An investigation of plant conservation strategies employed in Makhanda, South Africa: an educational exploration

The school curriculum in South Africa gives educators the freedom to design and organise learning experiences according to their local circumstances and availability of resources. In that context, this study advocates conservation education through use of plants on school grounds and visits to local herbaria and botanical gardens as part of the school curriculum. Trees growing on street verges in town suburbs are also a resource that could be using for teaching. School learners from three schools representing different areas of Makhanda (Grahamstown) participated in plant-related activities and were surveyed to determine their prior knowledge about plants and plant conservation. Learners answered a series of questions in writing using a funnel sequence and the inverted funnel sequence in questionnaire design. This motivated respondents to co-operate and fully complete a questionnaire. In addition, the non-participant observation technique was used to capture behavioural reactions to the activities in order to supplement the data generated through questionnaires and interviews. This proved to be a purposeful, systematic and a selective way of watching and listening to an interaction phenomenon as it takes place. Interviews and questionnaires revealed that most Makhanda residents (especially in rural and township areas) use traditional medicine and medicinal plants to treat many diseases. They also use plants for cultural activities. Traditional remedies are practised among the rural and township communities because of ease of availability, convenience, and also due to social, psychological and cultural reasons. Medicinal plants have been increasingly recognized for their role not only for health care, but also for improving the economic status. Community members and street vendors were also questioned using semi-structured interviews. Open-ended questions were used successfully to assess the person’s knowledge, attitudes, opinions, beliefs and feelings. This type of interview ensures that a specific question does not lose its purpose. These interviews were used to determine how community members see, interpret and relate to nature. In the interviews, I also assessed the real needs of the local communities because there is a tendency to think that our power, knowledge and resources can give us the right to predict what communities really need without actually asking them. When our imposed initiatives fail, we often accuse these communities of a lack of interest in our issue of interest. Documents on plants and their uses kept in the Selmar Schönland Herbarium were compared with the information given by community members and street vendors. Xhosa plant names and ethnobotanical information given by the community members and street vendors was used to augment existing information on plant use. A further aim of this study was to investigate the potential use of plant resources provided by the street trees and gardens for education. Makhanda streets were sampled and, of the 1 435 plants that were countered from 17 streets, only 15 indigenous species were represented, while 20 alien species were recorded. These trees can be used for lessons on both alien and indigenous plants. Notable differences in tree density and species richness were evident across suburbs with the highest density and richness found in the more affluent suburbs and poor representation of trees in the township. This will affect learner perceptions and viewpoints. The results from the analysed data revealed that use of the school grounds, botanical gardens, the local herbarium and town streets are effective in plant conservation education in schools and communities. These types of resources could be used for environmental education for future generations in South Africa and all over the world

Investigation of the plant species diversity, density, abundance and distribution in Grahamstown, South Africa

The plant species play very important role as they are not just planted to make the streets look beautiful but are a vital part of the ecosystem. They are a major source of the oxygen, help control, stabilise the climate and feed animals. The choice of planting alien trees instead of indigenous trees on the street was a big mistake. Therefore there is a need to pay attention on it now that there is high growth of urbanisation. This research has the primary objectives to investigate the plant species diversity, density, abundance and distribution in the Grahamstown streets and identify the key challenges faced by local forestry officials concerned with the provision of street trees. Streets were randomly sampled in the Grahamstown area. A total of 1467 plants were sighted in 17 streets comprising of only 15 indigenous species and 20 alien species. This means the 57% of trees were alien species and only 43% of the trees were indigenous. Significant differences in tree density and species richness were evident across suburbs (Grahamstown West), differences being more significantly different in the more affluent suburbs and poorly represented in the township (Grahamstown East area).Keywords: Plant species diversity, abundance and distributio

The case for metadata harvesting

Metadata harvesting is an increasingly popular model of interaction between the mutually autonomous parties of medium, medium-large federations of digital library services. With a harvesting protocol, in particular, resource descriptions locally available at each party can be served to remote applications for the implementation of federated services, such as resource discovery. This article offers a systematic explanation of the success of the model and its standard implementations in the context of current initiatives for national and international federations

Gestational Monosodium Glutamate Exposure Effects on Anogenital Distance of Male Rat Pups

High-dose Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) expo sure increases the estrogen level in pregnant rats. However, there are limited data available on whether the MSG-related maternal hormonal effects can affect male litters' genitalia phenotype. This study aimed to analyze the impact of MSG on estrogen level in pregnant rats and anogenital distance in male pups. Experiment for this study was performed at the animal facility of Biomedical Laboratory at the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Andalas, from April 2019 to February 2020. Pregnant Wistar rats were given MSG orally at 2 and 4 mg/g body weight (BW) for 20 days. On day 21, pregnant rats were sacrificed and blood was drawn intracardially. Estradiol serum level was measured by ELISA. Male pups were counted, and the anogenital distance (AGD) was measured. Maternal serum estradiol levels were statistically analyzed by One-Way ANOVA and the AGD of male litters were analyzed by the Kruskal-Wallis test. Results showed that perinatal MSG exposure increased the estradiol level (26.3±4.5 pg/ml; 37.5±6.7 pg/ml; 62.1±8.2 pg/ml in control, 2 mg/g BW, and 4 mg/g BW group, respectively [mean±SD; p=<0.001]) and decreased the AGD (4 mm; 3 mm; 1.5 mm in control, 2 mg/g BW, and 4 mg/gBW group, respectively [median; p=<0.01]) in a dose-dependent manner. Thus, MSG exposure during pregnancy is a risk factor for male rat feminization.

Analisis Dinamik Model Seirs Penyebaran Virus Worm Pada Komputer

Pada skripsi ini dibahas konstruksi dan analisis model SEIRS penyebaran virus worm pada komputer. Pada model diasumsikan terdapat sistem keamanan komputer yang hanya memberikan kekebalan sementara sehingga komputer dapat kembali menjadi rentan terkena virus worm. Analisis dinamik yang dilakukan pada model meliputi penentuan titik kesetimbangan, angka reproduksi dasar R0, analisis kestabilan lokal dan global titik kesetimbangan bebas virus worm, analisis kestabilan lokal titik kesetimbangan endemik, dan analisis sensitivitas. Berdasarkan hasil analisis diperoleh dua titik kesetimbangan model, yaitu titik kesetimbangan bebas virus worm dan titik kesetimbangan endemik. Titik kesetimbangan bebas virus worm selalu eksis, sedangkan eksistensi titik kesetimbangan endemik bergantung pada angka reproduksi dasar (R0). Kestabilan titik kesetimbangan bebas virus worm bergantung pada angka reproduksi dasar (R0) dan kestabilan titik kesetimbangan endemik stabil asimtotik lokal tanpa syarat. Hasil analisis sensitivitas menunjukkan bahwa laju kontak antara populasi komputer rentan dengan komputer terinfeksi merupakan parameter yang paling sensitif. Simulasi numerik yang dilakukan menunjukkan hasil yang sesuai dengan hasil analisis

Koreksi: Hubungan Lama Paparan Sinar Matahari dengan Kadar 8-Hydroxy-2’-Deoxyguanosine Urin pada Remaja Perempuan

Salah satu bentuk predominan dari lesi oksidatif yang diinduksi oleh radikal bebas adalah 8-hidroksi-deoksiguanosin (8-OHdG). Paparan sinar matahari pada sel, terutama sel kulit dapat menyebabkan reaksi fotooksidasi yang terjadi akibat pelepasan reactive oxygen species (ROS). Lama paparan sinar matahari merupakan salah satu faktor penentu berapa banyak sel kulit yang mengalami stres oksidatif. Tujuan: Menganalisis hubungan lama paparan sinar matahari dengan kadar 8-OHdG urin pada remaja perempuan. Metode:  Ini merupakan penelitian observasional analitik dengan desain cross-sectional dilakukan pada populasi mahasiswi Pendidikan Dokter Universitas Andalas dengan teknik systematic random sampling (n = 110). Lama paparan sinar matahari diperoleh melalui kuesioner dan kadar 8-OHdG diukur dengan metode ELISA. Analisis data dilakukan dengan uji Kruskal-Wallis. Hasil: Rerata usia subjek pada penelitian ini adalah 20,6 ± 1,23 tahun, rerata lama paparan sinar matahari didapatkan sebesar 49,01 ± 36,96 menit. Rerata kadar 8-OHdG pada subjek adalah 40,75 ± 39,62 ng/ml. Analisis bivariat menunjukkan bahwa lama paparan sinar matahari tidak berhubungan dengan kadar 8-OHdG urin (p = 0,396). Simpulan: Tidak terdapat hubungan antara lama paparan sinar matahari dengan kadar 8-OHdG urin pada remaja perempuan.Kata kunci: 8-OHdG urin, lama paparan sinar matahari, stres oksidati

Plasma Warfarin Level and International Normalized Ratio do not Correlate with Bleeding Events in Indonesian Patients of Minangkabau Ethnicity with Atrial Fibrillation

BACKGROUND: Warfarin is the mainstay of anticoagulant therapy to prevent thromboembolism in atrial fibrillation (AF). It has a narrow therapeutic window, rendering monitoring prothrombin time necessary using the international normalized ratio (INR). However, INR value is not always correlated with the clinical risk of bleeding. AIM: We aimed to monitor plasma warfarin concentration and to analyze its correlation with bleeding events in Indonesian patients of Minangkabau ethnicity with AF. METHODS: We consecutively recruited outpatients with AF from January to November 2017 at a tertiary hospital in West Sumatera, Indonesia. At the time of the study, patients had received at least 5 weeks of warfarin. Their characteristics were obtained from medical records, and INR data were collected. Warfarin plasma concentration was analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography. RESULTS: There were a total of 45 patients (25 males and 20 females; mean age 54.6 years). The number of patients with INR value lower than, within, and higher than target value (2.0–3.0) was 25, 12, and 8, respectively. Half of the patients (n = 23; 51.1%) had subtherapeutic plasma warfarin levels and nearly half (n = 20; 44.4%) of the patients had therapeutic plasma warfarin levels. INR value was not significantly correlated with plasma warfarin level (r = 0.273; p = 0.07). Bleeding events occurred in 14 patients. INR value was not significantly different (p = 0.12), while the plasma warfarin level was marginally significantly different (p = 0.05) between those with bleeding and no bleeding events. CONCLUSION: Neither warfarin plasma concentration nor INR was correlated with bleeding events in Indonesian patients of Minangkabau ethnicity with AF

An investigation of the indigenous ways of knowing about wild food plants (imifino): a case study

This study was conducted in Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. It is a qualitative case study located within the interpretive paradigm and was carried out over a period of a year. The theory implicit in the interpretive paradigm is of human beings as interpreters and constructors of a meaningful world. Thus, the focus of this study was on investigating the benefits of indigenous ways of knowing about wild food plants (imifino) in conjunction with hands-on activity-based lessons. This was done with the view to promote a conceptual understanding of nutrition and conservation in the Natural Sciences. The transformation of the school curriculum in South Africa called Curriculum 2005 (C2005) underpinned by the outcomes-based education (OBE) philosophy also triggered this study. The C2005 and OBE emphasise that learners’ prior everyday knowledge should be taken into account during the teaching and learning processes. The intention of the curriculum is to promote the idea of grounding knowledge in local contexts, while being sensitive to global imperatives. Although the acquisition of western knowledge has been and still is invaluable to all, on its own, it has been incapable of responding adequately to modern society in the face of massive and intensifying disparities, untrammeled exploitation of resources, and rapid depletion of the earth’s natural resources. Essentially, indigenous knowledge systems represent both a heritage and resource that should be protected, promoted, developed and, where appropriate, conserved. It is a resource that should serve the present and succeeding generations as many people’s cultural practices still rely on the use of wild plants. Within this context it should be borne in mind that the overexploitation of natural resources threatens not only biodiversity but also local traditional knowledge systems and ultimately cultural heritage; and research has a role to play in this regard. The research process in this study evolved into two main phases. The initial phase involved mobilising Grade 7 learners’ prior everyday knowledge on wild food plants (imifino). This led to the second phase of the research project, which was aimed at developing concepts through three hands-on activity-based lessons. I invited a community member to give a lesson on what imifino is and how to collect and prepare it, with the belief that the involvement of parents and community members in learners’ education can help bridge the gap between everyday life and school science. It is for these reasons that I believe that the constructive perspective can provide an appropriate methodological framework, conceptual structure and terminology for analysis of teaching and learning activities on the use of wild food plants in this study. The data generation techniques used in this study were questionnaires, observations and interviews (semi structured and focus group). A wide range of data generation techniques were employed to crystallise and validate the data generated using triangulation. The results from the analysed data revealed that consideration of indigenous ways of knowing in conjuction with hands-on practical activities enhanced interaction and learning among the learners. Also, linking of scientific knowledge to learners’ everyday lives was useful in fostering meaning-making and conceptual development

Edukasi Pencegahan Penyakit Paru Akibat Paparan Debu Silika pada Pengrajin Batu Akik di Kota Padang

Meningkatnya minat masyarakat terhadap batu akik sebagai perhiasan dalam beberapa tahun terakhir di Indonesia mendorong meningkatnya jumlah pengrajin batu akik. Pengrajin batu akik terpapar pada partikel batu yang utamanya terdiri atas silika. Tanpa proteksi diri yang sesuai, pengrajin berisiko mengalami penyakit akibat debu silika. Untuk melindungi pengrajin, diperlukan suatu program edukasi kesehatan dan keselamatan kerja. Tujuan kami adalah untuk menyebarluaskan informasi mengenai penyakit akibat debu silika dan upaya pencegahannya pada komunitas pengrajin batu akik di Kota Padang. Sebanyak dua puluh pengrajin diundang dan dinilai pengetahuan, sikap, dan perilakunya terhadap kesehatan dan keselamatan kerja menggunakan kuesioner. Bahan edukasi disampaikan dalam bahasa setempat, diikuti dengan diskusi. Pada tiap peserta juga dibagikan booklet edukasi dan masker standar. Analisis kuesioner menunjukkan bahwa sebagian besar peserta memiliki tingkat pendidikan yang rendah, tingkat pendapatan bervariasi, perokok, bekerja setiap hari, dan memiliki pengetahuan yang terbatas mengenai upaya kesehatan dan keselamatan kerja. Evaluasi lebih lanjut diperlukan untuk menilai apakah program ini berhasil memodifikasi perilaku kerja pengrajin akik