Communicating With the Audience in Mind

Agricultural communication is a very young discipline and its professionals are still defining their function. An important element that must guide us in our search for identity, however, is knowing who our primary audience really is. Is it the organizalions for which we work? Should we focus our attention on the farmers and agribusiness owners, many of whom are highly educated and have, for the most part, many ways of obtaining innovative informalion? Or should we more properly address the needs of those who are agriculturally illiterate, and whose main source of information about how agriculture affects their lives seems to be us, the agricultural communicators. This author argues that the poor masses out there must be our main audience and asks the question: Do we know how to reach them with the information they so vitally need

Early functional outcome of distal femoral fractures at Kenyatta National Hospital and Kikuyu Hospital

Background: Distal femoral fractures account for 4% to 7% of all femoral fractures. They cause considerable morbidity and mortality, especially in the elderly. Locally they occur mainly in the young socio-economically active age group; with the majority caused by automobile accidents. With increasing high energy lifestyles and increasing longevity, the incidence is projected to rise. Functional outcome of treatment of these injuries has however not been critically studied at Kenyatta National Hospital and PCEA Kikuyu Mission Hospital setup. Objective: To determine early functional outcome of operative treatment of distal femoral fractures.Design: Hospital based prospective study.Setting: Orthopaedics and trauma wards and fracture clinics at Kenyatta National Hospital and PCEA Kikuyu Mission Hospital.Patients and methods: Forty six patients were recruited by consecutive sampling after they underwent open reduction and internal fixation. They were followed up for a period of three months during which any complications were noted. At three months they were assessed for knee range of motion, pain, knee ligament stability, ability to walk and climb stairs and muscle strength. Femoro-tibial alignment was determined from a review of the AP and lateral radiographs of the knee. The hospital for specialized surgery knee score was then determined.Results: There were 18 females and 28 males all totalling to 46. Majority were in the age bracket 25-45 years (70.6%). The leading cause was RTA, followed by falls from a height. Thirty (65%) patients were treated using DCS, 11 (23.9%) with retrograde intramedullary nailing and 5 (10.9%) with 950-angle plate. Eighty nine percent had good to excellent functional outcome 12 weeks after surgery. One patient suffered periprosthetic fracture and poor function at 3 months. There was one patient who suffered superficial wound infection. Seventy eight percent had knee range of motion above 900 and 8.8% had below 600 of motion. One patient had no radiological union at 12 weeks.Conclusions: Following operative fixation, functional outcome was predominantly good or excellent. Knee stiffness was the leading complication. Young socio-economically active individuals formed the majority of those with these injuries, with a male: female ratio of 1.6:1 Road Traffic Accidents (RTA) was the leading cause.EAOJ; Vol. 7: September 201

Indicators of soil quality: a South-South development of a methdological guide for linking local and technical knowledge

The increasing attention paid to local soil knowledge results from a greater recognition that farmer knowledge can offer many insights into the sustainable management of tropical soils and that the integration of local and technical knowledge systems helps extension workers and scientists work more closely with farmers. A participatory approach and a methodological guide were developed to identify and classify local indicators of soil quality and relate them to technical soil parameters, and thus develop a common language between farmers, extension workers and scientists. This methodological guide was initially developed and used in Latin America and the Caribbean-LAC (Honduras, Nicaragua, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Dominican Republic), and was later improved during adaptation and use in eastern African (Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia) through a South–South exchange of expertise and experiences. The aim of the methodological guide is to constitute an initial step in the empowerment of local communities to develop a local soil quality monitoring and decision-making system for better management of soil resources. This approach uses consensus building to develop practical solutions to soil management constraints identified, as well as to monitor the impact of management strategies implemented to address these constraints. The particular focus on local and technical indicators of agroecosystem change is useful for providing farmers with early warnings about unobservable changes in soil properties before they lead to more serious and visible forms of soil degradation. The methodological approach presented here constitutes one tool to incorporate local demands and perceptions of soil management constraints as an essential input to relevant research for development activities. The participatory process followed was effective in facilitating farmer consensus; for example, about which soil related constraints were most important and what potential soil management options could be used. Development of local capacities for consensus building constitute a critical step prior to collective action by farming communities resulting in the adoption of integrated soil fertility management strategies at the farm and landscape scale

Sero-surveillance for IgG to SARS-CoV-2 at antenatal care clinics in three Kenyan referral hospitals: Repeated cross-sectional surveys 2020-21.

INTRODUCTION: The high proportion of SARS-CoV-2 infections that have remained undetected presents a challenge to tracking the progress of the pandemic and estimating the extent of population immunity. METHODS: We used residual blood samples from women attending antenatal care services at three hospitals in Kenya between August 2020 and October 2021and a validated IgG ELISA for SARS-Cov-2 spike protein and adjusted the results for assay sensitivity and specificity. We fitted a two-component mixture model as an alternative to the threshold analysis to estimate of the proportion of individuals with past SARS-CoV-2 infection. RESULTS: We estimated seroprevalence in 2,981 women; 706 in Nairobi, 567 in Busia and 1,708 in Kilifi. By October 2021, 13% of participants were vaccinated (at least one dose) in Nairobi, 2% in Busia. Adjusted seroprevalence rose in all sites; from 50% (95%CI 42-58) in August 2020, to 85% (95%CI 78-92) in October 2021 in Nairobi; from 31% (95%CI 25-37) in May 2021 to 71% (95%CI 64-77) in October 2021 in Busia; and from 1% (95% CI 0-3) in September 2020 to 63% (95% CI 56-69) in October 2021 in Kilifi. Mixture modelling, suggests adjusted cross-sectional prevalence estimates are underestimates; seroprevalence in October 2021 could be 74% in Busia and 72% in Kilifi. CONCLUSIONS: There has been substantial, unobserved transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Nairobi, Busia and Kilifi Counties. Due to the length of time since the beginning of the pandemic, repeated cross-sectional surveys are now difficult to interpret without the use of models to account for antibody waning

PERALIHAN HAK ATAS TANAH TANPA SERTIFIKAT (Studi Di Kecamatan Kertosono, Kabupaten Nganjuk )

ABSTRAK Agunda Ulfitia Saputri, NIM 17102163072, Peralihan Hak Atas Tanah Tanpa Sertifikt (Studi di Kecamatan Kertosono, Kabupaten Nganjuk), Jurusan Hukum Keluarga Islam, Fakultas Syariah dan Ilmu Hukum, IAIN Tulungagung, 2020, Pembimbing Hj. Indri Hadisiswati, S.H., M.Hum. Kata Kunci: Peralihan Hak, Sertifikat, Kajin Hukum Islam dan Hukum Positif Penelitian ini dilatarbelakangi oleh anggapan masyarakat bahwa dalam melakukan peralihan hak atas tanah dengan cara jual beli tanah itu tidak perlu menggunakan sertifikat maupun tanpa harus dilakukan dihadapan pejabat pembuat akta tanah. Hal ini yang menjadi alasan peneliti memfokuskan pada peralihan hak atas tanah dengan cara jual beli tanah yang tanpa sertifikat dan bagaimana menurut kajian hukum positif dan juga hukum islam, apakah masyarakat Kecamatan Kertosono dalam transaksi tanah ini sudah sesuai dengan ketentuan yang berlaku. Rumusan masalah dalam penelitian ini adalah: 1.) Bagaimana peralihan hak atas tanah tanpa sertifikat di Kecamatan Kertosono 2.) Bagaimana peralihan hak atas tanah tanpa sertifikat dalam perspektif hukum positif 3.) Bagaimana peralihan hak atas tanah tanpa sertifikat dalam perspektif hukum islam. Adapun tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah: 1.) Untuk mendeskripsikan peralihan hak atas tanah tanpa sertifikat di Kecamatan Kertosono 2.) Untuk menganalisis peralihan hak atas tanah tanpa sertifikat dalam perspektif hukum positif 3.) Untuk menganalisis peralihan hak atas tanah tanpa sertifikat dalam perspektif hukum islam. Metode penelitian yang digunakan peneliti adalah metode kualitatif dan jenis penelitian lapangan. Teknik pengumpulan data dalam penelitian ini berupa wawancara mendalam, observasi, dan dokumentasi. Sedangan teknik analisis data menggunakan metode deskriptif analisis dan penalaran induktif. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa: 1.) Dalam peraliham hak atas tanah yang berada di Kecamatan Kertosono masih dipengaruhi oleh hukum adat yang mana dalam proses jual belinya masih banyak yang menggunakan Petok D sebagai bukti kepemilikan dan dilakukan tanpa dihadapan pejabat pembuat akta tanah(PPAT) atau Camat PPAT 2.) Dalam hukum positif peralihan hak atas tanah tanpa sertifikat dalam hukum positif status kepemilikannya masih menggunakan petok D dan masih diakui sebagai bukti kepemilikan, hak atas tanah ini dianggap sah selain sertifikat dikarenakan strata masyarakat khususnya dipedesaan sehingga masih diberlakukan kearifan lokal dan asal usul desa 3) Menurut tinjauan hukum islam peralihan hak atas tanah melalui jual beli diperbolehkan, namun harus memenuhi rukun dan syaratnya. Yang mana tidak diperbolehkan menjual barang yang bukan milik kita sendiri. Sehingga dalam pelaksanaan jual beli tanah haruslah dibuktikan dengan bukti kepemilikan dan juga dianggap sah jika dilakukan sesuai dengan akad jual beli

Targeting of cell-free DNA by DNase I diminishes endothelial dysfunction and inflammation in a rat model of cardiopulmonary bypass

The use of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) results in the activation of leukocytes, release of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) and severe inflammation. We hypothesize that targeting of circulating cellfree DNA (cfDNA) by DNases might represent a feasible therapeutic strategy to limit CPB-associated side effects. Male Wistar rats (n = 24) underwent CPB with deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA) and were divided into 3 groups: control (group 1), one i.v. bolus DNase I before CPB start (group 2) and a second DNase I dose before reperfusion (group 3). We found a positive correlation between plasma cfDNA/NETs levels and compromised endothelial vasorelaxation after CPB. DNase I administration significantly diminished plasma cfDNA/NETs levels. Further, a dose-dependent improvement in endothelial function accompanied by significant reduction of circulating intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 was observed. Rats of group 3 had significantly reduced plasma IL-6 levels and downregulated expression of adhesion molecules resulting in impaired leukocyte extravasation and reduced MPO activity in lungs. Mechanistically, digestion of NETs by DNase I significantly diminished NETs-dependent upregulation of adhesion molecules in human endothelial cells. Altogether, systemic DNase / administration during CPB efficiently reduced cfDNA/NETs-mediated endothelial dysfunction and inflammation and might represents a promising therapeutic strategy for clinical practice