Research Methodology: The survey followed online search query on quality management in zimbabwe from journal articles, proceedings and institutional repository. 51 publications were selected and excel file was used to capture data and analyse. Results: The results expose that there was high interest in QM in 2014, 2015 and 2016. The results showed industries lack of capacity and resources, lack of skills and expertise, poor communication with stakeholders, poor raw materials, changing customer preferences, lack of top management commitment and costs of QM systems as key barriers to QM implementation. Limitations: The study limitation was survey of few studies retrieved through Bindura University online library and open access journal articles, proceedings papers and dissertations/thesis available on institutional repository. Keywords: Zimbabwe, Quality Management (QM), Drivers, Barriers, Benefit

Impetus of urban horticulture on open spaces: case of Mutare City

Purpose: To understand the impetus of urban horticulture in the Mutare city with explicit motivation on low density areas. Research methodology: The investigation was quantitative in nature, and used a random sample of urban farmers in Mutare city low density areas. The Statistical Package for Social Scientist (SPSS Version 23) was used to analyse data from the questionnaires. Results: The results reveal that Mutare urban agricultural activities are driven by the need for food self-sufficient, income generation and utilisation of urban open spaces. Limitations: The research had limitations on the sample size and also needed to factor in other multiple response questions. Contributions: The findings are useful to urbanites, urban planners, developmental agents and authorities in the development of urban agriculture. Keywords: Urban horticulture, Urban agriculture, Mutare, Impetus, Food securit

Structure and electronic properties of transition-metal/Mg bimetallic clusters at realistic temperatures and oxygen partial pressures

Composition, atomic structure, and electronic properties of TM$_x$Mg$_y$O$_z$ clusters (TM = Cr, Ni, Fe, Co, $x+y \leq 3$) at realistic temperature $T$ and partial oxygen pressure $p_{\textrm{O}_2}$ conditions are explored using the {\em ab initio} atomistic thermodynamics approach. The low-energy isomers of the different clusters are identified using a massively parallel cascade genetic algorithm at the hybrid density-functional level of theory. On analyzing a large set of data, we find that the fundamental gap E$_\textrm{g}$ of the thermodynamically stable clusters are strongly affected by the presence of Mg-coordinated O$_2$ moieties. In contrast, the nature of the transition metal does not play a significant role in determining E$_\textrm{g}$. Using E$_\textrm{g}$ of a cluster as a descriptor of its redox properties, our finding is against the conventional belief that the transition metal plays the key role in determining the electronic and therefore chemical properties of the clusters. High reactivity may be correlated more strongly with oxygen content in the cluster than with any specific TM type.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure

Impact of big data and analytics on quality management in rural tourism in southern Africa - Zimbabwe: A systematic literature review

Big data and analytics have assumed a significant role in the technological advancement that is shaping the world's travel industry today, posing both significant challenges and opportunities for rural tourism in southern Africa. Big data and analytics provide useful information to all tourism businesses, allowing them to estimate visitor need, optimize decision-making, knowledge exchanges and relationships with consumers, and deliver the best service in a more productive and effective way, thereby managing quality. The focus of this research is to investigate the problems and opportunities that may arise from the use of big data and analytics in rural tourism, its management, and the sector's future. The research content was obtained from popular web sources including articles indexed in Google Scholar, institutional repositories, dissertations and Scopus. Thirty-one peer reviewed articles published between 2012 and 2022 were considered for review. A thread of the problems and opportunities faced by use of big data and analytics was drawn inferring to rural tourism in Zimbabwe, a country in southern part of Africa. Despite widespread privacy and security issues, big data and analytics are widely thought to be advantageous for tourist and hospitality firms as founded in literature. In addition, big data and analytics is offering fresh viewpoints on the quality management discussion to both the tourist and hospitality industries. This study is useful for both scholars and practitioners interested in the utilization of big data and analytics

a case of Zimbabwe

Thesis(Master) --KDI School:Master of Public Management,2016As nations of the world have gradually opened their borders for trade and investment, FDI is increasingly becoming an impeccable engine for economic growth and development for developed, emerging market economies as well as developing countries such as Zimbabwe. In light of this fast paced global economy which has become a borderless society, a nation’s comparative advantage is no longer only confined to God given natural resources, but also to knowledge advantage. Today’s dynamic world calls for strategic agility, implying that there is need for a competitive, nimble and agile IPA team to beat competition. More importantly, FDI is vital to the host country since it brings technological and managerial know-how to the recipient country. Furthermore, it brings fresh capital and liquidity into the host economy. The issue of liquidity is of fundamental importance in dollarized economies such as Zimbabwe whose economy thrives on a basket of multiple currencies dominated by the US dollar. The fresh capital is used to increase economic production and create employment for the host populace as well as generating revenue for government. In addition, FDI capital also “crowds in” domestic investors through creating forward and backward linkages in the host economy. However, the flow of FDI across borders happens in a global FDI market characterized by “cut throat” competition, in which nations fiercely compete amongst one another for FDI capital. To assess Zimbabwe’s performance in attracting FDI for her economic development, this research has benchmarked Zimbabwe’s performance against that of its neighbors Zambia and Mozambique, against that of two global FDI attracting success stories – South Korea in Asia and Ireland in Europe as well as against the world average performance for the twenty five (25) year period 1990 – 2014. Regression analysis of FDI inflows data for the twenty five (25) year period 1990 – 2014 and individual country policy analysis revealed that Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, South Korea and Ireland attract approximately 3%, 20%, 40%, 136% and 300% of mean world FDI inflows, respectively. Individual country policy analysis and primary data also revealed the following as factors impeding FDI capital inflows to Zimbabwe – economic sanctions, macro-economic policy inconsistency, unfavorable ease of doing business and economic freedom indicators as well as lack of robust FDI marketing and promotion policies. In light of the above findings, this research proffers recommendations that the government of Zimbabwe can adopt to attract adequate FDI capital for its economic development.SECTION ONE (1): INTRODUCTION SECTION TWO (2): LITERATURE REVIEW SECTION THREE (3): DATA AND METHODOLOGY SECTION FOUR (4): QUANTITATIVE DATA FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS (RESULTS) SECTION FIVE (5): DISCUSSION AND SYNTHESIS OF FINDINGS SECTION SIX (6): RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONmasterpublishedEdson BASERA

The mission of the church as family: implementing the ecclesiology of the African Synod (1994) in the Catholic Diocese of Masvingo

Bibliography: leaves 221-244The purpose of this thesis is to examine the mission of the ‘Church as family’ and to explore its implications in terms of levels of inclusion and participation of church members in the Catholic Diocese of Masvingo. The background of the study is the 1994 African Synod that suggests the ecclesiology of the mission of the ‘Church as family.’ The study helps the Catholic Diocese of Masvingo to evaluate the implementation of the ideal of the mission of the ‘Church as family’ and draw implications for nuclear, single parent, child-headed, reconstituted and extended families within the church. The study explores Shorter’s culture model to examine how cultural practices, symbols, values and belief systems can be used as an analytic framework for the human dimension of the church. A qualitative research methodology that involves 36 participants in semi-structured interviews, three focus group discussions in urban, semi-urban and rural parishes and participant observation was used to collect data from parishioners, priests and religious of the Catholic Diocese of Masvingo. The study reveals that each family type contributes to Evangelisation as proclamation of the Good News and inculturation differently thereby enriching the ideal of the mission of the ‘Church as family.’ Furthermore, the study shows that guilds, associations and commissions help to strengthen families through spiritual, psychological, social and economic support. Findings also indicate that the Trinity is the theological foundation of the family and it finds acceptance in African communal setup. Family types in Masvingo Diocese are analysed using the notion of the Trinity to show that dignity, equality and respect among family types can be used to strengthen the ideal of the mission of the ‘Church as family.’ At pastoral level, economic, social and cultural obstacles to family ministry stand as a challenge to the full implementation and realisation of the ideal of the mission of the ‘Church as family’. In the light of the research, recommendations for mission strategies were suggested at different levels that involve Diocesan administration, priests, religious, catechists and parish leaders. Recommendations for further researches were also suggested for areas that seem to be important yet outside the scope of this study. The theological, pastoral, and cultural issues raised in this study combine to help the Catholic Diocese of Masvingo to become an authentic expression of the mission of the ‘Church as family’ of God.Christian Spirituality, Church History and MissiologyD. Th. (Missiology