Role of student affairs in international student transition and success

International student mobility has grown significantly in recent years, with over 4.1 million students in 2013 who studied abroad around the world (Institute of International Education [IIE], 2016). With the changes in student demographics and increased mobility, student affairs professionals are in a unique role to support international student transition and success. Unfortunately, current research and practice in higher education tends to place a high level of responsibility on the international student to successfully transition to a new campus environment or places the responsibility on the international student affairs/student services office to solely work with these students. Given the multi-faceted needs of international students, we argue that it is critical for student affairs professionals across functional areas to be prepared to support this diverse population

Fabrication of Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Substrates Using Silver Nanoparticles Produced by Laser Ablation in Liquids

This research describes the use surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrates based on colloidal silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) produced by laser ablation of silver granules in pure water that are inexpensive, easy to make, and chemically stable. Here, the effects of the laser power, pulse repetition frequency, and ablation duration on the Surface Plasmon Resonance peak of AgNPs solutions, which was centered at 404 nm, were used to determine the optimal parameters. The substrates were characterized using Raman spectroscopy, and it was discovered that they were chemically stable within the first eight days of storage at room temperature since the spectroscopic profiles remained constant. The main bands were centered at 196, 640, 824, 1060, and 1538 cm-1, and they were attributed to the vibrations of O=Ag2/Ag-N, C-S-C, C-H, C-CO, C-N, and C=O, respectively. Additionally, these substrates had no impact on the Raman spectrum profiles of samples of rat blood when mixed with them. In comparison to thick blood smears on a clean piece of aluminum foil, the Raman spectral profiles of blood samples mixed with colloidal AgNPs were 14.95 times more enhanced. The Raman peaks noted were attributed to C-C stretching of lipids (932 cm-1), C-N stretching (1064 cm-1), C-C stretching (1190 cm-1), CH2 wagging (1338 and 1410 cm-1), carbonyl stretch for proteins (1650 cm-1), and C-H band of proteins (2122 cm-1). The results on the utilization of inexpensive, simple-to-prepare Raman substrates have the possibility of making surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy available to laboratories with scarce resources in developing nations

Effects of legume cover crop and sub-soiling on soil properties and Maize (Zea mays L) growth in semi arid area of Machakos district, Kenya = Efecto del cultivo de cobertua y el subsolado sobre las propiedades del suelo y crecimiento de maiz (Zea mays L.) en la region semi arida de Machakos, Kenia

Low crop yields in the semi arid areas of Kenya have been attributed to, among other factors, low soil fertility, low farm inputs, labour constraints and inappropriate tillage practices that lead to pulverized soils. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of legume cover crops (LCC) on soil properties and maize growth in the semi arid area of Machakos District, Kenya. The study was undertaken in farmers’ fields. The field experiments were carried out in a RCBD with four treatments each replicated four times during the 2008 long (LR) and short rain (SR) seasons. The treatments were T1 = maize + dolichos (Lablab purpureus) + subsoiling; T2 = maize + dolichos + no subsoiling; T3 = maize alone + no subsoiling; T4 = maize alone with subsoiling). Results from the field experiments showed that rainfall amount and its distribution affected the growth and yield of dolichos and maize. There were significant differences in ground cover between the treatments at P = 0.05 in all the different weeks after planting when measurements were taken. The penetration resistance in all the plots ranged from 3.83 - 4.18 kg cm-2 with treatment T4 having the highest and treatment T1 lowest penetration resistance. There were also siginificant changes in soil N in plots which were under dolichos compared to plots without dolichos. The results obtained in this study also indicated that subsoiling in combination with dolichos had the greatest potential of improving soil properties and crop yields in semi arid environments of Kenya

Label-free assaying of testosterone and growth hormones in blood using surface-enhanced raman spectroscopy

This work reports the potential use of surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) in rapid, label-free assaying of testosterone (TE) and growth hormone (GH) in whole blood. Biomarker SERS spectral bands from the two hormones (TE and GH) in intentionally spiked water for injection and in male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat blood are reported. Abuse of the two hormones (TE and GH) singly or simultaneously is widespread and not only has prolonged side effects such as hypertension and liver failure, but their illegal use by athletes is against clean competition. Currently used highly label-dependent doping detection methods involve complex and time-consuming procedures, rendering them unsuitable for rapid analysis. In blood, the most concentration-sensitive bands (in both TE and GH), as deduced through Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), were around 684 cm-1 (assigned to C-C stretching) and 1614 cm-1 (assigned to C-C stretching) in GH; and 786 cm-1 (assigned to N-H wagging), 856 cm-1 (assigned to C-C stretching), and 1490 cm-1 (assigned to CH2 bending) in TE. In addition, a characteristic variance was noted in the bands around 1510 cm-1 (attributable to CH2 stretching) in GH and 1636 cm-1 (C-C stretching) in TE, which could be used as biomarker bands for the respective hormones in the blood. This work has shown the capability of SERS for potential hormone concentration level determination when concentration-sensitive or biomarker bands are employed. This discovery opens new possibilities for the use of SERS in fields such as sports science, clinical diagnostics, and biomedical research

PiMA Survey Design and Methodology

The Politics and Interactive Media in Africa (PiMA) project investigates participation in radio and television programmes through new information and communication technologies (ICTs) as it is shaped by the political, social and media context in Zambia and Kenya, as well as the implications of such interactions for democratic governance and poverty alleviation. The empirical research combines different methodologies, including interviews with key informants, focus groups with audience members, in-studio observations and surveys of the general population. This paper describes the methodology for conducting surveys in four sites in Kenya and Zambia. The objective of the surveys was to obtain representative samples of two constituencies per country. Constituencies were selected according to their social and economic characteristics, in order to capture a wide variety of contexts. A random procedure was deployed in all stages of sampling, ensuring representativity of households and individuals of voting age in the four constituencies. The results of the survey can be generalised to the particular constituencies with a margin of error of approximately minus or plus 5% for a 95% confidence interval

Lipogenic gene single nucleotide polymorphic DNA markers associated with intramuscular fat, fat melting point, and health-beneficial omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in Australian pasture-based Bowen Genetics Forest Pastoral Angus, Hereford and Wagyu beef cattle

This study used targeted sequencing aimed at identifying single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in lipogenic genes and their associations with health-beneficial omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LC-PUFA), intramuscular fat (IMF), and fat melting point (FMP) of the M. longissimus dorsi muscle in Australian pasture-based Bowen Genetics Forest Pastoral Angus, Hereford, and Wagyu cattle. It was hypothesized that SNP encoding for the fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4), stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD), and fatty acid synthase (FASN) genes will be significantly associated with health-beneficial n-3 LC-PUFA and the meat eating quality traits of IMF and FMP in an Australian pasture-based beef production system. Two SNP mutations, g.21267406 T>C and g.21271264 C>A, in the SCD gene were significantly (p G and FMP, 18:1n-9, ALA, EPA, DHA, DPA, and total n-3 LC-PUFA were also detected. An SNP (g.44678794 G>A) in the FABP4 gene was associated with FMP. These results provide significant insights into the contributions of lipogenic genes to intramuscular fat deposition and the biosynthesis of health-beneficial n-3 LC-PUFA. The findings also unravel the potential use of lipogenic gene polymorphisms in marker-assisted selection to improve the content of health-promoting n-3 LC-PUFA and meat eating quality traits in Australian pasture-based Bowen Genetics Forest Pastoral Angus, Hereford, and Wagyu beef cattle

Characteristics of HIV-infected children seen in Western Kenya

Objectives: To describe the characteristics and outcomes of children registered for care in a large HIV care programme in Western Kenya. Design: A retrospective descriptive study. Setting: USAID-AMPATH HIV clinics in health centres; district and sub-district hospitals; Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Western Kenya. Subjects: HIV-infected children below age of 15 years seen in a network of 18 clinics in Western Kenya. Interventions: Paediatric HIV diagnosis and care including treatment and prevention of opportunistic infections and provision of combination antiretroviral therapy (CART). Main outcome measures: Diagnosis, clinical stage and immune status at enrollment and follow-up; hospitalisation and death. Descriptive statistical analyses and chi square tests were performed. Results: Four thousand and seventeen HIV-infected children seen between June 2002 and April 2008. Median age at enrollment was four years (0-14.2 years), 51% girls, 25% paternal orphans, 10% total orphans and 13% maternal orphans. At enrollment, 25% had weight-for-Age Z scores (WAZ)\u3e -1 and 21% had WAZ scores \u3c 3. Orphaned children had worse WAZ scores (p=0.0001). Twenty five per cent of children were classified as WHO clinical stage 3 and 4, 56% were WHO clinical stages 1 and 2 with 19% missing clinical staging at enrollment. Cough (25%), gastroenteritis (21%), fever (15%), pneumonia (10%) were the commonest presenting features. Twenty six per cent had been diagnosed with tuberculosis and only 25% started on cotrimoxazole preventive therapy (CPT). Median CD4% at enrollment was 16% (0-64%); latest recorded values were 22% (0-64). Sixty four per cent were on cART (cART+), median age at start was 5.4 (014.4 years).The median initial CD4% among cART+ was 13 (0-62) compared to 24 (0-64) for those not on ART (cART-). Median CD4% for cART+ improved to 22% (0-59); whereas cART- was 23% (0- 64) at last appointment. During the period of follow-up, one fifth (19%) of children on cART were lost to follow-up compared to slightly over one third (37%) for those not on cART. Thirty four percent were hospitalised; 41% diagnosed with pneumonia. Six per cent of 4017 were confirmed dead. Conclusions: HIV -infected children were enrolled in care early in childhood. Orphanhood was prevalent in these children as were gastroenteritis, fever, pneumonia and advanced immuno-suppression. Orphans were more likely to be severely malnourished. Only a quarter of children were put on cotrimoxazole preventive therapy. Children commenced on cART late but responded well to treatment. Loss to follow-up was less prevalent among those on cART

Chemical composition and in situ degradability of Desmanthus spp. forage harvested at different maturity stages

This study evaluated the change in nutritive value and in situ degradability of Desmanthus spp. (desmanthus) cultivars JCU2; D. virgatus, JCU4; D. bicornutus and JCU7; D. leptophyllus harvested at varying maturity stages to test the hypothesis that the nutritive value and in situ degradability of desmanthus differ between cultivars and with maturity stage at harvest. In Experiment 1, desmanthus was harvested at 11, 38, 72 and 103 days of regrowth (maturity), separated into the leaf and stem portion, dried and analysed for dry matter (DM) and chemical composition. In Experiment 2, desmanthus was harvested 78, 122 and 168 days after planting (maturity). Samples were dried, and DM, crude protein (CP) and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and acid detergent fibre (ADF) degradation were determined using the in situ technique with three fistulated Droughtmaster steers. The results showed an interaction between cultivar and maturity on the leaf to stem mass ratio, leaf CP, stem NDF and the leaf ADF (p ≤ 0.04). The leaf-to-stem mass ratio declined more steeply with maturity in JCU7 compared to JCU2 and JCU4 (p = 0.04), while there was a higher decline in leaf CP of JCU4 than JCU2 and JCU7 (p < 0.01). The total potentially degradable fraction of DM and CP did not differ between cultivars (p ≥ 0.30) but declined with maturity (p ≤ 0.04). However, the effective DM degradability at a high particle outflow rate was higher in JCU4 than in JCU7. Taken together, these results indicate that differences exist between cultivars, and higher livestock production may be achieved by utilising the different cultivars in a blend and at earlier maturity stages. Therefore, the hypothesis that nutritive value and in situ degradability of desmanthus differ between cultivars and with maturity stage at harvest was accepted

MARIS: Scalable Online Scenario Development Tool for Rangeland Conservancy Managers Using High Spatial-Temporal Resolution Carrying Capacity Maps and Livestock Market Data

Although the management of livestock numbers within the bounds of carrying capacity of African rangelands is a way to manage risks, both scientists and practitioners, caution against a momentary and local use of carrying capacity as a management indicator. Carrying capacity should be seen in wider spatial and temporal/seasonal context as well as in a social and economic context. Given the large numbers of conservancies across Kenya, and its Maasai Mara region in particular, with many more landowner members, it is difficult for conservancies’ managers to contextualize phenomena such as carrying capacity and market price over space and time. We report the results of an investigation in the Maasai Mara rangelands, into functional characteristics a tool for spatial-temporal carrying capacity assessment and livestock markets prices monitoring should have to provide relevant management information to conservancy managers and conservancy members. A scalable web-application called the Mara Rangeland Information System, or MARIS, was developed, which assesses, at 23 meter resolution and 10 day historic or 1-day near-future intervals, both grassland dry matter production, and consumption by 19 wildlife and livestock species, as well as rangeland carrying capacity. MARIS facilitates managers to develop scenarios by varying input variables of either grass production or consumption, or by drawing different management blocks on a carrying capacity map assessing different management practices under scenarios of rainfall. Managers can relate the carrying capacity scenarios to offtake prices at different markets that MARIS monitors over time. After testing MARIS in 6 workshop iterations across the whole development process, Maasai Mara rangeland managers concluded that the prototype is ready for pilot use in management plan development