ABSTRACT The freshwater green microalga Parietochloris incisa is the richest known plant source of the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), arachidonic acid (20:4ω6, AA). Accumulation of AA and docosahexaenoic acid (22:0, DHA) is necessary for brain and retina development in infants. While many microalgae accumulate triacylglycerols (TAG) in the stationary phase or under certain stress conditions, these TAG are generally made of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. In contrast, most cell...
ABSTRACT Governments face continued pressure to increase their performance with the aim to improve efficiency and service delivery to their stakeholders, customers and citizens. To improve efficiency and performance, Governments adopt e-Government models and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) solutions as enablers and vehicles for transforming public administration. As part of the transformational process, Public Services need to transform themselves into an integrated entity that...
Abstract The main objective of the study was to examine gender-specific and shared spatial variation in HIV testing and condom use in Namibia for targeted health promotion interventions. The study used data from the Namibia Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) carried out between 2006 and 2007. Bayesian hierarchical spatial mapping techniques were applied to generate specific and shared spatial patterns in HIV testing and condom use. Particularly, a number of Bayesian Structured Additive Regr...
ABSTRACT Few reports could be found on screening, isolation and characterisation of enzymes in local Fauna and Flora and little is known about laccase enzymes from Namibia origin hence there is a niche for enzyme studies in this area. This research has qualitatively screened Termitomyces schimperi and Kalaharituber pfeilii fruiting bodies for laccase enzymatic activity using α-naphtnol and 2, 2-azino-bis 3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS). A clone of T. schimperi was also grown in...
Abstract Knowledge of groundwater age / residence time in Okongo perched aquifer is important in understanding key issues in the evolution of groundwater, recharge rates, recharge mechanisms, resource renewability, flow rate and distribution of recharge areas. The build-up in the atmosphere of trace gases such as sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) and tritium (3H) from over a centenary ago offers a convenient way of dating groundwater up to the age of 60 years. These gases are well mixed in the atmosp...
Abstract Gomphocarpus fruticosus is a wild plant that belongs to the Asclepiadaceae family and has many traditional uses. The plant has demonstrated by this study a significant level of microbial and phytochemical activity; the drug-resistant strains of microbes which have emerged in the last decade will be eradicated by the compounds this indigenous plant carries. This particular study aimed to scientifically validate the traditional uses of the plant G. fruticosus. The objectives of this st...
Abstract Precipitable Water Vapour (PWV) is the amount of water vapour in the atmospheric column above a location equivalent to the amount of liquid precipitation that would result if all the water vapour in the column was condensed. Water vapour is the main source of opacity in the Earth’s atmosphere at infrared and millimetre to sub-millimetre wavelengths. The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) is a large network of millimetre to sub-millimetre telescopes across the globe that is used to image...
ABSTRACT e-Governance is being used by many governments around the world to improve information and service delivery to their citizens. This is achieved mainly through the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) solutions. As a result, the capacity for Public and Private Sectors to implement e-Governance plays a pivotal role in making e-Governance a success. Through the use of qualitative and quantitative research methods, this study took an in-depth look at the current levels o...
ABSTRACT In Namibia, the land question remains high on the agenda of Government, which is implementing a land reform programme since 1995. The reform attempts the correction of inherited imbalances in the access to land in order to alleviate poverty and dependency. The research was guided by the theoretical framework known as 'decoloniality'; and configured around the concept of land tenure structure, considered as a central element of any agrarian system. The subject has been widely investig...
ABSTRACT The validation of traditional medicines involves the isolation and characterization of bioactive compounds and the subsequent evaluation of their safety and efficacy. Traditionally used medicinal plants shortlisted for this study include Maerua schinzii Pax (Capparaceae) and Catophractes alexandri (Bignoniaceae) which are indigenous to Namibia. An extract of the leaves of M. schinzii is ethnomedicinally used to treat cough, headache, earache, acne and skin disorders, whereas the leav...
ABSTRACT Tylosema esculentum (Burchell) L. Schreiber is a herbaceous perennial drought tolerant legume that is endemic to the arid and semi-arid zones of southern Africa. Its agronomic potential is on the basis of its seed’s nutritional composition that is comparable with soybean and peanut, the two mostly consumed legumes. In this study SSR markers were used to assess genetic diversity in natural populations of marama in the Namibian germplasm. Additionally, in the present study, the inter...
Abstract Soils influence the growth and performance of plants. Sendelingsdrif is a new area in Sperrgebiet National Park that had been identified by NAMDEB for diamond mining. Little is known about soil properties in this area yet after mining, it will be important to have good knowledge of soil properties and post-mining substrate to facilitate restoration of the mined and surrounding sites. The main aim of the study was to determine how the physical and chemical properties of post-mining su...
ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to determine factors that affect the security and operation performance into the Management of Land Information System (MOLIS) at the Ministry of Land, Housing and Human Settlement Development (MLHHSD). The researcher used the case study design; whereby both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used for gathering data for this study. The study investigated on the potential security issues and operation details of the network, hosts/servers, and appli...
Abstract This article describes the development of an acceptance sampling plan based on percentiles for Type-II generalized log-logistic distribution (TGLLD) introduced by Rosaiah et. al. [1]. The plan is developed by considering the lifetime percentiles as a variable and the life test will be terminated at a pre-specified time. The objective of the test is to determine the minimum sample size required to achieve a specific lifetime percentile at an acceptable level of consumer and producer r...
Abstract: The present paper deals with thermal radiation eects on the transient hydro-magnetic natural convection ow past a vertical plate embedded in a porous medium with mass diusion and uctuating temperature about time at the plate, by taking account the heat due to viscous dissipation in the presence of chemical reaction. The governing equations are solved numerically by Ritz nite element method. The eects of various parameters entered into the equations of momentum, energy and concen...