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The Effects of Pre-Performance Research and Analysis on Vocal Music Performance
No full textFull textThe study aimed at establishing whether vocal performers at various levels carry out research
as part of the preparation for performance. Secondly, it set out to analyse and outline the
characteristics of selected pieces by various composers, assessing the technical requirements
for the performance of the selected soprano pieces. Finally, it aimed at providing suggestions
and recommendations on how a performer can overcome the challenges in each of the pieces.
The study was mounted on the premise that poor analytical skills hamper performance of any
music and that to understand the deeper aspects of music, a performer needs to understand its
style, tradition and background. This study was undertaken to clearly articulate the
importance of in-depth research as a prerequisite for effective performance. One important
aspect of pre-performance research was the observation of the selected songs, and the specific
technical demands of each. The study sought to discuss pertinent issues associated with
interpretation of the selected songs. It also sought to provide suggestions on how a performer
can adequately overcome the challenges posed by the technical demands of each song, in
order to give an effective performance of the selected pieces, or other pieces using a similar
approach
Relationship between Inter-Functional Coordination On Performance Of Universities In Kenya
No full textFull textInter-functional coordination is one of the market orientation components which is based on the
customer and competitor information entailing a business’s coordinated efforts involving not
only marketing department, but all the organizations’ departments and resources in order to
create superior value for customers. The main purpose of the study was to analyse the
relationship between inter-functional coordination on performance of universities in Kenya. The
philosophical foundation of this study was positivism. Descriptive and correlation designs
design was adopted for the study. The target population for this study was 63 universities in
Kenya. A total of 115 respondents who include 3 staff and 2 students were selected from a
sample of 23 universities. Both stratified sampling and purposive sampling were used in
selecting respondents from the population. A structured questionnaire, administered through
drop and pick was used in collecting data. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used in
analysing data through the multiple linear regression by using of Stata software, SAS System and
Statistical Package for Social Sciences. The relationship between market orientation and
university performance were analysed using correlation analysis. The analysed data was
presented in frequency tables, pie charts, graphs and percentages. The results show that there
was a significant positive relationship between inter-functional coordination and university
performance at 1% level of significance respectively. This mean that the independent variable
inter-functional coordination was significant in performance of universities. The study
concludes that universities in Kenya were market oriented through inter-functional coordination.
Implying that that inter-functional coordination is an important market orientation concept that
needs to be adopted and implemented by universities in Kenya. This study recommends that
universities in Kenya should make an effort and focus more on ensuring smooth flow of
communication and sharing of information across all the university’s departments. The
university management need to know that their institutions would perform well if they develop
inter-functional coordination capabilities that will support competitive behaviour of
innovativeness
The Influence of Public Perception of Institutional Efficacy to Provide Care for the Elderly on the Uptake of Institutionalized Care for the Elderly in Nakuru County, Kenya
No full textFULL TEXTThis study’s purpose was to investigate the public perception of institutional efficacy to provide specialized care for elderly people and its influence on the uptake of institutional care in Nakuru County, Kenya. Specifically, the study examined perceived institutional efficacy in taking care of the aged and socio-cultural factors on the one hand and their influence on the uptake of institutional care for the elderly. A pilot study was carried at Kericho County to determine the validity and reliability of the study. The study engaged 400 respondents, who were selected through purposive and stratified random sampling. Data for the study was collected with questionnaires and in-depth interviews. The results indicate that uptake of care homes is positively influenced by physical facilities and negatively affected by staff. Thus, the availability of proper physical facilities for accommodation and physical exercise was a positive factor. It was, however, unexpected to find that the availability of competent staff negatively influenced the uptake of institutionalized care. The legality of the care homes was not a non-issue for the society in terms of influencing their decision to enroll their relative to the care homes. It is, therefore, necessary to sensitize the society about the efficacy of staff in the care homes as well as the importance of the legal status of the care homes
Agent Based Computational Model For Memory Retention: A Focus On Children With Dyslexia
No full textFull textMemory retention can be defined as a process by which both working memory and long
term memory preserves knowledge so that it can locate, identify and retrieve it in the future.
Children with dyslexia suffer from lack of memory retention. They suffer from reduced
mental ability, which affects the series such language acquisition, mathematical difficulties
and many more. Different interventions have been implemented using computing
technologies to aid memory retention among the dyslexic children. Computing techniques
such as gaming, assessments and motivation are employed to improve the reading and
spelling skills of learners. Unfortunately the computing techniques tend to address either
one or the other of these needs being either enabling or instructional. Such computing
technologies up to now, have not been designed to respond to personalized feedback from
the learner and to personalize the system in line with the user’s performance. In view of
this, the paper discusses, the use of Intelligent Agents that will help design an adaptive
learning support system together with key memory strategies to enhance memory retention.
This study will design an Agent-based computational model that will be implemented using
a computational tool that will be used by dyslexic learners. The computational tool will be
used to test grade 3 students in a school in Nairobi County. Data will also be collected using
a questionnaire. Results from the computational tool will be analyzed using descriptive
statistical techniques
APPLICABILITY OF PIOTROSKI F-SCORE MODEL IN PREDICTING FINANCIAL DISTRESS OF LISTED COMPANIES AT THE NAIROBI SECURITIES EXCHANGE 20 SHARE INDEX, KENYA
No full textFULL TEXTFinancial distress prospect is a key bother to the executives and business partners. It is usually not a selective
event and may attack both big and small organizations alike. With the importance of securing financial health of
listed companies in Kenya, it is vital to anticipate the likelihood of fiscal distress beforehand and hence the need
for prediction and more so applying a reliable model in the prediction. This study focused on showing the
utilization of Piotroski F-score framework in forecasting the economic or monetary depression among publicly
quoted organizations particularly the NSE 20 Price Index firms for the period of two financial years (2016 and
2017). Descriptive survey approach was employed targeting the NSE 20 Price Index firms which were mainly in
service and commercial sector to investigate how elements used by Piotroski can help in determining the
financial status of a company. The entire population of 20 firms was involved since this target population is
manageable. Data was extracted from secondary sources for a period of the two financial years. The
information gathered was dissected and synthesized by utilizing illustrative and inferential measurements
through use of SPSS Version 22 computer programme. The results revealed that the 20-Share Index firms
placed steady outcomes as far as resources were concerned. Also, liquidity, leverage and source of assets were
found as key determinants of fiscal strains among NSE recorded firms. The connection between fiscal strains
and liquidity and leverage were found to be emphatically related with fiscal strains suggesting that when
liquidity and leverage go up, the fiscal strains of firms at NSE also grow. The results inferred that the NSE 20-
Share Index firms have moderately low fiscal strains. The study recommended that managers of NSE listed firms
ensure that the objectives of a company are adhered to from the initial stage of development lifecycle of a
company in order to gain a positive reputation from various stakeholders and ensure that the company focuses
on strategically planned projects that will propagate external funding hence facilitating financial
performance leading to profitability
Equation of State for a 2D System
No full textFull textWe have described a simple theoretical model of an equation of state (EOS) for a twodimensional
system. The goal was to give a clear description of the interplay between hydrostatic
change in surface area and the two dimensional in-plane pressure (F). Of interest from this
described EOS, was the measure a material's resilience to isotropic stretching ( ) that can in
principle be viewed as the layer modulus. To this date, few attempts have been made to obtain
accurately the layer modulus of 2D systems. We studied using density functional theory as
implemented in the Quantum ESPRESSO computer code, a number of monolayer systems;
graphene, Boronitrene, dichalcogenides and Janus chalcogenides. The results found out in this
study showed that of the above honeycomb structures, graphene was the most resilient to
stretching with a value of C = 206.6 N/m followed by boronitrene BN = 177.3 N/m. The layer
modulus of the dichalcogenides and Janus chalcogenides was seen to be competing but not as
large as that of graphene or boronitrene. Apart from the layer modulus, we were also able to use
the EOS to predict isotropic intrinsic strength of the listed systems. It was observed that the
intrinsic stress was proportional to the layer modulus. This project does not just satisfy our
knowledge thirst but can also be used by experimental groups in fabricating hard 2D materials
Relationship between Religious Cultures and Student Retention in Chartered Christian Universities in Kenya
Get PDFThe role of this study was to explain the relationship between religious cultures and student retention in Chartered
Christ ian Universit ies in Kenya. The study was based on Students’ Integration Theory by Tinto [1] and Cultural Model of
Educational Management by Bush [2]. Descriptive survey research design was adopted. The targeted population was 604
year four students, 12 Academic Deans, 5 chaplains, 5 Finance Managers, and 5 Deans of students in Chartered Christian
Universities. Census method was used to sample the respondents. Questionnaires which were piloted and tested for
reliability using test-retest method and validated by experts were used together with interviews to collect data. Qualitative
data was later analysed and presented. Quantitative data was analysed using descriptive statistics. SPSS version 22 was
employed for data analysis. Pearson Product Moment Correlations Co-efficient and regression analysis were computed to
establish relationships between the two variables. Embedded Design for mixed methods was used to integrate and present
the findings. It was established that religious cultures were related to student retention (r=0.437; p=0.000) and thus, the
null hypothesis was rejected, and the alternate hypotheses adopted. The study recommends that chartered Christian
universities in Kenya should take advantage of their religious cultures and find policies that strengthen the existing
cultures as tahey develop new ones. It also recommends that the Ministry of Education should develop policies that could
facilitate student retention and review the exist ing policies on students’ retent ion in inst itutions of higher learning in
Kenya and beyond. Moreover, further research should be carried out
A 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring system for preeclampsia management in antenatal care
No full textFULL TEXTThe burden of preeclampsia has been a major concern worldwide both in developed and developing countries,
making its prevention and management a major concern. Although motherhood is a fulfilling experience in
society, it is connected to ill-health in some women, leading to maternal morbidity and mortality. The United
Nations' Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 aims to reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than
70 per 100,000 live births. These deaths are caused by among other things, the emergence of conditions such as
preeclampsia during pregnancy. Therefore, this study sought to implement a 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure
monitoring solution for preeclampsia management, using a smartwatch in conjunction with a mobile and cloudbased
application. Upon blood pressure readings from the expectant mother, an alert is sent to the assigned
caregiver in order to initiate quick action. The researchers adopted a rapid prototyping approach in the implementation
of the 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring system. An experimental design was adopted
in the study to evaluate whether the system functionalities performed as expected. The system, which was
evaluated in the context of a sample of 30 expectant mothers from two level 5 hospitals in Kenya, has been able
to read blood pressure from expectant mothers' smartwatches. The real-time data is then sent to the caregivers’
smartphone, as well as an alert. The solution has shown great potential for actual adoption in healthcare systems
in developing countries, given its simplicity and affordability
Influence of Family Constellations on the Psychosocial Adjustment of Regular Undergraduate Students in Universities within Nakuru County, Kenya
No full textFULL TEXTUniversity students are facing numerous challenges which affect their psychological and
social adjustment. In view of the fact that the family and family structure play a significant
role in the psychological and social development and adjustment of these students to
university life. This study sought to assess the influence of family constellations on
psychosocial adjustments of regular undergraduate students in Nakuru County, Kenya. The
specific objectives were to determine the influence of family constellations on: self-esteem,
self-efficacy, emotional intelligence, pro-social behaviour and social skills development of
regular undergraduate Students in Nakuru County, Kenya. The study used a mixed-method
research approach and adopted a cross-sectional survey research design. The target
population was 2862 Third year regular undergraduate students from five selected
universities. A random sample of 307 students forming a 90.6 percent response rate was
selected. Stratified random sampling was used to distribute the sample in the five selected
universities. Primary data was collected using semi-structured questionnaire and interview
schedule, while secondary data was collected from existing documents about the topic
under study. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequencies,
percentages and means) and inferential statistics (ANOVA and Chi Square test) with the aid
of Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 21.0 for Windows; while qualitative data
will be analyzed using thematic content analysis. The study findings indicate that majority
of the respondents came from dual (nuclear) parent families. There was a statistically
significant difference in the self-esteem and self-efficacy of regular undergraduate students
from different family structures. The study recommends that there is a need for parents to
maintain a unified family structure in order to encourage holistic psychosocial development
and adjustment of their children in the universities. There is a need for parents to create a
warm close and supportive relationship with their children in the universities. There is need
to encourage university students to seek guidance and counselling services in order to
effectively adjust psychologically and socially to the new university environment.1. National Research Fund
2. Sentimental Energy Lt