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Anacardium occidentale (LINN) Stem Bark Extracts: Effects on Poultry Colibacillosis Disease
Get PDFThe challenges posed by microbes in poultry industries and the continued search for natural means of combating them inspired this study. The effect of the stem bark extracts of Anacardium occidentale on avian colibacillosis was investigated. Ethanol and aqueous extracts of the stem bark of A. occidentale were prepared using standard methods. In vitro antimicrobial activities of the extracts were evaluated against E. coli. Nine groups of 10 broilers (day old chicks; 48 g – 50 g) each were created and bred for a period of eight weeks. Groups 1 to 3 served as the control, while group 4 to 9 served as the test groups. Meat quality, biochemical and haematological assessments were done using standard methods. The maximum zone of inhibition observed was 13.0±0.4 mm at 100 % concentration of the ethanol extract. Both extracts were observed to have a bactericidal / bacteriostatic ratio of 2. The extracts improved the meat quality, blood protein, liver enzymes and renal functions of the broilers compared to the negative control. Again, packed cell volume, haemoglobin and red blood cell counts were increased by the extracts compared to the negative control. On the whole, the results obtained for the extracts were not significantly different (p > 0.05) from that of the commercial antibiotics (positive control) results. Therefore, we can infer that crude extracts of A. occidentale could be used against Colibacillosis disease in place of the conventional commercial antibiotics.  
An Experiment in Determining the High-water Mark
Get PDFAs a boundary of the seashore, the high-water mark (HWM) is relevant to the public, the State, and other rights holders in the coastal zone. Unlike most fixed property boundaries that are surveyed and beaconed, the HWM is subject to dynamic natural coastal processes and moves over time. Its location is difficult to determine, and the precision of this determination is unknown. This paper reports on an experiment to measure the precision (variability/repeatability) of the location of the HWM at a variety of sites near Cape Town, by volunteer participants. Four sites were chosen along stable (non-mobile) shores along the open, high energy oceanic shores south of Cape Town on the Cape Peninsula. One of these sites exhibits large variation in coastal terrain and type – at this site three sets of measurements were undertaken, bringing the total number of experimental sites to six. Surveying was undertaken in the South African national control survey system using network real-time kinematic global navigation satellite systems (GNSS).
This experiment shows that the professional land surveyors located the HWM to ±1,6m, coastal engineers to ±4,1m, and the group of ‘others’ to ±4,2m. The professional land surveyors determined the height of the HWM to ±0,4m over all sites, compared to ±0,7m for all participants. The HWM is likely to be about 4 - 5m above the lowest astronomic tide. However, the line is not a contour – it is affected by weather and local variations in the coastline such as slope and seashore composition. The averaged heights of the HWM at each of the sites for all participants showed a range of 1,3m. Since the boundaries of the seashore cannot be determined with precision, property, cadastral and environmental law needs to continue to respect the nature of this environment and the limitations of locating the HWM
Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory (HartRAO) antenna axis offset determined by geodetic VLBI analysis and ground survey
Get PDFIn the Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) space geodetic technique, various station-specific error sources corrupt the observable VLBI delay. An antenna axis offset (AO) model is applied in the VLBI data analysis for antennas with non-intersecting rotational axes, such as the 26-m and 15-m antennas for the Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory (HartRAO). The a priori AO values recommended by the International VLBI Service for Geodesy and Astrometry (IVS) for use in geodetic VLBI data analysis are taken, where possible, from values measured in ground surveys. The a priori AO values used for the HartRAO antennas in geodetic VLBI analysis have been identified as possible sources of error. The a priori AO value of 6695.3 mm for the 26-m antenna originates from a 2003 co-locational ground survey, conducted before a major bearing repair in 2008, which could have changed the AO. The a priori AO value of 1495.0 mm for the 15-m antenna was determined in 2007 in only a preliminary GPS survey. In this study, the respective AO values of the HartRAO 26-m and 15-m antennas were estimated from a VLBI analysis using the Vienna VLBI and Satellite Software (VieVS) and compared with measurements from co-locational ground surveys. It was found that the VLBI estimated values do not agree within the formal margins of error with the ground survey values, in that they differ by up to eight millimetres (8 mm) for the 26-m antenna and up to five millimetres (5 mm) for the 15-m antenna. As the ground survey values are considered to be more accurate than the VLBI estimated values, a further investigation of the site-specific error sources that may be contaminating the accuracy of VLBI results is required
Effectiveness of School-based Professional Development in Addressing Teachers’ Learning Needs and Improving Learner-centred Pedagogical Practices
Get PDFThe study set out to investigate how school-based continuing professional development (SB-CPD) addresses teachers’ learning needs and contributes to the improvement of learner-centred pedagogical practices in Tanzania secondary schools The study employed questionnaire, interviews, classroom observation, and documentary review to collect data from a sample of 110 teachers and heads of schools participating in an SB-CPD programme called the Probono Teacher Training (PPT) Programme. The study revealed that, even though teachers’ learning needs were not identified through a needs assessment, the teachers perceived the programme effective in addressing their learning needs related to the implementation of the competence-based (secondary education) curriculum. Moreover, the PPT Programme, to a large extent, was effective in improving learner-centred pedagogical practices, particularly in the aspect of applying learner-centred teaching (LCT) strategies in the course of teaching. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that an SB-CPD programme is effective in addressing teachers’ learning needs and improving learner-centred pedagogical practices. 
Exploring Lecturers’ Perceptions of Undergraduate Distance Learners Experiences with MUELE ICT Support
Get PDFThis study explored lecturer’s perceptions of undergraduate, Bachelor of Commerce, distance learners’ experiences of using the ICT support-Makerere University E-learning Environment (MUELE). Interviews held with the lecturers were transcribed, exported to RQDA- R program package- for qualitative content analysis. Coding and categorising of codes led to three themes: The first theme was, “student related issues” summarizing the benefits and challenges that learners faced in their use of the ICT support. The second theme was “the role of Makerere University-institution” which revealed what the university is currently doing to promote the use of the ICT support and suggestions from the lecturers. The third theme was called “introductory training for new users of the ICT support-MUELE” and focused on the need for training of each new user of the ICT support. This ICT support has great potential to involve learners in research and discussions; however, there is need to address difficulties such as expensive internet and limited computers
Green synthesis of zinc oxide from aqueous fruit extract of Dovyalis abyssinica (Koshem) and application for water purification
Get PDFThis article reports the green synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles using an endemic plant called Dovyalis abyssinica, locally known as Koshem, for the degradation of malachite green dye in photocatalytic process. An aqueous extract from the ripe fruits of the plant was incorporated into the sol-gel synthesis process to obtain ZnO NPs with the size of 17 nm. XRD data and UV-Vis absorption at 390 nm confirmed that the synthesis was successful. In addition, the FTIR result showed a characteristic absorption peak at 543 cm-1 for the presence of Zn-O stretching and additional peaks also appeared from the plant source, suggesting that the natural functionalities are present together on ZnO particles as a capping agent. The ZnO NPs produced were used as a photocatalyst to degrade the organic dye malachite green. The results showed that ZnO nanomaterials synthesized in green removed 98.5% of the dye from the aqueous solution by photo-degradation under visible light. This study contributes to efforts that try to develop efficient techniques for removing organic pollutants from wastewater treatment.
 
Population Growth, Gender and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) in Nigeria
Get PDFThe global population has more than tripled since the middle of the twentieth century, rising from roughly 2.5 billion in 1950 to nearly 7.9 billion in 2021. According to United Nations (UN) projections, the global population will reach about 11 billion people by the end of the twenty-first century, when it is predicted to stabilise. The population of Nigeria follows the same patterns as the rest of the world. Her population continues to rise at a rapid rate. To achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those linked to reproductive health, education, gender equality, climate change, and the environment, comprehensive law and policy frameworks are required to slow population increase and advance gender equality in decision-making at family and community levels. This paper examines the current law and governance frameworks on gender equality in Nigeria to evaluate gaps that continue to exacerbate the population explosion. We offer several drivers of women's marginalisation at family and community levels, such as an imbalance in power relations, limited education for girls and women, financial inequality, and marginalisation in decision making, that continue to worsen population increase in Nigeria, therefore, slowing down progress on the SDGs' successful implementation and population control. On a multidimensional approach, we examine SDGs 5, 6, 7, 11, and 13 as tools for population control, women empowerment, and gender equality. The SDGs dynamics provide a model for environmentally healthy and long-term population control. This article analyses this from a feminist perspective as integral to sustainable development policies and activities
Paramyxoviruses in rodents: A review
Get PDFParamyxoviruses have been shown to infect a wide range of hosts, including rodents, and humans. Several novel murine paramyxoviruses have been discovered in the last several decades. Although these viruses are unclassified, they are recognized as Beilong virus, Mojiang virus (MojV), and Tailam virus in rats, Jeilongvirus, Nariva, Paju Apodemus paramyxovirus-1 and -2 in mice, and Pentlands paramyxovirus-1, -2, and -3 in squirrels. These paramyxoviruses were reported mainly in China and a few other countries like Australia, the Republic of Korea, Trinidad, and France. In June 2012, it becomes a great concern in China whereby, three miners were reported dead potentially caused by a novel zoonotic MojV, a henipa-like virus isolated from tissue samples of rats from the same cave. Rats are considered to be natural hosts for the MojV from the literature research. The classified paramyxovirus, Sendai virus in rodents is also reviewed. Paramyxoviruses infection in rodents leads to respiratory distress such as necrotizing rhinitis, tracheitis, bronchiolitis, and interstitial pneumonia. Infections caused by paramyxoviruses often spread between species, manifesting disease in spillover hosts, including humans. This review focuses on the paramyxoviruses in rodents, including the epidemiological distributions, transmission and pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnostic methods, and control and prevention of paramyxoviruses infection to provide a better understanding of these highly mutating viruses 
Effect of adding clove buds powder in feed on performance and jejunum morphology in broiler chickens
Get PDFBackground: Cloves are aromatic spices containing diverse chemically active substances with biological properties. They have also been used in traditional medicine.
Aim: This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of clove bud powder (CBP) dietary administration on the performance and jejunum morphology of the broiler chickens.
Methods: A total of 360 1-day-old chicks (Ross 308) were distributed according to a completely randomized design on 3 experimental groups according to CBP% in feed (0.0%, 0.5%, and 1.0%), with 6 replicates for each treatment group. The studied traits included body weight, daily weight gain, daily feed consumption, feed conversion ratio, mortality%, European broiler index (EBI), villus height, crypt depth, and villus height/crypt depth ratio.
Results: The broilers final body weight, daily weight gain, and daily feed consumption reduced significantly (p ≤ 0.01) in groups consuming different percentages of CBP, and a significant increase (p < 0.05) in feed conversion ratio was noted in the CBP groups. Adding CBP to feed caused a significant decrease (p < 0.05) in the EBI. However, CBP increased (p ≤ 0.01) villus height and villus height/crypt depth ratio (h/c ratio) compared to the control group. On the other hand, the results showed that there were no significant differences (p > 0.05) between treatment groups in mortality% and crypt depth.
Conclusion: This study concluded that the addition of CBP had a negative effect on daily feed consumption, daily body weight gain, final body weight, feed conversion ratio, and EBI at a dose used in this study. But it improved intestinal morphology
Ultrasound-guided brachial plexus block and suspected Horner’s syndrome in an alpaca (Vicugna pacos) undergoing traumatic scapulo-humeral luxation reduction and articular capsule reconstruction
Get PDFBackground: Alpacas are becoming more and more diffused as pets in Europe and United Kingdom, and it is not uncommon to deal with these species in large animal referral hospitals. Unfortunately, pain assessment and treatment in llamoids remain challenging, due to their instinct of hiding signs of pain and the lack of relevant scientific literature.
Case Description: This report describes the use of an ultrasound-guided brachial plexus block as part of a multimodal analgesic strategy in an alpaca undergoing surgical right shoulder luxation repair. Based on the intra-operative cardiovascular stability, the post-operative comfort level, and the minimal amount of systemic analgesics needed, it can be concluded that the block appeared effective and contributed to the peri-operative pain management. After recovery from general anesthesia, drooping of the right upper eyelid was observed and persisted for approximately 10 hours. This finding could be interpreted as a Horner’s syndrome-like clinical sign and be a minor complication of the block, as previously described in other species.
Conclusion: Despite the minor complication here reported, and the difficulty in assessing intra- and post-operative nociception and pain in camelids, it can be concluded that the use of a brachial plexus block could be a valuable option when desensitization of the forelimb is required.