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Needs-based knowledge processing through universitycommunity partnerships: higher education inroads into rural community development in Zimbabwe
No full textOccasional paper no.16 Selected Papers from the Global Research Serminar on sharing Research Agendas on Knowledge Systems.Knowledge, the ultimate competitive advantage for any modern community or organization,
gives its possessor a unique and inherently protected commodity for survival and
development. Today's universities are among those organizations credited for spearheading
and sustaining the on-going knowledge revolution. In developing countries, universities have
come to playa key role within their own societies in a wide range of developmental issues
even though they often find themselves acutely outclassed in the competitive international
knowledge network (Altbach, 1998). Notably, many universities need sensitization for them
to prioritize the integration of local and alien knowledge that should address broader
sustainable development needs as perceived by the affected communities. Comparatively,
the superior military, economic, intellectual and technological accomplishments of
industrialized countries give some of their universities extensive, jealously-guarded power,
prompting them to assert themselves as 'central' institutions within their countries and in
the global knowledge arena. The third world universities remain 'peripheral', tending to
copy developments from abroad, producing little that is original, and generally not at the
frontiers of knowledge. Within developing countries, the Western-sourced education, science,
technology and Western human development models appear to perpetrate a socio-economic
and knowledge gap among citizens, creating a conservative traditional culture alongside a
neo-Western one
Unified Field Theory ? Part II of Paper I: Gravitational, Electromagnetic, Weak & the Strong Force.
No full textThe present paper is a continuation of the earlier paper Nyambuya (2007b) and the reader is advised to have both this paper and the present as they constitute a single unit paper. The paper was split into two for reasons of space and hence thus this paper starts off from section 10 and Nyambuya (2007b) ends with section 9.
Advances in Science, Technology and Innovation ? Relevance for the ACP Meat Industry
No full textThe meat industry in ACP countries ranges from small-scale producers of live animals to large-scale commercial enterprises on the one hand, and simple slaughter poles to sophisticated abattoirs with refrigeration and chilling facilities at the other end of the continuum. The spectrum for meat processing is also similar, ranging from rudimentary operations to sophisticated modern processing plants. At the level of marketing, sales of fresh meat predominate with limited availability of locally processed meats in several ACP countries. Meat mainly comes from ruminant animals (cattle, sheep and goats), and the quality is inextricably linked to the efficiency of the animal production system. However, locally produced pig and poultry meats are on the increase mainly due to growth in smallholder production (Sonaiya, 2007). Improvement in the ACP meat industry requires consideration of the whole chain from conception to consumption (identification and selection of breeds, production, slaughter, processing including new product development, marketing and consumption).
Meat consists of edible muscle, connective tissue and associated fat. It is an important source of high quality protein comprising essential amino acids that can be used to supplement proteins from plant sources, which often lack essential amino acids such as lysine, tryptophan, methionine and threonine (Bender, 1992; Bindraban and Rabbinge, 2004; Wilson et al., 2005). The over-consumption of meat has been associated with some health risks and it is the fatty acids that are of concern (Pisulewski et al., 2005; Webb et al., 1994).
The major attributes of meat are eating quality (appearance, flavour, tenderness, juiciness), nutritional quality (protein, fat, micro-nutrient and mineral content), safety (absence of pathogens and other contaminants), technological quality (water holding capacity, pH-value, protein content and its characteristics, lipid content and its characteristics, connective tissue, anti-oxidant status), storability, and price (Andersen et al., 2005; Webb, 2006). The major challenges for the ACP meat industry are to ensure that meat products meet these attributes. This paper will discuss some of the recent advances in science, technology and innovation (ST&I) and how ACP countries can capitalize on them to address the challenges faced by the industry, especially for those with access to regional and international export markets
Intestinal growth and function of broiler chicks fed sorghum based diets differing in condensed tannin levels
No full textThe effect of feeding sorghum condensed tannins on intestinal growth, function and histology was investigated in an 8-week broiler growth trial. Four sorghum varieties of different proanthocyanidins (PA) content; DC75 (DC - 2.48 A5,0nrn/gD M) Chirimaugute (CH - 1.68 A550n,n/Dg M), Brown Tsweta (BT - 0.2 A550nrn/gD M), SV2 (SV - 0.07 A~50~,,,D/gM ) and maize (MA) were used to formulate four diets each with one sorghum variety (CH, BT and SV) and maize included as the principal energy source. DC75 was used to replace 50 (DC50) and 100% (DCl00) wlw maize to form the other two treatment diets. Relative weights of the small intestine differed significantly at 21 days of age. However, the decrease in weight did not correspond to the increase in PA level in a linear manner. Villus height and crypt depth were reduced at seven (7%) and 14 days (15%) in broilers fed DC and CH diets and thereafter was similar to MA and SV fed birds. The liver total and esterified cholesterol was reduced in DC100, DC50 and CH fed birds. Grain sorghum contains other phytochemicals such as policosanols and sterols besides PA which compound the observations in the liver. The effect of age on the severity of local liver lesions was not significant. The DC100 fed chicks showed mild crypt necrosis and/or sub-acute crypt distortion. There was a significant increase in the goblet cell number/mm2 measured in the jejunum of chicks fed CH, DC50 and DClOO diets. Sucrase but not maltase activity was significantly reduced with increased PA content in the 7-, 14- and 21-days age groups. From the results it appears that the dietary PA levels are not limiting factors in the development of the gastrointestinal tract of broiler chicks
Transforming Higher Education For Effective Technical And Vocational Skills Delivery In Zimbabwe
No full textPresented at a Research seminar in Accra,Ghana,from 22 to 24 march 2007 on the theme ?The Contribution of Higher education to National Education Systems: Current Challenges
for Africa?.The major thrust of technical and vocational education (TVE) worldwide is to address issues of
youth unemployment, poverty and international competitiveness in skills development towards
current and projected opportunities and challenges (McGrath, 2005). Such issues are crucial to
Africa?s dignity and survival in the fast-changing global environment. African countries and
their governments have been challenged to take cues from their industrialized counterparts to
seriously consider the role of higher education and training in the quest for economic
emancipation and social stability. In developed countries, higher education, for its part, is
facilitating the elevation of human intellectual capital well above other forms of human
endowment. The International Bank for Development and Reconstruction/World Bank (2000)
has observed that:
?Today, global wealth is concentrated less and less in factories, land, tools, and machinery.
? Human capital in the United States is now estimated to be at least three times more
important than physical capital. ? The developed world is reacting quickly, with education a
major political priority. High quality human capital is developed in high quality education
systems, with tertiary education providing the advanced skills that command a premium in
today?s workplace.?
TVE has played an important role in charting the course for human civilization into modern
times. Most of today?s increasingly more complex and specialized technical jobs require
systematic strategies of handing down vital cumulative skills to younger generations. It has been
noted that in developing countries, TVE is one of those sections of education given much less
priority in policy formulation, funding and monitoring than other sections such as basic
education.
In this paper we analyze some pertinent developments and report on a survey of major policies
and activities that promote and recognize the place and role of technical and vocational education
in Zimbabwe in relation to the demands of this type of education for the economic development
of the country. The challenge to transformation in our developing economies as always is
whether to emphasize cultural and contextual differences and national idiosyncrasies instead of
international similarities, competitiveness and comparative indicators. (Watson,1994). In order to
play its part well as leading and advising, higher education must itself be seen to transform
A comparison of antibiotic resistance in microorganisms isolated from chicken and ostrich faeces in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
No full textJournal for applied Biology and BiochemistrySamples of fresh faeces were obtained from a free-range chicken source, three commercial chicken farms and a commercial ostrich farm, all located around Bulawayo City, Zimbabwe, in order to determine the antibiotic resistance profile of selected bacterial isolates of interest in food-related human infections. Samples were prepared at various dilutions and plated on selective media for Coryneforms, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis and Pseudomonas. The targeted bacteria were isolated as pure cultures and tested for antibiotic resistance to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, oxytetracycline, sulphonamide, streptomycin and tetracycline. Isolates from the faeces of chickens and ostriches in the commercial farms were found to be generally more resistant to streptomycin, tetracycline and oxytetracycline as compared to those from the free- range chickens. This study emphasizes the need to monitor antibiotic resistance genes in the environment and to curb/curtail antibiotic use for growth promotion in farm animals, particularly in developing countries, as continued use will only add to the growing problem of microbial antibiotic resistance
Governance and information literacy: pillars of sustainable development in Southern Africa
No full textPaper Presented at a Colloquium on Information Literacy and Lifelong Learning, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 29 to 30 April, 2007 by Lawton HikwaGood governance is a basis for sustainable information literacy. Both good governance
and information literacy are pillars of sustainable development. Progressive nations with modern economies recognise and advocate that information is a vital national resource. In fact, such economies are very much reliant on a reliable flow of quality information. To sustain development in Southern Africa, governments must be willing to enact legislation that forms the basis for policy frameworks for effective delivery of library and information services. In other words, these governments must and willingly, define expectations and verify performance levels of library and information services for the sustainable development of their individual and collective citizens. An information
literate citizenry possesses the ability to know when there is a need for information, how to identify, locate, evaluate and use such information effectively in dealing with a problem or problems at hand (National Forum on Information Literacy, 2006). This
paper discusses governance and information literacy as possible pillars of sustainable
development in Southern Africa. It also recommends a template for the development of a library and information services policy framework that could be adopted by countries in Southern Africa
Information for Rural Development: a Zimbabwean Perspective
No full textPaper presented at the ProLISSA
Conference held on 7 ? 11 March, 2011, Pretoria, South Africa by Lawton HikwaThe library and information services sector in Zimbabwe exhibits a number of characteristics, which set it apart from more conventional aid partnerships. As a non direct target for development assistance, the
sector tends to be viewed as a segment of cultural development, without readily measurable outcomes. Similarly state support for the library and information services sector is very much limited, hence the
emergence of independent non governmental organisations that were founded to address and attend to the much needed information services in rural Zimbabwe. The state in Zimbabwe is not in a position to devote significant resources to the library and information services sector. It remains a fact that the bulk of the national budget has been devoted to education since independence in 1980; however, there has never been a deliberate emphasis to place books and libraries as a priority in the same budgets. The challenge is more significant to rural libraries, which
without development assistance would hardly even exist
Modelling the human immune response mechanisms to mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in the lungs
No full textHuman immune response mechanisms to TB infectionThis work elaborates on the e?ects of cytotoxic lymphocytes (CTLs)
and other immune mechanisms in determining whether a TB-infected individ-
ual will develop active or latent TB. It answers one intriguing question: why
do individuals infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) experience dif-
ferent clinical outcomes? In addressing this question, we have developed a
model that captures the e?ects of CTLs and the combined e?ects of CD4+
helper T cells (Th1 and Th2) immune response mechanisms to TB infection.
The occurrence of active or latent infection is shown to depend on a number of
factors that include e?ector function and levels of CTLs. We use the model to
predict disease progression scenarios, including primary, latency or clearance.
Model analysis shows that occurrence of active disease is much attributed
to the Mtb pathogen ability to persist outside the intracellular environment
and that high levels of CTLs result in latent TB, while low levels of CTLs
result in active TB. This is attributed to the CTLs' ability to directly kill
infected macrophages and the bacteria inside the infected macrophages. The
study suggests directions for further basic studies and potential new treatment
strategies
Integrating Lean Management and Six Sigma Methodologies as a Tool for Re -industrialization
No full textPaper presented in the ZIE, ECZ Engineers Without Borders Conference held in Victoria Falls,Zimbabwe(2006).Despite the pursuit of quality systems industries in Zimbabwe has remained constrained by poor quality and lack of continuous improvement. Waste in industry has led to avoidable costs being suffered by companies. Whereas Six Sigma is focused on reducing variation and improving process yield by following a problem-solving approach using statistical tools, Lean is primarily concerned with eliminating waste and improving flow by following the Lean principles and a defined approach to implement each of these principles. This paper suggests a lean six sigma methodology for improving quality and eliminating non-value adding activities in manufacturing through a combination of measurement, programme formulation, implementation and maintenance