Evaluation of the precision and accuracy of the lignin ratio and fecal indices to estimate intake and digestibility of lactating beef females allowed an array of forage types

Thirty-five in vivo digestion determinations over one grazing season (from June to September) with three year old, spring-calving cows were made on fresh red clover, orchardgrass-white clover, fescue, N-fertilized fescue, bermudagrass, and bermudagrass-white clover harvested at various maturities to obtain an array of dry matter digestibility (DMD). Fecal samples were analyzed for proximate analysis, detergent fiber fractions and selected minerals, N of fiber fractions, and AIA. Acid soluble ash, NFE, and microbial-N were calculated. Samples were dry-sieved after grinding through a 1 IMM screen and percent finers for 1 MM, .5 MM, .25 MM screens, and smaller than .25 MM particles (MFIMM, MF5MM, MF25MM, MFBOTTOM) calculated. Plots of fecal components against DM intake, DM digestibility, fecal DM output, and digestible DM intake were examined for linearity. Simple linear correlations were used in determining relationships among feed components, intake and digestibility variables. Regression procedures were then used to determine the relationship of the measured variables (DMI, FOUT, DMD, AND DDMI) and counter parts calculated by the method of Holloway et al. (1983). The best method that predicted DM intake employed a regression procedure utilizing fecal output Ca, CF, and DM as independent variables (R2 = .49, RSD = 66 Kg d-1). The best method for predicting DM digestibility was a regression equation using the independent variables fecal DM output, Ca, DM, CF (R2 = .57, RSD = 3.7%). The best model predicting digestible DM intake was a regression equation using the independent variables final weight, cow condition score, Ca, CF (R2 = .46, RSD = .65 Kg d-1). None of the models evaluated was able to accurately predict fecal DM output. The R2 values obtained from some of the models evaluated indicate that those models could be used to adequately predict forage intake and digestibility of extensively grazing beef cows. Lucas test of ideal indicators was employed to test the variables used in the predictive equations. ADL, Ca, and N were found to be ideal internal indicators

Fertilizer Subsidy Programme in Ghana: Evidence of Performance after Six Years of Implementation

This study relied mainly on production data from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Ghana and FAOSTATS between 2007 and 2012. Comparative and relative analysis of secondary data on the annual evolution of fertilizer subsidy budgets with total crop production and area expansion trends were used to assess the usefulness or otherwise of the programme. Ghana’s fertilizer subsidy programme still seems to be ineffective almost six years after commencement. Since inception in 2008, a total of GH¢202.5 million has been invested. The evidence however suggests that little has been achieved by way of output growth that can be attributed to fertilizer use. Although the relationship between crop output and budget spending on subsidy was generally positive, it was not significant even at the 10% level, thus weakening the possible impact of the subsidy programme and corroborating claims that most of the recorded growth in agriculture is due to land area expansion as opposed to yield increases. This study alludes to the increasing interest that sustainability concerns must be factored into such subsidy programmes. There is therefore the need for government audit the current programme and fashion out better implementation strategies, possibly adopt the smart approach which has been shown to be more focused and result oriented. Keywords: Subsidy, smart subsidy, fertilizer, food crops, industrial crops, cereals, vegetables, sustainabilit

Evaluation of Cafeteria Diet in Experimental Animal with Plant Extract of Calotropis procera for Obesity Parameter

The function of obesity in an insulin-resistant syndrome associated with hyper insulinemia, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, atherosclerotic diseased illness is vital. Hunger, body weight and lipid profile investigations thus assess Calotropis procera extract in animal models. Adult Wister rats (180-240g) 8 were used in each experimental group. The impact of Cactus Kalahari on hunger, body weight and profile of lipids. (A) Control in weight, (B) obesity and CP+ obesity. Control obesity caused by material of cafeteria cuisine (CD). (CP was induced at (100 mg/kg/day po. for 50 days). Every 10 days, the food give, animal body weight, blood glucose, serum lipids level examined—serum and term tests for Liver Function and Renal Function Tests were checked. Our research has demonstrated that following obesity induction CP pretreatment and administration at 100mg/kg/day p<0.05) have resulted in substantial reductions in food consumption, increased body weight and improved lipid profile, liver enzyme and kidney function tests. Cafeteria food rats also showed considerable growth in body weight gain, famine, lipid profile, hepatic enzymes, and kidney function tests. When administered with a protein-rich food at the same time, the Kalahari extract prevented and reduced body weight gain and profile of lipid alterations in experimental induced obesity(fats) in rats

Wearable Near Infrared Spectroscopy for Noninvasive Assessment of Cerebral Oxygenation in Pediatric Sickle Cell Disease

About 1 out of every 13 African American infants are born with the Sickle Cell Trait. Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) has a profound effect on the brain due to chronic anemia and abnormal perfusion. Indeed, the risk of stroke is 300 times higher than the general population. Assessment of cerebral oxygenation in SCD is important to screen the risk of stroke and monitoring of therapeutic effects. To address this need, the technical solution that we propose is a photonic device using functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) that noninvasively measures oxyhemoglobin (oxy-Hb) and deoxyhemoglobin (deoxy-Hb) levels in the bloodstream. We have built our prototype fNIRS device that consists of an ESP-32 microcontroller with a built-in Digital to Analog and Analog to Digital converter channels (DAC and ADC), three Operational Amplifiers (two AD8655 and one OPA363), two LEDs for emitting light into the skin tissue, and a Photodiode for measuring the remitted light intensity. Oxy-Hb has a higher absorption rate at lower wavelengths, while deoxy-Hb has a higher absorption rate at higher wavelengths. Thus, we use 650 nm and 950nm wavelengths to accurately measure oxy-Hb and deoxy-Hb. Using the Beer-Lambert law, we can determine the changes in oxygenation between the two. We are currently conducting performance tests on a set of optical phantoms mimicking biological tissue optical properties. This bench-top verification demonstrates that our prototype can noninvasively track the changes of tissue oxygenation level and will be ready for further validation on human subjects in the future

A Study of Various Medicinal Plants used in Ulcer Treatment: A Review

Many people suffer from ulcer, a disorder of the digestive tract. Simply put, it\u27s an inflamed break in the skin or the mucus membrane lining the digestive tract. Whenever there is a change in the equilibrium, such as increased aggression or decreased mucosal resistance, ulceration develops. Reasons for this could include drug use, poor diet, stress, and other similar factors. Peptic ulcers are a general term for any type of stomach or duodenal ulcer. To develop, peptic ulcers need mucosal defences to be compromised in addition to gastric juice acid and peptic activity. Ulcers can be treated with a variety of synthetic medications. However, compared to herbal remedies, these drugs are more costly and more likely to cause side effects. According to the research, many different ayurvedic doctors and traditional medicine practitioners use different medicinal plants and polyherbal formulations to treat ulcers. Peptic ulcer disease treatment should focus on symptom alleviation, ulcer healing, and preventing recurrence. In this article, we\u27ll take a look at some medicinal plants that have been studied for their potential use in peptic ulcer treatment and prevention, both in ayurveda and Western medicine

Novel Sars-CoV-2 Variants & Therapeutic Effects

COVID-19 is a severe respiratory infection caused by coronavirus 2. (SARS-CoV-2). Even while SARS-CoV-2 predominantly affects the respiratory system, it can cause problems for other important organs as well. Multiple novel variations of concern have appeared since the beginning of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, including the Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351), Gamma (P.1), Delta (B.1.617.2), and Omicron (B.1.1.529), all of which are linked to increased transmissibility and severity. Both the newly discovered variants and the most recent innovative treatments for the treatment of COVID-19 are discussed in this work. Care for people with this disease is discussed, with an emphasis on the need of clinical interprofessional teams, government health organisations, and community involvement

The Ghanian economy: and Overview

The Ghanaian economy has been on an upward trajectory over the past three decades, yet a number of challenges bedevil growth, redistribution and sustainability. After 56 years of independence, the need for a formal academic and practitioner forum for engaging minds on the past, present and future state of the economy has been lurking in the background. The birth of the Ghanaian Journal of Economics is a response to this urgent quest, providing a platform for cutting edge research on the Ghanaian economy and similar other economies to inform policy design and implementation. As the maiden issue, this review article seeks to retrace developments in the economy a few steps back to bring readers up to date on current state of research. The review is historical, and the scope is to synthesize the diverse developments in the Ghanaian economy within the confines of a relatively brief article. This article is thus not an exhaustive treatment of the topic, and it does not cover all the esoteric details of the Ghanaian economy. In the end, however, we hope to offer some perspectives on the literature for readers of the journal, investors, managers of the economy, regulators and academics while also providing a roadmap for future research endeavours

Lipid profile and cardiovascular risk indices of women on various types of contraceptives in the Ho Municipality of Ghana

Background: Hormonal contraceptives (HCs) have been successfully used worldwide to prevent pregnancy by inhibiting ovulation and implantation. These contraceptives have effects on lipid metabolism, body fat and blood pressure which are all risk factors for cardio vascular disease (CVD). Some studies have reported that prolonged use of these hormone-based contraceptives have negative effect on cardiovascular risk indices, however, few of such studies have been done in Ghana, hence this study sought to examine the effect of various forms of contraceptives on cardio vascular risk indices in the Volta Region of Ghana.Methods: Purposive random sampling was employed in selecting women on various forms of contraceptives and aged-matched controls into the study. Fasting blood sample was collected from each participant after overnight fast for 10-16 hours into plain tubes and the sera used to determine lipid profile. Socio-demographic and BMI variables were also analyzed in this case-control study.Results: Statistically significant differences were observed for Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP) (p=0.0153), High Density Lipoprotein levels (HDL) (p=0.001), and the atherogenic index (p=0.0101) between the cases and the controls.Conclusions: The use of HC significantly affects the DBP, HDL and atherogenic index and these could pose substantial risk for the development of CVD

Modelling of Radiological Health Risk in Water from Abstraction Well Close to a Hypothetical Radioactive Waste Repository in the Accra Plains

This study evaluated the integrity of the geosphere of the Accra Plains to host a radioactive waste disposal facility for Ghana’s radioactive waste materials. The study thus assessed the migration of radioactive contaminant from a hypothetical radioactive waste disposal facility through the geosphere to the biosphere in the Accra Plains. The Accra Plains is predominantly underlain by schist rocks, hence the hydrogeologic parameters of schist rock from literature were used as input data. AMBER software was used to develop a model to estimate the peak total annual effective dose from all the radionuclides at various receptor locations. The endpoint of interest was the dose received by a receptor for ingesting water from an abstraction well located at distance; 100 m, 200 m, 500 m, 1 km, 2 km, 3 km, 4 km and 5 km from the hypothetical repository. From the simulation, the annual effective dose values ranged from 2.07E-25 Sv/y to 6.45E-17 Sv/y which are all below the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) dose constraint of 0.3 mSv/y. The lifetime cancer risk for ingesting water from the abstraction wells were then calculated from the annual effective dose values. The resulting values ranged from 1.06E-24 to 3.30E-16 thus indicating that the potential cancer risk for ingesting water from the abstraction wells located within 100 m to 5 km from the hypothetical disposal facility is negligible. The model results demonstrate that, siting a disposal facility in the study area might not pose any significant risk to the sprawling population and the environment

Evidence for integrating eye health into primary health care in Africa: a health systems strengthening approach

BACKGROUND: The impact of unmet eye care needs in sub-Saharan Africa is compounded by barriers to accessing eye care, limited engagement with communities, a shortage of appropriately skilled health personnel, and inadequate support from health systems. The renewed focus on primary health care has led to support for greater integration of eye health into national health systems. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate available evidence of integration of eye health into primary health care in sub-Saharan Africa from a health systems strengthening perspective. METHODS: A scoping review method was used to gather and assess information from published literature, reviews, WHO policy documents and examples of eye and health care interventions in sub-Saharan Africa. Findings were compiled using a health systems strengthening framework. RESULTS: Limited information is available about eye health from a health systems strengthening approach. Particular components of the health systems framework lacking evidence are service delivery, equipment and supplies, financing, leadership and governance. There is some information to support interventions to strengthen human resources at all levels, partnerships and community participation; but little evidence showing their successful application to improve quality of care and access to comprehensive eye health services at the primary health level, and referral to other levels for specialist eye care. CONCLUSION: Evidence of integration of eye health into primary health care is currently weak, particularly when applying a health systems framework. A realignment of eye health in the primary health care agenda will require context specific planning and a holistic approach, with careful attention to each of the health system components and to the public health system as a whole. Documentation and evaluation of existing projects are required, as are pilot projects of systematic approaches to interventions and application of best practices. Multi-national research may provide guidance about how to scale up eye health interventions that are integrated into primary health systems