Contribution of Agricultural Extension to Insect Farming for Food and Nutritional Security among Smallholder Farmers in the Kenyan Lake Victoria Basin

The study intended to investigate the contribution of agricultural extension on edible insect farming for food and feed nutritional security among smallholder farmers of Siaya County in Kenya. There was no explicit study on the contribution of agricultural extension on insect farming as evidenced by the existing literature. Specifically, the study aimed at determining the influence of agricultural extension on the production of insects as food and feeds among smallholder farmers in the study area. In so doing, the study probed relevant questions to establish the role of agricultural extension in the promotion of insects for food. The study adopted a descriptive survey design since it allows for collection of large amounts of data from the target population. Both primary and secondary data was collected from the respondents which included small holder farmers, extension service providers and stakeholders in the insect food farming and value addition sectors. A sample size of 210 respondents from a population of 443 were interviewed using questionnaires. The data collected was analysed quantitatively using standard statistical packages to extract various  pieces of information namely household characteristics, insect food and feed technology within households, status of food and nutritional security, status of livelihoods and challenges to improvement of food and feed nutritional security and general livelihoods. The general outcome of the analysis indicated that extension service provision had influence on the production of insects among small holder farmers. The study generated crucial knowledge to various stakeholders and players in the agricultural sector, key among them being Governments and Non-Governmental agencies promoting new technologies to enhance food and nutritional security. Keywords: contribution of agricultural extension, insect farming for food and feeds, small holder farmer, value addition, adoption, nutrition security DOI: 10.7176/DCS/13-1-03 Publication date: January 31st 202

Contribution of Agricultural Extension to Promotion of Value Addition of Insects for Enhanced of Nutritional Security Among Smallholder Farmers

The study intended to investigate the contribution of agricultural extension on edible insect farming for food and feed nutritional security among smallholder farmers of Siaya County in Kenya. The study aimed at examining the role of agricultural extensions towards value addition of insects among smallholder farmers in the study area. In so doing, the study probed relevant questions to establish the role of agricultural extension in the promotion of insects for food, sought to identify factors determining adoption of insect farming and the role of agricultural extension in the value addition of insects among food and feed industry. The study adopted a descriptive survey design since it allows for collection of large amounts of data from the target population. Both primary and secondary data was collected from the respondents which included small holder farmers, extension service providers and stakeholders in the insect food farming and value addition sectors. A sample size of 210 respondents from a population of 443 were interviewed using questionnaires. Additional data was obtained from intermediary respondents through the use of interview guides.  Regression analysis was run to estimate the relationships between value addition as the dependent variable and mechanization of the insect farms, rearing methods, pest and disease management, breeding technologies, marketing, consumption and other forms of utilization, credit acquisition and management and finally climate change and its effects. The general outcome of the analysis indicated that extension service provision had influence on production, rate of adoption and value addition of insects among small holder farmers. The study has generated crucial knowledge to various stakeholders and players in the agricultural sector, key among them being Governments and Non-Governmental agencies promoting new technologies to enhance food and nutritional security. Keywords: contribution of agricultural extension, insect farming for food and feeds, small holder farmer, value addition, adoption, nutrition security DOI: 10.7176/DCS/13-1-04 Publication date: January 31st 202

MetaDIP: Accelerating Deep Image Prior with Meta Learning

Deep image prior (DIP) is a recently proposed technique for solving imaging inverse problems by fitting the reconstructed images to the output of an untrained convolutional neural network. Unlike pretrained feedforward neural networks, the same DIP can generalize to arbitrary inverse problems, from denoising to phase retrieval, while offering competitive performance at each task. The central disadvantage of DIP is that, while feedforward neural networks can reconstruct an image in a single pass, DIP must gradually update its weights over hundreds to thousands of iterations, at a significant computational cost. In this work we use meta-learning to massively accelerate DIP-based reconstructions. By learning a proper initialization for the DIP weights, we demonstrate a 10x improvement in runtimes across a range of inverse imaging tasks. Moreover, we demonstrate that a network trained to quickly reconstruct faces also generalizes to reconstructing natural image patches

The aged lymphoid tissue environment fails to support naive T cell homeostasis.

Aging is associated with a gradual loss of naive T cells and a reciprocal increase in the proportion of memory T cells. While reduced thymic output is important, age-dependent changes in factors supporting naive T cells homeostasis may also be involved. Indeed, we noted a dramatic decrease in the ability of aged mice to support survival and homeostatic proliferation of naive T cells. The defect was not due to a reduction in IL-7 expression, but from a combination of changes in the secondary lymphoid environment that impaired naive T cell entry and access to key survival factors. We observed an age-related shift in the expression of homing chemokines and structural deterioration of the stromal network in T cell zones. Treatment with IL-7/mAb complexes can restore naive T cell homeostatic proliferation in aged mice. Our data suggests that homeostatic mechanisms that support the naive T cell pool deteriorate with age.11128Ysciescopu

Design and performance testing of quantitative real time PCR assays for influenza A and B viral load measurement

Background: The antiviral effect of anti-influenza drugs such as zanamivir may be demonstrated in patients as an increased rate of decline in viral load over a time course of treatment as compared with placebo. Historically this was measured using plaque assays, or Culture Enhanced Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (CE-ELISA). Objectives: to develop and characterise real time quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays to measure influenza A and B viral load in clinical samples, that offer improvements over existing methods, in particular virus infectivity assays. Study design: The dynamic range and robustness were established for the real time qPCR assays along with stability of the assay components. Cross validation of the real time PCR assays with CE-ELISA was performed by parallel testing of both serial dilutions of three different subtypes of cultured virus and a panel of influenza positive throat swab specimens. Results: the assays were specific for influenza A and B and the dynamic ranges were at least seven logs. The assay variability was within acceptable limits but increased towards the lower limit of quantification, which was 3.33 log10 viral cDNA copies/ml of virus transport medium (ten viral RNA copies/PCR). The components of the assay were robust enough to withstand extended storage and several freeze–thawcycles. For the real time PCR assays the limit of quantification was equivalent to the virus infectivity cut off, which equates to a 93-fold increase in sensitivity. Conclusion: Well characterised real time PCR assays offer significant improvements over the existing methods for measuring the viral load of strains of influenza A and B in clinical specimens

Pubic Bone Osteomyelitis after Salvage High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound for Prostate Cancer

High-intensity focused ultrasound can be used for the primary treatment of prostate cancer and biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy or radiation. Complications of high-intensity focused ultrasound include urinary retention, urethral stenosis, stress incontinence, urinary tract infections, dysuria, impotence, and rarely, rectourethral or rectovesicular fistula. We describe a patient presenting with urinary retention, urinary tract infections and intermittent stress incontinence, later found to be associated with pubic bone osteomyelitis stemming from a prostatopubic fistula