Journals National University of Science and Technology (NUST)
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Acute effects of beetroot juice ingestion on blood flow and blood pressure in diabetic patients with early-stage peripheral artery disease
Get PDFThe objective of the study was to determine the acute effects of beetroot juice ingestion on blood flow and blood pressure in diabetic patients with early-stage peripheral arterial disease compared to non-diabetic controls. In this quasi-experimental cohort study of 35 Black-African diabetic patients and 36 non-diabetic controls, peak systolic velocity (PSV), systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were utilised to assess blood flow in the popliteal arteries (PA) basally, 90 minutes, 150 minutes, and 210 minutes-post-ingestion of beetroot juice both between and within groups. A two-way analysis of variance with Benferroni post-hoc analysis were performed to compare the two groups across 4-time points after the intake of beetroot juice. One sample and two-sample t-tests with Cohen’s d effects sizes were performed to determine whether any changes in dependant variables were significant and meaningful within and between groups. Within groups, PSV, SBP and DBP reduced significantly and meaningfully during baseline to 90 minutes and 150 minutes-210 minutes’ time points (P ≤0.02; d ≤1.70). However, no significant or meaningful change (P ≤0.9; d ≤0.29) occurred in PSV, SBP and DBP during the 90 minutes to 150 minutes’ time point. Between groups, PSV and DBP were significantly and meaningfully higher (P ≤0.04; d ≤1.95) in diabetic patients at baseline. At 90 minutes and 150 minutes PSV remained higher in diabetic patients (P ≤0.04; d ≤1.30) unlike SBP (P ≤0.8; d ≤0.34). At 210 minutes, PSV and SBP did not change significantly or meaningfully (P ≤0.59; d ≤0.18) between groups while DBP showed no significant or meaningful difference (P ≤0.7; d ≤0.33) between the groups at all the time points. The combined group effects were significant for PSV (diff ≤ 20.0 cm/s; P <0.0001) across all the time points except between 90 minutes to 150 minutes (diff = 0.4cm/s; P = 1.0) The combined group effects were significant for SBP (diff ≤ 22.01mmHg; P<0.0001) amongst all the time points except 90 minutes to 150 minutes time point (diff = 1.2 mmHg; P = 1.00) and finally the combined group effects for DBP were significant and meaningful (diff ≤13.4 mmHg; P <0.0001) amongst all the time pointsexcept 90 minutes to 150 minutes (diff = 1.34 mmHg; P = 1.00) after beetroot juice ingestions. The acute effects of beetrootjuice on the blood flow of the popliteal artery were reflected as lowered PSV, SBP and DBP during the 150-210 minutes’ time point in both groups
Agility as a strategy in Zimbabwean manufacturing industries
Get PDFCustomer needs as well as requirements are always in a continuous state of flux and more often than not, Manufacturing Companies find themselves in a quandary as they try to meet these. The inherent ability of Manufacturing Companies to meet the ever-changing customer requirements is key in ensuring that they are able to gain a competitive advantage over their counterparts as well as succeed in this highly volatile market. The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as its noticeably widespread effects also brought about disruptive effects within an already turbulent environment as the Zimbabwean Manufacturing Sector was not spared the scourge of the pandemic. The organizations thus have to gain resilience so as to be able to thrive as well as grow competitively within their sector. The purpose of this paper was to assess how applicable the Agile Strategy is within the Zimbabwean Manufacturing sector as well as to come up with effective methods by which the strategy could be adopted by more organizations within the sector. The key drivers to the implementation of the strategy within these sectors as well as challenges associated with the implementation were also reviewed in depth
Using Chemically Modified Tanzanian Cashew Nut Shell Liquid in Sequestering Pb2+ and Cd2+ from Simulated Contaminated Water
Get PDFCashew nut shell liquid (CNSL)-based micron-sized polymeric particles (MSPPs) of average particle sizes of approximately 0.1 µm to 0.4 µm, were prepared by formaldehyde emulsion polycondensation of technical CNSL. The technical CNSL of 820 centipoise viscosity was used. Surface chemical modifications of MSPPs were carried out to introduce appropriate functional groups for cation exchange. Through suitable reactions with monochloroacetic acid, concentrated sulfuric acid, and aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, respectively, carboxylic, sulphonic, and aminopropylsilyl functional groups were introduced onto MSPPs. Column-packed MSPPs and chemically modified MSPP were successfully used to exchange lead and cadmium ions in contaminated water. The extent of Pb2+ and Cd2+ exchanged was analysed by AAS. The amount of Pb2+ and Cd2+ exchanged by the unmodified MSPP was 0.022 mg/g and 0.034 mg / g, respectively. The amounts of Pb2+ exchanged by the modified resins were 0.056 mg/g, 0.023 mg / g, and 0.103 mg/g for the carboxylated, sulfonated and aminopropylsilylated MSPPs, respectively. The amount of Cd2+ exchanged by the carboxylated, sulfonated and arnimpropylsilylated MSPPs was 0.062 mg/g, 0.093 mg / g, and 0.040 mg/g. The results suggested improvement in Pb2+ and Cd2+ exchange capacity with chemical modifications of the CNSL based polymer particles. A strong correlation between Pb2+ and Cd2+ uptake of the polymer particles and the pH of the solution is also observed. The low values of Pb2+ and Cd2+ exchanges, call for further study to optimise the resins' heavy metal ions uptake capacit
An assessment of the uptake of selected heavy metals, antioxidant response and lipid peroxidation in Spinacia Oleracea vegetables, cultivated on soil from a coal mining area in Matabeleland North Region of Zimbabwe
Get PDFCoal mining in Matabeleland North region plays an important role in the production of energy in Zimbabwe. Coal mining, however,results in the release of pollutants such as heavy metals into the surrounding soil environments, putting communities involved invegetable gardening at risk. This study aimed to quantify the levels of the heavy metals, cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn)in soil from a coal mining area in Matabeleland North region, and in spinach (Spinacea oleracea) grown in these soils, as well asassess superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) antioxidant enzyme activities in the cultivated spinach. Malondialdehyde(MDA) levels were also measured as an index of lipid peroxidation. Soil was collected from 3 sites and the pH and electricalconductivity were measured. Spinach seeds were planted in the soils in polythene bags and left to germinate and grow outdoorsfor 30 days, with daily watering. Spinach leaves were harvested. Heavy metals were quantified, SOD and CAT activities assessedand MDA levels measured. Soil pH from Sites 1, 2 and 3 ranged between 6.2 and 6.9, while conductivity was in the 1.50-1.59 µSrange. Compared to the heavy metal levels in the reference soil, Cd levels from Sites 2 and 3 were significantly (p< 0.05) higher.Copper and Zn levels from each of the sites were significantly higher than in the reference soil. In spinach, Cd levels rangedbetween 1.20-2.23 mg/kg. Both Cu and Zn levels were significantly (p< 0.05) higher than in spinach grown on reference soil,ranging between 38-47 mg/kg and 64-89 mg/kg respectively. There was a significant increase in SOD and CAT enzyme activitiesin spinach grown on Sites 1-3 soils, compared to enzyme activities of plants grown on reference soil. Malondialdehyde levels weresignificantly higher in plants grown on Site 1 and 2 soils compared to plants grown on reference soil. The findings suggest thatspinach bioaccumulates pollutants from soil in the coal mining area
Green manufacturing implementation in zimbabwe: an assessment of current issues
Get PDFGreen manufacturing (GM) is becoming very important as it will determine an organisation’s sustainability in the long term. Theprotection of the environment is essential to avoid land, air and water pollution. Challenges of global warming, land degradationand ozone layer depletion are pushing companies to adopt GM. This paper aims to assess the implementation of GM in Zimbabweand shed light on the current position. A GM framework that can be adopted by the mining and manufacturing companies inZimbabwe was developed. 76 manufacturing and mining companies in Zimbabwe participated in this study. The data wasanalysed using SPSS v 23. Financial constraint was highlighted as one of the challenges faced in implementing GM. All thecompanies highlighted that they use power grid electricity and that their processes produce a lot of waste. Several companiesindicated that they do not have pollution prevention equipment
Information and communication technologies: enhancing women entrepreneurship and productivity in the textile cottage industry
Get PDFThe textile cottage industry is important in employment creation, income and profits generation and foreign currency earning for a country through exports. The pursuit of women entrepreneurship in the textile cottage industries acts as an instrument towards their emancipation, consistent with the MDG # 3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women; and SDG #5: Achieve Gender Equality and Empower all Women and Girls. This paper focuses on how information and communication technology could enhance productivity in the cottage textiles in Zimbabwe. The study was qualitative in nature, employing non-probability sampling techniques. Semi structured interviews were administered to representatives of Ministries of Information and Communications Technology, Small-Medium Enterprises, and Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development to investigate policy issues. Focus group discussions were conducted on 67 participants selected from a total of 370 representatives of women entrepreneurs. The study primarily used thematic analysis tool for data analysis. Findings of the study showed that the textile cottage industry largely operated manual systems, had inconsistent connectivity, inadequate energy power systems, product innovations were inhibited, and disjoint information and communications technologies. To enhancing entrepreneurships and sustainable productivity it was recommended that textile cottage industry adopted robust information and communication technology strategies
Proximate analysis and evaluation of total phenolic compounds in Azanza garckeana fruit for use as gelatin crosslinking agent
Get PDFAzanza garckeana (A. garckeana) is a wild edible fruit native in Africa, widely distributed in the East and Southern Africa. Thespecies grow naturally in semi-arid areas. The consumption of the fruit is linked to many phytochemicals present within the fruit,one of these being phenolic compounds. Several studies have been conducted on A. garckeana, but, study on the phenoliccontent of the pulp and the seed coat has been overlooked. However, to link the effect of these phenolics, the completequantification of the whole fruit is mandatory. The objective of this research was therefore to conduct proximate analysis and todetermine the Total Phenolic Content (TPC) in different constituents of A. garckeana fruit for use as a natural crosslinking agentin gelatin resin. Firstly, the phytochemical yield was determined and this was done through separating the fruit into differentcomponents (i.e., pulp, seed and the seed coat) defatting and extracting using methanol. The extracts were filtered, concentratedand the yield was calculated. Secondly, phytochemical screening for phenolics and clean-up was done prior to the determinationof TPC. TPC was estimated based on Folin Ciocalteu’s method using SpectraMax M2 UV-vis spectrophotometer. The linearity ofthe Folin Ciocalteu method was verified through the method of least squares which was applied through different concentrationsof standard gallic acid. TPC was calculated from the gallic acid standard curve and the results expressed as mg/g gallic acidequivalents (Standard curve equation: y = 2.9503x + 0.0348; Correlation coefficient: R 2 = 0.997). The extraction yield was found to be 0.57, 0.18 and 0.14g/g for the pulp, seed and the seed coat, respectively. All phytochemical screening tests revealed a positive test for phenolics. The TPC varied from 18.14 to 20.78 and 24.92mgGAE/g in the seed coat, seed and the pulp, respectively. High TPC (24.92mgGAE/g) was found in the fruit pulp
Water spinach (Ipomoea spp.) and its potential: A review
Get PDFThe problem of malnutrition justifies the need to explore underutilized crops that have the potential to address the food and nutrition insecurity issues. Certain underutilized crops can play a significant role in both food and nutrition security of the vulnerable populations especially children below the age of five and women. Water spinach, a green leafy vegetable, is one of the underutilized crops in Zimbabwe. It is envisaged that exploration, exploitation and full utilization of water spinach would be an appropriate and cost effective strategy to supplement the caloric and nutritional value of the staple crops. The potential of water spinach cannot be overemphasized as far as meeting the nutrition needs of humans is concerned. This review aims at highlighting the inherent potential of water spinach and possibilities of its production to boost food and nutrition security
Quality certification trends in the Zimbabwean food industry
Get PDFConcerns have been raised by regulatory authorities about the low levels of certification for international standards in theZimbabwean manufacturing sector. The purpose of this study was to determine trends in Quality Management Systemscertification and the constraints encountered in achieving certification in the Zimbabwean food processing industry.Information on company status regarding quality, food safety and environmental management certification and associatedcosts was gathered from fifteen large, eight media, five small and ten micro scale food manufacturing enterprises throughquestionnaire surveys and oral interviews. Participants were based in the Southern city of Bulawayo and the Midlandscities of Gweru and Kwekwe, Zimbabwe. Only the large-scale manufacturing enterprises were certified for Quality andFood Safety Management Systems, with a certification rate of 60% amongst large concerns for at least one standard,40% for ISO 9001, 27% for ISO 22000, 27% for the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point System, 20% for ISO 14001,and 20% for the Standards Association of Zimbabwe (SAZ) Quality Mark. None of the micro or small scale enterpriseshad any intention for certification due to perceived high cost, lack of staff with adequate quality management systemimplementation skills and failure of premises to meet statutory requirements for food production facilities
Towards goal programme optimisation of machining parameters during the production of TI-alloy components
Get PDFOptimisation of the manufacturing process parameters, which are often in conflicting orientations, is an important considerationfor actuating efficient production processes in order to improve competitiveness. Efficient machining of the hard-to-processmaterials such as Titanium alloy reveals an extensive field of research and has become increasingly significant in fulfilling multiplerequirements of sustainable manufacturing such as ecological, economic and legislative consideration in production activities.Throughout the past few decades, multi-objective mathematical programming had been a lively area of research in the field ofthe manufacturing industry, particularly for purposes of operating conditions optimisation. In this literature-based survey andexperimental study, goal programming is assessed for feasibility of use for predicting and optimising the machining parametersduring the turning of Ti6Al4V components. A comprehensive literature study, about the application environments of GoalProgramming, had been performed. Outside turning experiments were conducted with coated carbide tools at different processparameter settings. Cutting parameters were characterised against the output parameters. Mathematical Models were developedusing regression analysis, on Minitab 20 Software. The parameters characterisation results and developed mathematical models,which are all linear in nature, show applicability of goal programming once the goal targets for each machining output performanceparameter are established. Survey results showed the feasibility of goal programming as a tool for predicting machining processparameters. Future research is also outlined