scholarly journals A GSM MODULE-BASED SMART ELECTRIC METER READER

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 38-45
Author(s):  
Opeyemi OSANAIYE ◽  
◽  
Sunday UNOGWU ◽  
Folayo AINA ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electric Energy ◽  
Text Message ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Reading Process ◽  
Smart Meter ◽  
Human Interface ◽  
Billing System ◽  
Reading Efficiency ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Reading System

The traditional and estimated billing system of electric energy consumed in most part of Sub-Saharan Africa has become a lingering issue to the electricity consumers. This has therefore necessitated the advent of smart electric meters. In this work, we propose a smart electric meter reader that provides an efficient and economically viable technique for measuring the consumption of electricity. This proposed method tends to solve many issues of the traditional reading system, such as reading efficiency, accuracy, and the elimination of human interface. Our proposed method, consisting of a GSM module, is used to wirelessly communicate the smart meter readings to the electricity provider and the consumer in form of a text message. The results obtained from the evaluation of this work show that our proposed method has improved the accuracy of the meter reading process for proper accountability.

scholarly journals Mobile Learning During School Disruptions in Sub-Saharan Africa

AERA Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 233285842110148
Author(s):  
René F. Kizilcec ◽  
Maximilian Chen ◽  
Kaja K. Jasińska ◽  
Michael Madaio ◽  
Amy Ogan
Keyword(s):  
Early Literacy ◽  
Mobile Learning ◽  
National Curriculum ◽  
Text Message ◽  
Learning Technologies ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Formal Schooling ◽  
School Closures ◽  
Teacher Strikes ◽  
Sub Saharan

School closures due to teacher strikes or political unrest in low-resource contexts can adversely affect children’s educational outcomes and career opportunities. Phone-based educational technologies could help bridge these gaps in formal schooling, but it is unclear whether or how children and their families will use such systems during periods of disruption. We investigate two mobile learning technologies deployed in sub-Saharan Africa: a text-message-based application with lessons and quizzes adhering to the national curriculum in Kenya (N = 1.3 million), and a voice-based platform for supporting early literacy in Côte d’Ivoire (N = 236). We examine the usage and beliefs surrounding unexpected school closures in each context via system log data and interviews with families about their motivations and methods for learning during the disruption. We find that mobile learning is used as a supplement for formal and informal schooling during disruptions with equivalent or higher intensity, as parents feel responsible to ensure continuity in schooling.

scholarly journals Occurrence of haemoparasites in cattle in Monduli district, northern Tanzania

2014 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Isihaka J. Haji ◽  
Imna Malele ◽  
Boniface Namangala
Keyword(s):  
Domestic Animal ◽  
Molecular Techniques ◽  
Babesia Bovis ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Tsetse Flies ◽  
Indigenous Cattle ◽  
Human Interface ◽  
Northern Tanzania ◽  
Monduli District ◽  
Sub Saharan

Haemoparasite infections are among the most economically important cattle diseases in sub-Saharan Africa. The present study investigated the occurrence of haemoparasites in 295 indigenous cattle from five villages (Mswakini, Lake Manyara, Naitolia, Makuyuni and Nanja) of the Monduli district, a wildlife-domestic animal-human interface area in northern Tanzania. The data showed that the overall occurrence of haemoparasites in the sampled cattle was 12.5% (95% CI: 8.7% – 16.3%), involving single and mixed infections with Theileria parva, Anaplasma marginale, Babesia bovis, Trypanosoma vivax and Trypanosoma brucei. The highest haemoparasite occurrence was recorded in Lake Manyara (18.3%; 95% CI: 8.5% – 28.1%), and the lowest was recorded in Nanja (6.5%; 95% CI: 0.4% – 12.6%). This preliminary study, furthermore, provided evidence of the possible arthropod vectors (ticks and tsetse flies) that may be involved in the transmission of haemoparasites to cattle in the Monduli district. It is envisaged that this survey will stimulate more studies to determine the prevalence of haemoparasites in livestock by using more sensitive molecular techniques.

scholarly journals Intervention development of a brief messaging intervention for a randomised controlled trial to improve diabetes treatment adherence in sub-Saharan Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie Leon ◽  
Hazel Namadingo ◽  
Kirsty Bobrow ◽  
Sara Cooper ◽  
Amelia Crampin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Treatment Adherence ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Text Message ◽  
Intervention Development ◽  
Text Messages ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Diabetes Treatment ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Randomised Controlled

Abstract Background Brief messaging interventions, including Short Message Service (SMS) text-messages, delivered via mobile device platforms, show promise to support and improve treatment adherence. To understand how these interventions work, and to facilitate transparency, we need clear descriptions of the intervention development process. Method We describe and reflect on the process of designing and pretesting an evidence- and theory-informed brief messaging intervention, to improve diabetes treatment adherence in sub-Saharan Africa. We followed the stepwise approach recommended by the Medical Research Council, United Kingdom (MRC UK) Framework for Development and Evaluation of Complex Health Interventions and guidance for mobile health intervention development. Results We used a four-phase, iterative approach that first generated primary and secondary evidence on the lived experience of diabetes, diabetes treatment services and mobile-phone use. Second, we designed a type 2 diabetes-specific, brief text-message library, building on our previous hypertension text-message library, as well as drawing on the primary and secondary data from phase one, and on expert opinion. We then mapped the brief text-messages onto behaviour change (COM-B) theoretical constructs. Third, we refined and finalised the newly developed brief text-message library through stakeholder consultation and translated it into three local languages. Finally, we piloted the intervention by pre-testing the automated delivery of the brief text-messages in the trial sites in Malawi and South Africa. The final SMS text Adherence suppoRt for people with type 2 diabetes (StAR2D) intervention was tested in a randomised controlled trial in Malawi and South Africa (trial registration: ISRCTN70768808). Conclusion The complexity of public health interventions requires that we give more attention to intervention development work. Our documentation and reflection on the StAR2D intervention development process promotes transparency, replicability, assessment of intervention quality, and comparison with other studies.

scholarly journals A review of bovine tuberculosis at the wildlife–livestock–human interface in sub-Saharan Africa

2013 ◽  
Vol 141 (7) ◽  
pp. 1342-1356 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. De GARINE-WICHATITSKY ◽  
A. CARON ◽  
R. KOCK ◽  
R. TSCHOPP ◽  
M. MUNYEME ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bovine Tuberculosis ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Eastern Africa ◽  
Wild Mammal ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Human Interface ◽  
Research Themes ◽  
African Context ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
And Control

SUMMARYInfection of wild animals by bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is raising concern worldwide. This article reviews the current epidemiological situation, risk of emergence and control options at the wildlife–livestock–human interface in sub-Saharan Africa. In livestock, bTB has been confirmed in the majority of countries from all parts of the continent. Wildlife infection is confirmed in seven countries from southern and eastern Africa, apparently spreading in the southern Africa region. Mycobacterium bovis has been isolated from 17 wild mammal species, although only four are suspected to play a role as maintenance host. Zoonotic risks are a concern, but no direct spillover from wildlife to humans has been documented, and no case of bTB spillback from wildlife to livestock has been confirmed. In this paper we assess the main risk factors of bTB spillover at the wildlife–livestock–human interface and suggest several research themes which could improve the control of the disease in the African context.

scholarly journals High-Yield HIV Testing, Facilitated Linkage to Care, and Prevention for Female Youth in Kenya (GIRLS Study): Implementation Science Protocol for a Priority Population (Preprint)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Inwani ◽  
Nok Chhun ◽  
Kawango Agot ◽  
Charles M Cleland ◽  
Jasmine Buttolph ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Hiv Prevention ◽  
Hiv Testing ◽  
Implementation Science ◽  
Text Message ◽  
Linkage To Care ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Age Range ◽  
Hiv Negative

BACKGROUND Sub-Saharan Africa is the region with the highest HIV burden. Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in the age range of 15 to 24 years are twice as likely as their male peers to be infected, making females in sub-Saharan Africa the most at-risk group for HIV infection. It is therefore critical to prioritize access to HIV testing, prevention, and treatment for this vulnerable population. OBJECTIVE Using an implementation science framework, the purpose of this research protocol was to describe the approaches we propose to optimize engagement of AGYW in both the HIV prevention and care continuum and to determine the recruitment and testing strategies that identify the highest proportion of previously undiagnosed HIV infections. METHODS We will compare two seek recruitment strategies, three test strategies, and pilot adaptive linkage to care interventions (sequential multiple assignment randomized trial [SMART] design) among AGYW in the age range of 15 to 24 years in Homa Bay County, western Kenya. AGYW will be recruited in the home or community-based setting and offered three testing options: oral fluid HIV self-testing, staff-aided rapid HIV testing, or referral to a health care facility for standard HIV testing services. Newly diagnosed AGYW with HIV will be enrolled in the SMART trial pilot to determine the most effective way to support initial linkage to care after a positive diagnosis. They will be randomized to standard referral (counseling and a referral note) or standard referral plus SMS text message (short message service, SMS); those not linked to care within 2 weeks will be rerandomized to receive an additional SMS text message or a one-time financial incentive (approximately US $4). We will also evaluate a primary prevention messaging intervention to support identified high-risk HIV-negative AGYW to reduce their HIV risk and adhere to HIV retesting recommendations. We will also conduct analyses to determine the incremental cost-effectiveness of the seek, testing and linkage interventions. RESULTS We expect to enroll 1200 participants overall, with a random selection of 100 high-risk HIV-negative AGYW for the SMS prevention intervention (HIV-negative cohort) and approximately 108 AGYW who are living with HIV for the SMART design pilot of adaptive linkage to care interventions (HIV-positive cohort). We anticipate that the linkage to care interventions will be feasible and acceptable to implement. Lastly, the use of SMS text messages to engage participants will provide pilot data to the Kenyan government currently exploring a national platform to track and support linkage, adherence to treatment, retention, and prevention interventions for improved outcomes. CONCLUSIONS Lessons learned will inform best approaches to identify new HIV diagnoses to increase AGYW’s uptake of HIV prevention, testing, and linkage to care services in a high HIV-burden African setting. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02735642; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02735642 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6vgLLHLC9)

RTS,S/AS01, a vaccine targeting pre-erythrocytic stages of Plasmodium falciparum

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (6) ◽  
pp. 533-537
Author(s):  
Lorenz von Seidlein ◽  
Borimas Hanboonkunupakarn ◽  
Podjanee Jittmala ◽  
Sasithon Pukrittayakamee
Keyword(s):  
Protective Efficacy ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Phase Iii ◽  
European Medicines Agency ◽  
Older Children ◽  
Pivotal Phase ◽  
Malaria Epidemiology ◽  
Maximum Benefit ◽  
Sub Saharan

RTS,S/AS01 is the most advanced vaccine to prevent malaria. It is safe and moderately effective. A large pivotal phase III trial in over 15 000 young children in sub-Saharan Africa completed in 2014 showed that the vaccine could protect around one-third of children (aged 5–17 months) and one-fourth of infants (aged 6–12 weeks) from uncomplicated falciparum malaria. The European Medicines Agency approved licensing and programmatic roll-out of the RTSS vaccine in malaria endemic countries in sub-Saharan Africa. WHO is planning further studies in a large Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme, in more than 400 000 young African children. With the changing malaria epidemiology in Africa resulting in older children at risk, alternative modes of employment are under evaluation, for example the use of RTS,S/AS01 in older children as part of seasonal malaria prophylaxis. Another strategy is combining mass drug administrations with mass vaccine campaigns for all age groups in regional malaria elimination campaigns. A phase II trial is ongoing to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of the RTSS in combination with antimalarial drugs in Thailand. Such novel approaches aim to extract the maximum benefit from the well-documented, short-lasting protective efficacy of RTS,S/AS01.

Mortality and Society in Sub-Saharan Africa

1993 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 555-556
Author(s):  
Lado Ruzicka
Keyword(s):  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Sub Saharan

Sub-Saharan Africa

1987 ◽  
Vol 87 (1) ◽  
pp. 118-142
Keyword(s):  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Sub Saharan

Adolescent Suicidality as Seen in Rural Northeastern Uganda

Crisis ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugene Kinyanda ◽  
Ruth Kizza ◽  
Jonathan Levin ◽  
Sheila Ndyanabangi ◽  
Catherine Abbo
Keyword(s):  
Low Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Psychosocial Risk ◽  
Psychiatric Nurses ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Childhood Experiences ◽  
Low Socioeconomic ◽  
Dsm Iv ◽  
Sub Saharan

Background: Suicidal behavior in adolescence is a public health concern and has serious consequences for adolescents and their families. There is, however, a paucity of data on this subject from sub-Saharan Africa, hence the need for this study. Aims: A cross-sectional multistage survey to investigate adolescent suicidality among other things was undertaken in rural northeastern Uganda. Methods: A structured protocol administered by trained psychiatric nurses collected information on sociodemographics, mental disorders (DSM-IV criteria), and psychological and psychosocial risk factors for children aged 3–19 years (N = 1492). For the purposes of this paper, an analysis of a subsample of adolescents (aged 10–19 years; n = 897) was undertaken. Results: Lifetime suicidality in this study was 6.1% (95% CI, 4.6%–7.9%). Conclusions: Factors significantly associated with suicidality included mental disorder, the ecological factor district of residence, factors suggestive of low socioeconomic status, and disadvantaged childhood experiences.

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