KNOWLEDGE AND PERCEPTIONS ABOUT MENTAL ILLNESSES AMONG KENYAN IMMIGRANTS LIVING IN JYVASKYLA, FINLAND

ABSTRACT The purpose of the study was to find out the perceptions and the knowledge about mental illnesses among Kenyan immigrants living in Finland. The aim is to provide information that can be utilized in health care sector, by policy makers and different stakeholders when planning and carrying out culturally sensitive health care services for immigrants. The research was carried out among Kenyan immigrants living in Jyäskylä, Finland. The qualitative method was used to carry out the study. The data collection was done by interviewing three Kenyans who had lived in Finland for more than one. The interviews were conducted in May 2013 and data collected was analysed by using thematic analysis. The finding showed that Kenyans interviewed had knowledge about metal illnesses. Most of them were aware of sorts of treatments and services available for mentally ill people. Despite having knowledge about mental illnesses and believing that mental illnesses can be cured, they still maintain cultural beliefs and perceptions about mental illnesses. Therefore, there is need for more education in order to eradicate the above cultural beliefs among Kenyans regarding mental illnesses. Further study could be done on the same subject using large number of participants incorporating Kenyans living in other cities of Finland. This is because the study was only done in Jyväskylä and Kenyans are currently living all over Finland

Antibacterial Activity of Rubus multibreatus Le’vl Plant Extracts Against Staphylococcus aureus

The genus Rubus is a family of shrubs and mostly edible berries such as rasp berries, blue berries, strawberries. Of the 2208 species, 331 are documented (3,) and about 139 native to China, and being a wild plant, it can grow anywhere except for Antarctica (1) and with a wide variety as well as fairly similar phyto-components(2). Rubus multibreatus is commonly known in China as Da wu pao, its leaves used in teas and to locally treat stomach upsets, haemorrhoids and rheumatism, (1). Over years, due to a variety of intraspecies, it has acquired different synonyms, which include; R.mallodes, R.andropoga, R.clinocephalus, R.pluribracteatus, R.terminalia and R.macroptera (4

Assessing water availability under pastoral livestock systems in drought-prone Isiolo District, Kenya

Water availability / Water demand / Surface water / Groundwater / Wells / Salinity / Livestock / Grazing / Land use / Water supply / Drainage / GIS / Databases / Cost recovery

Physical Chemical Parameters of Wastewater: A Case Study of Njoro Sewage Works, Nakuru, Kenya

Njoro sewage works is the main sewage work for Nakuru urban town that receives about 90% of industrial wastewater and 10 % domestic wastewater. In-sufficient pre-treatment of industrial wastewater, may affect the normal functioning of sewage works and the aquatic life (flora and fauna) of the receiving water body. The underground water aquifer may also be contaminated by both chemical elements and microbial through percolation. This study aimed at assessing the efficiency of the sewage works by analysing the physical and chemical parameters of wastewater from the inlet and outlet of Njoro sewage works. The study involved test analysis of the physical and chemical parameters in the laboratory and in-situ test. This study employed composite sampling method in the collection of samples. Data collection was done using experimental method while data analysis was done using descriptive statistics. This study found that BOD concentration was 400 mg/l for the influent and 150mg/l for effluent. COD concentration was 1399 mg/l for the influent and 222 mg/l for the effluent. DO concentrations were lower (0.05 mg/l) for influent and effluent. Traces of heavy metals were also found both for the influent and effluent. Njoro sewage works could not effectively reduce organic load in wastewater. Keywords: Discharge, Effluent, Influent, Sewage works, Wastewate

Erosion hazard assessment in the upper Ewaso Ng’iro basin of Kenya: application of GIS, USLE and EUROSEM

A methodology was developed for assessing soil erosion hazard in the Upper Ewaso Ng’iro basin of Kenya, using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) and the European Soil Erosion Model (EUROSEM). The USLE was used in a GIS environment by creating thematic maps of R, K, L, S, C and P and then calculating soil loss by raster-grid modelling with Arc/Info GRID. The rainfall erosivity factor (R) was derived from relationships between rainfall amount and erosivity using erosion plot data from within the catchment. The nature of the relationship was found to be a function of agro-climatic zones of the region. Mean annual erosivities ranged from 145 to 990 J m'2 hr'1. For a given amount of rainfall, erosivity was higher in zone IV than in the wetter zones II-III. The soil erodibility factor (K) was estimated using the USLE nomograph and data from laboratory analysis of field samples collected from representative major soil mapping units. The K-values were low to medium, ranging from 0.10 to 0.25 over 84 percent of the basin. The topographic factor (LS) was obtained by creating Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) of the basin with TOPOGRIDTOOL of Arc/Info. These were then used to determine the slope steepness and length factor values, calculated with raster-grid modelling. Although DEMs proved a useful tool, maximum values of both steepness and length had to be set in this reconnaissance study to achieve reasonable results. A finer resolution of input data and a smaller grid cell size are needed for accurate determination. The cover and management factors (C) were obtained by determining the land cover types within the basin using remotely sensed data (SPOT 1 colour composite prints) and ground truthing studies. The factor values were estimated from USLE guide tables and measurements of cover from plots and test sites. Some 70 percent of the basin is covered by rangelands. The conservation practice (P) factor values were estimated from USLE guide tables and then applied to areas where soil conservation had been introduced according to maps obtained from the Ministry of Agriculture. The USLE was validated using data from erosion plots. A value of R2 = 0.645 was obtained between predicted and measured values but the standard error was rather high (e = 5.745 t ha’1 yr'1). Using an annual soil loss of 9.0 t ha'1 yr'1 as tolerance level, some 36 percent of the basin was found to experience unacceptably high erosion rates. Most of this area was communal grazing land and cropland where soil conservation measures had not been applied. A critical land cover type within the grazing land is shrubland, where vegetation cover is less than 40 percent and high erosion risk was predicted and confirmed by field surveys. EUROSEM could not be integrated within a GIS in the time available for research. It was therefore simulated outside GIS environment, where it was applied to Embori and Mukogodo plot data using separate data sets for calibration and validation. Calibration was used to obtain input parameters for saturated hydraulic conductivity, cohesion and Manning’s roughness coefficients. Validation gave correlation coefficients of 0.907 and 0.840 for predictions of storm runoff and soil loss respectively at Embori; the corresponding values for bare soil plots at Mukogodo were 0.895 and 0.577. However, EUROSEM predicted runoff poorly (R2 = 0.570) and failed to predict soil loss at all the vegetated plots at Mukogodo. The model was applied to simulated vegetation covers of barley, maize, grass and forest for a 36.7 mm rainstorm at Embori. The simulated soil losses showed an exponential decrease with increasing cover. At a threshold cover of 70 percent, soil loss diminished to zero under grass and forest and decreased to a minimum value under barley and maize. These results support the USLE simulations, which showed that areas with more than 70 percent cover (such as forest) had a low erosion hazard, even with steep slopes and high rainfall erosivities. This research has demonstrated that GIS can be used with the USLE to assess and quantify erosion hazard, giving results that can be used for conservation planning. EUROSEM can be applied successfully to bare soil and cropland, but application to other land covers requires further investigation. Land cover and topography are the main factors controlling the spatial distribution of soil loss in the Upper Ewaso Ng’iro basin. Future conservation activities should be concentrated on the rangelands.Ph

Influence of Equipment/Object Technology Transfer on the Growth of Micro and Small Catering Enterprises in Nairobi County , Kenya

Technology transfer usually involves some source of technology group which possess specialized technical skills which transfers the technology to a target group of receptors who do not possess those specialized technical skills and who, therefore, cannot create the tool themselves. Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) need to be strengthened and developed so that the income they generate can support transition in terms of enterprise growth. Over the years, Catering MSEs have shifted from the old traditional methods of operation through the transfer of technology

HIV testing service uptake in Finland: A study on barriers and facilitators

Since the 1970s when the first case of the human immunodeficiency virus was detected, there have been many controversies since the topic is a sensitive one. Since then, it has been classified as a global epidemic having claimed millions of people so far. Globally, at least 75 million people have been infected with the virus and about 32 million people have died due to the epidemic. However, due to advancement in treatment, nowadays HIV has been considered a manageable condition, but if appropriate interventions are not initiated early, it can advance to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome leading to opportunistic diseases, and hence death. Although HIV testing is crucial for prevention and early diagnosis, late diagnosis still remains an area of concern in many countries, Finland being one of them. The goal of this study was to increase awareness of accessibility and the use of HIV testing service in Finland to reduce late diagnosis. The objective of this study was to seek evidence on factors that contribute to low HIV testing service uptake in Finland, and factors that when put into practice can lead to increased HIV testing service uptake. The research questions for this study were finding out the factors that act as barriers to HIV testing service uptake in Finland, and the factors that when put into practice can lead into increased HIV testing service uptake in Finland. Integrative literature review was used as a method for this study. Data search was conducted in May 2020 by using four databases. Ten qualitative and quantitative studies with varying designs were included after data evaluation was done. Critical Appraisal Skills Program for qualitative studies and systematic reviews and STROBE for the cross-sectional survey were used to assess the quality of included articles. Evidences from primary articles were extracted and key barriers and facilitators to HIV testing were identified, categorized, summarized, and organized in an evidence table. Identified barriers included lack of knowledge and awareness of HIV, lack of HIV risk perception, lack of access to HIV testing, providers’ time constraints, communication problem, and fear and stigma. In addition, the identified facilitators included increasing knowledge and awareness about HIV, integrating HIV testing services into primary healthcare and normalizing testing, and access to testing. HIV testing is a crucial step for prevention and early diagnosis of HIV. Therefore, recognizing the key barriers and facilitators to HIV testing is essential to increase population testing uptake capacity. The findings can be used as a tool to facilitate creation of effective strategies, aimed at in-creasing HIV testing service uptake, and decreasing the number of infected people who are unaware of their status

Overview of water and soil nutrient management under smallholder rain-fed agriculture in East Africa

Soil conservation / Water conservation / Water harvesting / Terraces / Tillage / Ridging / Cropping systems / Bunds / Sugarcane / Spate irrigation / Pitcher irrigation / Water storage / Soil fertility / Fertilizers / Non-governmental organizations / Farmers’ associations / Agroforestry / Agricultural extension