49 research outputs found
Termite (Isoptera) Assemblages in Rufiji District Tanzania
No full textDifferent land uses tend to affect termite feeding groups, abundance and species richness. Termites play a major role in the ecosystem particularly decomposition process, carbon and nitrogen cycling. Termite diversity differs between habitats depending on human activities. The main objective of this study was to investigate termite assemblage under different land use. Termites were sampled with a standardized 100m × 2m straight-belt transect at three named habitats. The difference in feeding groups was statistically not significant. Though termite feeding group variations across habitats were caused by human activities but changes were not high enough to cause significant differences. The results from this study provide a database on termite feeding groups which will be useful for future research in the district. Keywords: Termites, relative abundance, feeding group
Seasonal Changes on Termite Foraging Behaviour under Different Habitats in Rufiji District Tanzania
No full textThe effect of wet and dry season on termites foraging was examined in cropland, forest and grassland in Rufiji district for a period of one year. Termites species richness as well as abundance were sampled using standardized transect lines. Sampling was carried out on monthly basis. Termite species abundance was significantly different between the three locations, but species richness was not significantly different. These results reveal that termite abundance was higher in disturbed habitat due to the removal of vegetation which denies termites food and areas for nesting. Furthermore movement of termites from lower horizons during the wet season was higher than in the dry season. Key words: Termites activity, abundance, species richness, Rufiji district
Groundwater Recharge Estimation And Water Resources Assessment In A Tropical Crystalline Basement Aquifer
No full textWhile most groundwater recharge estimation methods give reasonable long-term annual average estimates very few if any methods offer guidance on monthly recharge. In crystalline basement aquifers (CBAs) the problem is compounded by the high seasonal, intra-annual and inter-annual variability. The chloride mass balance (CMB), the daily catchment water balance (WB) and the water table fluctuation (WTF) groundwater recharge estimation methods have been used to estimate groundwater recharge in a small catchment (180 Mm2). The study concluded that though all methods yielded the same range of recharge, between 8% and 15% of annual rainfall, they show a high spatial variability with coefficients of variation of up to 65% indicating that no single point measurements of recharge is a good indicator of regional recharge. Through water balance modelling, the study also showed that renewable groundwater resources in the Nyundo catchment have a storage period in the order of 100-120 days (3-4 months) whilst daily potential interception can be as high as 5 mm/d. A combination of multiple regression and interception models suggest that it is feasible to obtain a first order monthly recharge estimate as a function of number of rain days in the month, average monthly rainfall, daily interception threshold, average root depth, effective porosity and average depth to water table.Civil Engineering and Geoscience
Abadaringi. Jeroen Janssen Oogachtend, Leuven, 2015
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Abadaringi is a so-called graphic novel that relates the dramatic events of the 1994 Rwandan genocide through the eyes of both the author and his former students. Before the events Janssen taught in an Arts School in Nyundo. He returned 20 years later to meet ceux de l’Ecole d’Art (which is the meaning of Abadaringi). Using his discussions with them he reconstructs an idiosyncratic history. His respondents do not accuse, they remain sympathetic and open. Janssen clearly does not want to tell us who was right or wrong. Rather, he tries to bring us back to the Rwanda he knew. What results is a (literally) colourful set of testimonies, set in, we might say, 50 shades of green. Don’t expect a profound analysis, but do appreciate his story-telling skills. And if it is the ‘truth’ you seek (which truth ? whose truth ?) then turn to serious non-fiction literature or documentaries . A ‘nice’ read in an unusual format ! 


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Neurological impairment and disability in children in rural Kenya
No full textAim: To investigate geographical change over time in the burden of neurological impairments in school-aged children in a demographic surveillance area.
Method: We investigated changes in neurological impairment prevalence in five domains (epilepsy and cognitive, hearing, vision, and motor impairments) using similar two-phase surveys conducted in 2001 (n=10 218) and 2015 (n=11 223) and determined changes in location-level prevalence, geographical clustering, and significant risk factors for children aged 6 to 9 years (mean7y 6mo, SD1y) of whom 50.4% were males. Admission trends for preterm birth, low birthweight (LBW), and encephalopathy were determined using admission data to a local hospital.
Results: Overall prevalence for any neurological impairment decreased from 61 per 1000 (95% confidence interval [CI]48.0–74.0) in 2001 to 44.7 per 1000 (95% CI40.9–48.6) in 2015 (p<0.001). There was little evidence of geographical variation in the prevalence of neurological impairments in either survey. The association between neurological impairments and some risk factors changed significantly with year of survey; for example, the increased association of adverse perinatal events with hearing impairments (exponentiated coefficient for the interaction=5.94, p=0.03). Annual admission rates with preterm birth (rate ratio1.08, range1.07–1.09), LBW (rate ratio1.08, range1.06–1.10), and encephalopathy (rate ratio1.08, range1.06–1.09) significantly increased between 2005 and 2016 (p<0.001).
Interpretation: There was a significant decline in the prevalence of neurological impairments and differential changes in the associations of some risk factors with neurological impairments over the study period. Limited geographical variation suggests that similar interventions are appropriate across the defined area
Data for: Monitoring malaria cases presenting to two dispensaries (i.e Pingilikani and Ngerenya) in Kilifi County,Kenya
No full textThis dataset contains surveillance data of all detected malaria episodes presenting in two dispensaries in Kilifi County. One dispensary, Ngerenya, is in the north of Kilifi County, an area with low transmission intensity while the other will be in the South, with moderate and high intensity over the years. The project seeks to monitor the frequency and age distribution of malaria episodes, compare the diagnostic accuracy of PCR, blood films and rapid diagnostic tests. This data basically comprises of anthropometric measures, rapid malaria test (RDT), clinical diagnoses and demographics obtained from matching records in the demographic surveillance database.
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Replication Data for: Spatial-temporal changes in the prevalence and risk factors of neurological impairments in children aged 6-9 years in rural Kenya
No full textThis is a replication dataset for the manuscript titled "Spatial-temporal changes in the prevalence and risk factors of neurological impairments in children aged 6-9 years in rural Kenya .
We present data from two surveys conducted within the Kilifi Health and Demographic System conducted in 2001 and 2015 respectively. Each survey determined the prevalence and risk factors for neurological impairments in five domains (epilepsy, and deficits in cognitive, hearing, vision, motor functions). As such we present two separate datasets, and the variables codebook are provided for both datasets in a separate file.</p
Effect of transmission intensity on hotspots and micro-epidemiology of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa.
No full textBACKGROUND: Malaria transmission intensity is heterogeneous, complicating the implementation of malaria control interventions. We provide a description of the spatial micro-epidemiology of symptomatic malaria and asymptomatic parasitaemia in multiple sites. METHODS: We assembled data from 19 studies conducted between 1996 and 2015 in seven countries of sub-Saharan Africa with homestead-level geospatial data. Data from each site were used to quantify spatial autocorrelation and examine the temporal stability of hotspots. Parameters from these analyses were examined to identify trends over varying transmission intensity. RESULTS: Significant hotspots of malaria transmission were observed in most years and sites. The risk ratios of malaria within hotspots were highest at low malaria positive fractions (MPFs) and decreased with increasing MPF (p < 0.001). However, statistical significance of hotspots was lowest at extremely low and extremely high MPFs, with a peak in statistical significance at an MPF of ~0.3. In four sites with longitudinal data we noted temporal instability and variable negative correlations between MPF and average age of symptomatic malaria across all sites, suggesting varying degrees of temporal stability. CONCLUSIONS: We observed geographical micro-variation in malaria transmission at sites with a variety of transmission intensities across sub-Saharan Africa. Hotspots are marked at lower transmission intensity, but it becomes difficult to show statistical significance when cases are sparse at very low transmission intensity. Given the predictability with which hotspots occur as transmission intensity falls, malaria control programmes should have a low threshold for responding to apparent clustering of cases
Psychometric evaluation of the Major Depression Inventory among young people living in Coastal Kenya.
No full textBackground: The lack of reliable, valid and adequately standardized measures of mental illnesses in sub-Saharan Africa is a key challenge for epidemiological studies on mental health. We evaluated the psychometric properties and feasibility of using a computerized version of the Major Depression Inventory (MDI) in an epidemiological study in rural Kenya. Methods: We surveyed 1496 participants aged 13-24 years in Kilifi County, on the Kenyan coast. The MDI was administered using a computer-assisted system, available in three languages. Internal consistency was evaluated using both Cronbach's alpha and the Omega Coefficient. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to evaluate the factorial structure of the MDI. Results: Internal consistency using both Cronbach's Alpha (α= 0.83) and the Omega Coefficient (0.82; 95% confidence interval 0.81- 0.83) was above acceptable thresholds. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated a good fit of the data to a unidimensional model of MDI (χ 2 (33, N = 1409) = 178.52 p < 0.001, TLI = 0.947, CFI = 0.961, and Root Mean Square Error of Approximation, RMSEA = .056), and this was confirmed using Item Response Models (Loevinger's H coefficient 0.38) that proved the MDI was a unidimensional scale. Equivalence evaluation indicated invariance across sex and age groups. In our population, 3.6% of the youth presented with scores suggesting major depression using the ICD-10 scoring algorithm, and 8.7% presented with total scores indicating presence of depression (mild, moderate or severe). Females and older youth were at the highest risk of depression. Conclusions: The MDI has good psychometric properties. Given its brevity, relative ease of usage and ability to identify at-risk youth, it may be useful for epidemiological studies of depression in Africa. Studies to establish clinical thresholds for depression are recommended. The high prevalence of depressive symptoms suggests that depression may be an important public health problem in this population group
