Family Planning Decisions, Perceptions and Gender Dynamics among Couples in Mwanza, Tanzania: A Qualitative Study.

Contraceptive use is low in developing countries which are still largely driven by male dominated culture and patriarchal values. This study explored family planning (FP) decisions, perceptions and gender dynamics among couples in Mwanza region of Tanzania. Twelve focus group discussions and six in-depth interviews were used to collect information from married or cohabiting males and females aged 18-49. The participants were purposively selected. Qualitative methods were used to explore family planning decisions, perceptions and gender dynamics among couples. A guide with questions related to family planning perceptions, decisions and gender dynamics was used. The discussions and interviews were tape-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed manually and subjected to content analysis. Four themes emerged during the study. First, "risks and costs" which refer to the side effects of FP methods and the treatment of side -effects as well as the costs inherit in being labeled as an unfaithful spouse. Second, "male involvement" as men showed little interest in participating in family planning issues. However, the same men were mentioned as key decision-makers even on the number of children a couple should have and the child spacing of these children. Third, "gender relations and communication" as participants indicated that few women participated in decision-making on family planning and the number of children to have. Fourth, "urban-rural differences", life in rural favoring having more children than urban areas therefore, the value of children depended on the place of residence. Family Planning programs should adapt the promotion of communication as well as joint decision-making on FP among couples as a strategy aimed at enhancing FP use

Biotechnological Means for Genetic Improvement in Castor Bean as a Crop of the Future

Not AvailableProfitable cultivation of castor bean is beset with problems of vulnerability of cultivars and hybrids to a multitude of insect pests and diseases. The presence of the toxic proteins ricin and hyperallergenic Ricinus communis agglutinin (RCA) in the endosperm restricts the use of deoiled seed cake as cattle feed. Due to this crop’s low genetic diversity, genetic engineering can be an efficient approach to introduce resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses as well as seed quality traits. Recently, castor oil gained attention as a sustainable second-generation feedstock for biojet fuel that would reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Because of a growing interest in castor oil as a biofuel and the presence of the powerful toxin ricin in its seed, metabolic pathways and regulatory genes involved in both oil and ricin production have been analyzed and characterized. Genetic engineering of castor bean offers new possibilities to increase oil yield and oxidative stability, confers stress tolerance, and improves other agronomics traits, such as reduced plant height to facilitate mechanical harvesting. However, difficulties in tissue culture-based regeneration and poor reproducibility of results are major bottlenecks for genetic transformation of castor bean. Despite advances in tissue culture research over the past four decades, direct or callus-mediated adventitious shoot regeneration systems that are genotype-independent remain a much sought-after goal in castor bean. Genetic transformation attempts to develop insect resistant and ricin-free transgenic castor bean lines have been based on shoot proliferation from meristematic tissues. This chapter describes new transformation methods under development and the progress achieved so far in genetic engineering of castor bean for agronomically desirable attributes.Not Availabl

Transcriptome-Wide Identification and Characterization of MicroRNAs from Castor Bean (Ricinus communis L.)

BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenously encoded small RNAs that post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression and play essential roles in numerous developmental and physiological processes. Currently, little information on the transcriptome and tissue-specific expression of miRNAs is available in the model non-edible oilseed crop castor bean (Ricinus communis L.), one of the most important non-edible oilseed crops cultivated worldwide. Recent advances in sequencing technologies have allowed the identification of conserved and novel miRNAs in many plant species. Here, we used high-throughput sequencing technologies to identify and characterize the miRNAs in castor bean. RESULTS: Five small RNA libraries were constructed for deep sequencing from root tips, leaves, developing seeds (at the initial stage, seed1; and at the fast oil accumulation stage, seed2) and endosperms in castor bean. High-throughput sequencing generated a large number of sequence reads of small RNAs in this study. In total, 86 conserved miRNAs were identified, including 63 known and 23 newly identified. Sixteen miRNA isoform variants in length were found from the conserved miRNAs of castor bean. MiRNAs displayed diverse organ-specific expression levels among five libraries. Combined with criteria for miRNA annotation and a RT-PCR approach, 72 novel miRNAs and their potential precursors were annotated and 20 miRNAs newly identified were validated. In addition, new target candidates for miRNAs newly identified in this study were proposed. CONCLUSIONS: The current study presents the first high-throughput small RNA sequencing study performed in castor bean to identify its miRNA population. It characterizes and increases the number of miRNAs and their isoforms identified in castor bean. The miRNA expression analysis provides a foundation for understanding castor bean miRNA organ-specific expression patterns. The present study offers an expanded picture of miRNAs for castor bean and other members in the family Euphorbiaceae