Wellbeing and Resilience: A Grounded Theory Using a Trauma-Informed Lens for a Healing-Centered Peacebuilding

In many parts of the world, entire generations and nations live in chronic violence and have existed in survival mode for decades. The exposure to violence has long-lasting effects that are not well accounted for in conflict analysis, stabilization efforts, peacebuilding, and governance initiatives. Extreme exposure to violence, abuse, neglect, and marginalization negatively affects levels of resilience and the ability of affected nations to transition from war to peace. Symptoms associated with trauma in individuals influence all levels of society and aspects of governance and security when large segments of a population are affected. There are three mainstream responses: the mental health approach, the psychosocial approach, and the “ignore it” approach. The study used Grounded Theory methodology within an action research framework to develop a new approach. The new approach gives a name to an approach not uncommon among peacebuilders dealing with the impacts of violence and trauma. A healing-centered peacebuilding approach refers to ways in which leaders, programs, and organizations mitigate the impact of chronic violence, bringing trauma awareness, knowledge, and skills into their organizational cultures, practices, and policies. A healing-centered peacebuilding approach requires fundamental changes in how systems are designed, organizations function, and practitioners engage with people, their communities, and their institutions. Key elements of the practice-based approach from the research included Inclusion, Customization, and Contextualization, Breaking Cycles of Violence, Systems Thinking, and Trauma-Informed Tools. A healing-centered peacebuilding approach considers mental distress to be a critical variable in violent conflict and instability. Trauma is not only a consequence of violence but also a cause of instability

Utilisation potentials of Conorandus panados (Mnizee) fruits and seeds

The fruit and seed of Conorandus panados were analysed to determine its potentiality. Results obtained showed that the fruit has higher concentration of mineral elements and vitamin than common fruits like guava, wild Cassipourea congoensis and Nuclea latifolia found in the studied area. The mineral elements, vitamin and proximate composition of the seeds of C. panados are higher than those of Deterium microcarpum, Balanites aegytiaca and Gemlina arboea. The physico-chemical characteristics of the oil are within the range of physicochemical characteristics of many edible oils like cottonseed, groundnut and corn oils. Deterioration results indicate that the shelf-life of the seed oil of C. panados may be 196 days, as against 84 days for Adasonia digitata and 96 days for Prosopsis africana used in the preparation of local condiments for flavouring dishes in Michika, Adamawa State and Hausa States in Nigeria. These suggest that the overall daily intake of the fruits and seeds could provide vitamin, mineral elements and proximate compositions better than C. congoensis, N. latifolia, D. microcarpum, B. aegytiaca, and G. arboea, subject to knowledge of the levels of the possible toxic substances. Also, the oil or the products of the oil would have longer shelf-life than those of A. digitata and P. Africana. Keywords: Wild, seed oil, shelf-life, physico-chemical characteristics, antinutritional, deteriorationInternational Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences Vol. 2 (4) 2008: pp. 439-44

A Five Year Review OF API20E Bacteria Identification System’s Performance at a Teaching Hospital

Objectives: To assess the performance of the API20E bacteria  identification system at a teaching hospital in Kenya.Design: Retrospective study.Setting: The microbiology laboratoryoratory of the Aga Khan University teaching Hospital.Subjects: One thousand six hundred and fifty eight API20E records.Main outcome measures: The accuracy in identifying the bacteria species.Results: One thousand four hundred and forty two (87.6%) isolates had the exact identity, 199 (12%) nearest identity, and seven (0.4%) no identity. The performance varied among the species; Acinetobacter baumanii had 140 (99.3%) isolates with the exact identity and only one (0.7%) with the nearest identity compared with Aeromonas hydrophila which had five (17.2%) with exact and 24 (82.8%) with nearest.Conclusions: The API20E system is a robust bacteria identification method which can serve small and medium clinical microbiology laboratoryoratories that may not afford automated systems. Adhering to the manufacturer’s instructions and good laboratoryoratory practice can improve the  performance of this method

Comparative effects of dexamethasone on placental and foetal organ weights and some linear body measurements in Yankasa sheep and Sahel goats

Dexamethasone is a potent synthetic glucocorticoid use in veterinary and human medicine. However, it causes intra uterine growth restriction (IUGR) and decreases birth weights in some animal species and humans, although each species respond differently. This study investigated the effects of dexamethasone on placental weights and some foetal parameters in Yankasa sheep and Sahel goats with known average gestational length of 148.35 ± 1.50 days and 148.33 ± 1.58 days respectively. Ten adult Sahel goats comprising 8 does and 2 bucks and 10 Yankasa Sheep comprising of 8 ewes and 2 rams were used for this study. Pregnancies were achieved by natural mating after synchronization. Repeated dexamethasone injections were intramuscularly given at 0.25mg/kg body weight on days 1, 3 and 5 during first trimester and days 51, 53 and 55 during second trimester. Foetuses were harvested at day 78 of gestation all through Caesarean section. Foetal weights, crown-rump lengths (CRL), height at withers, heart girth, abdominal circumference, weights of adrenal glands and placental weight were evaluated. Specimens from placentas and adrenal glands were collected for histological analysis. Results showed that the mean placental weights, placental efficiency and foetal body weights were significantly (P<0.05) decreased in dexamethasone treated sheep and goats compared to controls. There was no significant change in foetal adrenal glands and linear body measurements between dexamethasone treatment and control groups in both species except crown-rump lengths (CRL) which was significantly (P<0.05) reduced in Sheep foetuses. It was concluded that dexamethasone caused significant decrease in placental weights and placenta efficiency and hence placental- maternal- foetal transport of nutrient materials in both species and also caused decrease in foetal crown-rump-lengths in sheep but not in goats. This suggests that dexamethasone has some teratogenic effects and that Sheep are more susceptible to dexamethasone treatment compared to goats.Keywords: Dexamethasone, Foetuses, Placenta, Pregnancies, Sahel goats, Yankasa shee

Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis as a tool to extract fishing footprints and estimate fishing pressure: application to small scale coastal fisheries and implications for management in the context of the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive

In the context of the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive and with the intention of contributing to the implementation of a future maritime spatial plan, it was decided to analyze data from the small scale coastal fisheries sector of Greece and estimate the actual extent of its activities, which is largely unknown to date. To this end we identified the most influential components affecting coastal fishing: fishing capacity, bathymetry, distance from coast, Sea Surface Chlorophyll (Chl-a) concentration, legislation, marine traffic activity, trawlers and purse seiners fishing effort and no-take zones. By means of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) conducted through a stepwise procedure, the potential fishing footprint with the corresponding fishing intensity was derived. The method provides an innovative and cost-effective way to assess the impact of the, notoriously hard to assess, coastal fleet. It was further considered how the inclusion of all relevant anthropogenic activities (besides fishing) could provide the background needed to plan future marine activities in the framework of Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) and form the basis for a more realistic management approach