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Urbanisation and Education Development: A Case Study of Rock High School.
No full textThis study explored the intricate relationship between urbanization and educational development, highlighting how the rapid growth of urban areas influences educational infrastructure and access. The study was guided by three specific objectives: to examine the impact of urbanization on student enrollment rates and academic performance in urban schools, to assess the role of education development initiatives in mitigating the challenges posed by urbanization on students, and to identify effective strategies for integrating urban education development to improve educational outcomes in urban schools. The study employed a cross-sectional on a descriptive survey design was adopted as the overall design. The descriptive research design was used in this study and allowed the researcher to describe the characteristics of the selected phenomenon.it also involved the collection of data without manipulation of variables. The sample size of the study was 80 respondents. This dual approach allowed for a comprehensive examination of how urban growth affects educational systems and outcomes. The findings revealed that urbanization generally leads to improved educational infrastructure and increased educational offerings. However, disparities in resource distribution and access persist, particularly affecting lower-income and marginalized communities. Additionally, the findings showed that schools have experienced a 30% increase in student enrollment, initially leading to overcrowded classrooms and challenges in academic performance. However, with recent improvements in infrastructure and support services, there has been a 15% increase in standardized test scores. Effective strategies identified include enhanced teacher training, expanded student support services, and curriculum adjustments, which have contributed to mitigating the initial challenges posed by rapid urban growth. The study concluded that while urbanization presents challenges, targeted education development strategies have been effective in addressing these issues. Recommendations included investing in continuous professional development for teachers, expanding student support services, and improving community engagement. Additionally, upgrading infrastructure and monitoring progress through data-driven evaluations are crucial for adapting to ongoing changes
“I Desire to Have an HIV‐Free Baby”: Pregnant and Breastfeeding Mothers’ Perceptions of Viral Load Testing and Suppression in HIV Care in Southwestern Uganda.
No full textIntroduction Viral suppression is a critical component for preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV(MTCT). Mothers’ perceptions of viral load suppression is crucial in the attainment of successful outcomes in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV. We therefore aimed to explore the experiences and perceptions of women on viral suppression.
Methods This was a qualitative sub-study embedded in a cluster-randomized trial (NCT04122144) designed to improve viral load outcomes among pregnant and breastfeeding mothers living with HIV in four level III/IV health facilities in Southwestern Uganda. Thirty-two in-depth interviews were conducted with pregnant and breastfeeding women with HIV from 1st March 2020 to 30th September 2020 to explore their understanding and interpretation of viral suppression. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and coded in Dedoose software for analysis.
Results A total of 32 Women living with HIV were enrolled in this qualitative study. WLHIV explained viral suppression in the context of attaining good health and having HIV-free babies. Adherence to ART was presented as a key avenue to viral suppression. The level of engagement with providers was presented as a key attribute of attaining viral suppression. The participants narrated their experiences with viral load testing within the routine services. However, they revealed experiencing some proximate barriers to suppression, including anticipated stigma, challenges with nondisclosure of HIV status, pregnancy distress, and distance to the health facility.
Conclusion The understanding and interpretation of viral suppression among pregnant and breastfeeding mothers living with HIV provides a basis for adopting behaviors leading to the prevention of vertical transmission of HIV. Health care
workers can support women by providing clear and culturally appropriate education about viral suppression, adherence
strategies and creating a supportive and non-judgmental environment
INSPIRE Datahub: A Pan-African Integrated Suite of Services For Harmonising Longitudinal Population Health Data Using OHDSI Tools.
No full textlow- and middle-income countries (LMIC), hindering the generation of actionable insights to inform policy and decision-making. This paper proposes a pan-African, Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) research architecture and infrastructure named the INSPIRE datahub. This cloud-based Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and on-premises setup aims to enhance the discovery, integration, and analysis of clinical, population-based surveys, and other health data sources.
Methods: The INSPIRE datahub, part of the Implementation Network for Sharing Population Information from Research Entities (INSPIRE), employs the Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics (OHDSI) open-source stack of tools and the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership (OMOP) Common Data Model (CDM) to harmonize data from African longitudinal
population studies. Operating on Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services cloud platforms, and on on-premises servers, the architecture offers adaptability and scalability for other cloud providers and technology infrastructure. The OHDSI-based tools enable a comprehensive suite of services for data pipeline development, profiling, mapping, extraction, transformation, loading, documentation, anonymization, and analysis.
Results: The INSPIRE datahub’s “On-ramp” services facilitate the integration of data and metadata from diverse sources into the OMOP CDM. The datahub supports the implementation of OMOP CDM across data producers, harmonizing source data semantically with standard vocabularies and structurally conforming to OMOP table structures. Leveraging OHDSI tools,
the datahub performs quality assessment and analysis of the transformed data. It ensures FAIR data by establishing metadata flows, capturing provenance throughout the ETL processes, and providing accessible metadata for potential users. The ETL provenance is documented in a machine- and human-readable Implementation Guide (IG), enhancing transparency and usability
Effectiveness of Health Management Information System in Selected Sub-Counties of Ryakarimira Town Council and Rubaya Sub-County.
No full textThis study aimed to assess the effectiveness of the Health Management Information System (HMIS) in health facilities within Ryakarimira Town Council and Rubaya Sub-County, Kabale District. The specific objectives included identifying standard tools for HMIS consolidation, evaluating the current effectiveness of HMIS, identifying associated challenges, and proposing strategies for improvement. The research utilized a cross-sectional design, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Data were collected from 70 healthcare professionals in the selected sub-counties using questionnaires, interviews, and a thorough review of existing reports, policies, and other literature.
The results indicated the availability of various tools for HMIS consolidation, categorized as tools for routine laboratory testing and referrals, equipment and logistics management, biosafety and biosecurity, microbiology and AMR surveillance, and periodic reporting. These tools included laboratory request forms, sample rejection forms, laboratory results report forms, sample referral forms, sample reception registers, daily activity registers, equipment inventory registers, equipment breakdown report forms, equipment breakdown registers, equipment maintenance logs, routine equipment service logs, order forms for HIV test kits and laboratory reagents, biosafety and biosecurity incident report forms, incident registers, microbiology request and results report forms, microbiology daily activity registers, national level periodic reports, WHO GLASS AMR reports, monthly facility-level laboratory reports, and quarterly facility-level laboratory reports.
Most of the current tools were found effective in ensuring data consistency, accuracy, and overall efficiency, although some challenges were noted. These challenges included delays in data entry, limited resources for training, occasionally technical issues, infrastructure, and technological constraints, especially in remote areas, and concerns about data security and patient information privacy.
The study concluded that the HMIS has been partially ineffective, highlighting the need for standardized tools, comprehensive training programs, and strategic investments to overcome challenges and enhance overall performance. The study recommended enhancing infrastructure, providing comprehensive training, investing in updated technology, and securing additional resources
Contribution of NGOs Towards the Provision of Health Services in Kamuganguzi Sub-County Kabale District.
No full textThe study evaluated the role of NGOs in providing health services in Kamuganguzi Sub County, Kabale District. The objectives were to examine the activities undertaken by NGOs to provide health services, to identify and document the impact of NGOs on health service provision in the area, and to analyze the challenges faced by NGOs in the region. A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was used, with a sample size of 60 respondents. The findings revealed that NGOs were involved in several activities that contributed to health service provision in Kamuganguzi Sub County, including service delivery, environmental protection, advocacy, empowerment, and public sensitization. The study also highlighted that NGOs had a positive impact on health services by reducing health issues, developing infrastructure, decreasing illiteracy, improving sanitation, providing technical assistance and training, and empowering the local population. Regarding challenges, the majority of respondents identified the overwhelming number of laws as the main obstacle faced by NGOs in delivering health services. Other challenges included poor governance, failed projects, cultural norms and beliefs, understaffing, and lack of financial resources. The study concluded that NGOs play a crucial role in enhancing health services, with the development they bring benefiting both the government and the community. It recommended greater collaboration between the community, government, and NGOs to ensure sustainable development
Lessons from Deborah’ Inspiration and Implications on the Plight of Women Leadership in A Male Dominated Society: Significances for Today’s World
No full textThough this is a bible-centered article, it partly falls under the 5th of the 17 sustainable development goals namely to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable world (un.org/sustainable development/sustainable-development- goals). The Jewish culture was a male-dominated society yet women had great roles and contributions in the social, economic, religious, and political fields. The male Jews used to have the morning prayers that included “Blessed are you, LORD our God, Ruler of the Universe, who has not made me a woman.” This view openly expressed a quintessential misogyny that lies at the core of a patriarchal religion.” Other examples included being left out in the counting of those that Jesus fed (Matt.14:21). They couldn’t be counted as the Israelites were leaving Egypt (Ex.12:37). They couldn’t be allowed to speak in the church (1 Cor.14:33b-36). Women couldn’t be placed in higher positions of leadership in the Jewish community yet women like Deborah the prophetess and judge in the Old Testament (Judges 4 & 5) inspired the Israelites who later defeated the Canaanite oppressors. Though Deborah was a heroine and the only woman among the twelve (12) judges of Israel, she was not included in the Hall of Faith in the Book of Hebrews 11. What was the nature of male dominance among the Israelites? Therefore, this is an assessment of a bible-based article but with other extra-biblical sources about the plight and position of women leadership in a male-dominated society based on Deborah. The implications of her achievements will inspire this 21st-century world that experiences gender-based challenges in leadership at various levels
Diagnosis and Classification of Tuberculosis Chest X-ray Images of Children Less Than 15 years at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital Using Deep Learning.
No full textTuberculosis (TB) is an underestimated cause of death in children, with only 45% of cases correctly diagnosed and reported. It is estimated that 1.12 million TB cases occurred among newborns, children, and adolescents aged less or equal 14 years. In Uganda, TB prevalence is 8.5% in children and 16.7% in adolescents. Treatment and diagnosing TB is challenging and its high mortality rate is due to many lacks in the diagnosis of this illness especially among children. As a strategy to curb TB mortality rate in children, there exists a need to improve and expedite the screening for TB among children. Chest X-ray (CXR) is commonly used in TB burdened countries like Uganda to diagnose TB patients but interpretation of the patient’s radiograph needs skilled radiologists who are few. To this end, this research aims to close the TB mortality gap in children by applying AI, primarily deep learning techniques, to detect TB in children. The study created five models, one from scratch and four pre-trained Transfer Learning (TL) and were trained and verified using digital CXR radiograph images of children who visit the TB clinic at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital. The model classifies clinical images of patients into normal or Tuberculosis. TL models; VGG16, VGG19, Inception V3, and ResNet50 outperformed scratch model with validation accuracy of 79.91%, 69.21%, 53.0%, 51.09%
and 50.01% respectively. We hope that once the deep learning models are implemented and adopted by the radiologist, it will reduce the time spent by radiologist while analysing CXR images
Effect of Sand Mining on River System: A Case Study of River Rwabakazi Kabale Municipality..
No full textThe study examined the impact of sand mining on a river system: A case study of river Rwabakazi in Kabale Municipality. The study was guided by three objectives which were: to assess the impact of sand mining and identify different species that have been affected by the mining activities in river Rwabakazi, to establish the relationship between the affected parts and intact part of the river, to establish the strategies to mitigate the negative effects of sand mining in river Rwabakazi. A targeted population of 80 respondents was considered for the study. The methods that were used in data collection included questionnaires, observation, and interviews. Data collected was edited, coded, entered into the computer, and analyzed with Excel, a Microsoft statistical package, the results were presented in tables. The results from the study showed the different species that have been affected by the mining activities in the river, invertebrates, such as insects, worms, etc, many species of birds, mammals such as otters, beavers and amphibians, such as frogs and toads. the study findings showed the relationship between the affected parts and intact part of River Rwabakazi in Kabale Municipality intact areas of the river can act as natural filters, the intact areas can provide a valuable baseline reference for restoration efforts, healthy river areas serve as a source of recolonization for the affected areas, intact areas can provide crucial habitat corridors for species that may be displaced from the affected areas. The study discovered the strategies to mitigate the negative effects of sand mining in River Rwabakazi. These included promoting and incentivizing the use of less environmentally damaging sand mining technologies, implementing stricter regulations on sand mining activities within the river, developing and implementing river restoration plans for the affected areas, and encouraging sand miners to shift to alternative sources of clay outside the river. The study findings concluded by showing that there was a significant positive relationship between the affected parts and intact part of River Rwabakazi (p = < 0.01, rho= .530**) in Kabale municipality indicating that as certain areas of the river are impacted or disturbed, there is a corresponding effect on the remaining intact portions of the river. The correlation coefficient of 0.530** further highlights the strength of this relationship, implying that changes in one part of the river have a noticeable influence on the overall health and integrity of the ecosyste
Comparative Study of the Effect of Pumice Sand, River Sand, and Quarry Dust as Fine Aggregates on the Unit Weight of Concrete.
No full textConcrete is a widely used construction material, and its properties can be influenced by a variety of factors, including the unit weight of aggregates used in the mix. One of the key components of concrete is the aggregate, which is typically made up of sand and gravel or crushed stone. The unit
weight of aggregates can have a significant impact on the performance of the concrete. It can affect the strength, permeability, and durability of the mix. Different types of fine aggregates can result in different concrete properties, making it important to study and understand the influence of unit
weight on the behavior of concrete. Therefore, this study was made by will be used and use of pumice sand, river sand, and quarry dust on the performance of concrete. The aggregate C20 grade of concrete was designed and tested. The experimental investigation was conducted on both fresh
and hardened concrete such as workability, density, compressive strength, particle size distribution, water absorption, and fineness modulus. Concrete cubes were cast and soaked in a curing tank for 7 days, 14 days, and 28 days
Designing and Testing of a Simple Solar Still for Thermal Desalination.
No full textThe demand for fresh water production is increasing due to global population growth and industrial expansion. Desalination technology is being increasingly utilized to meet this demand. Solar stills, among various desalination methods, are favored for their low maintenance and affordability, although their output is limited. This study aims to develop and test a straightforward solar still suitable for domestic thermal desalination. Materials such as plastic sheets will be employed to create an efficient water purification system. Additionally, a collection system ensures that condensed water is diverted away from the contaminated source to prevent recontamination. A thermometer will monitor ambient temperature, while rocks or bricks inside the solar still will enhance surface area for better condensation efficiency.
The findings demonstrated that using a black basin resulted in 25ml of purified water, whereas a smaller green basin yielded 20ml. This indicates that the black basin's heat absorption accelerated the evaporation rate, thereby increasing water production