Habitat selection and diet of native ungulates in an ongoing tallgrass prairie reconstruction effort

Although fire is often incorporated into tallgrass prairie reconstructions, grazing by large, native herbivores typically is not. Little is known about how native grazers interact with plant communities during the reconstruction process, i.e. selection of plant communities in different stages of reconstruction, representation of exotic plant species in the diet, and the effect of abiotic features on habitat selection. We conducted a two-year (2006-07) diet and habitat selection study on reintroduced populations of elk (Cervus elaphus) and bison (Bos bison) at the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge near Prairie City, Iowa. This observational study included intensive surveys of native ungulate group locations throughout the summer seasons, estimation of percent cover of plant species in habitat patches, and collection of fecal samples for diet analysis. Bison and elk use of the reconstructed tallgrass prairie habitat was spatially nonrandom. Available cover, i.e. trees and reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea) patches, and farthest distance to fence influenced use of space by elk. Bison segregated into a bull group consisting of older bulls and a mixed sex/age group that included cows, yearlings, calves, and young bulls. The bison bull group appeared to avoid recently burned areas and selected for areas with a high grass:forb ratio and west-facing slopes. The mixed sex/age group was strongly attracted to the most recently burned patches and areas with a higher proportion of native plants. Bison diets consisted of \u3e90% graminoids and elk used mostly forbs, \u3e65%. Bison did not consume significantly different proportions of native species compared to exotic species, but elk diets consisted of \u3e 80% exotic species in this ongoing tallgrass prairie reconstruction. Findings from this study illustrate the interactions of reconstruction activities and native grazers during the tallgrass prairie reconstruction process and should aid in future management plans in this greatly reduced ecosystem

Training programs in sustainable agriculture for postharvest loss minimization and storage: a case sudy in Ethiopia

The purpose of this study was to use a series of adult educational programs conducted in a developing country as a case study of adult extension education. The specific objectives were to describe an adult education program in sustainable agriculture in a selected country in Africa, identify problems and develop an improved adult agricultural education program model for the delivery of the technical information.;Training programs on postharvest loss minimization and storage were conducted in Ethiopia from 1999 to 2003. This program was a part of a five-year program by Agricultural Cooperative Development International and Volunteer Overseas Cooperative Agency (ACDI/VOCA) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to develop agricultural cooperatives in Ethiopia. The program was administered to cooperative managers and promoters with the purpose of enhancing capacity and improving skills in postharvest loss minimization and storage. Participants were asked to share information regarding their experiences in postharvest loss minimization and storage that was used in this case study.;The study revealed major problems in postharvest losses and storage. Information and knowledge for postharvest loss minimization and storage did not reach most farmers. Participants acknowledged the many barriers that blocked flow of information for the grassroots farmers. Poverty, limited knowledge, infrastructure, poor government policies, drought and starvation were limiting factors to the adoption of postharvest loss minimization and storage.;Participants recognized need for educational programs for technical information for postharvest loss minimization and storage. Sources of information from schools, colleges, on-farm demonstrations, field days, seminars, workshops and visits to successful cooperatives were most useful strategies in agricultural education programs. A multidisciplinary team of experts need to work together in order to achieve a goal of postharvest loss minimization and storage. Needs assessments to be conducted working as a team of experts and farmers. The multidisciplinary team of experts could train cooperative managers, promoters and extension agents through formal and non-formal educational programs such as workshops, seminars and in-house training programs. Participants would then train cooperative workers and farmer leaders who would train farmers at the grassroots

Influence of seed bank augmentation on performance of metolachlor

It is well established that pre-emergence herbicide activity is influenced by soil type, and recommended rates for most herbicides are adjusted to soil type. Current technology allows application rates to be adjusted on-the-go (VRA), adjusting the rate as soil type changes in a field. Most applicators offering this service base herbicide rates on soil organic matter content. However, several other factors influence herbicide activity, most importantly weed density and environment. This research is to determine which of these factors is most important in determining the optimum herbicide rate, and the economic benefit of VRA to the grower. The objective of this study is to determine the relative contribution of soil type and weed density on herbicide effectiveness. Experimental areas were selected based on differing soil types and environmental factors. The experiment was established as a split plot design in which micro-plots were established within main plots. Each micro-plot received different levels of giant foxtail seeds. Herbicide treatments were the main plot, with foxtail seed inputs as the split plot. Foxtail seeds populations and biomass in the augmented micro-plots were significantly higher than micro-plots with the native populations. Increasing foxtail seed banks caused higher populations and biomass across all metolachlor treatments, while lower level seed banks maintained lower weed densities and biomass. In the larger seed banks, herbicide efficacy was influenced by foxtail seed input in all rates. A full rate of herbicide provided a higher efficacy than the lower rates and control. Therefore, an increase in foxtail seed bank had a negative effect on herbicide efficacy. An increase in herbicide rate could not overcome the effect of higher foxtail populations. In smaller seed banks, the herbicide was able to overcome giant foxtail populations at higher rates. Reduced efficacy could be explained by increased diversity within the weed population or a dilution of the herbicide by the increase in weed population. Greater diversity would increase resistance or tolerance, extension of period of emergence and the likelihood of weeds being in areas where they might not be contacted by herbicides. Increasing weed population could result in higher weed density that plants might not absorb lethal amounts of herbicide. It is documented that increasing weed density resulted in a decrease in herbicide activity (Winkle et al., 1981)

Serving a new community: A sustaining model of international service-learning

The College of Family and Consumer Sciences at Iowa State University (ISU) pioneered service-learning in ISU study abroad programs serving a new community-a developing country. In concert with our philosophy of empowering individuals, strengthening families, and enabling communities and with Rotary International motto, service above self, a global partnership was forged among American and Kenyan Rotary clubs, universities, and Rotaract (collegiate Rotary)

Unintended consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa

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Health Risks Associated with Occupational Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution in Commercial Drivers: a Systematic Review

Introduction: Ambient air pollution is major global health problem and commercial drivers are particularly exposed to it. No systematic assessment of the health risks associated with occupational exposure to ambient air pollution in this population has been carried out. Methods: We conducted a systematic review using a protocol-driven strategy. Papers published from inception to 20th April 2018 in MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, African journals online, Cochrane library, ISRCTN and WHO ICTRP databases were screened for inclusion by two independent reviewers. Original articles with at least an available abstract in English or French were included. Results: The initial search retrieved 1454 published articles of which 20 articles were included. 3 Studies reported a significant difference in white blood cells (106/L) among commercial motorcyclists compared to rural inhabitants (5.041±1.209 vs 5.900±1.213,p=0.001), an increased risk of lung cancer (RR=1.6, 95%CI 1.5-1.8) in bus drivers and an increased standardized mortality ratio (SMR) in bus drivers from Hodgkin’s lymphoma (SMR 2.17, 95%CI 1.19-3.87) compared to white collar workers. Other studies also found that drivers had more oxidative DNA damage and chromosome breaks. 4 papers failed to demonstrate that the drivers were more exposed to air pollution than the controls. 3 other studies also reported no significant difference in lung function parameters and respiratory symptoms. The genetic polymorphisms of detoxifying enzymes were not also homogeneously distributed compared to the controls. Conclusion: There is some evidence that occupational exposure to ambient air pollution among commercial drivers is associated with adverse health outcomes but the existing literature is limited with few studies of small sample size, methodological weaknesses and contradictory findings. Further research is recommended

Point of care ultrasound in acutely breathless patients-A qualitative study of the enablers and challenges in a teaching hospital in Kenya

OBJECTIVES: Acute breathlessness is a common and distressing symptom experienced by patients presenting to the emergency department (ED). Adoption of clinician-performed bedside ultrasound could promote accurate, early diagnosis and treatment to acutely breathless patients. This may be particularly pertinent in low resource settings with limited human resources and lack of access to advanced (gold standard) diagnostic testing. The aim of the study was to explore the experience of point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS) users in the emergency department, and to understand the facilitators and constraints of PoCUS incorporation into patient investigation pathways. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was an exploratory qualitative study. Data collection entailed key informant interviews using a semi-structured interview guide between September 2019 and February 2020. Participants were purposively sampled according to role and responsibility in the acute care system at Kenyatta National Hospital, including front-line health practitioners and mid-level clinical hospital managers. Data collection proceeded until no new concepts emerged (thematic saturation). The analytical framework method was used for the thematic analysis of interview transcripts. RESULTS: At individual level, the lack of training on the use of PoCUS, as well as fears and beliefs impacted on capability and motivation of the clinicians to perform PoCUS for clinical diagnosis. Hospital level influencers such as hospital norms, workloads, and staffing influenced the use of PoCUS by impacting on the clinician’s capability, motivation, and opportunity. General health system influencers such as relationships and power dynamics between clinical specialties and key stakeholders, and the lack of policy and practice guidelines challenged the uptake of the bedside ultrasound by the clinicians. CONCLUSION: Lack of PoCUS training for clinicians, limited resources and a fragmented health system structure impacted the clinician’s capability, motivation, and opportunity in performing PoCUS in diagnostics. PoCUS for diagnosis of acute breathlessness requires: (1) Well-maintained and accessible equipment; (2) highly trained individuals with time to perform the examination with access to ongoing support for the operators; and (3) finally, researchers must more accurately identify the optimal scope of ultrasound examination, the diagnostic benefits, and the opportunity costs. All three will be required to ensure patient’s benefit

Disaggregated Analysis: The Key to Understanding Wellbeing in Kenya in the Context of Food Price Volatility

This article provides a national?level picture of food security and wellbeing in Kenya, focusing on the situation before the 2008 food price crisis, and the period after 2008. The extent and impact of food price changes differ spatially, and households have different ways of trying to respond. The major food price shocks in 2008 and 2011 impacted negatively on wellbeing, but even after 2011 prices continued to rise in most areas. Seasonal price movements also have adverse effects for resource?poor households. Food price rises have a particularly negative impact on the poorest households. Urban slum dwellers are vulnerable given their dependence on market purchases to meet food needs, but most rural households also have high dependence on market purchases. Current social protection programmes are piecemeal and unreliable. The article concludes with proposals on more effective social protection approaches and agricultural programmes which can address problems linked to food price rises

COVID-19 in Africa: preparing for the storm

Dear Editor, The world is in the midst of a major public health emergency in the form of COVID-19. The pandemic, first noted in Wuhan, China, in December 2019 has since spread to nearly all countries of the world, with more than 3 million people testing positive for the virus, which has caused more than 200,000 deaths (as of 2 May 2020). The full impact of the pandemic remains unclear as the situation continues to evolve