A novel spontaneous model of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) using a primary prostate cancer derived cell line demonstrating distinct stem-like characteristics

Cells acquire the invasive and migratory properties necessary for the invasion-metastasis cascade and the establishment of aggressive, metastatic disease by reactivating a latent embryonic programme: epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Herein, we report the development of a new, spontaneous model of EMT which involves four phenotypically distinct clones derived from a primary tumour-derived human prostate cancer cell line (OPCT-1), and its use to explore relationships between EMT and the generation of cancer stem cells (CSCs) in prostate cancer. Expression of epithelial (E-cadherin) and mesenchymal markers (vimentin, fibronectin) revealed that two of the four clones were incapable of spontaneously activating EMT, whereas the others contained large populations of EMT-derived, vimentin-positive cells having spindle-like morphology. One of the two EMT-positive clones exhibited aggressive and stem cell-like characteristics, whereas the other was non-aggressive and showed no stem cell phenotype. One of the two EMT-negative clones exhibited aggressive stem cell-like properties, whereas the other was the least aggressive of all clones. These findings demonstrate the existence of distinct, aggressive CSC-like populations in prostate cancer, but, importantly, that not all cells having a potential for EMT exhibit stem cell-like properties. This unique model can be used to further interrogate the biology of EMT in prostate cancer

The impact of older persons cash transfer programme in Kenya : a case study of rural Kenya

The main aim for the study was to explore the impact of Cash Transfer programme to the elderly, referred to as the Older Persons Cash Transfer. The whole process of the cash transfer programme was reviewed from the national level to the local level and all persons involved in the process identified. Case study and desk study methods were used to conduct the research on how the money affected the beneficiaries. Older Persons Cash Transfer was compared to retirement benefits and incentives. The data collected and reviewed showed that the older person's cash transfer had significant impact on the livelihoods of the elderly despite its challenges. The study also revealed that not all of the deserving elderly benefited from the program and yet had no other source of income. The study recommends widening of the program to reach all of the elderly above 65 years old and transparency in issuing of the cash transfer money.M-D

Average rates of return, working capital, and NPV-consistency in project appraisal: A sensitivity analysis approach

In project appraisal under uncertainty, the economic reliability of a measure of financial efficiency depends on its strong NPV-consistency, meaning that the performance metric (i) supplies the same recommendation in accept-reject decisions as the NPV, (ii) ranks competing projects in the same way as the NPV, (iii) has the same sensitivity to perturbations in the input data as the NPV. In real-life projects, financial efficiency is greatly affected by the management of the working capital. Using a sensitivity analysis approach and taking into explicit account the role of working capital, we show that the average return on investment (ROI) is not strongly NPV-consistent in accept-reject decisions if the working capital is uncertain and changes under changes in revenues and costs. Also, it is not strongly NPV-consistent in project ranking. We also show that the internal rate of return (IRR) is not strongly NPV-consistent and economic analysis may even turn out to be impossible, owing to possible nonexistence and multiplicity caused by perturbations in the input data, as well as to possible shifts in the financial meaning of IRR under changes in the project’s value drivers. We introduce the straight-line rate of return (SLRR), based on the notion of average rate of change, which overcomes all the problems encountered by average ROI and IRR: It always exists, is unique, strongly NPV-consistent for both accept-reject decisions and project ranking, and has an unambiguous financial nature

Average rates of return, working capital, and NPV-consistency in project appraisal: A sensitivity analysis approach

In project appraisal under uncertainty, the economic reliability of a measure of financial efficiency depends on its strong NPV-consistency, meaning that the performance metric (i) supplies the same recommendation in accept-reject decisions as the NPV, (ii) ranks competing projects in the same way as the NPV, (iii) has the same sensitivity to perturbations in the input data as the NPV. In real-life projects, financial efficiency is greatly affected by the management of the working capital. Using a sensitivity analysis approach and taking into explicit account the role of working capital, we show that the average return on investment (ROI) is not strongly NPV-consistent in accept-reject decisions if the working capital is uncertain and changes under changes in revenues and costs. Also, it is not strongly NPV-consistent in project ranking. We also show that the internal rate of return (IRR) is not strongly NPV-consistent and economic analysis may even turn out to be impossible, owing to possible nonexistence and multiplicity caused by perturbations in the input data, as well as to possible shifts in the financial meaning of IRR under changes in the project’s value drivers. We introduce the straight-line rate of return (SLRR), based on the notion of average rate of change, which overcomes all the problems encountered by average ROI and IRR: It always exists, is unique, strongly NPV-consistent for both accept-reject decisions and project ranking, and has an unambiguous financial nature

Effect of Social Assistance Programmes on Improving Quality of Life in Kenya: Evidence from Machakos County

This study investigates the effect of social assistance programmes on improving quality of life in Kenya - evidence from Machakos County. Probit model was applied to model the empirical analysis. The paper concludes that moderate households’ awareness of available types of cash transfer. On the households’ quality of life with reference to social assistance programmes, the study posits that households in receipt of bursary support, cash transfers for orphans and vulnerable children, and cash transfers to the elderly will report an improved life quality compared to their counterparts who have not received such transfers. Similar conclusion is arrived at for remittances receipts from relatives residing outside the County. The paper recommends application and scaling up of social assistance programmes to reduce poverty at county and national levels so that in turn can improve quality of life of households. This will go a long way in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

Buildings of Tomorrow: Goals and Challenges for Design and Operation of High-Performance Buildings

This reprint aims to address the challenges modern-day buildings face in the context of high energy and resource consumption and climate change. One of the ways to address the issues is holistic design and operation of high-performance buildings in the area of energy efficiency, occupant health, and comfort. All this should be achieved through synergic interconnectedness between parameters such as the indoor–outdoor environment, sustainability, and resilience. Through different chapters, this reprint highlights the key areas, namely, the optimization of building design parameters, the impact of the use of modern-day phase-change materials, the adaptation of occupants and buildings to climate change, the mitigation of urban overheating by cool roofs, and reducing energy demand and CO2 emissions

The Politics of Distributing Social Transfers

This book provides a systematic analysis of the political processes shaping the distribution of social transfers in six countries in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. In doing so, the book addresses a notable gap in recent research on social protection concerning the politics of implementation. While considerable attention has been devoted to debating the merits of different policy designs and the political factors shaping the adoption and diffusion of different policy models, ultimately the ability of any social transfer programme to deliver on its promises is dependent on the effective implementation and distribution of social transfers in line with intended objectives. The chapters in this book examine international and sub-national variation in programme implementation in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nepal, and Rwanda, drawing on a common analytical framework that highlights the importance of state capacity and reach, rooted in histories of state formation, and contemporary political competition in shaping the distribution of social transfers. Comparative analysis of the case studies supports the view that variation in the capacity and reach of the state within countries is a centrally important factor shaping the effectiveness and impartiality of distribution. Yet state capacity alone is insufficient. Rather, political competition and power relations shape how this capacity is actually deployed in practice. As such, the book underscores the inherently political nature of implementation and questions common technocratic efforts to improve implementation by de-politicizing the social protection policy process

Cherenkov Camera and Analysis Development for Highest-Energy Gamma-Ray Astronomy

Imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes are used for the detection of highest-energy γ-rays. This thesis focuses on two experiments equipped with such telescopes: The operating High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) and the future Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). Four of the five H.E.S.S. cameras saw a major electronics upgrade a few years ago enabling improved readout and analysis techniques mainly at the highest energies. The Compact High-Energy Camera (CHEC) is a design for the Small-Sized Telescopes of CTA focusing on the detection of γ-rays with energies exceeding 1 TeV. The first part of the thesis is dedicated to the characterisation of two CHEC prototype cameras developed successively: CHEC-M and CHEC-S. I present results of laboratory and on-telescope measurements for both cameras. In the case of CHEC-S, I focus on those parameters that had been shown to be performance-limiting in CHEC-M and which were therefore addressed in the design iteration for CHEC-S. The second part is devoted to the upgraded H.E.S.S. cameras. I present results of Monte-Carlo simulation studies, analysis developments, and performance measurements using full-waveform readout. In the former case I demonstrate a general consistency between simulations and measurements, in the latter case I show that the use of full-sampled waveform readout improves the performance, especially at the highest energies. In the last part, I present a new analysis of the Galactic γ-ray source HESS J1646–458 which is associated with Westerlund 1, the most massive stellar cluster in our Galaxy

Social protection policy-making in Kenya : a study of the dynamics of policy transfer

Power, and how it is exercised within social relations is pivotal in explaining policy change. Hence, this dissertation explores policy change in Kenya by examining the transfer and subsequent adoption of social protection policies in the form of cash transfer schemes. Instead of the current analytical frameworks drawing from political settlements, political institutions, and ideational approaches in explaining policy uptake, the research studies policy making from a policy transfer and power nexus. The study examines power relations among multiple actors in the national context to explain the adoption of social protection policies. Hence this dissertation articulates power dynamics and asymmetries inherent in policy-making involving national and transnational actors as underpinning policy transfer processes. The thesis is premised on the following interrelated arguments; firstly, I show how transnational actors created and manipulated interests and incentives based on their resource base in three significant ways: controlling the policy agenda, constraining the agency of other actors and influencing the preferences of actors in the policy space. The interaction of interests and resources – financial, and ideas and knowledge – converged to bring about policy change. Secondly, I focus on the role of ideas and knowledge within policy space to show how the creation of a discursive hegemony and a structure of knowledge, social construction and policy narratives played a significant role in shaping learning and influencing national actors. Thirdly, I argue that transnational actors used structural mechanisms based on financing and coerced government to adopt social protection policies through a catalysing mechanism and imposition of conditionalities. The study depicts how transnational actors conditioned and manipulated national context and institutions to align with the idea of cash transfers. This thesis employs a qualitative approach to study policy transfer and subsequent adoption of two cases of transfer schemes in Kenya, the Cash Transfer for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (CT-OVC) and the Hunger Safety Net Programme (HSNP).SociologyD. Phil. (Sociology