5 research outputs found
The impact of the Maputo Development Corridor on freight flows: an initial investigation
No full textThis paper provides an analysis of the effect of the Maputo Development Corridor (MDC) on freight flows between Mozambique and South Africa. By analysing the transport infrastructure of the MDC, this paper seeks to provide insight into the relationship between investment in infrastructure and economic growth
Inflammation and Elevated Osteopontin in Plasma and CSF in Cerebral Malaria Compared to Plasmodium-Negative Neurological Infections
No full textCerebral malaria in young African children is associated with high mortality, and persisting neurological deficits often remain in survivors. Sequestered Plasmodium-infected red blood cells lead to cerebrovascular inflammation and subsequent neuroinflammation. Brain inflammation can play a role in the pathogenesis of neurologic sequelae. Therefore, we assessed a select set of proinflammatory analytes (IP10, IL23, MIP3α, GRO, MCP-1, and osteopontin in both the plasma and cerebrospinal fluid(CSF) of Zambian children with cerebral malaria and compared this with children with neurological symptoms that were negative for Plasmodium falciparum (non-cerebral malaria). Several similarities in plasma and CSF levels were found, as were some striking differences. We confirmed that IP10 levels were higher in the plasma of cerebral malaria patients, but this was not found in CSF. Levels of osteopontin were elevated in both the plasma and CSF of CM patients compared to the non-CM patients. These results show again a highly inflammatory environment in both groups but a different profile for CM when compared to non-cerebral malaria. Osteopontin may play an important role in neurological inflammation in CM and the resulting sequelae. Therefore, osteopontin could be a valid target for further biomarker research and potentially for therapeutic interventions in neuroinflammatory infections
TEN Team: Transformative Engagement Network
No full textThere is a growing realisation that to better understand and intervene in the interconnected political, cultural and psycho-social dynamics that constitute the contexts for these current global challenges requires transdisciplinary and intersectoral approaches; approaches that include and value diverse perspectives and pay particular attention to the perspectives and experiences of those who are the most vulnerable and those who are currently excluded from the knowledge creation processes. This article discusses the learning gained from an inter-disciplinary and inter-institutional project entitled Transformative Engagement Network (TEN).
 
The Transformative Engagement Network (TEN) Team
No full textThere is a growing realisation that to better understand and intervene in the interconnected political, cultural and psycho-social dynamics that constitute the contexts for these current global challenges requires transdisciplinary and intersectoral approaches; approaches that include and value diverse perspectives and pay particular attention to the perspectives and experiences of those who are the most vulnerable and those who are currently excluded from the knowledge creation processes. This article discusses the learning gained from an inter-disciplinary and inter-institutional project entitled Transformative Engagement Network (TEN)
Factors Influencing Technical Efficiencies among Selected Wheat Farmers in Uasin Gishu District, Kenya
No full textThis study examined the factors influencing technical efficiency in wheat farming in Kenya using a stochastic frontier production function in which technical inefficiency effects were assumed to be functions of both socioeconomic characteristics of the farmer and farm-specific characteristics. The paper used random sampling to interview 160 farmers comprising 97 large-scale farmers and 63 small-scale farmers. The results revealed existence of significant levels of technical inefficiencies in wheatproduction, especially among the large-scale farmers. The study found that the magnitude of technical efficiency varied from one farmer to another and ranged from 48.9% to 95.1%, with a mean of 87.2%. This implied that farmers lost close to 13% of the potential output to technical inefficiencies. There was variation depending on the size of farm with small-scale farmers attaining higher technical efficiency than the large-scale farmers. The main factors that influenced the degree of inefficiency were education levels, access to credit, and ownership of the capital equipment. Higher levels of education (12 years and above or secondary and above) significantly reduced inefficiency as did access to credit facilities and owning the farm equipment. The study recommended that farmers be educated on the use of better techniques such as use of certified seeds and application of recommended levels of fertilizer.
