383 research outputs found
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A Mathematical Model for Assessing the Impact of Intravenous Drug Misuse on the Dynamics of HIV and HCV within Correctional Institutions
No full textA research article.Unsafe injecting practices, blood exchange, the use of nonsterile needles, and other cutting instruments for tattooing are common
in correctional institutions, resulting in a number of blood transmitted infections. A mathematical model for assessing the
dynamics of HCV and HIV coinfection within correctional institutions is proposed and comprehensively analyzed. The HCVonly
and HIV-only submodels are first considered. Analytical expressions for the threshold parameter in each submodel and
the cointeraction are derived. Global dynamics of this coinfection shows that whenever the threshold parameter for the respective
submodels and the coinfection model is less than unity, then the epidemics die out, the reverse condition implies disease persistence
within correctional institutions. Numerical simulations using a set of plausible parameter values are provided to support analytical findings
Assessing the Effects of Estrogen on the Dynamics of Breast Cancer
No full textResearch article from Computational and Mathematical Methods in Medicine
Volume 2012Worldwide, breast cancer has become the second most common cancer in women. The disease has currently been named the
most deadly cancer in women but little is known on what causes the disease. We present the effects of estrogen as a risk factor on
the dynamics of breast cancer. We develop a deterministic mathematical model showing general dynamics of breast cancer with
immune response. This is a four-population model that includes tumor cells, host cells, immune cells, and estrogen. The effects of
estrogen are then incorporated in the model. The results show that the presence of extra estrogen increases the risk of developing
breast cance
Enhancing Access to Knowledge for the Achievement of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Zimbabwe: the Role of Libraries
No full textKeynote Address delivered at a Workshop for the Zimbabwe University Libraries Consortium, 26th to 27th July, 2010, Harare, Zimbabwe by Lawton HikwaIn 2002, the United Nations set eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to be achieved by 2015. The MDGs which range from halving extreme poverty to eradicating the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education by the target date of 2015 form the blueprint agreed to by all countries and leading development institutions in the world. Given the limited capacities of most African governments, it became imperative that other organisations
concern themselves with the achievement of the MDGs within the set target.iii Libraries and the Zimbabwe University Libraries Consortium (ZULC) in particular, are no exception and must play their part in the process. To appreciate how Zimbabwe has set itself towards the achievement of the MDGs, it is necessary to understand the nation?s vision within the context of the MDGs, envisaged national key results areas and goals. In conclusion, the paper suggests how libraries have attempted to enhance access to knowledge for the achievement of MDGs
Value-Addition creates Wealth to Nations. Why not promote it in Zimbabwe?
No full textPublished in the Chronicle Newspaper of November 15,2012 on the Productivity Colum
SubjectsPlus User Manual
No full textUser manual for SubjectPlus creating through EIFL,November 2012. Appears in Library reports collection.SubjectsPlus runs under the XAMPP environment. X stands for Windows or Linux, A stands for the Apache web server, M stands for MySQL, and P stands for PHP (the second P stands for Perl, not relevant to SubjectsPlus).This technical working paper serves to assist SubjectPlus users on how to get started and the whole process of configuring the software and the managing thereof. Subject plus is used for storing information resources in various formats ranging from text to audio-visual. It is quite useful for institutions like universities for creating an all-encompassing index to their resource collections.EIFL
Antimicrobial resistance of Escherichia coli isolated from chickens with Colibacillosis in and around Harare, Zimbabwe.
No full textA case report.Colibacillosis, a disease caused by avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC),can lead to great economic losses in the poultry industry. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalance of antibiotic resistance and antibiotic resistance and antibiotic resistance patterns in APEC in Zimbabwe. From 503 chickens diagnosed with Colibacillosis, 103 E. coli isolates were obtained. Isolation and identification of E. coli were carried out using microscopy and boichemical tests. The disc diffusion method was used to determine antibiotic susceptibility of the isolates to 8 commercial antibiotics. Many isolates exhibited resistance to more than one antibiotic. Antibiogram profiles indicated maximum resistance to tetracycline (100%), bacitracin(100%), and cloxacillin (100%) and a high prevalence of resistance to ampicillin(94.1%0. However; there were high prevalences of sensitivity to ciprofloxacin (100%) and gentamycin (97.1%). The isolates showed moderate rates of sensitivity to chloramphenicol and neomycin.All isolatesin this study showed multidrug resistance because they were all resistant to 3 or more antibiotics. Seven multidrug resistance patterns were observed. The most common pattern (resistance to ampicillin, bacitracin,cloxacillin and tetracycline) was exhibited by 30 isolates.Our findings show that there is emerging drug resistance in APEC associated with colibacillosis in Zimbabwe. The observed high level of multidrug resistance could hamper the treatment of colibacillosis in Zimbabwe.National University of Science and Technology (NUST) Reasearch Board.International Network for the availability of Scientific Publications (INASP
Nanofibres for blood vessel tissue engineering: A Review
No full textNanofibres for blood vessel tissue engineering: A Review is a published article of the Textile Technology department.Currently, there are three techniques available for the synthesis of nanofibres: electrospinning,
self-assembly, and phase separation. Of these, electrospinning is the most widely studied
technique and also seems to exhibit the most promising results for tissue engineering
applications. Nanofibres synthesized by self-assembly and phase separation have had relatively
limited studies that explored their application as scaffolds for tissue engineering. Electrospinning
is an enabling technology that can architecturally and biochemically fabricate engineered cellular
scaffolds that mimic the native extracellular matrix (ECM). This is especially important as it
forms one of the essential paradigms in the area of tissue engineering. While biomimesis of the
physical dimensions of native ECM?s major constituents (example collagen) is no longer a
fabrication- related challenge in tissue engineering research, conveying bioactivity to
nanofibrous structures will determine the efficiency of utilizing nanofibres for regenerating
biologically functional tissues. This article gives a brief overview on the current development
and application status of employing nanofibres for constructing biomimetic and bioactive tissue
scaffolds. This review details the use of nanofibres to produce scaffolds that would promote
vascular tissue growth through surface modification by both chemical and physical methods. It
also entails the scaffold cell interaction and cell harvesting and seeding techniques
The Contribution of Women to Food Security and Livelihoods through Urban Agriculture in the City of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
No full textThis is a journal articleThis research explores the contribution, which is made by women to food security and livelihoods of families in the city of Bulawayo through urban agriculture. Women constitute the marginalised group in human society and their contribution to the society and well-being is slowly being realised as evidenced by campaigns to put them in positions of power. Rapid urbanization in Zimbabwe coupled with the economic crisis, which rocked the country between 2000 and 2012 had resulted in unemployment, which in turn created poverty and food shortages. In this research, primary data was collected through observations and interviews from people who practice urban agriculture in the city of Bulawayo. Interviews of key informants were carried out with the Bulawayo City Council staff members, government officials and other stakeholders who are concerned with the practice of urban agriculture in the city. Random and purposive sampling procedures were chosen to select residents who practice urban farming and stakeholders for interviews. Secondary data sources were used to review literature on the practice of agriculture in African cities of Accra in Uganda and Nairobi in Kenya. Responses were coded and analysed quantitatively, using statistical package SPSS. The research showed that women practice urban agriculture more than their male counterparts as they play a crucial role of ensuring food security at the household level. The research also found out that it is the women who make decisions on the types of crops to be grown, time of harvesting the crops and the market to which they can sell their surplus produce. In efforts to contribute to the food security, women usually face challenges of land ownership, money to finance their agricultural pursuits and to secure markets to sell their produce. These challenges tend to negatively affect their agricultural activities. It is recommended in this paper that if women are supported by providing them with land and money, they can actually positively contribute to the livelihoods of urban families through practicing urban farming. However, while this research has focused on the contribution of women to the livelihoods of families through urban farming, further research can look into the capitalisation of sewage to promote urban agriculture in the city of Bulawayo
Defining Productivity and the shopfloor?s involvement to attain profitability in manufacturing.
No full textPublished in the Chronicle Newspaper of December 13,2012 on the Productivity Column
Provision Of Rural Communities With a Lease Of Life Through Ground Water Abstraction and Management of Surface Stored Water: A Case Study of a Semi-arid District in Zimbabwe.
No full textProceedings of the International Conference on Water Management Issues in Africa, 29 -31 March 2012, Port Louis, Mauritius