Application of Ionic Liquids in Pot-in-Pot Reactions

Pot-in-pot reactions are designed such that two reaction media (solvents, catalysts and reagents) are isolated from each other by a polymeric membrane similar to matryoshka dolls (Russian nesting dolls). The first reaction is allowed to progress to completion before triggering the second reaction in which all necessary solvents, reactants, or catalysts are placed except for the starting reagent for the target reaction. With the appropriate trigger, in most cases unidirectional flux, the product of the first reaction is introduced to the second medium allowing a second transformation in the same glass reaction pot—albeit separated by a polymeric membrane. The basis of these reaction systems is the controlled selective flux of one reagent over the other components of the first reaction while maintaining steady-state catalyst concentration in the first “pot”. The use of ionic liquids as tools to control chemical potential across the polymeric membranes making the first pot is discussed based on standard diffusion models—Fickian and Payne’s models. Besides chemical potential, use of ionic liquids as delivery agent for a small amount of a solvent that slightly swells the polymeric membrane, hence increasing flux, is highlighted. This review highlights the critical role ionic liquids play in site-isolation of multiple catalyzed reactions in a standard pot-in-pot reaction

Assessing the impact of employee satisfaction on clinical team effectiveness

A Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the Degree of Masters of Business Administration of Strathmore University Business SchoolThe main objective of the study was to assess the impact of employee satisfaction on clinical team effectiveness. The population of interest for this study comprised 63 clinical department supervisors from the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (P.C.E.A) Kikuyu Hospital, owing to them being among the oldest and most successful healthcare institutions in Kenya with an aim of discovering the factors that have the greatest impact and are adaptable by the public healthcare system. This study adopted a correlational qualitative technique using a self-administered questionnaire which contained open and closed questions to collect data. A pilot test was conducted to test the validity and reliability of the questionnaire as a sampling tool. The collected data was analyzed to establish a relationship between the independent and dependent variables. The analyzed data was presented using tables and figures. A total number of 63 questionnaires were distributed to supervisors from the Hospital. From these questionnaires, 49 of them were filled up and returned. This was equivalent to a response rate of 77.8% the study findings were that positive correlations were observed between clinical team effectiveness and all four employee satisfaction factors, namely organizational factors, employee work environment, job factors and employee personal factors. Amongst the four factors, employee work environment especially working in teams resulting in synergy had the greatest impact on clinical team performance, followed by organization factors especially well defined human resource policies where employee retention was seen to result in gaining better work experience. The study recommended that: The management of hospitals must develop clear and well defined human resource policies through investment in policy development, implementation and regular review with employee involvement, invest in training for their supervisors so that they can better understand their subordinates and guide them, through the human resource department the management must recruit and place employees in roles that are commensurate to their skill and endeavor to ensure that they retain their staff through identifying the employee’s individual needs and employing creative monetary and non-monetary solutions

Risk Management in Smallholder Cattle Farming: A Hypothetical Insurance Approach in Western Kenya

Smallholder cattle farming is an important livelihood strategy in most developing countries like Kenya. However, tropical diseases in Africa often wipe out these valuable assets. This paper focuses on mitigation of cattle disease risks through a hypothetical insurance scheme. The study is based on data from a survey conducted on a purposive sample of 300 smallholder cattle farmers in Kakamega and Siaya districts of Western Kenya. Descriptive measures and a regression model were used in the analysis. Results of the study showed that most farmers (91.3%) were willing to participate in the cattle insurance scheme. Also, the farmers observed that the scheme would enable them to increase their herd sizes and change their breed composition. The farmer's mean Willingness To Pay (WTP) for the scheme would be determined by their gender, income, cultural norms, cattle breed and economic value/price of the animal kept. This paper recommends establishment of a formal cattle insurance scheme; and economic empowerment of both male and female farmers to encourage adoption of the scheme, as well as educating the farmers on how to integrate the scheme within their cultural norms to ensure it's sustainability.Cattle, smallholder livelihoods, disease risks, insurance, Livestock Production/Industries, Risk and Uncertainty,

Classification and influence of agricultural information on striga and stemborer control in Suba and Vihiga Districts, Kenya

This paper reports on findings of a study to examine the sources used by farmers in search of agricultural information on striga and/or stemborers control technologies and factors that influence acquisition of such information in Western Kenya region. A random sample of 476 households in Suba and Vihiga districts were interviewed and 15 information pathways were identified. Using principle component analysis (PCA) to derive few latent variables that encapsulate maximum variance in the pathways, two components (latent variables) proxying for ‘agricultural knowledge’ were extracted. Type I-knowledge (first component) loaded heavily with sources that had ‘group’ information searching. Type II-knowledge (second component) loaded heavily with sources requiring individual farmer search. Both types of knowledge positively and significantly influenced the likelihood of households using improved technology to control stemborer, while only Type-II knowledge and social economic factors were important in influencing the farmers’ likelihood of using an improved technology to control striga. This study shows that information is an important factor in the households’ likelihood of using improved technologies in the control of striga and stem borer in Vihiga and Suba, Kenya. Methods of individual interaction are important to striga control.Agricultural information, improved technology, striga, stemborers, control technologies, Kenya, Agricultural and Food Policy, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Demand and Price Analysis, Farm Management, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Food Security and Poverty, Institutional and Behavioral Economics, International Relations/Trade, Marketing, Productivity Analysis, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Relationship Between Teachers’ Motivation Teaching HIV/ADS Education And Students’ Knowledge And Attitude Towards Sexual Behaviour In Secondary Schools In Coast Region, Kenya

Education plays an important role in curbing the spread of HIV and AIDS among the youth. However, there is little known how teachers’ motivation in teaching HIV/AIDS education affects students’ knowledge and attitudes towards sexual behaviour. The purpose of the study was to determine the relationship between teachers’ level of motivation in teaching HIV/AIDS education and students’ knowledge and attitude towards sexual behaviour in secondary schools in the Coast Region of Kenya. The study used descriptive survey research design. Proportional, purposive and random sampling methods were used to choose the participants. The samples comprised 421 respondents of which 33 were teachers and 388 students in 13 secondary schools. Questionnaires, document analysis and interview schedule were used to collect the data. Reliability coefficients of the instruments were 0.8 for both teachers and students. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used in data analysis. The descriptive statistics that were used were frequencies and percentage. Chi-squire statistics was used to test the hypothesis in the study. The hypothesis testing was done at α = 0.05 level of significance. The data collected in this study was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) computer programme version 20.0. The findings showed that there is a relationship between teachers’ level of motivation in teaching of HIV/AIDS education and students’ knowledge and attitudes towards sexual behaviour. It further revealed that majority of Form 4 students had negative attitude towards sexual behaviour. The study recommends that the Teachers Service Commission and other stakeholders should motivate teachers who teach HIV/AIDS education in secondary schools. Key words: teachers’ motivation, students’ knowledge, students’ sexual behaviou

Analysing the Effect of Cassava Flour as a Mixture on the Physical, Mechanical, and Durability Properties of High-Strength Concrete

The availability, cost, and environmental impact of chemical admixtures are reduced when natural substitute materials are incorporated into the concrete as an admixture. This paper outlines the findings of a study that looked at the physical characteristics of fresh and hardened concrete made with Portland pozzolanic cement CEM II/B-P blended with cassava flour up to 5% by weight of cement. A low water/binder ratio of 0.35 was used together with a carboxylate-based superplasticizing admixture to produce high strength. In fresh-state concrete, the initial and final setting times, soundness, and consistency were found to increase with increased cassava flour content, whereas the compacting factor and slump were observed to decrease. In the hardened state, compressive strengths were determined at 3, 7, 14, 28, 56, and 90 days, while split tensile and flexural strengths were investigated at 28 days. Similarly, dry density and porosity were also investigated at 28 days. Water absorption was also studied as a potential indicator of durability in hardened concrete. Scanning electron microscopy characterization of cassava flour revealed porous particles of irregular shape. On the other hand, X-ray diffraction imaging showed that the primary chemicals in cassava flour are silicon dioxide (50%), calcium oxide (17%), and aluminium oxide (7%). All of the mixes that incorporated cassava flour were stronger than the control mix, with the 3% cassava flour combination producing the best results. Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-2022-08-12-015 Full Text: PD

Food from faeces:Evaluating the efficacy of scat DNA metabarcoding in dietary analyses

Scat DNA metabarcoding is increasingly being used to track the feeding ecology of elusive wildlife species. This approach has greatly increased the resolution and detection success of prey items contained in scats when compared with other classical methods. However, there have been few studies that have systematically tested the applicability and reliability of this approach to study the diet of large felids species in the wild. Here we assessed the effectiveness of this approach in the cheetah Acinonyx jubatus. We tested how scat degradation, meal size, prey species consumed and feeding day (the day a particular prey was consumed) influenced prey DNA detection success in captive cheetahs. We demonstrated that it is possible to obtain diet information from 60-day old scats using genetic approaches, but the efficiency decreased over time. Probability of species-identification was highest for food items consumed one day prior to scat collection and the probability of being able to identify the species consumed increased with the proportion of the prey consumed. Detection success varied among prey species but not by individual cheetah. Identification of prey species using DNA detection methods from a single consumption event worked for samples collected between 8 and 72 hours post-feeding. Our approach confirms the utility of genetic approaches to identify prey species in scats and highlight the need to account for the systematic bias in results to control for possible scat degradation, feeding day, meal size and prey species consumed especially in the wild-collected scats

Trend and Variability in Interannual Air Temperature Over South West Mau Forest, 1985 - 2015

The research is sponsored by Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation Kenya. Abstract Globally high altitude forest regions are considered to be more prone to rapid warming. These regions have also shown great seasonal and inter annual temperatures variability. In Kenya mean annual temperatures increased by 1.00C since 1960. Going by global trends it is plausible to argue that high altitude forest areas in Kenya might have shown great seasonal and inter annual temperatures variability over time. This study assessed interannual trend and variability as well as change point detection in average annual air temperature in South West Mau Forest, Kenya between 1985 and 2015. South West Mau Forest is an indigenous montane ecosystem with a tropical montane climate. Annual average air temperature over the South West Mau forest pointed towards climate warming of 0.01880C per year (Kendall’s tau = 0.3677, p value = 0.0033) but with low interannual variability (CV= 0.11%). A shift in the annual average air temperature of 0.3680C at p= 0.0051 was detected between 1985-1998 and 1999- 2015. There was a weak positive anomaly in the annual average air temperature with a slope of 0.0192 and R2 = 0.3074. Overall the region experienced climate warming. Keywords: Climate warming, Trend, Variability, Average temperature DOI: 10.7176/JNSR/11-16-04 Publication date:August 31st 202

Carbon Sequestration by the Above Ground Biomass Pool in the South West Mau Forest of Kenya, 1985 - 2015

Forests are important for regulation of the global carbon balance. Increase in forest biomass enhances atmospheric carbon sequestration while decrease in forest biomass contributes to carbon dioxide emissions. World over, forest biomass has been declining due to forest loss and degradation. The South West Mau has experienced significant forest loss since 1964. The decline is posited to have significant impacts on carbon sequestration, carbon storage, carbon dioxide emissions and status of atmospheric carbon dioxide. This study assessed interannual trend and variability as well as change point detection in carbon sequestration in South West Mau Forest, Kenya between 1985 and 2015. Above ground biomass carbon sequestration was quantified based on the Carnegie-Ames-Stanford Approach (CASA) and carbon fraction for tropical climate domain. Carbon sequestration dynamics were characterized by increase-decrease cycles of approximately 3 years and low interannual variability (CV= 9.13). It emerged that South West Mau Forest was a net carbon emitter with a carbon sequestration balance of -588.40 Kg/ha between 1985 and 2015. Keywords: Forest, Carbon sequestration, Carnegie-Ames-Stanford Approach, Above ground net primary production DOI: 10.7176/JEES/10-8-05 Publication date:August 31st 202