ABSTRACT This study explored the impact of small-scale mining activities on the environment in two regions in Namibia: Erongo (examples: Uis, Neu Schwaben, Xoboxobos) and Omaheke (example: Otjinene). Limited research is done on the activities of small-scale mining in Namibia which results in unavailability of data. Although recent studies reveal that about 5 000 to 10 000 Namibians work as small-scale miners, information about mining activities in Namibia remain a rare commodity. Small-scale ...
ABSTRACT This study explored the impact of small-scale mining activities on the environment in two regions in Namibia: Erongo (examples: Uis, Neu Schwaben, Xoboxobos) and Omaheke (example: Otjinene). Limited research is done on the activities of small-scale mining in Namibia which results in unavailability of data. Although recent studies reveal that about 5 000 to 10 000 Namibians work as small-scale miners, information about mining activities in Namibia remain a rare commodity. Small-scale ...
ABSTRACT Namibia had a tuberculosis (TB) case notification rate of 589 per 100 000 population in 2010. TB diagnostic methods, especially the conventional microbial culture to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis), takes long to produce results and those with active TB can spread the infection and treatment is delayed. Immunodiagnosis of TB by interferon-gamma (IFN-ɣ) release assays is relatively very rapid, in comparison to culture, as results can be obtained within 24 hours. T...
ABSTRACT It is generally assumed that herbivores acquire gastrointestinal anthrax by ingesting spores, hence information on foraging behaviour of ungulates can be a fundamental component in understanding epidemiology of anthrax. This study investigated seasonal foraging behaviour in relation to the timing of anthrax mortalities in zebras (wet season, anthrax peak) and elephants (dry season, anthrax peak) in Etosha National Park. Zebra diet composition and foraging efficiency was determined us...
Abstract The genus Ganoderma Karst. (1881) is the largest and most complex genus of polypore fungi, characterized by the presence of pores instead of the gills on the lower side of the fruiting body. The colonisation of Ganoderma species on trees is noticed by the appearance of their cap shaped, hard, crusty and shiny fruiting bodies. Ganoderma extract have been used for centuries in Asia’s traditional medicine and to date Ganoderma mushrooms are an important source of modern medicinal and ...
Abstract The savanna biomes are characterised by a coexistence of two antagonist – woody plants and herbaceous plants in defiance of competition theories. Scientific efforts to understand this unique coexistence are still largely inconclusive; various theories have been proposed, but no unanimous theoretical framework exists to date. Among these theories, the root niche-partitioning model offers the most popular, yet the most controversially debated viewpoint. It argues that this coexistenc...
ABSTRACT Medicinal plants are a rich source of phytochemicals, and are used traditionally for treatment of many ailments, and thus are of great ethnomedicinal importance. This study presents work on phytochemical analysis, in vitro antimicrobial activity and cytotoxicity evaluation of medicinal plant Hydnora abyssinica. H. abyssinica is a medicinal plant indigenous to Namibia, Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), South Africa and Sudan. Preliminary phytochemical screening was done by co...
ABSTRACT Spatial modelling is one approach that can serve as a basic tool in identifying areas that need intervention. Understanding the spatial distribution of indicators is of vital importance, as it help with national planning and decision-making. Different models such as Conditional Autoregressive (CAR) can be used in spatial modelling. However, these models pose analytic and statistical inferential challenges especially when non-continuous and multivariate response are involved. Therefor...
ABSTRACT The study of an inverse problem for elliptic partial differential equations has been put in place in order to provide a broad understanding to the existence of inverse problems for elliptic partial differential equations particularly Poisson’s equation. The main obective is to describe different approaches to inverse problems for elliptic partial differential equations and in particular, the factorization method. Another aim of this work is to study a certain inverse problem for a...
ABSTRACT Injuries caused by Motor Vehicle crashes were ranked 10th among the leading causes of death and 9th among the leading cause of disability worldwide (World Health Organization, 2013). In developing countries 90% of disabilities are caused by road traffic crashes. In Namibia, The Motor Vehicle Accident Fund spends approximately N$ 22,6 million monthly towards medical expenses of people injured in crashes (Tjihenuna, 2015), causing a concern, to the victims, their families and affects t...
ABSTRACT Moringa ovalifolia (African Moringa) is endemic to southern Africa, and it is distributed from southern to central Namibia to south western Angola. At the moment, little is documented on the phytochemical content, miro-nutrients and antioxidant activities of M. ovalifolia. Hence, this study was aimed at evaluating the phytochemical, micro- nutritients and antioxidant activities of M. ovalifolia. Fresh Moringa leaves, bark, flowers and seeds (ponds) were collected from five different ...
ABSTRACT The occurrence of Salmonella is a global challenge in the public health and food production sectors. Contaminated beef and animal feed with Salmonella may lead to infections of humans through food chain. The present study investigated the prevalence, serovar and antimicrobial resistance of strains of Salmonella serovars isolated from beef (meat cuts, meat fluid and carcass swabs) and animal feed (meat-and-bone, and blood meal) samples from the abattoirs in Namibia. Beef (9508) and an...
ABSTRACT The study was conducted to investigate the antibacterial activities of stem and leaves from Terminalia sericea and the live and dead bark from Combretum imberbe. The aqueous and organic crude extracts of the two plants were tested on Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli, Shigella sonnei, Serratia marcescens, Helicobacter pylori and Gram-positive bacteria Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus and Clostridium perfringens using the disk diffusion method. All the crude extracts...
ABSTRACT Namibia is experiencing an increase in its population living in urban areas due to rapid urbanisation. However, this growth has not been the same in all parts of the country. Currently the biggest growth rate is experienced in Windhoek, which is home to about 16% of the total population. Due to rapid population growth, Windhoek has been facing a number of challenges such as high unemployment rate, illegal land occupation, and development of informal settlements among others. As a res...
ABSTRACT Nutritional levels can have profound impact on individuals living with HIV/AIDS and potentially hinder the effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy (ART). But sufficient data is lacking to establish a strong relationship especially in Namibia. In this study, the relationship between CD4 counts, viral load (VL), prescribed first line antiretroviral combinations, micronutrient levels and age was explored. Data spanning from 2006 to 2015 were retrospectively collected from Katutura State...