21 research outputs found
The MUMBA campaign: measurements of urban, marine and biogenic air
No full textThe Measurements of Urban, Marine and Biogenic Air (MUMBA) campaign took place in Wollongong, New South Wales (a small coastal city approximately 80 km south of Sydney, Australia) from 21 December 2012 to 15 February 2013. Like many Australian cities, Wollongong is surrounded by dense eucalyptus forest, so the urban airshed is heavily influenced by biogenic emissions. Instruments were deployed during MUMBA to measure the gaseous and aerosol composition of the atmosphere with the aim of providing a detailed characterisation of the complex environment of the ocean–forest–urban interface that could be used to test the skill of atmospheric models. The gases measured included ozone, oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane and many of the most abundant volatile organic compounds. The aerosol characterisation included total particle counts above 3 nm, total cloud condensation nuclei counts, mass concentration, number concentration size distribution, aerosol chemical analyses and elemental analysis.
The campaign captured varied meteorological conditions, including two extreme heat events, providing a potentially valuable test for models of future air quality in a warmer climate. There was also an episode when the site sampled clean marine air for many hours, providing a useful additional measure of the background concentrations of these trace gases within this poorly sampled region of the globe. In this paper we describe the campaign, the meteorology and the resulting observations of atmospheric composition in general terms in order to equip the reader with a sufficient understanding of the Wollongong regional influences to use the MUMBA datasets as a case study for testing a chemical transport model. © Author(s) 2017.The data are available from PANGAEA (http://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.871982)
Composition of Clean Marine Air and Biogenic Influences on VOCs during the MUMBA Campaign
No full textVolatile organic compounds (VOCs) are important precursors to the formation of ozone and fine particulate matter, the two pollutants of most concern in Sydney, Australia. Despite this importance, there are very few published measurements of ambient VOC concentrations in Australia. In this paper, we present mole fractions of several important VOCs measured during the campaign known as MUMBA (Measurements of Urban, Marine and Biogenic Air) in the Australian city of Wollongong (34°S). We particularly focus on measurements made during periods when clean marine air impacted the measurement site and on VOCs of biogenic origin. Typical unpolluted marine air mole fractions during austral summer 2012-2013 at latitude 34°S were established for CO2 (391.0 ± 0.6 ppm), CH4 (1760.1 ± 0.4 ppb), N2O (325.04 ± 0.08 ppb), CO (52.4 ± 1.7 ppb), O3 (20.5 ± 1.1 ppb), acetaldehyde (190 ± 40 ppt), acetone (260 ± 30 ppt), dimethyl sulphide (50 ± 10 ppt), benzene (20 ± 10 ppt), toluene (30 ± 20 ppt), C8H10 aromatics (23 ± 6 ppt) and C9H12 aromatics (36 ± 7 ppt). The MUMBA site was frequently influenced by VOCs of biogenic origin from a nearby strip of forested parkland to the east due to the dominant north-easterly afternoon sea breeze. VOCs from the more distant densely forested escarpment to the west also impacted the site, especially during two days of extreme heat and strong westerly winds. The relative amounts of different biogenic VOCs observed for these two biomes differed, with much larger increases of isoprene than of monoterpenes or methanol during the hot westerly winds from the escarpment than with cooler winds from the east. However, whether this was due to different vegetation types or was solely the result of the extreme temperatures is not entirely clear. We conclude that the clean marine air and biogenic signatures measured during the MUMBA campaign provide useful information about the typical abundance of several key VOCs and can be used to constrain chemical transport model simulations of the atmosphere in this poorly sampled region of the world. © 2019 The Author
[Excerpt from] A Nurse\u27s Step-By-Step Guide to Transitioning to an Academic Role: Strategies to Jumpstart Your Career in Education and Research
No full textThis item record pertains to an excerpt from A Nurse\u27s Step-by-Step Guide to Transitioning to an Academic Role, which is provided free of charge by the publisher.
About this book:
Starting any new professional endeavor can be as challenging and overwhelming as it is exciting. Moving from practice to education can further amplify the uncertainty. Academia is a whole different world, which means a unique new culture, different priorities, and a complete change in your day-to-day work life. Lucky for your soon-to-be students, you already know what it takes to be a strong, competent clinician. You just need to transfer that knowledge to future nursing professionals.
A Nurse\u27s Step-by-Step Guide to Transitioning to an Academic Role gives you a detailed road map for a successful transition to academia. Using a conversational tone and highly practical tools, author Mercy Ngosa Mumba explains how to:
· Understand different types of academic appointments
· Connect with colleagues and students
· Juggle various academic responsibilities
· Manage your time and stress
· Contribute to a more equitable institutional culture
This book will help you draw upon your strengths to create a successful and satisfying academic career that supports the nursing profession. It offers crucial guidance in learning how to balance competing priorities and avoid burnout. You will learn to not just survive but thrive in academia!https://www.sigmarepository.org/book_excerpts/1047/thumbnail.jp
Overcomers: a historical sketch
No full textThe Zambian author and public intellectual Norah Mumba uses the startling, memorable noun ‘overcomer’ to describe Luweme, the protagonist of her upcoming novel Knitted in Silence, in a late chapter titled ‘New Beginnings’. At that stage in the plot, Luweme has come a long way. She has grown from a silent, traumatised child into an empowered and articulate young woman. Her very presence inspires resolve, resilience and hope in those who know her. But the notion of an ‘overcomer’ – one who moves past obstacles and triumphs in the face of difficulties and dangers - does more than provide an abbreviated reference to the novel’s fast-moving, cumulative plot. It is also an index to how Mumba imagines the emergence of a modern Zambian subjectivity, and how this imagination fits in with her country’s literary history. This history would not be legible to us today without Isabel Hofmeyr’s *The Portable Bunyan*
Constitutionalism and Democracy: A critical analysis of events in democratic Zambia since 1996 to the present and how the events fit into constitutionalism
No full textFor a long time now, constitutionalism has not always been associated with democracy for many, constitutionalists are rarely democrats. However, by looking at the values that constitutionalism and democracy upholds, this author has shown that there are some commonalities. Therefore the scope of this essay is to show that the values upheld in a democratic state are similar tot eh values in a state practicing constitutionalism and that to say that a state is democratic is necessary to say it upholds constitutionalism. The significant of the study lies in the fact that constitutionalism as espoused by professor SA De-Smith has similar values with democracy. Therefore there are enough evidence, facts, information and data to many constitutionalism and democracy. There are practices by government officials and agents, which have serious supervision on whether or not a state upholds democracy and for constitutionalism. This essay has explored such questions as what should be doe to correct the situation. Why should state agents only allow the party in government to carry out political activities while denying the same lo the opposition? It has been shown that in order to adhere lo democracy and/or constitutionalism, there is need to reform laws both in the primary legislation and subsidiary), which laM's are undemocratic and because they are undemocratic they flaws] do not JA into constitutionalism as espoused by professor S A Dc-Sinith. Further the essay has exposed undemocratic practices which hinder fair play III the political and economic arena and has recommended possible remedies
The use of orthogonal polynomials in the analysis of meteorological data
No full textThis thesis comprises 5 chapters. The first chapter is concerned with the general problem of setting up approximations to arbitrary functions by linear combinations of sets of functions of known structure. The second chapter discusses the mathematical basis of the various approximation criteria namely L1, L2 (Least squares) Minimax. Chapter III outlines the method of orthogonal least squares
approximation and discusses its advantages over
the conventional methods discussed in Chapter II.
The fourth chapter describe a project undertaken by the author as a practical application of orthogonal least squares approximation. The results of fitting the 850 hpa height fields over Southern Africa by bivariate Legendre Functions of order 1 to 4 are shown in figures 1 to 10. Chapter V summarises the work in this dissertation and contains some observation on the applicability of the method to actual analysis of meteorological data
Developing a point-of-care electronic medical record system for TB/HIV co-infected patients: experiences from Lighthouse Trust, Lilongwe, Malawi.
No full textBACKGROUND
Implementation of user-friendly, real-time, electronic medical records for patient management may lead to improved adherence to clinical guidelines and improved quality of patient care. We detail the systematic, iterative process that implementation partners, Lighthouse clinic and Baobab Health Trust, employed to develop and implement a point-of-care electronic medical records system in an integrated, public clinic in Malawi that serves HIV-infected and tuberculosis (TB) patients.
METHODS
Baobab Health Trust, the system developers, conducted a series of technical and clinical meetings with Lighthouse and Ministry of Health to determine specifications. Multiple pre-testing sessions assessed patient flow, question clarity, information sequencing, and verified compliance to national guidelines. Final components of the TB/HIV electronic medical records system include: patient demographics; anthropometric measurements; laboratory samples and results; HIV testing; WHO clinical staging; TB diagnosis; family planning; clinical review; and drug dispensing.
RESULTS
Our experience suggests that an electronic medical records system can improve patient management, enhance integration of TB/HIV services, and improve provider decision-making. However, despite sufficient funding and motivation, several challenges delayed system launch including: expansion of system components to include of HIV testing and counseling services; changes in the national antiretroviral treatment guidelines that required system revision; and low confidence to use the system among new healthcare workers. To ensure a more robust and agile system that met all stakeholder and user needs, our electronic medical records launch was delayed more than a year. Open communication with stakeholders, careful consideration of ongoing provider input, and a well-functioning, backup, paper-based TB registry helped ensure successful implementation and sustainability of the system. Additional, on-site, technical support provided reassurance and swift problem-solving during the extended launch period.
CONCLUSION
Even when system users are closely involved in the design and development of an electronic medical record system, it is critical to allow sufficient time for software development, solicitation of detailed feedback from both users and stakeholders, and iterative system revisions to successfully transition from paper to point-of-care electronic medical records. For those in low-resource settings, electronic medical records for integrated care is a possible and positive innovation
Child labour in Zambia : an analysis of the extent, nature and proposed solutions to the problem
No full textThis thesis is centred on the problem of child labour in
the urban areas of Zambia. The origins, types and context
of child labour are extensively described as are the
incidence and distribution of the problem by locality,
trade and activity. The very definition of 'child labour'
is uncertain with legal, historical, comparative,
customary and academic definitions being somewhat
contradictory. The differing notions are considered and
reconciled. As child labour is mainly concentrated in the
'informal sector', the nature of this sector in Zambia
and other poor countries is analysed. The limited
opportunities for education, employment and productive
and fulfilling self-employment in the informal sector are
highlighted.
An account of the historical origins and development of
child labour in the pre-colonial and colonial periods is
provided. An assessment of the measures designed to
control or ameliorate child labour follows. This covers
the work of international organisations, the colonial and
post-colonial governments in Zambia, the voluntary sector
and concerned individuals. The effectiveness and coverage
of the relevant international conventions and local legal
provisions and enforcement are evaluated. The
consequences on child labour of more recent interventions
by international agencies, for example the Structural
Adjustment Program of the World Bank, are illustrated.
Three main forms of analysis have been used in this
thesis. First a descriptive account of child labour has
been supplied using secondary accounts and unpublished
reports. Second, the author has undertaken a comparative
analysis, examining child labour in two other African
countries as well as two countries in each of the
continents of Asia and Latin America. Third, extensive
interviews with child labourers themselves and those who
are close to their plight have been undertaken, to
provide the actor's own graphic and personal views on the
issues discussed.
The thesis concludes with an appraisal of the
significance of the study, general prescriptive comments
and some more specific policy recommendations designed to
address and combat the incidence and worst features of
child labour in Zambia
A demographics data exchange for continuity of care: Is it feasible in low-resource settings?
No full text
