2647 research outputs found
Sort by
Big Data Analytics Framework for Childhood Infectious Disease Surveillance and Response System using Modified MapReduce Algorithm
Get PDFThis research article published by International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications,Vol. 12, No. 3, 2021Tanzania, like most East African countries, faces a great burden from the spread of preventable infectious childhood diseases. Diarrhea, acute respiratory infections (ARI), pneumonia, malnutrition, hepatitis, and measles are responsible for the majority of deaths amongst children aged 0-5 years. Infectious disease surveillance and response is the foundation of public healthcare practices, and it is increasingly being undertaken using information technology. Tanzania however, due to challenges in information technology infrastructure and public health resources, still relies on paper-based disease surveillance. Thus, only traditional clinical patient data is used. Nontraditional and pre-diagnostic infectious disease report case data are excluded. In this paper, the development of the Big Data Analytics Framework for Childhood Infectious Disease Surveillance and Response System is presented. The framework was designed to guide healthcare professionals to track, monitor, and analyze infectious disease report cases from sources such as social media for prevention and control of infectious diseases affecting children. The proposed framework was validated through use-cases scenario and performance-based comparison
The Influence of Fertilizers on the Behavior of Fluoride Fractions in the Alkaline Soil
Get PDFThis research article was published by Elsevier, 2021It has been established that fluoride bioavailability in the soil is defined by the form which it exists rather than the amount of total fluoride. In the soil, fluoride exist in different fractions such as water soluble (Ws-F), Exchangeable (Ex-F), bound to iron/manganese (Fe/Mn-F), organic matter bound (Or-F), and the residual (Res-F). All of these fractions are bioavailable however to different extents in an order Ws-F>Ex-F>Fe/Mn-F>Or-F>Res-F. Agricultural practices such as fertilizer application alters the behavior of these fractions which further affects fluoride bioavailability in the soil. This study investigated the influence of the three commonly used fertilizers (Di-ammonium Phosphate (DAP), Urea, and cow-manure) on the bioavailability of soil fluoride in an alkaline soil. The soil was mixed with either one of the fertilizers then incubated for a period of five months. All three fertilizers increased the amount of Ws-F by 7.8 ± 0.6, 4.1 ± 0.2, 9.6 ± 1.1 mg/kg and Fe/Mn-F by 2.24 ± 0.3, 0.44 ± 0.2, and 2.1 ± 0.2 mg/kg, for DAP, Urea, and manure amendments, respectively, but had no impact on the amount of Or-F. All three fertilizers were observed to enhance the bioavailability of fluoride in the soil by increasing the amount of Ws-F. The fertilizers could have increased the bioavailability of fluoride in the soil directly or indirectly through alteration of pH and the soil elemental composition. The three fertilizers might not be suitable for use in fluoride contaminated alkaline soils as they accelerate fluoride release and hence bioavailability in the soil
Factors associated with hypertension among employees in arusha city, Tanzania
Get PDFA Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master’s in Life Sciences of the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and TechnologyTanzania is one of developing countries with a higher prevalence of hypertension than many
other developing countries. Healthcare workers, teachers and bankers are occupation groups
exposed to hypertension due to the nature of their work. There is currently limited published
data on the burden of hypertension among this group in Tanzania. A descriptive cross-sectional
study was therefore conducted and collection of the data was done from August 2019 to
February 2020 to identify the predicting factors for hypertension among teachers, bankers and
healthcare workers in Arusha city council. A total of 305 working adults aged 18–60 years
were involved in the study. A modified World Health Organization (WHO) STEPwise
approach to chronic disease risk factor surveillance questionnaire collected information about
socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle behaviors, dietary practices, physical activity level,
anthropometric measurements and biochemical measurements. The data collected were
calculated and ranked by using WHO guidelines. The overall hypertension prevalence among
working adults was 23.8%. Age (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR=34.98, 95% CI: 1.30-94.03]),
alcohol consumption (AOR=6.55, 95% CI: 1.22-35.28), low salary (AOR=6.44, 95% CI: 1.12-
37.18) and high Low-Density Lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (AOR=5.93, 95% CI: 1.24-
28.45), were significantly associated with hypertension. These findings can be used by local
policymakers, education, financial and health sectors as baseline information when planning
strategies for management and prevention of hypertension and other Non-Communicable
Diseases (NCDs) at workplace, by designing workplace wellness programs to mitigate the
associated factors
Chapter 8 - Current trends and opportunities of plant-based non-alcoholic probiotic beverages: A European and African perspective
Get PDFThis book chapter was published by Elsevier, 2021Although dairy-based foods have been the main probiotic food sources, a range of plant-based products are currently being developed to meet the needs of vegetarians, lactose intolerant persons, individuals on low cholesterol diets or allergic to milk proteins. This chapter reviews the plant based non-alcoholic probiotic beverages in Europe and Africa. It begins with an introduction of regulations that govern the production, safety and marketing of probiotic beverages in Europe and Africa, followed by a discussion of the commercial, traditional, and experimental studies of plant-based non-alcoholic beverages, categorized as cereals, vegetable/legume, and fruit-based probiotic beverages
Water Boiling Test of carbonized briquettes produced from charcoal fines using African Elemi (Canarium schweinfurthii) resin as an organic binder
Get PDFThis research article was published by Springer Nature Switzerland AG., 2021The study evaluated carbonized briquettes produced from charcoal fines using African Elemi (Canarium schweinfurthii) resin as a binder. Briquette samples (B25, B30, B35, B40) with the ratio of charcoal fines:binder of 3:1, 7:3, 13:7, and 3:2, respectively, were produced. The phases of the Water Boiling Test (WBT) considered were Cold start high power (CSHP), Hot start high power (HSHP), and simmer phases. Ignition properties, combustion properties, gas temperature, water temperature, ambient temperature, emissions, and WBT performance metrics were investigated using the Laboratory Emission Monitoring System. The ignition properties evaluated included ignition time, flame, and incandescence. The combustion properties included smoke, flame, soot, and ash. The emissions measured were PM2.5, SO2, NOx, CxHy, CO, and CO2. The WBT performance metrics evaluated were time to boil, burning rate, thermal efficiency, specific fuel consumption (sfc), firepower, total emissions, emissions per MJ, specific emissions, and emissions rate. The ash from charcoal fines was analysed using x-ray diffraction. The results showed that ignition time was 6.47–7.01 min, time to boil was 14.7–41.9 min, burning rate was 1.1–8.2 g/min, thermal efficiency was 21.79–54.61%, sfc was 21.7–70.1 g/L, and firepower was 535.9–4123.2 W. The ash was found to contain CaCO3 (76.6 wt%) followed by CaO (13.1 wt%) and the remainder was the amorphous compounds (10.3 wt%). The briquettes can be used as an alternative source of fuel to wood fuel since they exhibit similar combustion properties
Water use and crop water productivity in farmer managed irrigation schemes across agro ecological zones of usa river catchment
Get PDFA Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master’s in Hydrology and Water Resource Engineering of the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and TechnologyThe Usa River Catchment is the potential area dealing with traditional irrigated agriculture.
This study aims to estimate the amount of water abstracted for and yield that reflect water
values to enhance crop water productivity. The main objective of this study was to assess water
use and crop water productivity in farmer managed irrigation schemes across agro-ecological
zones of Usa River Catchment. The specific objectives were: (a) to determine crop water
productivity, (b) to determine factors causing the variation of crop water productivity, and (c)
conveyance efficiencies in the traditional irrigation schemes in the Catchment. The secondary
and primary data were collected and analysed using Statistical Package for Social Science
(SPSS) and R-program. Consequently, the average productivity obtained were 2.3 kg/ha, 1.9
kg/ha, and 3.4 kg/ha of maize for downstream, midstream, and upstream zones respectively.
Similarly, at twenty (20) furrows, the conveyances efficiency of the water channels was 72%,
which reflects the water loss in the conveyances of 28% on average. However, the water
abstractions were 3500 L/s more than the permitted amount of 2856.2 L/s, which was against
the established water abstraction laws and regulations leading to water shortage in downstream
of the catchment. Traditional irrigation infrastructure in this study contributed more water
losses and low crop water productivity compared to global average water losses in the
conveyance and crop water productivity in irrigation schemes. This study recommends weirs
with water control structures intakes to be constructed, canal lining and improve irrigation
water management
Application of molecular methods in optimizing clinical management of patients with pulmonary multidrug resistant tuberculosis in Tanzania
Get PDFA Thesis Submitted in Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Life Sciences of the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and TechnologyRifampicin or multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (RR/MDR-TB) accounts for considerable
morbidity and mortality. Differences among Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC)
species may predict drug-resistance or treatment success. This thesis aimed at identifying
MTBC at species level, their drug-resistance patterns, and mycobactericidal effect of different
regimens in patients treated for RR/MDR-TB and drug-susceptible (DS-TB). This was a cross sectional study nested in a longitudinal design that followed patients on RR/MDR-TB and DS TB treatment for 4 months. While RR/MDR-TB patients received bedaquiline with or without
an injectable-aminoglycoside based regimen, DS-TB patients received a fixed-dose combination comprised of rifampicin-isoniazid-pyrazinamid-ethambutol (RHZE). The
genotype MTBC assay was used to identify MTBC species. WGS-based drug resistant
mutations predicted the minimum-inhibitory-concentration (MIC) of antibiotics measured in
the MycoTB-Sensitire™ assay. An isolate was categorised as resistant and susceptible if it had
a MIC above and at or below the epidemiological-cut-off (ECOFF) value, respectively. Non linear-mixed effects modelled the MTBC killing rates measured by Tuberculosis molecular bacterial load assay and culture. The median MIC at their 25th and 75th interquartile range (IQR)
were compared using Mann-Whitney U test. Among 126 patients, 89 (71%) had positive
culture whereas 87 (98%) were identified as M. tuberculosis. Overall, mutant (gNWT-R)
MTBC isolates correlated with MIC values above the ECOFF. For instance, the median MIC
(µg/mL) for rifampicin-gNWT-R strains was > 4.0 (IQR; 4.0 – 4.0) compared to 0.5 (IQR; 0.38
– 0.50) in non-mutant (gWT-S, p 4.0 (IQR; 2.0 – 4.0) compared
to 0.25 (IQR; 0.12 – 1.00) among gWT-S (p = 0.001); ethionamide-gNWT-R 15.0 (IQR; 10.0
– 20.0) compared to 2.50 (IQR; 2.50 – 5.00) among gWT-S (p < 0.001). There were no
detectable mutations in genes previously known to confer fluoroquinolones, aminoglycosides,
capreomycin, bedaquiline, delamanid, linezolid, clofazimine, cycloserine, and p aminosalicylic acid resistance. Compared to the adjusted M. tuberculosis killing rate of -0.17
(95% CI; -0.23 to -0.12) for the injectable without bedaquiline reference regimen, the killing
rates were -0.62 (95% CI; -1.05 to -0.20) log10 eCFU/mL for the injectable with bedaquiline containing regimen (p = 0.019), -0.35 (95% CI; -0.65 to -0.13) log10 eCFU/mL for the all-oral
bedaquiline-based regimen (p = 0.054), and -0.29 (95% CI; -0.78 to +0.22) log10 eCFU/mL
for RHZE (p = 0.332). The detected M. tuberculosis was susceptible to core drugs including
bedaquiline, fluoroquinolones, linezolid, and clofazimine, supporting their central use in the
RR/MDRTB treatment regimens. M. tuberculosis killing rates were higher among patients who
received bedaquiline but were further improved with addition of an injectable aminoglycoside
A passenger security system for mass transit electric buses: a case study of the Kayoola EVS bus
Get PDFA Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Embedded and Mobile Systems Engineering of the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and TechnologyKiira Motors Corporation (KMC), a state-owned enterprise was established in 2011 to
champion the development of the Ugandan automotive value chain for job and wealth creation.
Kiira Motors Corporation has developed several electric vehicles on the African continent since
2011, key among them is the company’s market entry product; the Kayoola EVS, a fully
electric, low floor city bus with a passenger capacity of ninety-one.
Through the passenger security system, KMC sees to attain its core value of customer
satisfaction and solve issues like rampant insecurity of passengers and their property which are
not alien occurrences on commuter taxis and buses in many African cities. The system further
seeks to address, the spread of contagious diseases like COVID-19 and its risks to bus
passengers. And easen difficult, time consuming tasks like passenger counting,
measuring/recording temperatures, and collecting contact information.
The system data and requirements elicitation was conducted using techniques like surveys,
interviews, observation, literature review, webinars and desk research. These qualitative and
quantitative approaches were adopted to offer insight on passenger security and mass public
transport operations. A prototype of a comprehensive system comprising software and
hardware components like cameras, web and mobile applications, was developed and its units’
functionality tested in an office environment. The developed system denotes potential to ensure
security on the Kayoola EVS bus. It also implies averting spread of contagious diseases, timely
capture of contact tracing records plus easier management and accountability for the numbers
of passengers on buses
An integrated academic programmes information system: a case of the inter university council for east Africa
Get PDFA Project Report Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Embedded and Mobile System of the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and TechnologyThe re-establishment of the East African Community (EAC) necessitated the need to establish
various institutions required for proper implementation of the harmonization pillars (Customs
Union, Common Market Protocol, Monitory Union and Political federation) within various
sectors. For example, the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), a surviving
institution of the EAC was tasked to lead the harmonization of education and training system
in East Africa (IUCEA, 2009). The IUCEA has set up various frameworks and programs to
achieve this mandate, however IUCEA has not yet established a one stop live data system on
Universities and Programs which would provide for evidence-based policy process. This study
therefore leads to an establishment of an Academic Programs Information Management System
(APIMS) which breaks the ground for an established regional system on Universities and
Programs offered with in the East African Community. The application was developed using
Django Web Framework and validated with 15 IUCEA staff. The established system will
promote Students and Staff Mobility and also protect students against degree mills
Mobile Application for Gate Pass Management System Enhancement
Get PDFThis Conference paper was published by IEEE, 2021Gate pass management is a vital measure to keep records of people’s entrance and exit of company premises. Technological improvement steered gate pass management from paper-based logbooks to web-based systems that rely on the internet. Usually, a web-based system can be accessed through a computer browser or mobile browser. The technological evolution of smartphones lures many users in using mobile phones for access internet and web-based systems. The use of smart phone offers portability, flexibility, and a good user experience. Due to the small screen size and input method of smartphones, it’s challenging to use mobile phones to access web-based gate pass management systems. The development of mobile applications introduces a better user experience and easy access to gate pass users. The application provides added advantage in simplifying the whole process of gate pass management. Mobile phone portability and accessibility are utilized to ensure users can have access to gate pass management at any time and anywhere. Mobile application camera is an added feature utilized for scanning gate pass barcodes and taking pictures of gate pass users for more security records. Therefore, the enhancement of the gate pass management system brings an easy way for the user to manage the gate pass process through their smartphone phones