The negotiating strategies determining coitus in stable heterosexual relationships

Heterosexual behaviour is a complex subject and one which is aggravated by confounding variables. Few studies have investigated the way in which one variable, namely coitus, is initiated and negotiated in stable marital relationships. As the HIV/AIDS pandemic spreads in sub-Saharan Africa, the subject of marital coitus becomes of increasing concern. This study tests a methodology of semi-structured interviews and diary-keeping techniques to investigate how the activity is initiated and negotiated. A research team monitored the study and evaluated the research techniques. The study concluded that the HIV/AIDS pandemic is affecting the initiation and negotiation of coitus between marital partners and that the partners wish to renegotiate the relationship, but the mechanisms for renegotiation are not at present available

Strategies for adapting to climate change in rural Sub-Saharan Africa

Given limited resources, adaptation strategies must target those populations most vulnerable to global change and equip those unable to adapt—generally the poorest—with the tools and incentives that will enable them to do so. ASARECA has recently carried out a study to enhance the understanding of climate change in the 10 ASARECA member countries. This report profiles the available climate change–related datasets and their accessibility and procurement details in the 10 ASARECA member countries. The report additionally assesses the incorporation of climate change adaptation strategies in national development plans and discusses each country’s position in the current UNFCCC negotiations. The study was conducted using a combination of extensive literature reviews and field visits to all 10 ASARECA member countries: Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. The report is organized in four sections. The first provides a description of the available climate change–related databases, along with details about their sources and accessibility in each of the 10 ASARECA member countries. Section 3 is a review of the status of the incorporation of climate change adaptation strategies in national development plans, while section 4 discusses the countries’ positions in the current UNFCCC negotiations. Finally, section 5 offers concluding remarks and suggestions for a way forward. In addition to the study report, separate files of existing climate change–related datasets are provided in EXCEL format

Establishment of Adult Reference Values For Some Biochemical Analytes in A Rwandan Population

Objectives: To establish the reference values for some routinely performed biochemical analytes in CHUK.Design: Cross-sectional descriptive study.Settings: National Center for Blood Transfusion, Rwanda and Kigali University Teaching Hospital,  Laboratory Department. This study was conducted during the period between 15th September 2014 and 23rd February in 2015.Subjects: Blood donors donating blood at National Center for Blood Donation, and recruited by mobile teams across the country.Results: Median (Reference values:2.5th and 97.5th percentiles) for male and female respectively: Bilirubin Direct,3.9(2-6.9) and 3.9(2.6-6.5) μmol/L; Bilirubin Total,10.3(4.8-21.6) and 10.4(5.9-17.3) μmol/L; Aspartate Aminotransferase, 27.8(16.1-49.2) and 26.7(16.8-45.1) U/L;Urea,3.2(1.3-5.8) and 3.1(1.4-5.2)mmol/L; Glucose, 5.0(3.2-7.7) and 4.6(3.1-6.7) mmol/L; Total Proteins, 76.8(68.2-87.7) and 76.9(66.6-85.7)g/L; Albumin, 46.4(39.7-55.5) and 46.7(40-54.5) g/L; Alanine Aminotransferase,  17.1(7.2-36.2) and 16.0(7.3-33.9) U/L; Gamma Glutamyltransferase, 20.3(8-75.6) and 21.1(7.1-63.3) U/L; Alkaline Phosphatase, 74.3(43.8-145.7) and 73.5(50.3-135.4) U/L; Creatinine, 84.4(65.2- 107.1) and 81.1(62.5-98.6) μmol/L; Sodium, 139.0(134.5-145.5) and 141.0(134.5-146.5) mmol/L; Potassium, .4.4(3.7-5) and 4.3(3.5-5.0) mmol/L; Chloride, 95.7(89.9-104.2) and 99.3(90.6-103.1) mmol/L;  Magnesium, 0.9(0.7-1.0) and 0.9(0.7-1) mmol/L; Phosphate, 1.1(0.8-1.5) and 1.2(0.7-1.6) mmol/L.Conclusion: The results of our study on Clinical Chemistry parameters are similar to those published in other African countries, with variations due to the diet and geographical location. This study has shown that a strict adherence to reference ranges developed from industrialised countries could qualify many healthy Rwandans as pathological cases, and also exclude them from participating in clinical trials. Compared to other reference ranges established, reference values in our study presented remarkably low levels of urea which may be due to the diet low in proteins generally in Rwandan population

Multilingual assessment of early child development: Analyses from repeated observations of children in Kenya.

In many low- and middle-income countries, young children learn a mother tongue or indigenous language at home before entering the formal education system where they will need to understand and speak a countrys official language(s). Thus, assessments of children before school age, conducted in a nations official language, may not fully reflect a childs development, underscoring the importance of test translation and adaptation. To examine differences in vocabulary development by language of assessment, we adapted and validated instruments to measure developmental outcomes, including expressive and receptive vocabulary. We assessed 505 2-to-6-year-old children in rural communities in Western Kenya with comparable vocabulary tests in three languages: Luo (the local language or mother tongue), Swahili, and English (official languages) at two time points, 5-6 weeks apart, between September 2015 and October 2016. Younger children responded to the expressive vocabulary measure exclusively in Luo (44%-59% of 2-to-4-year-olds) much more frequently than did older children (20%-21% of 5-to-6-year-olds). Baseline receptive vocabulary scores in Luo (β = 0.26, SE = 0.05, p < 0.001) and Swahili (β = 0.10, SE = 0.05, p = 0.032) were strongly associated with receptive vocabulary in English at follow-up, even after controlling for English vocabulary at baseline. Parental Luo literacy at baseline (β = 0.11, SE = 0.05, p = 0.045) was associated with child English vocabulary at follow-up, while parental English literacy at baseline was not. Our findings suggest that multilingual testing is essential to understanding the developmental environment and cognitive growth of multilingual children

Yield gaps, nutrient use efficiencies and response to fertilisers by maize across heterogeneous smallholder farms of western Kenya

The need to promote fertiliser use by African smallholder farmers to counteract the current decline in per capita food production is widely recognised. But soil heterogeneity results in variable responses of crops to fertilisers within single farms. We used existing databases on maize production under farmer (F-M) and researcher management (R-M) to analyse the effect of soil heterogeneity on the different components of nutrient use efficiency by maize growing on smallholder farms in western Kenya: nutrient availability, capture and conversion efficiencies and crop biomass partitioning. Subsequently, we used the simple model QUEFTS to calculate nutrient recovery efficiencies from the R-M plots and to calculate attainable yields with and without fertilisers based on measured soil properties across heterogeneous farms. The yield gap of maize between F-M and R-M varied from 0.5 to 3 t grain ha-1 season-1 across field types and localities. Poor fields under R-M yielded better than F-M, even without fertilisers. Such differences, of up to 1.1 t ha-1 greater yields under R-M conditions are attributable to improved agronomic management and germplasm. The relative response of maize to N-P-K fertilisers tended to decrease with increasing soil quality (soil C and extractable P), from a maximum of 4.4-fold to -0.5- fold relative to the control. Soil heterogeneity affected resource use efficiencies mainly through effects on the efficiency of resource capture. Apparent recovery efficiencies varied between 0 and 70% for N, 0 and 15% for P, and 0 to 52% for K. Resource conversion efficiencies were less variable across fields and localities, with average values of 97 kg DM kg-1 N, 558 kg DM kg-1 P and 111 kg DM kg-1 K taken up. Using measured soil chemical properties QUEFTS over-estimated observed yields under F-M, indicating that variable crop performance within and across farms cannot be ascribed solely to soil nutrient availability. For the R-M plots QUEFTS predicted positive crop responses to application of 30 kg P ha-1 and 30 kg P ha-1 + 90 kg N ha-1 for a wide range of soil qualities, indicating that there is room to improve current crop productivity through fertiliser use. To ensure their efficient use in sub-Saharan Africa mineral fertilisers should be: (1) targeted to specific niches of soil fertility within heterogeneous farms; and (2) go hand-in-hand with the implementation of agronomic measures to improve their capture and utilisation

Role of Condom Negotiation on Condom use among Women of Reproductive Age in three Districts in Tanzania.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: HIV/AIDS remains being a disease of great public health concern worldwide. In regions such as sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) where women are disproportionately infected with HIV, women are reportedly less likely capable of negotiating condom use. However, while knowledge of condom use for HIV prevention is extensive among men and women in many countries including Tanzania, evidence is limited about the role of condom negotiation on condom use among women in rural Tanzania. METHODS: Data originate from a cross-sectional survey of random households conducted in 2011 in Rufiji, Kilombero and Ulanga districts in Tanzania. The survey assessed health-seeking behaviour among women and children using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. A total of 2,614 women who were sexually experienced and aged 15--49 years were extracted from the main database for the current analysis. Linkage between condom negotiation and condom use at the last sexual intercourse was assessed using multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Prevalence of condom use at the last sexual intercourse was 22.2% overall, ranging from12.2% among married women to 54.9% among unmarried (single) women. Majority of the women (73.4%) reported being confident to negotiate condom use, and these women were significantly more likely than those who were not confident to have used a condom at the last sexual intercourse (OR = 3.13, 95% CI 2.22-4.41). This effect was controlled for marital status, age, education, religion, number of sexual partners, household wealth and knowledge of HIV prevention by condom use. CONCLUSION: Confidence to negotiate condom use is a significant predictor of actual condom use among women in rural Tanzania. Women especially unmarried ones or those in multiple partnerships should be empowered with condom negotiation skills to enhance their sexual and reproductive health outcomes

Interactions between integrated pest management, pollinator supplementation, and normalized difference vegetation index in pumpkin, Cucurbita maxima (Cucurbitales: Cucurbitaceae), production

Sustainable production of pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima Duchesne) partly relies on integrated pest management (IPM) and pollination services. A farmer-managed field study was carried out in Yatta and Masinga Sub- Counties of Machakos County, Kenya, to determine the effectiveness of a recommended IPM package and its interaction with stingless bee colonies (Hypotrigona sp.) for pollinator supplementation (PS). The IPM package comprised Lynfield traps with cuelure laced with the organophosphate malathion, sprays of Metarhizium anisopliae (Mechnikoff) Sorokin isolate ICIPE 69, the most widely used fungal biopesticide in sub-Saharan Africa, and protein baits incorporating spinosad. Four treatments—IPM, PS, integrated pest and pollinator management (which combined IPM and PS), and control—were replicated 4 times. The experiment was conducted in 600 m2 farms in 2 normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) classes during 2 growing seasons (October 2019–March 2020 and March–July 2020). Fruits showing signs of infestation were incubated for emergence, fruit fly trap catches were counted weekly, and physiologically mature fruits were harvested. There was no effect of IPM, PS, and NDVI on yield across seasons. This study revealed no synergistic effect between IPM and PS in suppressing Tephritid fruit fly population densities and damage. Hypotrigona sp. is not an efficient pollinator of pumpkin. Therefore, we recommend testing other African stingless bees in pumpkin production systems for better pollination services and improved yields.The German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through icipe to KALRO, administered through the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Fund for International Agricultural Research (FIA); the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, the Section for Research, Innovation, and Higher Education; the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida); the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC); the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR); the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia; and the Government of the Republic of Kenya.https://academic.oup.com/eeam2024Zoology and EntomologySDG-02:Zero Hunge