Making climate information useable for forest-based climate change interventions in South Africa

Understanding knowledge systems, that is the combination of agents, practices, and institutions that organize the production, transfer, and use of knowledge and their role in making climate information useable for forest-based climate responses, is critical for building resilience to climate change. This study used the concept of a knowledge system to examine how organizational collaboration, in the processes of forecast translation, influences the production of useable information in forest-based climate change interventions in South Africa. Twenty-two key informant interviews were conducted with actors in the fields of climate change and forestry. Results reveal that carbon sequestration and landscape management are the dominant forest-based climate interventions. Consequently, the information translated from the forecasts is tailored towards facilitating the implementation of these two interventions. Network analysis reveals that actors in the categories of small-scale forest companies and community-based enterprises are less integrated into the process of information production. A concerted effort towards the meaningful integration of all categories of actors in the process of information production, as well as the production of information that encourages the implementation of other types of forest-based climate change interventions such as forest bioenergy, is thus recommended

Kenaf Fibre-RHA Biocomposite: A ‘Green’ Substitute to Asbestos in Sustainable Eco-Construction

With the damaging impact of asbestos to health and the environment, search for substitutes with equal or better properties have led to trials involving select bio materials. This work presents the result of combinatory use of bast and core fibers from local cultivar of Kenaf plant as reinforcement and Rice Husk Ash (RHA) as asbestos substitute in the production of insulation material. The fibers were used at varied blend ratios with rice husk ash as partial substitute Portland cement binder material. The strength of material test results showed the products to have the same (tensile strength greater than 262.31 MPa, Young’s modulus of not less than 22.94 and failure strain (%) of 2.62 and above) for samples of same dimensions as conventional sheets. Friedman statistical analysis showed that an increase or addition of the Kenaf core enhances the compact nature and consequent strength of the material. This substitution with Kenaf fiber and RHA embraces four out of the five key areas of sustainable human and environmental health target: sustainable site, energy efficiency, material selection and indoor environmental quality. Kenaf plant serves as a good carbon sink source with consequent environmental detoxification

Post-treatment of the permeate of a submerged anaerobic membrane bioreactor (SAMBR) treating landfill leachate

In this study, various methods were compared to reduce the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) content of stabilised leachate from a Submerged Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor (SAMBR). It was found that Powdered Activated Carbon (PAC) resulted in greater COD removals (84%) than Granular Activated Carbon (GAC-80%), an ultrafiltration membrane of 1kDa (75%), coagulation-flocculation with FeCl3 and polyelectrolyte (45%), FeCl3 alone (32%), and polymeric adsorbents such as XAD7HP (46%) and XAD4 (32%). Results obtained on the <1 kDa fraction showed that PAC and GAC had a similar adsorption efficiency of about 60% COD removal, followed by XAD7HP (48%), XAD4 (27%) and then FeCl3 (23 %). The post-treatment sequence UF+GAC would result in a final effluent with less than 100 mg COD/L. Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC) revealed that the extent of adsorption of low MW compounds onto PAC was limited due to low MW hydrophilic compounds, whereas the kinetics of PAC adsorption depended mainly on the adsorption of high MW aromatics

The Impact of Knowledge Management on Product Innovation of Manufacturing Firms in Nigeria

This study investigated the impact of knowledge Management on Product Innovation of Manufacturing firms in Nigeria. A sample size of 95 was determined from a population of 125 employees selected from 5 manufacturing firms in Port Harcourt. 70 copies of the questionnaire were appropriately filled and data was analyzed using Standard Multiple Regression with the aid of SPSS version 21. The findings showed that all the dimensions of Knowledge Management influenced Product Innovation of the firms. However, it was revealed that knowledge acquisition has the most impact on product innovation. It was therefore recommended that management of these firms should take practical steps to acquire the right blend of knowledge workers so as to enhance efficiency of their production through innovativeness. Likewise, the recruitment process of potential employees should be based on competence and credibility of the candidates. Keywords: Knowledge Management, Product Innovation, Knowledge Acquisition, Knowledge Conversion, Knowledge Application

Dual sensory impairment in special schools in South-Eastern Nigeria.

In a cross-sectional study to determine the magnitude of dual sensory impairment (DSI-combined hearing and vision loss) in children in single-disability special education schools, children in schools for the blind and schools for the deaf in four states in South-East Nigeria were examined by an ophthalmologist and otorhinolaryngologist to determine the level of their disability and to identify other disabilities if any. Participants were all students with childhood blindness or childhood deafness. The magnitude and causes of DSI and the burden of undetected DSI were the main outcome measures. A total of 273 students were examined. About 7% of these students had DSI out of which over 60% (12/19) was previously undetected. There was more DSI in the blind schools than in the deaf schools (p=0.003). There is a large burden of undetected DSI in children in special schools in Nigeria. There is a need to create awareness of this problem and advocate appropriate screening, rehabilitative and educational strategies for children who have it

Microbiological profile of chronic suppurative otits media among HIV infected children in South Eastern Nigeria

Background: Immune compromised HIV/AIDS infected children have consistently shown a higher prevalence of chronic suppurative otitis media than their immune competent counterparts.This study aimed to compare the microbial isolates from ear discharges in HIV infected and non infected childrenMethod: This was a Hospital based prospective cohort study designed to determine the relative prevalence of the common organisms present in chronically discharging ears of HIV infected children and their antimicrobial sensitivities and compare that of age and sex matched non HIV infected children. Fifty HIV infected children being followed up at the paediatric HIV clinic of a tertiary health facility, had ear swabs obtained for culture and antimicrobial sensitivity.The same was done for another cohort of fifty age and sex matched non HIV infected children.Results: The mean age of the study population and controls were 6years 11months (SD 0.96) and 7years 11 months (SD 1.00) respectively.Male to female ratio for each group was 1:1.Ear discharge was bilateral in 27(54%) HIV infected children and in 35(70%) of the controls.The most prevalent bacterial isolate in both groups was Pseudomonas aeruginosa though it was more prevalent in HIV infected children(P=0.005). Fungal isolates were commoner in non HIV infected children(P=0.001).Ninety percent sensitivity to the 4 Quinolones was recorded by isolates in HIV infected children while sensitivity to the Aminoglycosides was greater in non HIV infected childrenConclusion: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the predominant organism isolated from HIV infected children with chronic otitis media.Fungal isolates are less frequently encountered in ear discharges of HIV infected children. The 4 Quinolones are the drugs of choice in treatment of Chronic suppurative otitis media in HIV infected children.Keywords: Chronic suppurative otitis media;Bacteriology;HIV infection;Childre

High-Frequency Ultrasound Imaging of the Intestine in Normal Subjects and Patients with Intestinal Parasites

High-frequency ultrasound imaging was used to evaluate the intestinal walls of the duodenum and colon in patients with intestinal parasitic infections. Ultrasound images were obtained from 100 consecutive patients with symptomatic intestinal parasitic diseases and 40 healthy controls. High-frequency annular array transducer of 7.5 MHz was used to obtain B-mode ultrasound gray-scale and color images of the duodenum and colon with and without water contrast. The diagnosis of parasitic infections was based on clinical presentation, serial stool microscopy, and finding of parasites in duodenal aspirates. We demonstrated normal duodenum and colon echoanatomy in control subjects. In patients with giardiasis, the lesions of the duodenum and colon were associated with increased dimensions and wall thickness compared to healthy controls (p < 0.05). The ultrasound features of giardial lesions were characterized by increased wall echogenicity, flattening or loss of duodenal folds, and/or colonic haustration, hyperechoic floating foci demonstrating chaotic motility, increased perilesional tissue echogenicity, and altered colonic peristalsis. In amebic lesions there were hyperechoic floating foci with bulk motility. There is loss of wall thickness at amebic ulcer sites or wall thickening at amebic granuloma. Helminths were visualized as large hyperechoic linear or curvilinear foci with serpentine or jolting motility. In conclusion, high-frequency B-mode ultrasound imaging with water contrast demonstrated details of duodenal and colonic echoanatomy in normal subjects and patients with giardiasis

Global unmet needs in cardiac surgery

More than 6 billion people live outside industrialized countries and have insufficient access to cardiac surgery. Given the recently confirmed high prevailing mortality for rheumatic heart disease in many of these countries together with increasing numbers of patients needing interventions for lifestyle diseases due to an accelerating epidemiological transition, a significant need for cardiac surgery could be assumed. Yet, need estimates were largely based on extrapolated screening studies while true service levels remained unknown. A multi-author effort representing 16 high-, middle-, and low-income countries was undertaken to narrow the need assessment for cardiac surgery including rheumatic and lifestyle cardiac diseases as well as congenital heart disease on the basis of existing data deduction. Actual levels of cardiac surgery were determined in each of these countries on the basis of questionnaires, national databases, or annual reports of national societies. Need estimates range from 200 operations per million in low-income countries that are nonendemic for rheumatic heart disease to >1,000 operations per million in high-income countries representing the end of the epidemiological transition. Actually provided levels of cardiac surgery range from 0.5 per million in the assessed low- and lower-middle income countries (average 107 ± 113 per million; representing a population of 1.6 billion) to 500 in the upper-middle-income countries (average 270 ± 163 per million representing a population of 1.9 billion). By combining need estimates with the assessment of de facto provided levels of cardiac surgery, it emerged that a significant degree of underdelivery of often lifesaving open heart surgery does not only prevail in low-income countries but is also disturbingly high in middle-income countries