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Abstract Background HIV is associated with an increased risk of progression to chronic kidney disease (CKD), and this risk is higher in people of West African descent than many other ethnicities. Our study assessed the rates of eGFR change and predictors of rapid eGFR progression in patients receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART), including tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), in central Ghana between 2003 and 2018. Methods This single-centre retrospective study enrolled people with HIV (PWH) initiating ART in Ghana between 2003–2018. Demographics, hepatitis B (HBsAg) status, ART regimens and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) measurements were recorded, and analyses including multi-level model linear regression were performed to determine predictors of greater levels of eGFR decline and risk of rapid eGFR decline. Results Six hundred and fifty-nine adult participants were included in the study with a median follow-up time of 6 years (IQR 3.6–8.9). 149 participants (22.6%) also had confirmed HBV co-infection. eGFR mean values were lowest at the point of diagnosis and highest on the second measurement taken; mean eGFR slowly decreased over subsequent measures thereafter. TDF use was associated with the highest mean rate of eGFR decline of all nucleoside or nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) with a statistically significant greater annual decline of -1.08 mL/min/1.73m2/year (CI: -1.92, -0.24) compared with zidovudine. Nevirapine (-0.78mL /min/173m2/year; CI: -1.39, -0.17) and protease inhibitors (-1.55mL/mil/173m2/year; CI: -2.68, -0.41) were associated with greater eGFR declines compared with efavirenz. Negative HBsAg status was associated with greater eGFR decline compared with positive HBsAg status (-1.25mL/mil/173m2/year; CI 0.29. -2.20). Conclusions Increased rates of eGFR decline amongst PWH in Ghana were associated with TDF, nevirapine, and protease inhibitor use as well as negative HBsAg status. Additional research using mortality outcome data is needed to closely assess long-term predictors of eGFR decline in African populations.

This paper presents a new model reference adaptive-based control (MRAC) for a single-phase shift-modulated dual active bridge DC-DC converter (SPS-DAB) with constant power loading (CPL). The non-linear control algorithm, developed based on the reduced order model of the converter, is subjected to a thorough stability and convergence analysis. The efficacy of the proposed control strategy is verified through simulations conducted on MATLAB R2023a and PLECS 4.5.6, demonstrating its capability to counteract the destabilising effects of the CPL, while ensuring precise tracking of the dual active bridge (DAB) output voltage, even amidst parameter variations. Comparative analysis highlights the superior robustness and performance of the proposed approach over the conventional proportional-integral (PI) controllers.

Infants' preference for vowelharmony (VH, a phonotactic constraint that requires vowels in a word to be featurally similar) is thought to be language-specific: Monolingual infants learning VH languages show a listening preference for VH patterns by 6 months of age, while those learning non-VH languages do not (Gonzalez-Gomez et al., 2019; Van Kampen et al., 2008). We investigated sensitivity to advanced tongue root (ATR) harmony in Akan (Kwa, Niger-Congo) in 40 six-month-old multilingual infants (21 girls) in Ghana, West Africa (an understudied population), all learning Akan, Ghanaian English, and most of them several other understudied African languages (e.g., Ga, Ewe). We hypothesized that infants learning both ATR harmony and nonharmony languages would demonstrate sensitivity to ATR harmony. Using the central fixation procedure, infants were presented with disyllabic nonwords that were either harmonic (e.g., puti) or nonharmonic (e.g., pet[open-mid back rounded vowel]) based on their ATR features. Infants demonstrated sensitivity to ATR harmony with a familiarity preference, listening longer to harmonic syllable sequences than nonharmonic ones. The relative amount of exposure to (an) ATR harmony language(s) did not modulate the preference. These results shed light on our understanding of early multilingualism: they suggest that early sensitivity to VH in multilinguals may be similar to monolingual infants learning other types of VH, irrespective of simultaneous experience with non-VH languages. We conclude with reflections on studying infant language acquisition in multilingual Africa.

Abstract Road construction involves activities that emit pollutants, including particulate matter, which harms humans. This study determined and compared particulate matter (PM1.0, PM2.5 and PM10) levels and air quality index (AQI) at unpaved roads, asphalt overlay, chip-sealed and asphalt-producing sites in Ghana and the health risks posed by their exposure. It was conducted in the Ashanti and Ahafo Regions, Ghana and was cross-sectional using the low-cost sensor, PCE-RCM16. Data collection took place, January-May, 2020. The asphalt-producing, asphalt overlay, chip-sealed and unpaved road sites had mean PM10 concentrations of 12.7-fold, 7.4-fold, 6.1-fold and 2.6-fold respectively of the 2021 World Health Organisation (WHO) air quality guideline (AQG) daily limit, 45 μg m−3. The mean PM2.5 concentrations were 30.4-fold, 17.2-fold, 14.1-fold and 6.1-fold greater than the daily AQG limit, 15 μg m−3 respectively. The mean PM1.0 values were of grave concern. Using the AQI, the asphalt-producing and asphalt overlay sites were considered “hazardous”, chip-sealed site was “very unhealthy” and the unpaved sites were “unhealthy for sensitive groups”. Type of activity influenced pollution levels (p

Abstract Background There is a strong evidence showing that women who start menstruation early are at a greater risk of developing breast cancer. Recognizing that women will seek breast cancer screening when they have a high perceived risk, we hypothesized that women who experienced early menarche will be more likely to utilize clinical breast examination (CBE). Hence, we aimed to investigate the association between age at first menstruation and women’s utilization of CBE in Côte d'Ivoire. Methods We used data from the 2021 Côte d'Ivoire demographic and health survey. A sample of 14,685 women was used for the analysis. A descriptive analysis, as well as bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were computed in STATA version 18. Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) and a 95% confidence interval was used to present the result. Results CBE utilization was 17.4%. Women who had their first menstruation before attaining 15 years were significantly less likely to utilize CBE services [AOR = 0.89; 95% CI 0.81–0.99]. A significantly higher utilization of CBE was found among those with primary [AOR = 1.48, 95% CI 1.29–1.70], secondary [AOR = 2.96, 95% CI 2.59–3.38], and higher education [AOR = 4.35, 95% CI 3.50–5.40] compared to those with no formal education. Increasing likelihood of CBE utilization was observed as age increased. Rural residence was associated with lower odds of CBE utilization (AOR = 0.84, 95% CI 0.74–0.95]. Increasing wealth status was associated with higher odds of CBE utilization with those in the richest households having the highest odds compared to women in the poorest household [AOR = 2.11, 95% CI 1.69–2.64]. Conclusion Utilization of CBE is low among women of reproductive age in Côte d'Ivoire. We conclude that even though existing literature has established early age at first menstruation as a strong risk factor for breast cancer, CBE utilization is significantly low among those who had early menarche. Going forward, it is necessary for Côte d'Ivoire’s health Ministry to intensify breast cancer awareness in the country. Such awareness campaigns must emphasize age at menarche as a risk factor so as to motivate women with a history of early menstruation to utilize CBE.

Abstract Background Kenya has ratified and enacted several frameworks and laws in a bid to reduce the incidence of IPV and improve disclosure of violence experience. With these legal and structural mechanisms in place, women’s disclosure of IPV is expected to show a positive trend over the years. We examined the trends and factors associated with disclosure of IPV among women in Kenya. Methods The 2008, 2014 and 2022 Kenya demographic and health survey data was used, with a weighted sample of 6,093 women aged 15–49 years. The sample size for 2008, 2014 and 2022 were 1350, 1165, and 3578, respectively. Violence disclosure was the outcome variable. A logistic regression model was fitted to estimate the predicted probabilities (margins) of reporting violence for each year. Additionally, a multivariable logistic regression was performed to assess factors associated with violence disclosure using a backward stepwise approach. Results We found a statistically significant increase in the odds of disclosing violence by 65% from 2008 to 2022 [OR = 1.65; 95%CI: 1.41–1.94, p

Purpose: The lecture method has been compared with teaching methods such as flip learning, cooperative learning and simulations to establish which holds the key to students' understanding of concepts. What is bereft in the education literature is its comparative efficiency with the culturo-techno contextual approach (CTCA) in the teaching of computer science education. Design/methodology/approach: This study adopted the quasi-experimental design to determine the efficacy of the CTCA in breaking difficulties related to the study of spreadsheets as a difficult concept in the Nigerian computer science education curriculum. Junior high school students studying computer science education participated in the study. The control group had 30 students, with 35 students in the experimental group. The experimental group was taught using CTCA, while the control group used the lecture method. The spread sheet achievement test, which had 40 items on spreadsheet, was used to collect data. Findings: The results showed that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group [F (1,60) = 41.89; p < 0.05]. The findings showed the potential of CTCA in improving students' performance in spreadsheets in the computer science education curriculum. Originality/value: The originality of this study is hinged on its ground-breaking test of the CTCA to the study of the spreadsheet. The findings of this study indicate its efficacy in improving students' understanding of spreadsheet and computer science education.

With a long-term aim of empowering researchers everywhere to contribute to work on language development, we organized the First Truly Global /L+/ International Summer/Winter School on Language Acquisition, a free 5-day virtual school for early career researchers. In this paper, we describe the school, our experience organizing it, and lessons learned. The school had a diverse organizer team, composed of 26 researchers (17 from under represented areas: Subsaharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and Central and South America); and a diverse volunteer team, with a total of 95 volunteers from 35 different countries, nearly half from under represented areas. This helped world-wide Page 5 of 5 promotion of the school, leading to 958 registrations from 88 different countries, with 300 registrants (based in 63 countries, 80% from under represented areas) selected to participate in the synchronous aspects of the event. The school employed asynchronous (pre-recorded lectures, which were close-captioned) and synchronous elements (e.g., discussions to place the recorded lectures into participants' context; networking events) across three time zones. A post-school questionnaire revealed that 99% of participants enjoyed taking part in the school. Not with standing these positive quantitative outcomes, qualitative comments suggested we fell short in several areas, including the geographic diversity among lecturers and greater customization of contents to the participants' contexts. Although much remains to be done to promote inclusivity in linguistic research, we hope our school will contribute to empowering researchers to investigate and publish on language acquisition in their home languages, to eventually result in more representative theories and empirical generalizations.

Culture is a key determinant of children's development both in its own right and as a measure of generalizability of developmental phenomena. Studying the role of culture in development requires information about participants' demographic backgrounds. However, both reporting and treatment of demographic data are limited and inconsistent in child development research. A barrier to reporting demographic data in a consistent fashion is that no standardized tool currently exists to collect these data. Variation in cultural expectations, family structures, and life circumstances across communities make the creation of a unifying instrument challenging. Here, we present a framework to standardize demographic reporting for early child development (birth to 3 years of age), focusing on six core sociodemographic construct categories: biological information, gestational status, health status, community of descent, caregiving environment, and socioeconomic status. For each category, we discuss potential constructs and measurement items and provide guidance for their use and adaptation to diverse contexts. These items are stored in an open repository of context-adapted questionnaires that provide a consistent approach to obtaining and reporting demographic information so that these data can be archived and shared in a more standardized format.