University of Zimbabwe

About: University of Zimbabwe is a education organization based out in Harare, Harare, Zimbabwe. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The organization has 4378 authors who have published 6800 publications receiving 160720 citations. The organization is also known as: UZ & University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland.

Validation of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale among women in a high HIV prevalence area in urban Zimbabwe

Abstract: Despite the significant burden of common mental disorders (CMD) among women in sub Saharan Africa, data on postnatal depression (PND) is very limited, especially in settings with a high HIV prevalence. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), a widely used screening test for PND has been validated in many countries, but not in Zimbabwe. We assessed the validity of the EPDS scale among postpartum women compared with Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) criteria for major depression. Six trained community counselors administered the Shona version of the EPDS to a random sample of 210 postpartum HIV-infected and uninfected women attending two primary care clinics in Chitungwiza. All women were subsequently subjected to mental status examination using DSM IV criteria for major depression by 2 psychiatrists, who were blinded to the subject’s EPDS scores. Data were analyzed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Of the 210 postpartum mothers enrolled, 64 (33%) met DSM IV criteria for depression. Using a cut-off score of 11/12 on the Shona version of the EPDS for depression, the sensitivity was 88%, and specificity was 87%, with a positive predictive value of 74%, a negative predictive value of 94%, and an area under the curve of 0.82. Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the whole scale was 0.87. Conclusion: The Shona version of the EPDS is a reliable and valid tool to screen for PND among HIV-infected and un-infected women in Zimbabwe. Screening for PND should be integrated into routine antenatal and postnatal care in areas with high HIV prevalence.

Austempered ductile iron: an alternative material for earth moving components

Abstract: Traditionally steels have enjoyed some kind of monopoly in earth movement applications like ripper tips and grader blades. Earth movement demands that the material possesses both wear resistance and toughness. Ironically, the limitation of steels is that it is difficult to get a good combination of these properties. Recent research efforts in earth movement have focused on austempered ductile iron (ADI) as an alternative material, which exhibits both these properties. ADI is obtained when ductile cast iron is accorded a special heat treatment known as austempering. Before the usage of ADI can flourish, there is a need to thoroughly understand its mechanical and tribological behaviour. This paper details the heat treatment of ductile iron to yield ADI and also examines its mechanical and abrasive wear properties. These properties are compared with those of a proprietary quenched and tempered (Q&T) steel used in applications requiring wear resistance. Typically, when a load of 0.25 N mm−2 is used, the relative abrasion resistance (RAR) of ADI austempered at 375 °C with an initial hardness of 315 Hv is 2.01, while that of a Q&T steel, of hardness 635 Hv is 2.02. The good wear resistance exhibited by ADI despite the low initial hardness can be attributed to the surface transformation of retained austenite to martensite during abrasion. This phenomenon has been positively confirmed by XRD.

Prevention and Drug Treatment

Abstract: Summary Evidence linking alcohol and other drug abuse with child maltreatment, particularly neglect, is strong. But does substance abuse cause maltreatment? According to Mark Testa and Brenda Smith, such co-occurring risk factors as parental depression, social isolation, homelessness, or domestic violence may be more directly responsible than substance abuse itself for maltreatment. Interventions to prevent substance abuse–related maltreatment, say the authors, must attend to the underlying direct causes of both. Research on whether prevention programs reduce drug abuse or help parents control substance use and improve their parenting has had mixed results, at best. The evidence raises questions generally about the effectiveness of substance abuse services in preventing child maltreatment. Such services, for example, raise only marginally the rates at which parents are reunified with children who have been placed in foster care. The primary reason for the mixed findings, say Testa and Smith, is that almost all the parents face not only substance abuse problems but the co-occurring issues as well. To prevent recurring maltreatment and promote reunification, pro grams must ensure client progress in all problem areas. At some point in the intervention process, say Testa and Smith, attention must turn to the child’s permanency needs and well-being. The best evidence to date suggests that substanceabusing parents pose no greater risk to their children than do parents of other children taken into child protective custody. It may be sensible, say the authors, to set a six-month timetable for parents to engage in treatment and allow twelve to eighteen months for them to show suffi cient progress in all identified problem areas. After that, permanency plans should be expedited to place the child with a relative caregiver or in an adoptive home.