Azide-based mutagenesis suppresses Striga hermonthica seed germination and parasitism on maize varieties

Small-scale farmers currently produce more than 90% of the maize grown in Kenya. However, the parasitic weed, Striga hermonthica has become a menace because it is a widespread parasitic weed causing severe damages to major cereals like maize and sorghum. Mutant lines of maize were createdin the laboratory using sodium azide (NaN3) and their performance in respect to the degree of Striga resistance screened. The presence of active chemical stimulants in the root exudate was further investigated. This is the first report on mutagenic conversion of Striga-susceptible to Striga-resistant maize varieties (K9908, K9910 and K9911). Stable performances of the new  arieties have been demonstrated in Striga-infested fields in western Kenya by  agronomic researcher

Water utilities research: NWSC, Uganda

Water utilities research: NWSC, Ugand

Validasi Modifikasi Metode Volumetrik Penentuan Konsentrasi Sn (Timah) Pada Konsentrat Timah

The analysis techniques for determining the concentration of Stanum (Sn) in Tin Concentrate has been developing since the 19th century. Various methods and analysis techniques are to find the most effective and efficient method enabling to achieve optimal results. In this study, a modification of the classic volumetric method that has been used includes modifications to the use of materials and tools in the analysis. In this study, validation and verification of the modified method was also carried out by determining the value of the parameters of Precision, Accuracy, Method of Detection Limit (MDL) and the Ruggedness and Robustness of the method and comparing the acceptability value based on the existing provisions. on the EURACHEM guide. After performing 25 tests using the NCS DC 35002 Certified Reference Material, it was revealed the value of the parameters for the Precision/Relative Standard Deviation (RSD)  to be   0.21% (<0.5 CV Horwitz), the accuracy value is 99.9% with bias 0.06%, the MDL values for Minimum Detection Limit (MDL) and Limit of Quantification (LOQ) are 0.4% and 1.32%, respectively. The value of the ruggedness and robustness of the method was carried out by testing at different times and by different analysts and obtained RSD 0.22% (<2/3 CV Horwitz). From the values of the parameters obtained, it can be concluded that the modification of this method fulfills the acceptance value required by EURACHEM

Use of solar water heaters in industrial processes to reduce furnace oil consumption

The Solar Water Heaters are already a commercially viable technology for Ugandan households and play an ever more meaningful role on the shift to renewable energy on a global dimension. It is still not the case in industrial applications where oil furnace or firewood are the usual sources of energy for heating. This research project aims at exploring the techni-cal and financial viability of the use of solar water heaters in industries to reduce furnace oil consump-tion and carbon dioxide emission.The high costs and environment problems that arise from the non-renewable sources of energy call for the conversion to more sustainable and less hazardous energy supplies such as solar thermal energy. This paper discusses the use of solar water heaters in industries to reduce furnace oil consumption. Not always solar thermal is viable. Technical design and financial analysis are presented.The high costs and environment problems that arise from the non-renewable sources of energy call for the conversion to more sustainable and less hazardous energy supplies such as solar thermal energy. This paper discusses the use of solar water heaters in industries to reduce furnace oil consumption. Not always solar thermal is viable. Technical design and financial analysis are presented

Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever Transmission and Risk Factors of Contacts, Uganda1

From August 2000 through January 2001, a large epidemic of Ebola hemorrhagic fever occurred in Uganda, with 425 cases and 224 deaths. Starting from three laboratory-confirmed cases, we traced the chains of transmission for three generations, until we reached the primary case-patients (i.e., persons with an unidentified source of infection). We then prospectively identified the other contacts in whom the disease had developed. To identify the risk factors associated with transmission, we interviewed both healthy and ill contacts (or their proxies) who had been reported by the case-patients (or their proxies) and who met the criteria set for contact tracing during surveillance. The patterns of exposure of 24 case-patients and 65 healthy contacts were defined, and crude and adjusted prevalence proportion ratios (PPR) were estimated for different types of exposure. Contact with the patient’s body fluids (PPR = 4.61%, 95% confidence interval 1.73 to 12.29) was the strongest risk factor, although transmission through fomites also seems possible

Managing Ebola from rural to urban slum settings: experiences from Uganda.

Managing Ebola in Uganda.Five outbreaks of ebola occurred in Uganda between 2000-2012. The outbreaks were quickly contained in rural areas. However, the Gulu outbreak in 2000 was the largest and complex due to insurgency. It invaded Gulu municipality and the slum- like camps of the internally displaced persons (IDPs). The Bundigugyo district outbreak followed but was detected late as a new virus. The subsequent outbreaks in the districts of Luwero district (2011, 2012) and Kibaale (2012) were limited to rural areas

Ethnolinguistic structuring of sorghum genetic diversity in Africa and the role of local seed systems

Sorghum is a drought-tolerant crop with a vital role in the livelihoods of millions of people in marginal areas. We examined genetic structure in this diverse crop in Africa. On the continent-wide scale, we identified three major sorghum populations (Central, Southern, and Northern) that are associated with the distribution of ethnolinguistic groups on the continent. The codistribution of the Central sorghum population and the Nilo-Saharan language family supports a proposed hypothesis about a close and causal relationship between the distribution of sorghum and languages in the region between the Chari and the Nile rivers. The Southern sorghum population is associated with the Bantu languages of the Niger-Congo language family, in agreement with the farming-language codispersal hypothesis as it has been related to the Bantu expansion. The Northern sorghum population is distributed across early Niger-Congo and Afro-Asiatic language family areas with dry agroclimatic conditions. At a finer geographic scale, the genetic substructure within the Central sorghum population is associated with language-group expansions within the Nilo-Saharan language family. A case study of the seed system of the Pari people, a Western-Nilotic ethnolinguistic group, provides a window into the social and cultural factors involved in generating and maintaining the continent-wide diversity patterns. The age-grade system, a cultural institution important for the expansive success of this ethnolinguistic group in the past, plays a central role in the management of sorghum landraces and continues to underpin the resilience of their traditional seed system

Calcium mediated regulation and calmodulin in the cyanobacterium Nostoc PCC 6720

Available from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:DX173550 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreSIGLEGBUnited Kingdo

A Genetic Algorithm Model for Financial Asset Diversification

Machine learning models can produce balanced financial portfolios through a variety of methods. Genetic algorithms are one such method that can optimally combine different funds that may occupy a portfolio. This study introduces a genetic algorithm model that finds optimal combinations of funds for a portfolio through a new approach to fitness formula calculation. Each fund in a given population has a base fitness score consisting of the sum of several technical analysis indicators. Each indicator chosen measures a different performance aspect of a fund, allowing for a balanced fitness score. Additionally, each fund has multiple category variables that determine diversity when combined into a portfolio. The base fitness score for each portfolio is the sum of its funds\u27 individual fitness scores. Portfolio fitness scores adjust based on the included funds\u27 category variable diversity. Portfolios that consist of funds with largely similar categories receive lower adjusted fitness scores and do not cross over. This process encourages strong and diversified portfolios to reproduce. This model creates diverse portfolios that outperform market benchmarks and demonstrates future potential as a diversification-aware investment strategy