Choices and Preferences of Vermont Master Gardeners - Do Socio-Demographics Matter?

ABSTRACT This study was designed to characterize the choices, preferences and motivations of fruit and vegetable gardeners in Vermont, and to determine whether socio-demographic characteristics affect some of these choices, preferences and motivations. Using a survey of Vermont Extension Master Gardeners (EMGs), data were gathered over a 3-year period (2011-2013). The findings show most EMGs (\u3e90%) garden in private home gardens, and the most popular vegetables grown were tomatoes, herbs, and salad greens. Beans, cucumbers and peppers sere also popular and among fruits, blueberries, apples, raspberries and strawberries were grown by over 40% of EMGs. Approximately 10% of EMG gardeners who had vegetable/herb gardens did not grow any fruit or berries, and EMGs who did not garden at all (10%) cited lack of gardening space and time as their main constraints. Vermont EMGs are concentrated around urban centers, however, their distribution is approximately proportional to the general population across the state. By age, over 40% are in their 50s, and in over 60% of households, females are make most of the gardening decisions and do most of the gardening work. Over 70% of the Vermont EMGs are college-educated, and live in households with incomes above $50,000. The most important motivations for gardening were ‘Having a Taste of Homegrown Fresh’ produce (ratings above 4.5/5) and ‘Fun/Relaxation/Hobby.’ Gardeners considered ‘Food Safety’ and ‘Environmental Concerns’ as important, while ‘Saving Money’ was not rated as highly as a motivation. EMGs prefer local plants and products and prefer to buy at local garden centers/supply stores. Over 70% rely on ‘Books,’ the ‘Internet,’ ‘Extension,’ ‘Friends’ and ‘Print Articles’ for gardening information, while videos and television are relied on by less than 10% of EMGs. In all regression models estimated, demographic characteristics (age, education, gender of the gardening decision-maker, and annual household income) were found to have limited explanatory power (R2 ≤ 0.1) on EMGs’ decision to garden, or the choice/motivation for where to purchase plants and gardening supplies. This finding suggests that Vermont EMGs may be an environmentally significant group whose motivations, preferences and choices might be better explained by their attitudinal and value norms rather than socio-demographic characteristics. This finding suggest that future research and educational programs should be designed and delivered according to these characteristics rather than the commonly used demographic ones

Factors associated with bacterial contamination of shallow well water sources. Case Study of Juja hostels Kiambu County

The use of water from polluted water sources poses numerous public health challenges in developing countries. The ultimate purpose of any solid and liquid waste management plan is to mitigate environmental pollution; these goals become unachievable in the absence of a participatory approach to integrated waste management. This study sought to determine the extent of underground pollution of groundwater sources in Juja Town. Sanitary inspection and water quality analysis are complementary and valuable tools for characterizing and protecting water safety. The quality of the shallow wells is of great importance because it is used for consumption in Juja hostels. A two-stage cluster sampling strategy was adopted to obtain a representative sample size. Data collection involved the administration of questionnaires and field observation checklists, and E. coli levels present in the water were determined by the number of positive tubes in the table of computation of most probable number (MPN). Results showed that the predominant types of waste disposal practices observed in Juja were septic tank systems (77%) for liquid waste and private collection (87.3%) for solid waste methods. Sixty-eight per cent of the water samples were found to be positive (they exceeded the WHO (2004) maximum permissible load of 0.01/100 ml for drinking water. Three sanitary risk factors had a statistically significant effect on the dependent variable: the distance of the septic tank from the well on the level of water contamination (0.016), the liquid waste management plan (0.039), and the fitness of the water well cover on the level of water contamination (0.024). Shallow well water sources are unsuitable for use in food processing and drinking due to the presence of E. coli bacteria. The consequences of consuming contaminated water can be expensive to treat. Water from wells in Juja is contaminated with E. coli levels ranging from <3 - >1000 MPN/g, indicating fecal contamination in the area's underground water sources

Potential use of rhizobial bacteria as promoters of plant growth for increased yield in landraces of African cereal crops

Rhizobia form root nodules that fix nitrogen (N2) in symbiotic legumes. Extending the ability of these bacteria to fix N2 in non-legumes such as cereals would be a useful technology for increased crop yields among resource-poor farmers. Although some inoculation attempts have resulted in nodule formation in cereal plants, there was no evidence of N2 fixation. However, because rhizobia naturally produce molecules (auxins, cytokinins, abscicic acids, lumichrome, rhiboflavin, lipo-chito-oligosaccharides and vitamins) that promote plant growth, their colonization and infection of cereal roots would be expected to increase plant development, and grain yield. We have used light, scanning, and transmission electron microscopy to show that roots of sorghum and millet landraces from Africa were easily infected by rhizobial isolates from five unrelated legume genera. With sorghum, in particular, plant growth and phosphorus (P) uptake were significantly increased by rhizobial inoculation, suggesting that field selection of suitable rhizobia/cereal combinations could increase yields and produce fodder for livestock production

Diagnosis of Bacterial Vaginosis and evaluation of associated factors: Comparable findings using Hay/ Ison’s and Nugent’s Scoring System

Although Nugent’s criterion is considered as the gold standard for the diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis (BV), the method requires an experienced slide reader and considerable time and skill. We compared Hay/ Ison and Amsel with Nugent’s scoring criteria to determine the prevalence and corelates for BV among women of reproductive age attending reproductive health related clinics (family planning, post-natal and sexually transmitted Infection - STI) at Mbagathi County Referral Hospital in Nairobi. Vaginal specimens were collected from 201 consenting women, presenting with or without the vaginal symptoms of vaginitis. BV was diagnosed using Hay/ Ison, Amsel and Nugent’s method while factors corelates were gathered using structured interviews. Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values for positive and negative test were calculated for both Hay/ Ison and Amsel methods using Nugent criteria as the gold standard. Corelates for BV in this population were evaluated against the three methods. There were 66 cases (32.8%) of BV by Amsel’s method, 79 cases (39.3%) of BV by Hay/ Ison’s Criteria and 72 (35.8%) cases by the Nugent’s method. Using Nugent criteria as the gold standard, the concordant, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of tests were. Amsel: 77.1%, 63.9%, 84.5%, 80.7% and 69.7% respectively, and Hay/ Ison: 96.5%, 100%, 94.6%, 100% and 91.1% respectively. Evaluating the performance of Hay/ Ison test against Amsel criteria, the standard method for clinical diagnosis; offered no improvement in sensitivity 72.7%, specificity 77.1%, NPV 85.3% and PPV 60.8% when compared to Nugent’s score. Factors independently associated with BV infection included. For all the three tests: Presence of clue cells; Nugent and Hay/ Ison methods: education level, marital status and positive for whiff tests: For Nugent and Amsel criteria: Presence of vaginal discharge and for Hay/ Ison test: condom use. Attributes of socio-demographic and sexual hygiene and behavior contributes to high prevalence of BV among women in the capital city of Kenya. The Hay/ Ison’s method shows good agreement with the Nugent criteria and can be recommended as a stand-alone alternative assay to Nugent’s criteria or as a confirmatory test for BV in this population. Key words: Nugent, Amsel and Hay/ Ison method Bacterial Vaginosis, Test performance, Correlates, Women of Reproductive Age, Western Kenya

Detection of latent infection by Ralstonia solanacearum in potato (Solanum tuberosum) using stems instead of tubers

The potential of using stems for the detection of latent infection caused by Ralstonia solanacearum (Rs) was studied. Forty plants each were collected from four farms with bacterial wilt incidence below 4% intwo growing seasons (season A and season B of 2005). The tubers of all the selected plants including 10 cm of the all lower stems were collected. Samples were taken to the laboratory for indexing againstR. solanacearu (Rs) using ELISA techniques. The Rs status of each of the composite samples of all the tubers and of stems was determined and then correlation coefficients computed. There was a notabledifference in the percentage number of samples per farm with particular categories of R. solanacearum status. When stems were compared to tubers for detection of Rs, an average r – value of 0.4 wasobtained when r-values for the four different farms were averaged. The lowest r-value recorded was 0.2 while the highest was 0.5. When individual farms were considered it was only in one farm out of the fourthat r was not significant (p = 0.2). Overall the r-value was significant (p < 0.05). These results indicate that there is scope for adoption of stems as an alternative sample to tubers for indexing against R.solanacearum in potato tuber seed certification schemes more so in screening for presence of R. solanacearum in seed potato fields. However, although significant, the low r-value calls for moreinvestigations to be done prior to final recommendation on use of stems from potato fields

Potential use of rhizobial bacteria as promoters of plant growth for increased yield in landraces of African cereal crops

Rhizobia form root nodules that fix nitrogen (N2) in symbiotic legumes. Extending the ability of these bacteria to fix N2 in non-legumes such as cereals would be a useful technology for increased crop yields among resource-poor farmers. Although some inoculation attempts have resulted in nodule formation in cereal plants, there was no evidence of N2 fixation. However, because rhizobia naturally produce molecules (auxins, cytokinins, abscicic acids, lumichrome, rhiboflavin, lipo-chito-oligosaccharides and vitamins) that promote plant growth, their colonization and infection of cereal roots would be expected to increase plant development, and grain yield. We have used light, scanning, and transmission electron microscopy to show that roots of sorghum and millet landraces from Africa were easily infected by rhizobial isolates from five unrelated legume genera. With sorghum, in particular, plant growth and phosphorus (P) uptake were significantly increased by rhizobial inoculation, suggesting that field selection of suitable rhizobia/cereal combinations could increase yields and produce fodder for livestock production. Key Words: Rhizobia, N2 fixation, plant growth, sorghum, millet African Journal of Biotechnology Vol.3(1) 2004: 1-

Genotypes of Candida albicans from Stool Samples of HIV Sero Positive and HIV Negative Individuals in Nairobi, Kenya

Candida albicans is one of the commonest opportunistic yeast pathogens that infect both healthy and immune-compromised individuals. Currently there are five recognized genotypes of C. albicans based on the 25 rDNA gene. Different genotypes of C. albicans have been shown to differ in their virulence and susceptibility to antifungal drugs and, thus accurate identification of the infecting genotype is essential for guiding antifungal therapy. The aim of the study was to determine the genotypes of C. albicans from stool samples of HIV sero positive and HIV negative individuals and ascertain whether there is an association between HIV status and genotype distribution. A total of forty four (44) Candida albicans isolates from the stool samples of 28 HIV sero positive patients attending an outpatient HIV/AIDS management clinic and 16 HIV negative individuals attending a hospitality industry support program at Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) were genotyped using PCR primer pairs that span the transposable intron region of the 25S rDNA. Genotype A C. albicans was the most prevalent type (61.4%) followed by genotype C (11.4%) and genotype B (4.5%). Genotype B C. albicans was not isolated from HIV negative individuals. There was no significant difference in the genotype distribution of C. albicans isolates from HIV sero positive and HIV negative individuals (p=0.304). Ten (22.7%) C. albicans isolates could not be genotyped using the transposable region primers an indication of possible new genotypes. Genotype A is the most predominant C. albicans isolate both in HIV sero positive and HIV negative individuals and there is no predilation of any genotype to HIV infected. There is a possibility of new genotypes of C. albicans and sequence analysis may be warranted. Keywords: Genotypes, C. albicans, stool, HIV, Kenya

Characterization and factors associated with diarrhoeal diseases caused by enteric bacterial pathogens among children aged five years and below attending Igembe District Hospital, Kenya

Introduction: Diarrhoea remains a major public health problem in East African nations such as Kenya. Surveillance for a broad range of entericpathogens is necessary to accurately predict the frequency of pathogens and potential changes in antibiotic resistance patterns.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in Igembe District Hospital in Meru County to determine the burden and factors associated enteric  bacterial infection among children aged five years and below. Stool  samples were collected between March and July 2012. Bacterial pathogens were identified and antibiotic susceptibility of bacterial isolates was  ascertained. Questionnaire was administered to the 308 study participants to identify the modifiable risk factors. Data was entered and analyzed  using Epi Info version 3.5.3.Results: The study recruited 308 children. The mean age was 27.25  months, median of 26.0 months and age range  between 2-60 months. The bacterial isolation rates were ETEC 9.1%, EPEC 6.8% and EAEC 12.3%, Salmonella paratyphoid (10.4%), Shigella flexineri (1.9%) and Shigella dysentriae (0.9%). Over 95 %, of the isolates were resistance to  amoxicillin, sulphinatozole, cotrimoxazole. Six factors were independently associated with diarrhoeal diseases, occupation of the parent/guardian (miraa business) (OR=1.8, CI:1.44-4.99),care taker not washing hands after changing napkins (OR= 1.6, CI:1.2-19.7), child drank untreated water from the river (OR= 2.7, CI:2.4-9.9) child not exclusively breastfed (OR= 2.4, CI:2.1-10.5),child did not Wash hands before eating (OR=2.2, CI:1.91-16.3) and after visiting toilet (OR=3.7,CI:2.8-39.4).Eating of mangoes was found to be protective against diarrhoea (OR=0.5, CI:0.03-0.89).Conclusion: The bacterial pathogens were found to be a significant cause of diarrhoea in the study participants. We established higher resistance to several commonly prescribed antibiotics.Several  factors were significantly association with diarrhoea illness. We recommend multifaceted approach that acknowledges the public health aspects that would reduce the  burdenof diarrhoea infectious as identified in this study

Factors associated with patient and health service delays in the management of TB in Central Equatoria State in 2008

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Delays in diagnosis and treatment increase morbidity and mortality from tuberculosis, and the risk of transmission in the community.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey at three TB treatment centres in Central Equatoria State, South Sudan. Smearpositive TB patients were enrolled in three study sites and interviewed within two days of beginning treatment using a structured questionnaire. This study was conducted to investigate factors that affect patient and health service delays in diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) in Central Equatoria State.Results: 129 patients were enrolled in the study. The median patient’s, health provider’s and total pre-treatment periods are 4, 10 and 16 weeks respectively. The health care provider delay for patient diagnosis and start of treatment had the greatest contribution to overall total pre-treatment delayConclusions and recommendations: In Central Equatoria State, health care provider delay was the most frequent type of delay observed and was a major contributor to the overall total delay. This study indicated the need for strengthening the capacity of health workers for early detection and referral of TB patients. Further research is needed to identify reasons for health provider delay.Keywords: Mycobacterium tuberculosis, health service delays, South Suda

An assessment of rhizobial infection, metabolite release and growth response in agriculturally important legume and cereal crops

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 149-180).Reports on the natural and laboratory infection of cereals by rhizobium provided the impetus to embark on research using African landraces of sorghum and millet to study their interaction with rhizobia. Seven strains of root-nodule bacteria (namely Rhizobium GHR2, Bradyrhizobium japonicum Tal 110, Sinorhizobium meliloti strain 1, Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viceae Cn6, R. leguminosarum bv. viceae strain 30, Rhizobium NGR234 and Azorhizobium caulinodans ORSS71, hereafter referred to as ""rhizobia"") that fix N2, were used to study rhizobial effects on sorghum and millet seedlings grown aseptically in Leonard jars with Yz strength Hoagland nutrient solution containing 1 mM KN03