Which Factors Influence the Usage and Perceptions of Medicinal Plants in Kizanda Village (Lushoto District) and Ushongo Village (Tanga District)?

The objective of this study was to compare and examine which factors impact usage and perceptions of traditional medicine in Ushongo Mtoni and Kizanda villages. More specifically, this study aimed to gain an understanding of the usages, with a specific focus on gendered usages of medicinal plants in Kizanda village and Ushongo Mtoni village and to try to examine the differences in perceptions towards traditional medicine usage in Kizanda and Ushongo. Additionally, this study aimed to determine if there are any major themes that are constant with medicinal plants in both Ushongo and Kizanda. In order to conduct this study both participatory observations as well as interviews with traditional healers as well as the general population of the town were done. This study was conducted in Kizanda village in Lushoto district and Ushongo Mtoni village in Pangani district from the dates of 10/8/19-10/25/19. This study was done by using a snowball/convenience sampling method to conduct interviews in both villages. This study also included observatory practical in each area with a traditional healer. This study determined that traditional medicine is prevalent in both Ushongo Mtoni and Kizanda village. It is used very practically and for a number of ailments in each location. However, the depth of knowledge of traditional medicine is much deeper in Kizanda. In general, there are very positive perceptions towards traditional medicine in both areas. However, people in Ushongo use hospital medicine more often than people in Kizanda. The gendered usage of plants are fairly reflective of the greater gender dynamics of Tanzania in both areas. Finally, this study determined that the depth of knowledge of traditional medicine increases the conservation of medicinal plants. This study recommends that future literature explore how knowledge of traditional medicine increases conservation of traditional plants due to results which suggest this finding has significant impacts on conservation potential through traditional medicine

Comparison of Vaginal Misoprostol and Oral Misoprostol for promoting Cervical Ripening and Inducing labor

Background: Labor induction is the stimulation of the uterus to contract before labor begins to have a vaginal birth through the use of medications. Labor induction in the later stages of pregnancy is used to prevent complications when the mother or baby is at risk. Medications such as misoprostol (Cytotec) are used in inductions for cervical ripening to allow smoother dilation. Ripening the cervix is a method used to help soften and thin out the cervix to facilitate childbirth. The benefit of using misoprostol is that it can be administered several routes including oral, vaginal, sublingual and buccal. Induction of labor is a life-saving intervention that can reduce adverse outcomes. Purpose: This systematic literature review aims to determine the most effective route of administration of misoprostol to successfully induce labor in term pregnant women. Methods: The PRISMA flow diagram was followed to obtain results. A literature search was conducted using resources including PubMed and EBSCO Information Services as well as specific internet searches. Filters were applied to limit retrievals to only randomized control trials, controlled clinical trials, and experimental studies. Other inclusion criteria were the administration of oral misoprostol, vaginal misoprostol, buccal misoprostol, or sublingual misoprostol, a non-scarred uterus, gestational weeks ≥ 37, English language, and healthcare data from the year 2017 to present. The Johns Hopkins Evidence-Based Practice Model was used for an appraisal process to select twenty articles to be used in our review. Preliminary results suggest the vaginal route is more effective than oral misoprostol in performing successful labor inductions in the shortest amount of time. Results: Final results will be presented at the symposiu

Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio

A review of the 2020 book by Derf Backderf, "Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio," for inclusion in ARLIS/NA's 2020 Notable Graphic Novels Review

Back to the Future: Student Time Period Analyses

This newsletter began with the Fall 2015 Honors English class. These students were challenged to initiate research over a topic they thought was interesting and show how it related to our campus, Stephen F. Austin State University. It is our hope that this cumulative research will help readers look at SFA a little differently

Neutralising immunity to omicron sublineages BQ.1.1, XBB, and XBB.1.5 in healthy adults is boosted by bivalent BA.1-containing mRNA vaccination and previous Omicron infection

The global COVID-19 landscape is increasingly complex; emerging new variants rapidly cause waves of infection in people with variably induced immunity. Most individuals now have so-called hybrid immunity from both infection and vaccination. However, sequential infecting variants, induction of immunity, and subsequent waning are interlinked, and immune protection against new variants is unclear

City of Hitchcock Comprehensive Plan 2020-2040

Hitchcock is a small town located in Galveston County (Figure 1.1), nestled up on the Texas Gulf Coast. It lies about 40 miles south-east of Houston. The boundaries of the city encloses an area of land of 60.46 sq. miles, an area of water of 31.64 sq. miles at an elevation just 16 feet above sea level. Hitchcock has more undeveloped land (~90% of total area) than the county combined. Its strategic location gives it a driving force of opportunities in the Houston-Galveston Region.The guiding principles for this planning process were Hitchcock’s vision statement and its corresponding goals, which were crafted by the task force. The goals focus on factors of growth and development including public participation, development considerations, transportation, community facilities, economic development, parks, and housing and social vulnerabilityTexas Target Communitie

Validation of Quantitative and Digital Polymerase Chain Reaction Assays Targeting the Mating Types of Phyllosticta citricarpa, the Causal Agent of Citrus Black Spot

Citrus black spot (CBS) is a disease caused by the ascomycetous fungus Phyllosticta (formerly Guignardia) citricarpa (Botryosphaeriales, Pezizomycotina) currently present in citrus groves in five counties in southwest Florida. Within Florida, P. citricarpa shows limited reproduction via asexual sporulation due to the presence of only one (MAT1-2-1) of the two required mating types for sexual reproduction. Here, we present two novel PCR assays standardized in quantitative PCR (qPCR) and digital PCR (dPCR) platforms to distinguish both mating types (MAT1-1-1 and MAT1-2-1) of P. citricarpa to monitor for the potential introduction of the MAT1-1-1 mating type into Florida and a novel protocol for DNA extraction from asymptomatic leaves. During citrus harvesting season 2018 − 19, fruit lesions as well as asymptomatic leaves adjacent to symptomatic fruit and asymptomatic trees in CBS-infected groves were surveyed for P. citricarpa presence and mating types. Results support the presence of only the MAT1-2-1 mating type in Florida, after surveying more than 1,145 citrus fruit lesions. We also confirmed the limited dispersal ability of the asexual state of P. citricarpa in Florida in 10 groves using the enhanced capabilities of the dPCR platform in the detection of P. citricarpa directly from asymptomatic leaves with low pathogen inoculum.[Graphic: see text] Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license

Multnomah County Project Launch Evaluation

Early childhood is a critical time in human development. Any experience, positive or negative, can influence long-term outcomes for physical, emotional, social, and cognitive health (Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, 2010). To ensure a strong foundation for success in school and in life, efforts designed to promote wellness and identify early learning or mental health challenges must begin well before kindergarten. Strong evidence shows that investing in early childhood can yield large dividends for children. Additionally, the ability of our systems to provide positive outcomes for children can be enhanced through strategic planning, well-developed partnerships, and coordinated family services. Project LAUNCH (Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children’s Health), a federally funded United States Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) initiative, aims to enhance and improve the way systems function by bringing together all participants in each child’s life including caregivers, primary care providers, early childhood educators, and mental health providers. Project LAUNCH strives to incorporate all participants, at all levels of service provision, to strengthen our ability to achieve the best possible outcomes in social and emotional health and wellness for all children. Project LAUNCH has funded states, local jurisdictions, and tribes interested in achieving these goals since 2008. Under Project LAUNCH, grantees are charged with (1) promoting the healthy development of children from birth to age 8 and their families by harnessing and coordinating existing resources and (2) increasing access to high-quality, evidence-based programs in five childcentric domains: developmental screening and assessment, home visiting, mental health consultation, family strengthening and training, and integration of behavioral health into primary care. By developing an understanding of the landscape of services and supports unique to each state and community and by evaluating strengths and opportunities for change, grantees begin to implement promotion and prevention strategies that best serve the needs of their communities at the child, family, and systems levels. Thus, while there are distinct cultural, geographic, and economic differences across LAUNCH sites in all cohorts, the fundamental components of the LAUNCH model remain the same for all grantees. To date, Project LAUNCH has funded 55 projects across six cohorts. All LAUNCH grantees are expected to demonstrate local policy and practice improvements that can be sustained statewide. Unlike other LAUNCH cohorts, Cohort 3 grantees are distinguished by the fact that they were funded solely at the community level with no state or tribal oversight. This presented the six sites with a unique set of opportunities and challenges as they sought to bring policy and practice improvements to scale, enhance infrastructure, and implement direct services in the five domains or strategies. The uniqueness of the community-based aspect of Cohort 3 grantees provided both challenges and opportunities. Grantees identified the flexibility and ability to control program activities within a community setting as key advantages to the local grants, whereas the ability to replicate successful activities and implement policy change on a statewide basis were limited. Additionally, the uniqueness of Cohort 3 made it challenging to evaluate the success of Cohort 3 grantees by measuring their progress against that of other cohorts. This e-book was developed to highlight and share the experience of the local communities in Cohort 3. This publication is designed to serve as a resource for future early childhood systems development activities implemented by LAUNCH grantees or by other early childhood programs with similar goals and interests. This publication shares the contributions of this unique cohort to the field of young children’s mental health and family wellness by spotlighting accomplishments, evidence, and lessons learned within the context of the LAUNCH strategic framework. Narratives from the six grantees detail the successes and challenges of systems building from the ground up and emphasize the value-added benefits of funding directly at the community level. Recommendations for present and future LAUNCH projects and similar initiatives address strategies to build local, state, and national partnerships to support replication and sustainability. We hope you will find this resource of value for supporting local initiatives that promote young child and family wellnes

DEVELOPMENT OF A PASSIVE MULTIPHASE ACOUSTIC FLOW METER

Multiphase flow measurements have widespread industrial applications in the petrochemical industry. Most methods are costly and require invasive mounting of a device in the pipeline. Invasive multiphase flow meters are costly to install due to the shutdown of production of material flowing through the pipe. A technique outlined in US patent 10,578,471 B2 utilizes a passive acoustic device that measures sound propagation with and against the flow of the material in the pipeline. This information then reveals the flow of the fluid and the speed of sound of the fluid. The speed of sound provides phase information. The described device is passive and mounts externally to the pipeline, hence not interrupting the production of material through the pipeline. Methodology and construction of a third prototype is presented here