A Thin Layer Chromatography Densitometric Method for Assay of Folic Acid in Tablets

A High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) method for analysis offolic acid was developed and validated according to ICH and USP guidelines. Thedeveloped method was used for simultaneous qualitative and quantitative analysisof folic acid in tablets. The method was developed using an environmentallyfriendly mobile phase containing ethyl acetate:methanol:ammonia solution(15:15:0.5 v/v/v) on pre-coated HPTLC silica gel 60 F254 glass plates at a detectionwavelength of 280 nm using reflectance absorbance and saturation time of 25 min.Densitometric analysis showed two folic acid products being retained at Rf of 0.27and 0.67 and the area was taken as the sum of the two. The method was specific andno interferences were observed between folic acid peaks and that of the excipients.The calibration curve of folic acid was constructed using both linear andpolynomial regression function in the range of 317.19–761.25 ng/spot both withregression coefficient, r2 of 0.998. The accuracy at nominal concentration of folicacid was found to be 101.05%, % rsd, repeatability and intermediate precisionwere found to be 1.79% and 1.93 respectively. The developed method is thus simple,accurate, and cost effective with good precision and repeatability for the assay offolic acid in tablets which will be particularly useful in resource constrainedcountries.Key words: High performance thin layer chromatography, densitometry, validation, folic aci

A high-performance thin-layer chromatography densitometric method for the separation of isomeric ceftriaxone in powder for injection formulation

Funding: The study was part of the EDCTP2 Program supported by the European Union partly under the ASCEND project (CSA2019ERC- 2683) and partly under TMDA.The aim of this study was to develop and validate a High-Performance Thin Layer Chromatographic (HPTLC) method for simultaneous determination of ceftriaxone and ceftriaxone e-isomer in powder for injection formulation. Ceftriaxone sodium injection is an antibiotic that used globally. It has Z/E geometrical conformation, in which ceftriaxone sodium and 3 ene-isomer have Z- conformation while (E)-isomer has E- conformation and the potential toxicity of ceftriaxone (E)-isomer has been reported. Thus, to safeguard the public health, a simple and easy to use, rapid and reliable method was developed for qualitative and quantitative determination of ceftriaxone sodium and its (E)–isomer. Samples were applied on HPTLC glass plates precoated with silica gel 60F254 by using Linomat semi-auto sampler. Separation was carried out using acetone, triethyl amine, water, chloroform and ethyl acetate as a mobile phase in different ratios. The Rf values of separated compounds were 0.51 ± 0.01 and 0.62 ± 0.01 for ceftriaxone sodium and ceftriaxone (E)-isomer respectively. The method was validated by studying Specificity, Linearity, Accuracy, Precision, Robustness, Limit of Detection (LOD) and Limit of Quantification (LOQ) and Solution stability. The developed method was successfully, sensitive, simple, precise, accurate, robust and applicable for the simultaneous determination of ceftriaxone sodium and ceftriaxone (E)-isomer in powder for injection formulation.Peer reviewe

Lakeside View: Sociocultural Responses to Changing Water Levels of Lake Turkana, Kenya

Throughout the Holocene, Lake Turkana has been subject to drastic changes in lake levels and the subsistence strategies people employ to survive in this hot and arid region. In this paper, we reconstruct the position of the lake during the Holocene within a paleoclimatic context. Atmospheric forcing mechanisms are discussed in order to contextualize the broader landscape changes occurring in eastern Africa over the last 12,000 years. The Holocene is divided into five primary phases according to changes in the strand-plain evolution, paleoclimate, and human subsistence strategies practiced within the basin. Early Holocene fishing settlements occurred adjacent to high and relatively stable lake levels. A period of high-magnitude oscillations in lake levels ensued after 9,000 years BP and human settlements appear to have been located close to the margins of the lake. Aridification and a final regression in lake levels ensued after 5,000 years BP and human communities were generalized pastoralists-fishers-foragers. During the Late Holocene, lake levels may have dropped below their present position and subsistence strategies appear to have been flexible and occasionally specialized on animal pastoralism. Modern missionary and government outposts have encouraged the construction of permanent settlements in the region, which are heavily dependent on outside resources for their survival. Changes in the physical and cultural environments of the Lake Turkana region have been closely correlated, and understanding the relationship between the two variables remains a vital component of archaeological research

Economic efficiency of smallholder rice producers in Maramvya Irrigated Scheme, Burundi

A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN AGRICULTURAL AND APPLIED ECONOMICS OF SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE. MOROGORO, TANZANIA.This study assessed the extent to which rice producers from Maramvya irrigated scheme could raise their productivity and profitability if they efficiently use inputs in producing rice. To achieve this objective, simple random sampling was used to select 230 rice farmers in the study area and cross-sectional data were collected for season 2016/A. The collected data were subjected to analysis where output responsiveness with respect to each of the inputs, technical, allocative and economic efficiencies were estimated. Stochastic frontier analysis was used to estimate technical, allocative and economic efficiencies. The study applied Cobb-Douglas functional form for the stochastic frontier production and cost functions and used one-step maximum likelihood estimation to estimate parameters for stochastic frontier models. The study further assessed factors affecting efficiency levels among rice producers. Findings of this study reveal that output elasticities with respect to land, labour, seed and fertilizer were 0.41, 0.45, -0.11 and 0.24 respectively, meaning that labour variable was more responsible in rice production increase while seed variable was in negative relationship with production levels. The mean technical, allocative and economic efficiencies were 82%, 71% and 58% respectively, meaning that the sampled farmers were relatively technically efficient than they were allocatively and economically, with 42% room to expand productivity and profitability. Furthermore, the results show that the major factor affecting efficiency levels positively in the study area was the level of education while age of the farmer, household size, access to credit and shortage of water significantly impact efficiency levels negatively. The study recommended introduction of new techniques rather than relying on expansion of land and labour intensification. Focus should be on input market and availability, but also in the long run, focus should be oriented on education and maintenance of canal for irrigation

Economic efficiency of smallholder rice producers in Maramvya Irrigated Scheme, Burundi

A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN AGRICULTURAL AND APPLIED ECONOMICS OF SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE. MOROGORO, TANZANIA.This study assessed the extent to which rice producers from Maramvya irrigated scheme could raise their productivity and profitability if they efficiently use inputs in producing rice. To achieve this objective, simple random sampling was used to select 230 rice farmers in the study area and cross-sectional data were collected for season 2016/A. The collected data were subjected to analysis where output responsiveness with respect to each of the inputs, technical, allocative and economic efficiencies were estimated. Stochastic frontier analysis was used to estimate technical, allocative and economic efficiencies. The study applied Cobb-Douglas functional form for the stochastic frontier production and cost functions and used one-step maximum likelihood estimation to estimate parameters for stochastic frontier models. The study further assessed factors affecting efficiency levels among rice producers. Findings of this study reveal that output elasticities with respect to land, labour, seed and fertilizer were 0.41, 0.45, -0.11 and 0.24 respectively, meaning that labour variable was more responsible in rice production increase while seed variable was in negative relationship with production levels. The mean technical, allocative and economic efficiencies were 82%, 71% and 58% respectively, meaning that the sampled farmers were relatively technically efficient than they were allocatively and economically, with 42% room to expand productivity and profitability. Furthermore, the results show that the major factor affecting efficiency levels positively in the study area was the level of education while age of the farmer, household size, access to credit and shortage of water significantly impact efficiency levels negatively. The study recommended introduction of new techniques rather than relying on expansion of land and labour intensification. Focus should be on input market and availability, but also in the long run, focus should be oriented on education and maintenance of canal for irrigation

Reinventing Africa's national heroes: The case of Mekatilili, a Kenyan popular heroine

A nation's heroes are rarely fixed and are frequently reassessed and reinterpreted by new generations. In the case of a number of African countries, the very masculine liberation heroes of yesteryear often prove divisive, emerging from very fraught histories. In this context, there are moves to broaden the pantheon of heroes and make history more inclusive. In Kenya, where the contested history of Mau Mau provides several heroes, Mekatilili wa Menza, a female figure from the coast who played a significant role in Giriama resistance against the British in 1913, has emerged as a national heroine. The article introduces this historical figure using published sources, and then traces the historical arc of her memorialization and evocation from post-Independence praise as a feminist icon to her recent elevation to the Kenyan pantheon of national heroes and heroines. In doing so, it illustrates the ways in which her story is being retold on the coast by Giriama organizations that have made her a central figure in local heritage movements. Finally, in the changed context of devolved Kenya since the 2010 constitution came into force after the 2013 election, this article shows how her story gained further salience as coastal politicians claimed her memory for regional goals. It argues that while figures such as Mekatilili may appear less divisive than Mau Mau, how their history is told and used is equally political