Accelerating Breeding for Drought Tolerance in Sorghum (<em>Sorghum bicolor</em>): An Integrated Approach

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) is the main food crop for people living in marginal areas. They are faced with a number of production challenges including; drought, insect pests, diseases, soil fertility and striga weeds. To adapt to current and future stresses, there is a dire need to develop tolerant cultivars using multistress lines and varieties from wide genetic backgrounds. Toward better integrated approaches; we conducted participatory field screening in hot spot locations for drought, striga weed and major leaf spot fungal diseases on the 20 lines making mini-core sorghum germplasm. Lines carrying key traits of resistance to stresses have been recycled into the breeding program. The study also identified biochemical traits that could potentially be used as surrogate traits for the selection of tolerant genetic resources with improved yields. Nuclear male fertile crosses have been derived for exploiting differences in the cytoplasm for enhancing resistance. It also integrated variability in phytochemicals and cytoplasmic resistance to develop multi-parent sorghum lines and populations possessing potentially favorable adaptive alleles. In conclusion; unique traits and breeding strategies for sorghum adapted to the dry lowlands have been identified to lay a foundation for a modernized and market-oriented sorghum breeding program to the advantage

The effect of mobile money on expanding access to formal financial services in Uganda: a case of Kampala City

A research report submitted to the College of Business and Management Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of a degree of Master of Economic Policy Management of Makerere University.Mobile money – a financial product that allows users to access financial services over the mobile phone – has been gradually changing the financial access situation for many people formerly excluded from the formal financial sector especially in Sub–Saharan Africa, Uganda inclusive. The study evaluated the effect of mobile money on expanding access to formal financial services in Uganda: a case of Bwaise Parish in Kampala city. It was guided by these specific objectives: to identify the social categories that use mobile money accounts as compared to those who only use official bank accounts and to those who would use both types of accounts at the same time; to determine the influence of financial intermediary penetration on the utilization of mobile money accounts versus traditional bank accounts, and the concurrent utilization of both account types, in the context of enhancing financial inclusion through mobile money. The study was a cross – sectional and descriptive study which utilised primary data by administering a well – structured questionnaire to 345 respondents who reside in Bwaise Parish. The study used a multinomial probability model to determine the choice of use of accounts (mobile money accounts, formal bank accounts and mobile money accounts in the context of the ownership of both types of accounts). Based on the summary of the study results, the study concludes that demographic and socio– economic factors such as gender, age, education, marital status, employment status, and income may not be significant predictors of choosing a "mobile money account only" over having both types of accounts. Additionally, the perceived convenience of financial services and the ease of access to specific services may not play a significant role in predicting the choice between different financial service options. However, user–friendly experiences with formal banking services appear to positively influence the preference for a "bank account only" outcome. Therefore, there is need to for financial institutions to further enhance user friendly services to attract more individuals especially those in the formal sector. There is also need to investigate certain aspects of education such as digital skills and financial literacy to meet the user friendliness even among the urban poor. So encourage increase in education levels through an introduction of incentives in education systems to promote the attainment of the highest levels of education by the largest number of people in the urban poor. Also, these findings provide essential insights for researchers and policy formulators to explore other employment related variables such as job stability and industry type as opposed to just employment status

Hur patienter med blodburen smitta upplever bemötande i vården : En beskrivande litteraturstudie

Bakgrund: De tre vanligaste blodburensmittor är HIV, hepatit B och C. Okunskap omblodburensmittor kan leda till att samhälle diskriminerar personer med blodburensmittavilket påverkar dessa personers välbefinnande negativt. Genom att studera hur patientermed blodburen smitta upplever bemötande i vården kan bemötande bland dessapatienter förbättras. Syfte: Att beskriva hur patienter med blodburensmitta upplever bemötande i vården. Metod: En beskrivande litteraturstudie baserad på tio vetenskapliga artiklar. Sjukvalitativa artiklar och tre med blandade forskning ansats. Huvudresultat: Resultaten uppdelades i tre teman. Patienter värdesatte att bli bemöttamed acceptans och respekt. Empatisk vårdpersonal och god kommunikation skapadetrygghet, medan bristande empati och distanserat bemötande ledde till misstro ochförhindrade vårdsökande. Resultaten visade också att delaktighet i vårdplaneringen varviktig, men att bristande kommunikation och att när oro inte togs på allvar skapademaktlöshet känslor. Dessutom upplevde patienter stigma, diskriminering och att vissanekades vård samt brist på tystnadsplikt och sekretess, vilket orsakade stress och ökadrisk för suicidala tankar. Slutsats: Litteraturstudien visar att patienter med blodburen smitta har varierandeupplevelse av bemötande i vården, både positiv och negativ. Studien lyfter även viktenav att ha patienten delaktig i sin vård, att erbjuda jämlik vård och att respekterasekretess eftersom om dessa inte respekteras påverkas patienters förtroende för vårdenoch vilja att söka vård negativ. För att förbättra vårdupplevelsen för blodburen smittapatienter borde sjuksköterskor erbjuda personcentrerad vård samt säkerställa attpatienter bemöts med respekt och värdighet.Background: The three most common bloodborne diseases include HIV, hepatitis Band C. Lack of knowledge about bloodborne infections can make society discriminatepeople with bloodborne diseases which negatively impact their wellbeing. By studyinghow people with bloodborne diseases experience treatment in healthcare can health careworkers behavior towards these patients improve. Aim: To explore how patients with bloodborne infections experience treatment inhealthcare.Method: A descriptive literature study based on ten scientific studies. Seven qualitativeand three articles with a mixed research method.Main results: The results were divided into three themes. Patients valued being treatedwith acceptance and respect, empathetic healthcare staff and good communicationcreated a sense of safety, while a lack of empathy and a distant approach led to mistrustand hindered care-seeking. The results also indicated that involvement in care planningwas important, but poor communication and the failure to take concerns seriouslycreated feelings of helplessness. Additionally, patients experienced stigma,discrimination, and in some cases, were denied care, along with breaches ofconfidentiality, which caused stress and increased the risk of suicidal thoughts. Conclusion: This study showed that patients with bloodborne infections hade bothpositive and negative experiences of treatment in healthcare. This study highlights theimportance of patient's involvement in their care, equal care and confidentialityotherwise it can affect the patient's trust in care and willingness to seek treatment. Toimprove patients' experiences, nurses should provide a person-centered care and ensurethat patients are treated with respect and dignity

Hur patienter med blodburen smitta upplever bemötande i vården : En beskrivande litteraturstudie

Bakgrund: De tre vanligaste blodburensmittor är HIV, hepatit B och C. Okunskap omblodburensmittor kan leda till att samhälle diskriminerar personer med blodburensmittavilket påverkar dessa personers välbefinnande negativt. Genom att studera hur patientermed blodburen smitta upplever bemötande i vården kan bemötande bland dessapatienter förbättras. Syfte: Att beskriva hur patienter med blodburensmitta upplever bemötande i vården. Metod: En beskrivande litteraturstudie baserad på tio vetenskapliga artiklar. Sjukvalitativa artiklar och tre med blandade forskning ansats. Huvudresultat: Resultaten uppdelades i tre teman. Patienter värdesatte att bli bemöttamed acceptans och respekt. Empatisk vårdpersonal och god kommunikation skapadetrygghet, medan bristande empati och distanserat bemötande ledde till misstro ochförhindrade vårdsökande. Resultaten visade också att delaktighet i vårdplaneringen varviktig, men att bristande kommunikation och att när oro inte togs på allvar skapademaktlöshet känslor. Dessutom upplevde patienter stigma, diskriminering och att vissanekades vård samt brist på tystnadsplikt och sekretess, vilket orsakade stress och ökadrisk för suicidala tankar. Slutsats: Litteraturstudien visar att patienter med blodburen smitta har varierandeupplevelse av bemötande i vården, både positiv och negativ. Studien lyfter även viktenav att ha patienten delaktig i sin vård, att erbjuda jämlik vård och att respekterasekretess eftersom om dessa inte respekteras påverkas patienters förtroende för vårdenoch vilja att söka vård negativ. För att förbättra vårdupplevelsen för blodburen smittapatienter borde sjuksköterskor erbjuda personcentrerad vård samt säkerställa attpatienter bemöts med respekt och värdighet.Background: The three most common bloodborne diseases include HIV, hepatitis Band C. Lack of knowledge about bloodborne infections can make society discriminatepeople with bloodborne diseases which negatively impact their wellbeing. By studyinghow people with bloodborne diseases experience treatment in healthcare can health careworkers behavior towards these patients improve. Aim: To explore how patients with bloodborne infections experience treatment inhealthcare.Method: A descriptive literature study based on ten scientific studies. Seven qualitativeand three articles with a mixed research method.Main results: The results were divided into three themes. Patients valued being treatedwith acceptance and respect, empathetic healthcare staff and good communicationcreated a sense of safety, while a lack of empathy and a distant approach led to mistrustand hindered care-seeking. The results also indicated that involvement in care planningwas important, but poor communication and the failure to take concerns seriouslycreated feelings of helplessness. Additionally, patients experienced stigma,discrimination, and in some cases, were denied care, along with breaches ofconfidentiality, which caused stress and increased the risk of suicidal thoughts. Conclusion: This study showed that patients with bloodborne infections hade bothpositive and negative experiences of treatment in healthcare. This study highlights theimportance of patient's involvement in their care, equal care and confidentialityotherwise it can affect the patient's trust in care and willingness to seek treatment. Toimprove patients' experiences, nurses should provide a person-centered care and ensurethat patients are treated with respect and dignity

Virus movement from infected sweetpotato vines to roots and reversion on root sprouts

Sweetpotato is usually propagated in Uganda by vine cuttings from mature crops, but sometimes sprouts from storage roots are used, especially in drought-prone areas. No information is available on whether the storage of roots of Ugandan cultivars are infected with the viruses and whether the sprouts on them express symptoms so that farmers can eliminate diseased ones. Information on root sprout reversion from virus infection is also lacking. The storage roots of five sweetpotato cultivars was sourced either by random selection of roots from already harvested roots or obtained from symptomless plants selected before harvest at Makerere University Agricultural Research Institute, Kabanyolo (MUARIK), and the National Semi Arid Resources Research Institute (NaSARRI). Roots were also generated in a screenhouse after being inoculated with Sweet potato feathery mottle virus (SPFMV) and/or Sweet potato chlorotic stunt virus (SPCSV). More than 70% of sprouts from roots of all the cultivars selected after harvest at MUARIK and NaSARRI were infected with the viruses. For roots obtained from symptomless plants, 64% and 21% of the sprouted roots from MUARIK and NaSARRI were infected with the viruses, respectively. Most of the root samples from MUARIK had visible virus symptoms on sprouts and tested positive for both SPFMV and SPCSV, whereas those from NaSARRI did not show symptoms and were infected primarily with SPFMV. Plants graft-inoculated with either SPCSV or SPFMV alone produced both infected and noninfected roots, whereas all the root sprouts from dually infected plants showed virus symptoms. Reversion from virus infection was observed on root sprouts infected singly with SPFMV, whereas those infected with SPCSV showed recovery only, and none of the root sprouts infected by both viruses showed recovery. This study proves that roots are good reservoirs for viruses, and reversion occurs only when singly infected with SPFMV. Therefore, there is a need to establish seed channels in which seedstock is cleaned continuously and made available to farmers

Capacity improvements for breeding programs in ESA: A case of NaSARRI in Uganda

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Sweet potato cultivar degeneration rate under high and low sweet potato virus disease pressure zones in Uganda

Sweet potato is a vegetatively propagated crop where vine cuttings from previous crops or volunteer plants are used as planting material. This practice can lead to the accumulation of systemic pathogens, especially viruses. However, the contribution of this practice to degeneration of sweet potato cultivars in Uganda has been only speculative, hence the need to document the rate of cultivar degeneration in high and low sweet potato virus disease pressure zones. Four cultivars of sweet potato – ‘Beauregard’, ‘Dimbuka’, ‘Ejumula’ and ‘NASPOT 1’ – were planted in a series of field trials in central (Kabanyolo) and Eastern (Serere) Uganda over five generations (G1, G2, G3, G4 and G5). The trials started with virus-free planting material and each succeeding trial retained planting material from the previous one, as well as receiving fresh clean material. Data were recorded on virus incidence and severity monthly for 4 months, root yield and vine weight at harvest after 6 months. Virus symptoms were observed 1 month after planting in all the plant generations, with Sweet potato feathery virus and Sweet potato chlorotic stunt virus being the most prevalent viruses detected. The cultivars ‘Beauregard’ and ‘Ejumula’ had highest disease incidence and severity, with the latter collapsing after a single season in both locations. Storage root yields and numbers were greatest in G1 but remained similar although less in all subsequent generations (G2, G3, G4 and G5) for each cultivar. Since it is impractical to provide fresh planting material each year for farmers, the focus should be on breeding more resistant varieties of sweet potato