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Gender in Socio-Economic Development in Kenya
Get PDFGender continues to elicit a lot of debate in socio-economic issues and academia in general. This paper attempts to put the gender debate in perspective by examining the key issues in the debate and recommendations. It concludes by recommending an all inclusive system in which both men and women are integrated in the process of socio-economic management.Key words: Gender Equality, Gender Mainstreaming, Gender Constructio
ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SATELLITE-BASED EVAPOTRANSPIRATION AND NORMALIZED DIFFERENCE VEGETATION INDEX, CASE STUDY: NAROK COUNTY OF KENYA
Get PDFThis study sought to unearth a possible relationship between evapotranspiration and Normalized Difference vegetation index (NDVI). Daily datasets of Evapotranspiration with a pixel resolution of 3km were sourced from the EUMETSAT’s Land Surface Analysis Satellite Application Facility (LSA-SAF). Twice monthly (NDVI) datasets were retrieved from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectro-radiometer (MODIS) which is housed by the TERRA satellite platform. The NDVI is at a pixel resolution of 250m. The two datasets were averaged accordingly using Climate Data Operators (CDO) to produce monthly values from January 2001 to October 2012. Using Grid Analysis and Display System (GrADs), data for a total of 36 grid locations were extracted from the two datasets at a uniform spatial increment of 0.1˚ covering an estimated area of 3600Km2 within Narok County. Scatter plots showed that in most locations, there existed a positive linear relationship between the two datasets with 80% of the grid locations considered confirming this analogy. Pearson correlation analysis was performed between the two datasets. Only a few locations showed non-significant correlations at the 95% confidence level. The results therefore pointed to a conclusion that the two datasets can be used interchangeably for various agro-meteorological applications. However, the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) computed between the two datasets for each of the considered grid locations was large. It’s therefore advised that one should exercise caution in using the 2 datasets interchangeably. One of the factors that might have contributed to the error is the different spatial and temporal resolutions between the two datasets. NDVI had a pixel resolution of 250m while evapotranspiration had a resolution of 3km. At the same time, the temporal resolution for the NDVI data was twice monthly while evapotranspiration had a temporal resolution of 10 day averages.Keywords: Grads, CDO, Pearson product moment correlation, Scatter plots NDVI, Evapotranpiratio
INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECT OF FILM THICKNESS ON THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF AMORPHOUS Se85-XTe15SbX THIN FILMS
Get PDFAmorphous thin films of Se85-xTe15Sbx (x = 0.0, 0.5, 2.5, and 5.0 at. %) deposited by flash evaporation technique, have been investigated in the wavelength range of 500nm-3000nm. It is found that the effect of increasing antimony content and film thickness on the as-deposited films led to increase in the absorption coefficient. The optical band gap energy decreased with increase in antimony concentration but increased with increase in film thickness.Keywords: Amorphous Chalcogenide, Alloy, Film Thickness, and Optical Propert
Conflict Mitigation in Enhancing Discipline in Kenya s Secondary Schools
Get PDFIn any society, conflict is an endemic factor that shapes and determines relationship in all facets of life. Evidently, in a school community, conflicts are bound to occur given the different views, needs and values of the people. The study examines conflict mitigation in enhancing discipline in Kenyan secondary schools and is anchored on human needs theory. The study employed a descriptive survey design and embraced both quantitative and qualitative methods to collect data from secondary school students, head teachers and guidance and counseling officers. The study concluded that the failure to train teachers on skills of conflict management and non involvement of students in decision making, are the causes of conflict in secondary schools. The study recommends that key conflict resolution and peacemaking skills should be introduced in schools and in management and training of teachers.Key Words: Conflict, Management, Strategies, Discipline, and Student
Determinants of Appropriate Antibiotic Dosing in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease in a Kenyan Referral Hospital
Get PDFBackground: Reduced renal function in chronic kidney disease (CKD) necessitates appropriate dose alterations to avoid drug accumulation. Objectives: The main objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of inappropriate antibiotic dosing in patients with CKD in the largest referral hospital in eastern Africa. Variables associated with inappropriate dosing were identified. Methods: The design was a retrospective review of patients’ records. The study population was adult patients, with CKD admitted between January, 2006 and December, 2010. Data was abstracted from patient files. Logistic regression was used to determine variables associated with appropriate antibiotic dosing. Results: Ceftriaxone and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid were the most frequently prescribed antibiotics. Dose adjustment was required for 379 (59.9%) antibiotic prescriptions. Of these, 105 doses (27.7% [95% CI: 23.2 – 32.2%]) were appropriate and 274 (72.3% [95% CI 67.8 – 76.8%]) were inappropriate. The resultant dosing errors were: 271 (98.9%) and 3 (1.1%) cases of over and under dosing respectively. Key explanatory variables for appropriate dosing were: stage of renal disease (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 0.159 [95% CI: 0.082, 0.309]); administration; (adjusted OR 1.724 [95% CI:1.185, 2.508]); and treatment with amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (adjusted OR 0.101 [95% CI 0.024, 0.420]. Conclusion: Antibiotic doses in patients with CKD were often inappropriate. Keywords: Antibiotic, dose adjustment, chronic kidney diseas
EFFECT OF PROCESS-RELATED PARAMETERS ON BAND GAP OF ELECTROPHORETICALLY DEPOSITED TIO2NB2O5 COMPOSITE THIN FILMS
Get PDFNano-crystalline composite thin films of titanium dioxide and niobium (v) oxide (TiO2/Nb2O5 ) were successfully deposited on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) coated glass substrate using electrophoretic deposition (EPD) technique. The colloidal suspension utilized in EPD cell consisted of mixture of TiO2 and Nb2O5 nanopowders and 2-propanol in a Pyrex glass. Values of potential difference (25 to 60V) were applied across the EPD electrodes placed in a parallel configuration 1.2cm apart and partially immersed in the suspension. The optimization of EPD parameters was achieved from transmittance measurements and band gap energy calculations. Both Nb2O5 and TiO2 nanoparticles were seen in XRD graphs to be present in the composite films in the ratio 1 to 1.78 which confirmed that both type of nanoparticles suspended in 2-propanol developed positive surface charges and were moved towards and deposited on the cathode upon application of an electric field. The band gap energy was evaluated for films deposited from varied EPD process-related parameters namely, concentration, deposition times and applied potential. The maximum values of band gap were obtained for films electrophoretically deposited from particle concentration of 0.01g/40mL (or 0.25g/L), applied voltage of 35V, and deposition time of 90s. These values of EPD process-related parameters formed the optimum values for deposition of crack free films of good porosity. The changes in band gap values are attributed to either energy shift of conduction band or valence band energy levels. The TiO2/Nb2O5 composite thin films, fabricated in this study from optimized parameters of EPD technique had smooth morphology as shown by SEM images. Further work is needed to evaluate the potential of TiO2/Nb2O5 composite films deposited by EPD for dye–sensitized solar cell application.Keywords: Electrophoretic deposition (EPD), TiO2/Nb2O5 composite thin films, PV applications, Solar energy, Optical band ga
Democratization of Regional Economic Schemes: The Case of The East African Community (EAC) And Lessons From European Union (EU)
Get PDFThe discussions on regional integration have largely focused on the formal structures and institutions making the East African Community. Yet, very little attention has been paid to the democratization of the Community. Integration schemes aim at widening markets for member states, pooling of resources together and enjoying regional economies of scale. There are also a large and growing number of regional organizations that promote free trade and other forms of economic interchange. Some, are little more than shell organizations that barely keep their goals alive. However thevery existence of each regional organization is a manifestation of its membership belief that going it alone would not be as advantageous as working together in the interest of greater economic prosperity.Key words: Democratization, Regional, Economic Schemes, East African Community, European Unio
Determinants Of Manufactured Exports In Kenya: An Application Of Control Function Approach
Get PDFThis paper uses firm level survey panel data to estimate parameters of export propensity and intensity in Kenyan manufacturing. The effects of unobservable factors that would otherwise bias the estimated parameters are removed using a control function regression procedure. The key finding of the study is that export propensity and intensity are strongly responsive to total factor productivity. In particularly a 10% increase in total factor productivity increases export propensity by 54%, but export intensity rises less steeply by 18%. We also find that ownership structure of the firm and unobserved factors specific to firms strongly influence exports. Taken together, the estimation results provide insights into the policies needed to promote entry and stay of firms in export markets. The findings suggest that policy measures to improve export performance of Kenyan firms should focus on improving total factor productivity, encouraging foreign direct investment and stimulating modernization of manufacturing capital.Keywords: Exports, manufacturing firms, total factor productivity, control function approach, Kenya
Screening of Indigofera lupatana Baker F. root extracts for antibacterial activities
Get PDFHerbal remedies as cheap alternatives to conventionalmedicine have contributed significantly to rurallivelihoods. Apart from the traditional healerspracticing herbal medicine, many people are involved incollecting and trading medicinal plants. The WorldHealth Organization (WHO) estimates that 80% of theworld’s population depends on medicinal plants fortheir primary health care (Mothana et al, 2008; Ngoci etal, 2011). The use of traditional medicine has beenexplored globally and is widely used in developingcountries as an alternative or to complementconventional medicine (Rates, 2001; Gupta et al, 2010).Natural products, either as pure compounds or asstandardized plant extracts, provide exceptionalopportunities for new drug leads because of theunmatched chemical diversity of naturally derivedcompounds (Cowan, 1999; Parekh and Chanda, 2007;Mariita et al, 2010; Ngoci et al, 2011). Scientific interestin medicinal plants has burgeoned due to therecognized efficacy of plant derived drugs and everpresentconcerns about the side effects of modernmedicinal substances. This has fuelled the intensiveinvestigation of new molecular structures from theplant kingdom as potential medicinal compounds(Mariita et al, 2010). As a result, drugs derived fromunmodified natural products or semi-synthetic drugsobtained from natural sources accounted for 78% of thenew drugs approved by the United States Food andDrug Administration (FDA) between 1983 and 1994(Suffredini et al, 2006; Ngoci et al, 2011). Thisunderscores the importance of screening naturalproducts.Infectious diseases are a leading cause of human andanimal mortality. This is further aggravated by the rapiddevelopment of multi-drug resistance to available antimicrobialagents (Doughart and Okafor, 2007; Ngoci etal, 2011), their limited anti-microbial spectrum, theirside effects (Huie, 2002), and emergence and reemergenceof opportunistic infections. Therefore,studies aimed at identifying and characterizing of thesubstances that exhibit activity against infectious microorganisms,yet showing no cross resistance withexisting antibiotics, are required (Olila et al, 2001). Inrecent years, pharmaceutical companies have focusedon developing drugs from natural products thatpromises to counter the limitations of conventionalantibiotics (Doughart and Okafor, 2007).The bio-activity of natural products is due tophytochemicals, a group of secondary metabolites oftenelaborated for the plant defense against pests andherbivores or to gain an advantage over competingagents. These phytochemicals inadvertently also protecthumans against pathogens (Ngoci et al, 2011). Somephytochemicals are known to have antimicrobialproperties, immune-modulative properties, providenutrition for normal cell health and repairs, inhibitcarcinogens and act as antioxidants.Indigofera lupatana Baker F., locally called ‘mugiti’ bythe Mbeere community in Kenya, is a woody shrubfound in Acacia-Combretum ecological zones of Mbeere.It is widely used for its perceived medicinal value intreating coughs and diarrhea (Riley and Brokensha,1988; Ngoci et al, 2011), gonorrhea and pleurisy(Kokwaro, 1993; Ngoci et al, 2011).There is apparently no documented scientific report onanti-microbial properties of this plant. This lack ofscientific corroboration has often constituted a majorconstraint to the consideration of the use of herbalremedies in conjunction with or as an affordablealternative to conventional medical treatment (Okeke etal, 2001). Knowledge of the chemical constituents ofplants is desirable not only for the discovery oftherapeutic agents, but also because such informationmay be important in identifying new sources ofsubstances of economic value such as tannins, oils,gums, and precursors for the synthesis of complexchemical substances. In addition, the knowledge of thechemical constituents of plants would further bevaluable in discovering the actual value of folkloricremedies (Mojab et al, 2003).This study was therefore undertaken to determine theantibacterial properties of hexane, ethyl acetate anddichloromethane root extracts of I. lupatana Baker F
Evidence in Kenya of Reassortment Between of Reassortment BetweenSeasonal Influenza A(H3N2) and Influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 to yield A(H3N2) Variants With the Matrix Gene Segment of A(H1N1)pdm09
No full textInfluenza vaccines and antiviral drugs are the mainstay for preventing influenza and reducing the impact of influenza epidemics. Currently, there are two classes of antiviral drugs available for preventing and treating the M gene. The neuraminidase inhibitors (NAI’s) interrupt the replication cycle by preventing virus release and allowing progeny virus to clump (Monto et al, 2002). The rapid emergence of adamantine drug resistant influenza A virus strains has limited these drugs’ clinical effectiveness.The origin and evolution of antiviral drug resistance amongst influenza viruses can occur through different molecular mechanisms that also drive the evolution of the virus. The most crucial of these mechanisms result from the segmented nature of its genome. This permits the formation of new progeny viruses with novel combinations of segments through reassortment when two or more different virus subtypes infect a single cell, a phenomenon referred to as antigenic shift. This process is capable of introducing new genes in circulating viral populations that can drastically change the biological properties of the virus. Studies have shown that reassortment led to an increase in the frequency of amantadine-resistant seasonal influenza A(H1N1) viruses since the 2005-2006 season (Yang et al, 2011). This underscores the necessity to monitor genome dynamics in circulating influenza viruses because it is through such molecular surveillance that we are able to understand the evolution and mechanisms of the emergence and spread of antiviral resistance among influenza A viruses (Boni et al, 2010).Thus, we set out to qualitatively analyze human influenza A(H3N2) viruses that circulated in Kenya in 2010, the period when influenza A(H3N2) and A(H1N1)pdm09 [previously referred to as swine flu] (WHO, 2011a) begun to co-circulate in the human population in the country, determine evidence of reassortment amongst the co-circulating subtypes and relate any such events to influenza antiviral resistance in the country. We applied the current laboratory testing protocol which involves routinely sequencing the HA, M and NA gene segments of the influenza viruses. These three gene segments were selected because they are the main antigens (NA & HA) and drug targets (M & NA) of the influenza A virus. Herein we provide evidence that indeed there was reassortment involving at least the M gene segment amongst cocirculating influenza A viruses in Kenya during this period