Reserved Area: Barotseland of the 1964 Agreement

As part of the independence constitutional arrangements for Northern Rhodesia, in May 1964 in London, Kenneth David Kaunda, then Prime Minister at the head of the Self Government of Northern Rhodesia signed the Barotseland Agreement with the Litunga of the Lozi people Sir Mwanawina Lewanika III. The Barotseland Agreement of 1964 recognised the Litunga of Barotseland (Bulozi) as the principal local authority for the government and administration of Barotseland, with powers to make laws of Barotseland in respect to matters such as land, natural resources and taxation. The Barotseland Agreement 1964 was abrogated and cancelled by the Zambian Republican Government (GRZ) through the Constitutional (Amendment) Act of October 1969. Some groups among the Lozi (activists) have been lobbying for the restoration of the Barotseland Agreement 1964 for over four decades. Some extreme elements have even called for secession. The Barotseland Agreement activists include among others the Movement of the Restoration of Barotseland Agreement (MOREBA), the Barotse Patriotic Front (BPF) and Linyunga Ndambo. On 23rd October 2010 and 14th January 2011, the activists were involved in violent disturbances, which rocked Mongu and surrounding areas. The 14th January riots resulted in fatalities, serious injuries, arrests and detentions. The state came down heavily on the activists who were arrested. Twenty-four detainees were charged with treason for seeking to secede Barotseland, now Western Province, from the Republic of Zambia, while others were charged with riotous behaviour or conduct likely to cause a breach of peace. The nation was shocked by the violence and deaths. Concerned nationals, civic and church organizations, scholars, lawyers, political leaders and analysts from all corners of the country and in the diaspora raised issues and concerns: What was the basis of the Litunga’s power? Was secession a viable alternative? And what geographical area was to be excised from Zambia? etc. etc. This paper attempts to throw more light on the deep historical roots of the Barotseland Agreement 1964, going as far back as the 1900 Concessions/Treaties which were negotiated and signed by Lubosi Lewanika ruler of the Lozi, the British South Africa Chartered Company (BSA Co.) and the British Government

Farmers' Awareness and Use of IPM for Soybean Aphid Control: Survey Results for the 2004, 2005, and 2006 Crop Years

In response to the introduction and rapid spread of soybean aphid as a major new invasive pest of soybean in North America, farmers who attended winter crop meetings in four states in North Central US were surveyed about their treatment of and knowledge about soybean aphids for crop years 2004, 2005, and 2006. Thirteen percent, 84%, and 35% of the farmers indicated they had treated for soybean aphid in 2004, 2005, and 2006, respectively. The average of the soybean acreage treated in each year was 50%, 87%, and 81%, respectively. Overall, the farmers showed a good understanding of soybean aphids and their impact on soybeans. Over 80% knew soybean aphids could repopulate and cause yield damage after an insecticide treatment. Seventy-five percent knew aphids damaged soybeans by sucking sap. Almost 80% said the frequency with which aphids should be treated for profitable control depends on aphid counts, weather conditions, and plant stage. On average, just under 70% considered an average of 250 aphids per plant to be the lowest density for profitable insecticide spraying. Scouting reports were selected by 84 to 94% of the farmers as very important information for the treatment decision; plant growth stage was the second most frequent selection.Crop Production/Industries,

Farmers’ Awareness and Use of IPM for Soybean Aphid Control: Report of Survey Results for the 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 Crop Years

In response to the introduction and rapid spread of soybean aphid, farmers in the Upper Midwest were surveyed about their treatment of and knowledge about soybean aphids for crop years 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007. Overall, the farmers showed a fairly good understanding of soybean aphids and their impact on soybeans. Over 80% said soybean aphids could be treated and repopulate in the same crop year. For 2004-2006, at least 75% of the farmers said aphids damaged their soybeans by sucking sap. However this percentage dropped to 59% for 2007 with a greater percentage pointing at a combination of damage methods. This lower percentage for 2007 may be due to a broader, randomly selected sample of farmers who received the surveys by mail versus farmers who attended meetings in the first three years. However, even though fewer seemed to have a clear understanding of how aphids damage soybeans, other measures indicate a stable or improved understanding of soybean aphid biology and control. Over 70% said the frequency with which aphids should be treated for profitable control depends on aphid counts, weather conditions and plant growth stage. About a third of the farmers believed that aphids inflict the most damage during early flowering through pod set (R1-R3); however, about a third also thought aphids could inflict the most damage at any stage. Over half the farmers considered the lowest aphid density for profitable aphid control to be 250 aphids per plant. Over 80% said scouting reports were very important for making a decision to treat for aphids; over half the farmers said plant growth stage was also very important.Crop Production/Industries,

Direct Injection of Liquid Nitrogen into Water for a Cryogenic Engine

The cryogenic engine was developed as a non-combustion zero emission engine that converts thermal energy to work by the vaporisation of liquid nitrogen using ambient heat. Its output is dependent on the heat transfer rate between liquid nitrogen and the ambient, where the efficiencies of previous designs were operated in an indirect process and heavily reliant on the performance of air heat exchangers used. The direct injection process was recently introduced to improve the heat transfer rate by directly injecting liquid nitrogen into a warmer fluid. The large temperature difference between two fluids in contact is expected to lead to rapid vaporization of liquid nitrogen, hence improving the performance of a liquid nitrogen engine. However, the feasibility of direct injection is challenged by the lack of an adequate valve system to control the delivery of the cryogen, along with a deep understanding of the heat transfer mechanism involved. To address these challenges, a fundamental study of the direct injection of liquid nitrogen into water at ambient temperature is conducted in this thesis. A static rig is designed to allow for the control of the injection process in order to investigate the influence of the injection parameters on the pressurisation rate. The injection timing and valve movement are controlled by a hydraulic actuator, which allows for synchronized injections at the desired pressure and temperature. Over 400 injections of nitrogen at different thermodynamic conditions were conducted and maximum pressurisation rates of up to 5156 bar/s were recorded for a clearance volume of 5 ml, which is 10 times greater than those found in the literature as a result of the increased injection pressure. Based on the pressurization curve, a two-stage boiling mechanism of liquid nitrogen is inferred that occurs inside the vessel, that is, film boiling and breakup of liquid nitrogen jet into small droplets, and subsequent boiling of liquid nitrogen droplets. To further increase our understanding of these complicated processes involved, a numerical study using CFD software Fluent is conducted to simulate the jetting and boiling of a liquid nitrogen droplet in water. A heat transfer and thermodynamic analysis is conducted and the implications of the results to the engine performance and its development are discussed

A Pioneering Collection

In addition to its collection of 67.000 ethnographic objects, the Weltkulturen Museum in Frankfurt began engaging with contemporary art practices in Africa forty years ago.  Since 1974, the museum has collected almost 3.000 works by artists from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe, mainly produced during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.  Included here are early works by internationally renowned artists El Anatsui, Twins Seven Seven, Peter Clarke, Chéri Samba, El Hadji Sy and Vincente Malangatana.  The museum's research into contemporary art from the African continent is pioneering as it started long before the so called “global turn” in 1989.  In this regard, the Weltkulturen collection is unique as it includes works from that specific time.  A further defining feature is the collection's four main strands—works from Nigeria, Senegal, Uganda and South Africa—acquired by German collectors on behalf of the museum, who had different affiliations with the respective regions.  The text traces the motivations, ideas and strategies behind the build-up of the Weltkulturen collection while also looking at the question of collecting and presenting contemporary art in the context of an ethnographic museum.Il y a quarante ans que le Musée Weltkulturen à Francfort a commencé de se pencher sur la pratique de l'art contemporain en Afrique en plus de sa collection de 67 000 objets ethnographiques. Depuis 1974, le musée a recueilli près de 3 000 œuvres d'artistes de la République Démocratique du Congo, du Kenya, de Namibie, du Nigeria, du Sénégal, de l'Afrique du Sud, de la Tanzanie, de l'Ouganda et du Zimbabwe, surtout produites pendant les années 1960, 1970 et 1980. Sont incluses ici les premières œuvres d'artistes de renommée internationale, El Anatsui, Twins Seven Seven, Peter Clarke, Chéri Samba, El Hadji Sy et Vincente Malangatana. Ce musée est pionnier dans ses recherches sur l'art contemporain du continent africain car il a commencé avant ce qu'on appelle le « global turn » en 1989. À cet égard, la collection Weltkulturen est unique car elle rassemble des œuvres de cette période précise. Une caractéristique le définissant en outre sont les quatre principaux volets de la collection — des œuvres en provenance du Nigeria, du Sénégal, de l'Ouganda et de l'Afrique du Sud — acquises par des collectionneurs allemands au nom du musée, qui avaient différentes affiliations vers ces régions. Le texte retrace les motivations, les idées et les stratégies derrière l'accumulation de la collection Weltkulturen tout en analysant la question de la collecte et celle de la présentation de l'art contemporain dans le contexte d'un musée ethnographique

Effects of intravenous morphine on physical examination findings in suspected acute appendicitis: A randomised conctrolled clinical trial

Back ground: Use of analgesics in patients with undiagnosed acute abdominal pain is marked by long standing controversy over the effects of analgesia on physical examination findings. Analgesics are often with held for fear that they may mask physical examination findings and lead to delayed or missed diagnosis. This study aimed at determining the effects of intravenous Morphine on the physical examination findings in patients with clinically suspected acute appendicitis admitted at Mulago hospital Accident and Emergency Department and surgical wards of Mulago hospital.Methods: This study was a randomized controlled clinical trial. Patients were randomized to receive intravenously either 0.15mg/kg (maximum 1ml) of morphine sulphate (n = 28) or an equal volume of water for injection (placebo) (n = 32).Results: A total of 60 patients 28 males (46.7%) and 32 females (53.3%) aged between 7 years to 79 years with acute right lower abdominal pain suspected to be due to appendicitis were included in the final analysis. The study findings demonstrated that I.V morphine provided substantial and statistically significant pain reduction (P=.00) in patients with acute abdominal pain due to appendicitis without blunting their physical examination findings. Those who received placebo had fractional pain VAS reduction which were not statically significant (P = 0.610). Effects of I.V morphine and placebo on the rebound tenderness and muscle guarding showed that there was no statically significant change in these two important physical signs for both study groups.Conclusion: The study has objectively demonstrated that when compared with placebo judicious administration of I.V morphine provides significant pain reduction without adversely affecting the physical examination findings in patients presenting with acute abdominal pain due to suspected appendicitis

Producers' Use of Crop Borders for Management of Potato Virus Y (PVY) in Seed Potatoes

Potato virus Y (PVY) is a very serious problem throughout most major seed potato producing states. Seed potato producers in Minnesota and North Dakota were surveyed in early 2005 to assess their perception of the profitability and risks associated with using crop borders to manage PVY in seed lots. Five of the 23 producers responding (a 25% response rate) said they had used crop borders in 2004. These 23 producers entered 152 seed lots into state seed certification programs. On average, producers had less than 0.1 seed lots rejected for PVY based on summer inspection. The average number of seed lots rejected in winter trials was 1.7. Of the 152 seed lots, these producers said they had entered into state seed certification programs, they reported detailed information on 108 lots. Generations 1 and 2 were the most likely generations to be protected by a crop border. Of these 108 seed lots, 104 passed summer inspection for PVY. Seventy-four percent of the 89 lots sent in for the winter test were reported to have passed. The use of crop borders was significant in explaining whether a seed lot had passed the winter test or not. Thirty-one (97%) of the 32 seed lots that were planted within a crop border passed the winter test while 31 (54%) of the 57 seed lots that were not planted with a crop border passed the winter test. No relationship was found between the choice of border crop and passing the winter test. Producers also were asked to state their agreement or disagreement with several statements regarding their knowledge and opinions on use of crop borders.Crop Production/Industries,

Arabidopsis and Musa cyclin D2 expressed in banana (cv. “Sukali Ndiizi”- AAB) enhances regeneration efficiency

Genetic transformation of banana is important because of its polyploidy, sterility and long generation time of most cultivars which limit conventional breeding. However, transformability and regeneration of transgenic lines remains low in bananas. This research reports on the potential of CycD2 genes to improve transformation and regeneration efficiency of banana (cv. “Sukali Ndiizi”). Two genes Arath;CycD2;1 and Musa;CycD2;1 were evaluated for cell cycle modification of the embryogenic cell suspension that is conventionally used in banana genetic engineering at the National Biotechnology Centre, Kawanda. The UidA (GUS) gene was used as reporter gene to establish transient transformation frequency by fusing it with each of the CycD2; 1 genes and Cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter in the binary vector, pC1305.1. The transformed “Sukali Ndiizi” cells were cultured on selection media and the hygromycin resistant clones developed into shoots. The Gus assay analyses showed a success rate of 80 to 90% for all the constructs including the control, transformed with the empty vector without CycD2; 1 gene. Also, the Gus assay of the regenerants showed that the gene was expressed in different parts of the plants (roots, corm and leaves). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of the regenerated shoots gave the regeneration frequency of the embryogenic clones of Arath; CycD2; 1 and Musa; CycD2; 1 gene was 47 and 62%, respectively. This was much higher than that of the control clones without CycD2; 1 (18%). The results show that CycD2; 1 genes have the potential to significantly improve regeneration efficiency of “Sukali Ndiizi” cells”.Keywords: Cell cycle genes, reporter gene, genetic transformation, regeneration efficiencyAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(13), pp. 1467-147

Psychological Distress and Adherence to Anti-retro Viral Treatment among HIV-infected Adolescents in Uganda.

Psychological distress among HIV-infected adolescent has been associated with non-adherence to anti-retroviral therapy (ART), leading to increased risk for AIDS morbidity and mortality. However, data on prevalence and correlates of psychological distress in low-income countries are scarce, and efforts to establish the nature, prevalence, and presentation of psychological distress in these settings are hindered by the lack of culturally relevant assessment tools. The purpose of this study was to develop and test a measure for psychological distress among HIV-infected adolescents aged 12-19 years in Uganda, generate knowledge on the predictors of psychological distress in this population, and assess the impact of psychological distress on adherence to ART, net of mitigating psychosocial resources. Using mixed method approaches and a sample of 511 HIV-infected adolescents, a 25-item scale, with six scales was developed and tested. The subscales were labeled as: anhedonia, depressive-anxiety, isolation, suicidal ideation, sleep problems, and somatization. Reliability of the subscales was adequate, with Cronbach’s alpha ranging from 0.615 to 0.732 for the subscales, and 0.89 for entire scale. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the scale structure was consistent with the data with RMSEA 0.90. An exploratory factor analysis supported use of a composite global psychological distress score. Psychological distress was positively associated with negative events, stigma, on-going worries, poverty-related hardships, and HIV-related concerns, and negatively associated with psychosocial resources such as spirituality, coping, satisfaction with social support. Psychosocial resources partially mediated the effects of stressors on psychological distress. In the logistic regression analyses, psychological distress was associated with 75%, 63% and 79% increase in odds for non-adherence using self-reported missed pills, following medical regimen and visual analog scale measures, respectively, and 30% increase in the odds for non-adherence in the Structural Equation Model (SEM) analyses. In these analyses, psychosocial resources partially mediated the effect of psychological distress on non-adherence. Non-adherence was positively associated with frequency of praying privately and negatively associated with satisfaction with social support. The findings in this study underscore the need for interventions to prevent or reduce psychological distress among HIV-infected adolescents, thereby improving adherence to ART.PhDHealth Behavior & Health EducationUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/107323/1/mmutumba_1.pd

ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF USING A BORDER TREATMENT FOR REDUCING ORGANOPHOSPHATE USE IN SEED POTATO PRODUCTION

Recent research shows initial colonization of potato fields by winged green peach aphid is concentrated at field edges. This suggests that insecticides applied only to field margins during initial colonization would largely eliminate a colonizing aphid population, conserve natural enemies in the field center, and reduce insecticide use. To better understand the costs and benefits of reducing organophosphate use, the six participating growers were interviewed to ascertain their reason for participating and their satisfaction with the border only treatment method as well as their estimated net economic benefits. Five of the farms ranked cost reduction as the most important reason for participating. The sixth farm ranked reducing virus spread as the most important reason with cost reduction as their second most important reason. The average cost savings over all 28 participating fields of using the border treatment is estimated to be $23.85 per acre for the entire field-a 93% savings. Almost all the farmers found the border treatment method to be successful at aphid control. None of the farmers observed any impact on the physical yield of seed potato. All the fields were certified during the summer except for one of Farmer F's fields that was lost because of off type. In conclusion, the border treatment method seems likely to be adopted by many farmers since the potential cost saving is large and farmers dislike Monitor. However, some farmers may resist the method due to scouting requirements and costs. Also, farmers with fields that do not meet the uniformity requirements of the border treatment will not be successful in their use of the border method.Crop Production/Industries,