Microbiological quality of traditional and improved kiln smoked catfish (; Pisces; Clariidae) in Lake Chilwa Basin.

Microbiological quality of smoked catfish () locally known as Mlamba was assessed in this study where traditional and improved smoking kilns were used to smoke fish. Catfish is common fish caught in abundance in the Lake Chilwa basin, and the fish is usually smoked to reduce postharvest losses and increase shelf life. Samples were collected in sterile polythene bags, well labeled, and collected in cooler boxes transported ready for laboratory analysis.

Quantifying spatial disparities in neonatal mortality using a structured additive regression model.

Background: Neonatal mortality contributes a large proportion towards early childhood mortality in developing countries, with considerable geographical variation at small areas within countries.

Methods: A geo-additive logistic regression model is proposed for quantifying small-scale geographical variation in neonatal mortality, and to estimate risk factors of neonatal mortality. Random effects are introduced to capture spatial correlation and heterogeneity.