Institutional Innovations for Smallholder Compliance with International Food Safety Standards: Experiences from Kenya, Ethiopian and Zambian Green Bean Growers

Many African countries have moved into the production of non-traditional agricultural products to diversify their exports and increase foreign currency earnings. Accessing developed country markets requires meeting food safety standards brought about by several demand and supply side factors. Food retailers in the EU, the major destination market, have developed protocols relating to pesticide residue limits, field and packinghouse hygiene, and traceability. In this changing scenario where food safety requirements are getting increasingly stringent, there are worries that companies that establish production centers in LDCs might exclude smallholder farmers. In this paper, we study the cases of green beans production in Ethiopia, Kenya and Zambia for export to high value European markets. Though the immediate effect of the imposition of stringent food safety standards has been to screen away smallholders, there has been continued participation of smallholders in some cases. This paper finds that emergence of new institutional arrangements have enabled the smallholders to maintain their participation in high value European markets. In particular, public-private partnerships have played a key role in helping smallholder farmers acquire training on and certification against European food safety standards. Collective action in form of producer organizations has enabled smallholders to jointly invest in costly facilities and take advantage of economies of scale to remain competitive. Producer organizations also allow for cheaper means for buyers to ensure traceability and are critical in reducing transaction costs of linking up with smallholders.international food safety standards, compliance, smallholder farmers, institutional arrangements, collective action, producer organizations, public-private partnerships, Agricultural and Food Policy, Consumer/Household Economics, Environmental Economics and Policy, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Food Security and Poverty, Labor and Human Capital, Marketing, Production Economics, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

The future burden of cancer in London compared with England.

BACKGROUND: The future burden of cancer in England is predicted to increase by 33% by 2020. Those planning health services are often interested in predictions at a local level. This study aimed to estimate the future burden of cancer in London and compare this with estimates for England. METHODS: Predictions for London were based on cancer registration data (1985-2003) and population projections up until 2024. The number of future cases and age-standardized incidence rates (ASRs) were projected using an age-period-cohort model developed for the analysis of cancer trends and projections in the Nordic countries. Estimates for England were taken from an earlier publication. RESULTS: In London, ASRs for all cancers (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer) decreased for both sexes, whereas in England, ASRs decreased in males and increased slightly in females. In London, the number of cases for both sexes is predicted to increase from approximately 27,000 in 2002 to approximately 28,500 in 2022, an increase of 5%. In England, a greater increase is predicted, from approximately 224,000 in 2001 to approximately 299,000 in 2020, an increase of 33%. CONCLUSIONS: Projections of the future burden of cancer are particularly sensitive to demographic population trends. They are likely to be different for cities compared with rural areas or entire countries

Alignment of lines in space (with particular reference to laser-fibre coupling)

The object of this work (featuring the study of alignment of lines in space) is to produce a novel system for automatic production of optoelectronic components. It begins by reviewing the different components associated with optical fibre transmission and examines the existing laser-fibre coupling methods. The manual alignment technique adopted by STC to align a laser beam with a monomode optical fibre is then presented. The various interpretations of alignment are explored. The results obtained from the analysis determine the type of manipulator required for laser to optical fibre coupling. The central axis of a divergent beam emitted by a semi-conductor laser diode is manipulated for alignment with the axis of the fibre. Such an alignment places stringent displacement tolerance and accuracy demands on the manipulator. To construct a manipulator, actuators need to be coupled together. The coWling methods are studied and presented. Prior to this study, commercially available actuators are surveyed leading to the selecticin of the Oriel Encoder Mike actuator. This actuator exhibits some inherent control problems but meets the laser-fibre coupling accuracy demands. Various types of couplings are also examined based on the expansion of the Kelvin coupling for the construction of a four degree of freedom manipulator. A computational algorithm analogous to that used to solve two plane balancing problems is sucessfully tested on this manipulator for alignment of a conventional He-Ne laser beam with the centres of two transparent screens. This algorithm requires linearity for its success. For this reason and for purposes of completeness, spatial displacement characteristics of the manipulator are analysed and confirmed experimentally. This work ends with the ocnstruction. and testing of a program based on a hill climbing technique for the control of a three degree of freedom (Oriel Encoder Mike) manipulator to align a laser beam emitted by a semi-conductor laser diode with a monomode optical fibre

Information security awareness amongst students joining higher academic institutions in developing countries: Evidence from Kenya

Although there is a steady use of information technology in institutions of higher learning, little is known about the level of information security awareness (ISA) amongst students joining universities in developing countries and more specifically Africa. The purpose of this study was to investigate ISA amongst undergraduate students at a higher education institution in Kenya. The study made use of a quantitative survey approach. Overall, the study findings indicate that majority of the students surveyed did not possess adequate understanding of ISA. Consequently, we submit that there is a strong need to cultivate ISA culture amongst students joining universities in developing countries. We further recommend that ISA needs to be incorporated in the undergraduate curriculum to help enhance such awareness. Equally, it would be useful for universities to have ISA program as part of the wider university information security management strategy

An early and late peak in microglial activation in Alzheimer's disease trajectory

search input Search An early and late peak in microglial activation in Alzheimer’s disease trajectory Zhen Fan, David J. Brooks, Aren Okello, Paul Edison Brain, Volume 140, Issue 3, March 2017, Pages 792–803, https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/aww349 Published: 24 January 2017 Article history Received: 20 June 2016 Revision received: 31 October 2016 Accepted: 18 November 2016 Published: 24 January 2017 pdfPDF Split View Cite Permissions Icon Permissions Share Abstract Amyloid-β deposition, neuroinflammation and tau tangle formation all play a significant role in Alzheimer’s disease. We hypothesized that there is microglial activation early on in Alzheimer’s disease trajectory, where in the initial phase, microglia may be trying to repair the damage, while later on in the disease these microglia could be ineffective and produce proinflammatory cytokines leading to progressive neuronal damage. In this longitudinal study, we have evaluated the temporal profile of microglial activation and its relationship between fibrillar amyloid load at baseline and follow-up in subjects with mild cognitive impairment, and this was compared with subjects with Alzheimer’s disease. Thirty subjects (eight mild cognitive impairment, eight Alzheimer’s disease and 14 controls) aged between 54 and 77 years underwent 11C-(R)PK11195, 11C-PIB positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scans. Patients were followed-up after 14 ± 4 months. Region of interest and Statistical Parametric Mapping analysis were used to determine longitudinal alterations. Single subject analysis was performed to evaluate the individualized pathological changes over time. Correlations between levels of microglial activation and amyloid deposition at a voxel level were assessed using Biological Parametric Mapping. We demonstrated that both baseline and follow-up microglial activation in the mild cognitive impairment cohort compared to controls were increased by 41% and 21%, respectively. There was a longitudinal reduction of 18% in microglial activation in mild cognitive impairment cohort over 14 months, which was associated with a mild elevation in fibrillar amyloid load. Cortical clusters of microglial activation and amyloid deposition spatially overlapped in the subjects with mild cognitive impairment. Baseline microglial activation was increased by 36% in Alzheimer’s disease subjects compared with controls. Longitudinally, Alzheimer’s disease subjects showed an increase in microglial activation. In conclusion, this is one of the first longitudinal positron emission tomography studies evaluating longitudinal changes in microglial activation in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease subjects. We found there is an initial longitudinal reduction in microglial activation in subjects with mild cognitive impairment, while subjects with Alzheimer’s disease showed an increase in microglial activation. This could reflect that activated microglia in mild cognitive impairment initially may adopt a protective activation phenotype, which later change to a cidal pro-inflammatory phenotype as disease progresses and amyloid clearance fails. Thus, we speculate that there might be two peaks of microglial activation in the Alzheimer’s disease trajectory; an early protective peak and a later pro-inflammatory peak. If so, anti-microglial agents targeting the pro-inflammatory phenotype would be most beneficial in the later stages of the disease

Cyberbullying among University Students: The Kenyan Experience

Although considerable literature has grown around cyberbullying, there are still only limited studies on this within developing economies, especially African countries. In particular, studies on cyberbullying in Africa have failed to have a direct focus on the prevalence of this phenomenon among students in universities. Not only does cyberbullying have an emotional-social impact, it has ramifications on the learning process as well. This subject remains of utmost relevance within academia, and a number of institutions continue to grapple with its impact. The study reported here is an exploratory investigation of 396 students from one of the private universities within Nairobi, Kenya, which aimed at understanding the prevalence of cyberbullying. The study findings revealed that the highest form of victimization was through the act of deception, in which 75.8% of the respondents indicated someone had lied to them electronically. On the other hand, the highest form of perpetration of cyberbullying was through malice, in which 49.7% of the respondents reported sending a rude message to someone electronically. Further, more male students were more likely to commit acts of cyberbullying compared to their female counterparts. This study confirms the existence of cyberbullying within institutions of higher learning in Kenya, with the possibility of generalizability to other developing economies. The level of prevalence reported in this study appears slightly high in comparison to a majority of the findings from the developed economies. Consequently, we submit that it is imperative that educational systems in Africa and other developing economies put in frameworks to deal with the emerging reality of cyberbullying within institutions of higher learning. Such frameworks should facilitate the implementation of useful strategies to help victims of cyberbullying, and at the same, time offer deterrents to the perpetration of cyberbullying

Anterior Transfer of Tibialis Posterior through the Interosseous Membranes in Post Injection Drop Foot: The Expirence at CORU

Post injection foot drop constitutes 7.6% of paediatric orthopaedic pathology seen in our unit. It commonly results from intragluteal injection with quinine in the treatment of malaria. The patients present with equinus or equinovarus foot deformity. Because of abnormal weight bearing, the deformity usually worsened with age. Anterior transfer of the tibialis posterior to the dorsum of the foot through the interosseous membrane has been described before and results reported. The tendon is either transfixed by tenodesis to the cuneiform or cuboids. In our series the latter method was used. This is a follow up of 30 patients who had surgeries at least 18 months after the injection and muscles power of the tendon transferred ranged from 3 to 5. We used three incisions of approximately 4cm each instead of four. Postoperative plaster of Paris cast for 6 weeks and ankle foot orthosis were used. We evaluated for correction and ability of the transferred tendon to actively dorsiflex at the ankle joint. Nineteen patients had good results 8 fair and 3 poor there was no neurovascular deficit. The purpose of this paper is to outline our outcome and technique of anterior transfer of the tibialis posterior through the interosseous membrane

The Effect of Land use/cover change on Biomass Stock in Dryland Areas of Eastern Uganda. A case study of Olio Sub-county in Soroti District

Drylands occupy 44% of Uganda’s land surface and provide livelihood to a cross-section of both rural and urban folks. However in the face of population pressure, drylands are increasingly in the path of conversion and degradation. This study therefore, performed an assessment of the effect of land use/cover change on biomass stock in olio sub-county from 1973 to 2001. A series of systematically corrected Orthorectified Landsat imageries of 1973, 1986 and 2001 obtained from the Landsat website were used. The images were analysed using  unsupervised approach in Integrated Land and Water Information System version 3.3 and validated using field observations and historic memories of village elders. Findings indicate that land use/cover change is driven by small-scale farming. Between 1973-1986 significant declines were identified among small-scale farming (23.2%), grasslands (8.7%) and large scale-farming (9.9%). Further, declines were also registered between 1986-2001 in Bushland (12.1%), woodlands (13.9%) and wetlands (8.2%) while dramatic gains were registered in small-scale farming by 19.4%. These declines led to losses in the available biomass stock by 2001 within bushlands, wetlands and woodlands loosing 29.1 million tons, 669.1 metric tons and 87.3 million tons respectively. We conclude that small-scale farming by resource poor farmers is rapidly transforming the vegetation landscape. Therefore, there is need for increased use of remote sensing and GIS to quantify change patterns at local scales for essential monitoring and assessment of land use and or/cover change effects and human interference on the landscape. @JASEMJ. Appl. Sci. Environ. Manage. December, 2010, Vol. 14 (4) 101 - 10

Human IgG subclass antibodies to the 19 kilodalton carboxy terminal fragment of Plasmodium Falciparum merozoite surface protein 1 (MSP119) and predominance of the MAD20 allelic type of MSP1 in Uganda

Objective: To determine the natural human humoral immune responses to the 19 kilodalton carboxy terminal fragment of Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface protein 1 (MSP119), a malaria candidate vaccine antigen and to determine the prevalence of MAD20 and K1 alleles of P. falciparum MSP1.Design: Community based cross-sectional study.Setting: Atopi Parish, Apac District, Uganda, 1995.Subjects: Three hundred and seventy four Ugandans betwee

ANALYSIS OF HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER RATES OF HYDROMAGNETIC TURBULENT FLUID FLOW OVER AN IMMERSED INFINITE HORIZONTAL CYLINDER WITH HALL CURRENT

A mathematical model of hydromagnetic turbulent boundary layer fluid flow past a horizontal infinite cylinder with Hall current is considered. The cylinder is placed in cross flow with the fluid. The fluid flow is impulsively started and the flow problem is subsequently analysed. The flow is modeled using the momentum, energy and concentration conservation equations. The Reynolds stresses arising due to turbulence in the conservation equations are resolved using Prandtl mixing length hypothesis. The equations are then solved by a finite difference method. The effects of flow parameters on the primary velocity, secondary velocity, temperature and concentration profiles are investigated. It is found that velocity profiles increase with increase in Hall parameter and temperature and concentration profiles increase with increase in magnetic parameter. Key words: Turbulent flow, Hall current, cylinder, hydromagnetic, convection, finite differenc