Reproductive biology in the medicinal plant, Plumbago zeylanica L.

Plumbago zeylanica L. is an important medicinal plant traditionally used for the treatment of various diseases. Phenology from seed germination via vegetative growth to reproductive development wasstudied under glasshouse and nursery conditions. Seeds rapidly germinated on a mixture of nursery soil and cattle dung in a ratio of 3:1 filled in pots or on cultivated soil under nursery conditions as aprerequisite for vegetative and flowering phenological studies. Hypogeal germination characterizes the emergence of seedlings. Subsequent vegetative and flowering phenology between glass house andnursery field populations showed significant difference (

Adoption Factors For Mobile Financial Services: Laggards And Early Adopters In Low-Income Countries

This paper evaluated low-income countries and identified adoption factors for mobile financial services (MFS) that are not covered by TAM (Technology Acceptance Model). From the literature we identified enabler and bottleneck factors that impact MFS adoption in low-income countries. We analyzed laggard and early adaptor countries to compare the factors. In our conclusion we identified thirteen MFS adoption factors and categorized them in a 2x2 metrics using enablers and bottlenecks vs. exogenous and endogenous. Further, we used the early adopter and laggard countries to understand how the MFS adoption strategy differed between the two groups. Future direction is provided

Provenance of middle Stone Age obsidian artefacts from the central sector of the Main Ethiopian Rift Valley

The Gademotta/Kulkuletti sites, located in the central part of the Main Ethiopian Rift Valley, represent the earliest Middle Stone Age (MSA) sequences in the country. Here we present the geochemical provenance of obsidian archaeological artefact recovered through excavation at the site. The artefacts and source materials were characterized by EDXRF and electron microprobe. Results show that the artefacts were procured from two sources, one local, and one presumably more distant, implying that despite the local availability of good quality raw material, not all obsidians were procured from a nearby source

Short communication: Surgical Management of Urethral Obstruction in three Bullocks

Three typical cases of urolithiasis were reported for treatment at college of veterinary medicine, Mekelle clinics. All cases were of adult male bovine between 5-10 years of age group. The first and third case was of necrosis of penis and subcutaneous accumulation of urine in the prepuce and scrotal area, while the second case was of rupture of urinary bladder and subsequent uroperitoneam and uremia. The first and third case was operated for amputation of penis and drainage of urine from subcutaneous region and the second case was operated for post-scrotal urethrotomy and repair of ruptured urinary bladder through posterior left flank. The operative procedure for these cases including treatment of uremia is described in detail. All cases made an uneventful recovery. Keywords: Amputation of penis, necrosis of penis, obstructive urolithiasis, rupture of urinary bladder, uroperitoneam

Phosphorylation via PKC Regulates the Function of the Drosophila Odorant Co-Receptor

Insect odorant receptors (ORs) have a unique design of heterodimers formed by an olfactory receptor protein and the ion channel Orco. Heterologously expressed insect ORs are activated via an ionotropic and a metabotropic pathway that leads to cAMP production and activates the Orco channel. The contribution of metabotropic signaling to the insect odor response remains to be elucidated. Disruption of the Gq protein signaling cascade reduces the odor response (Kain et al., 2008). We investigated this phenomenon in HEK293 cells expressing Drosophila Orco and found that phospholipase C (PLC) inhibition reduced the sensitivity of Orco to cAMP. A similar effect was seen upon inhibition of protein kinase C (PKC), whereas PKC stimulation activated Orco even in the absence of cAMP. Mutation of the five PKC phosphorylation sites in Orco almost completely eliminated sensitivity to cAMP. To test the impact of PKC activity in vivo we combined single sensillum electrophysiological recordings with microinjection of agents affecting PLC and PKC function and observed an altered response of olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) to odorant stimulation. Injection of the PLC inhibitor U73122 or the PKC inhibitor Gö6976 into sensilla reduced the OSN response to odor pulses. Conversely, injection of the PKC activators OAG, a diacylglycerol analog, or phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) enhanced the odor response. We conclude that metabotropic pathways affecting the phosphorylation state of Orco regulate OR function and thereby shape the OSN odor response

LISA 2.0: lightweight internet of things service bus architecture using node centric networking

Internet of things (IoT) technologies are advancing rapidly and a wide range of physical networking alternatives, communication standards and platforms are introduced. However, due to differences in system requirements and resource constraints in devices, there exist variations in these technologies, standards, and platforms. Consequently, application silos are formed. In contrast to the freedom of choice attained by a range of options, the heterogeneity of the technologies is a critical interoperability challenge faced by IoT systems. Moreover, IoT is also limited to address new requirements that arise due to the nature of the majority of smart devices. These requirements, such as mobility and intermittent availability, are hardly satisfied by the current IoT technologies following the end-to-end model inherited from the Internet. This paper introduces a lightweight, distributed, and embedded service bus called LISA which follows a Node Centric Networking architecture. LISA is designed to provide interoperability for resource-constrained devices in IoT. It also enables a natural way of embracing the new IoT requirements, such as mobility and intermittent availability, through node centric networking. LISA provides a simple application programming interface for developers, hiding the variations in platform, protocol or physical network, thus facilitating interoperability in IoT systems. LISA is inspired by network on terminal architecture (NoTA), a service centric open architecture originated by Nokia Research Center. Our extensive experimental results show the efficiency and scalability of LISA in providing a lightweight interoperability for IoT systems

Wheat rust epidemics damage Ethiopian wheat production: A decade of field disease surveillance reveals national-scale trends in past outbreaks.

Wheat rusts are the key biological constraint to wheat production in Ethiopia-one of Africa's largest wheat producing countries. The fungal diseases cause economic losses and threaten livelihoods of smallholder farmers. While it is known that wheat rust epidemics have occurred in Ethiopia, to date no systematic long-term analysis of past outbreaks has been available. We present results from one of the most comprehensive surveillance campaigns of wheat rusts in Africa. More than 13,000 fields have been surveyed during the last 13 years. Using a combination of spatial data-analysis and visualization, statistical tools, and empirical modelling, we identify trends in the distribution of wheat stem rust (Sr), stripe rust (Yr) and leaf rust (Lr). Results show very high infection levels (mean incidence for Yr: 44%; Sr: 34%; Lr: 18%). These recurrent rust outbreaks lead to substantial economic losses, which we estimate to be of the order of 10s of millions of US-D annually. On the widely adopted wheat variety, Digalu, there is a marked increase in disease prevalence following the incursion of new rust races into Ethiopia, which indicates a pronounced boom-and-bust cycle of major gene resistance. Using spatial analyses, we identify hotspots of disease risk for all three rusts, show a linear correlation between altitude and disease prevalence, and find a pronounced north-south trend in stem rust prevalence. Temporal analyses show a sigmoidal increase in disease levels during the wheat season and strong inter-annual variations. While a simple logistic curve performs satisfactorily in predicting stem rust in some years, it cannot account for the complex outbreak patterns in other years and fails to predict the occurrence of stripe and leaf rust. The empirical insights into wheat rust epidemiology in Ethiopia presented here provide a basis for improving future surveillance and to inform the development of mechanistic models to predict disease spread

A systems and partnership approach to agricultural research for development: Lessons from Ethiopia

In spite of the availability of several improved agricultural technologies generated by the research system in Ethiopia over the last four decades, adoption of these innovations by smallholder farmers has been very low. This has led to stagnation of agricultural productivity and low crop yields, exposing the country to recurrent food shortfalls and national food insecurity. The old approach to agricultural research emphasized developing new technologies mainly through onstation research that were then supposed to reach farmers through the public-sector extension system. The Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) has in recent years introduced a shift in agricultural research for development, which is based on the innovation systems approach that involved cultivating partnerships with several actors along the value chain, especially farmers, farmers’ cooperatives and input suppliers. This paper presents the methodology used to facilitate agricultural innovations and the diffusion of new technologies and illustrates the outcomes of this initiative with regard to technology adoption, productivity growth and the market orientation of production. The authors use examples from experiences in scaling up three grain legumes. Compared to the three-year baseline average (2003–05), crop output increased nationally by 89%, 85% and 97% in 2008 for common bean, chickpea and lentil respectively. Nationally, 53–59% of the output growth is attributable to yield growth due to technological change, while the balance is due to area expansion. These results affirm that the new approach has led to accelerated adoption of new and high-yielding or low-risk varieties

The burden of neglected tropical diseases in Ethiopia, and opportunities for integrated control and elimination

Background: Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a group of chronic parasitic diseases and related conditions that are the most common diseases among the 2·7 billion people globally living on less than US$2 per day. In response to the growing challenge of NTDs, Ethiopia is preparing to launch a NTD Master Plan. The purpose of this review is to underscore the burden of NTDs in Ethiopia, highlight the state of current interventions, and suggest ways forward. Results: This review indicates that NTDs are significant public health problems in Ethiopia. From the analysis reported here, Ethiopia stands out for having the largest number of NTD cases following Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ethiopia is estimated to have the highest burden of trachoma, podoconiosis and cutaneous leishmaniasis in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the second highest burden in terms of ascariasis, leprosy and visceral leishmaniasis, and the third highest burden of hookworm. Infections such as schistosomiasis, trichuriasis, lymphatic filariasis and rabies are also common. A third of Ethiopians are infected with ascariasis, one quarter is infected with trichuriasis and one in eight Ethiopians lives with hookworm or is infected with trachoma. However, despite these high burdens of infection, the control of most NTDs in Ethiopia is in its infancy. In terms of NTD control achievements, Ethiopia reached the leprosy elimination target of 1 case/10,000 population in 1999. No cases of human African trypanosomiasis have been reported since 1984. Guinea worm eradication is in its final phase. The Onchocerciasis Control Program has been making steady progress since 2001. A national blindness survey was conducted in 2006 and the trachoma program has kicked off in some regions. Lymphatic Filariasis, podoconiosis and rabies mapping are underway. Conclusion: Ethiopia bears a significant burden of NTDs compared to other SSA countries. To achieve success in integrated control of NTDs, integrated mapping, rapid scale up of interventions and operational research into co implementation of intervention packages will be crucial