26 research outputs found
THE ROLE OF RELEVANT BASIC EDUCATION IN ACHIEVING FOOD SECURITY AND SUSTAINABLE RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Community/Rural/Urban Development, Food Security and Poverty, Labor and Human Capital,
Fungicidal activity of miconazole against Candida spp. biofilms
Although azole antifungals are considered to be fungistatic, miconazole has fungicidal activity against planktonic Candida albicans cells, presumably associated with the induction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Only few data are available concerning the effect of miconazole against sessile C. albicans cells. In the present study, the fungicidal activity of miconazole against in vitro-grown mature Candida biofilms, and its relationship with the induction of ROS and ROS-dependent apoptosis were examined.
The effect of miconazole on mature biofilms formed by 10 C. albicans strains and 5 strains from other Candida species was evaluated by plate counting and measuring the level of ROS induction. MIC tests were performed in the absence and presence of ascorbic acid, a quencher of ROS. The apoptotic population in C. albicans cells was determined using annexin-Cy3.
Miconazole showed a significant fungicidal effect against all mature Candida biofilms tested and caused elevated ROS levels, both in planktonic and sessile cells. Addition of ascorbic acid drastically reduced these levels. While ROS quenching decreased the susceptibility to miconazole of planktonic cells of most Candida strains, no reduced fungicidal activity of miconazole against biofilms was observed. Miconazole did not cause a significant increase in apoptosis.
ROS levels increased in all Candida biofilms upon addition of miconazole. However, ROS induction was not the only factor that underlies its fungicidal activity, as quenching of ROS did not lead to an enhanced survival of biofilm cells. ROS-induced apoptosis was not observed in C. albicans cells after miconazole treatment
Inflight calibration of AVIRIS in 1992 and 1993
In order to pursue the quantitative research objective of AVIRIS, the spectral, radiometric characteristic of the sensor must be known at the time of flight data acquisition. AVIRIS is rigorously calibrated in the laboratory. In addition, three times each year these characteristics of AVIRIS are validated through an inflight calibration experiment. Absolute radiometric calibration and signal-to-noise results are present for the inflight calibration experiment orchestrated in 1992 and 1993
Factors influencing the trailing endpoint observed in Candida albicans susceptibility testing using the CLSI procedure
AbstractThe trailing endpoint phenotype observed during testing of Candida albicans susceptibility to azoles according to the CLSI procedure is defined as a difference in MIC depending on whether the result is obtained after 24 or 48 h. This study investigated whether intrinsic differences between the EUCAST and CLSI methods could explain trailing growth. The glucose concentration in the medium and the shape of the microtitre plate wells were both found to be involved. In order to reduce the incidence of trailing growth according to the CLSI procedure, the use of higher glucose concentrations and flat-bottomed microtitre plates could be valuable improvements
Perceptions of Secondary School Students towards Natural Resources Management: Case Study of Participants in FoF and Non-Participants
Integrating natural resources management in the secondary
school curriculum in Kenya has received a lot of talk without
adequate practical activities. The Farmers of the Future Programme
under the World Agroforestry Centre, formally the International
Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF),
initiated a practical approach to integration of natural resources
management in the secondary school curriculum in Kenya.
This paper provides information on significant findings of a
study that was carried out to determine the potential of FoF in
integrating natural resources management into the secondary
school curriculum in Kenya. A comparison between secondary
school students who are involved in FoF programme and those
not involved was done to determine their perceptions towards
natural resources management. Further, comparison of perceptions
by gender among learners who are involved in the FoF initiative
was done. The study employed an ex-post-facto design in data
collection using questionnaires. Questionnaires and were
analysed using t-test at alpha = 0.05. The findings indicated
that the FoF programme had a significant influence on learners’
perceptions towards natural resources management. It was
therefore concluded that FoF programme enhanced positive
perceptions towards natural resources management among
learners. On the basis of the findings, it was recommended that
the FoF programme be expanded to cover more schools
Integration of Natural Resource Management in the Primary Education Curriculum in Kenya
The Farmers of the Future (FoF) initiative implemented a
programme of integrating natural resources management in
the basic education curriculum. The purpose of the study was to
document activities and determine the effects of FoF programme
on primary school learners’ perceptions towards natural resources
management by comparing learners involved in the FoF
programme and those not involved. Further, comparison of perceptions
by gender among learners involved in the FoF was
done. The study employed an ex-post-facto design. The location
of the study was the western region of Kenya. The sample was
composed of 120 learners and 6 teachers, making a total of 126
respondents. This was in accordance with recommendations by
Kathuri and Pals (1993). The data were collected using questionnaires
and analysed using t-test at alpha = 0.05. The
instruments were validated by two experts in the Department of
Agricultural Education and Extension at Egerton University and
one expert from ICRAF. Reliability was tested through pilot
testing and indicated a reliability coefficient of 0.72 The findings
indicated that the FoF programme had a significant influence on
learners’ positive perceptions towards natural resources management
thus the programme forms an integral part in sustainable agriculture