Kenya: Year 3 Findings from the Life in a Time of Food Price Volatility Study in Mukuru And Lango Baya, Kenya

DFI

A study of how leadership influences newsroom convergence in radio Africa group.

This study sought how media houses have been implementing convergence from a leadership perspective due to digital disruption and shrinking resources to run newsrooms with Radio Africa Group (RAG) being picked for case study. Four objectives guided it: 1) Examination of newsroom integration processes employed by Kenyan media houses in their transition to converged newsrooms 2) Examination of the role played by newsroom leaders in driving newsroom convergence 3) An assessment of factors associated with successful implementation of newsroom convergence 4) Exploration of the challenges Kenyan newsrooms face in the implementation of convergence. The study used Media Convergence theory, where the convergence is largely interpreted as collapsing newsroom silos with one producing content for many platforms. The researcher adopted a qualitative research approach. He also employed exploratory research design. The study interviewed journalists, editors and sub-editors working at RAG. The researcher also used the observation method to collect data. The interview guide was used in collecting qualitative data. The study found that convergence has been embraced at RAG, with editors and journalists learning new skills to fit into multimedia content production newsrooms. Editors emerged as key drivers of convergence from a leadership perspective. Other benefits include an increased quantity of content and having more hands to assign content production for various platforms. The new system has, however, experienced a share of challenges, including difficulties in shifting the mindsets of some journalists and editors. Limited training, work overload, focus on quantity as opposed to quality, erosion of newsroom specialization, failure to increase pay for increased work, and reluctance by some senior editors and journalists to have a mental shift emerged as major challenges in implementing convergence. Media houses need to train their editors and journalists more on convergence and also setting up enough resources to support the new system, including enhancing the salaries of those who have fully converged

Life in a Time of Food Price Volatility: Evidence from the poor and vulnerable in Mukuru and Lango Baya, Kenya

DFI

Mortality and functional outcomes after a spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage: A retrospective multicentre cross-sectional study in Kenya

Introduction: Despite a reduction in poor outcomes in recent decades, spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) remains associated with severe disability and high mortality rates. The exact extent of these outcomes is however unknown in Africa. This study aimed to determine the mortality and functional outcomes of patients with SAH in Kenya. Methods: We conducted a retrospective multicentre cross-sectional study involving patients admitted with SAH to three referral hospitals in Nairobi. All patients with a confirmed (primary) discharge diagnosis of first-time SAH between January 2009 and November 2017 were included (n = 158). Patients who had prior head trauma or cerebrovascular disease (n = 53) were excluded. Telephone interviews were conducted with surviving patients or their next of kin to assess out-of-hospital outcomes (including functional outcomes) based on modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores. Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests were used to assess associations between mortality and functional outcomes and sample characteristics. Results: Of the 158 patients sampled, 38 (24.1%) died in hospital and 42 (26.6%) died within 1 month. In total, 87 patients were discharged home and followed-up in this study, of which 72 reported favourable functional outcomes (mRS ≤2). This represented 45.6% of all patients who presented alive, pointing to high numbers of unfavourable outcomes post SAH in Kenya. Conclusions: Mortality following SAH remains high in Kenya. Patients who survive the initial ictus tend to do well after treatment, despite resource constraints. Limitations: The study findings should be interpreted with caution because of unavoidable limitations in the primary data. These include its retrospective nature, the high number of patients lost to follow up, missing records and diagnoses, and/or possible miscoding of cases

Does mass drug administration of azithromycin reduce child mortality?

Child mortality remains prevalent in low-income and middle-income countries, with the sub-Saharan Africa region accounting for the largest under-5 mortality rates. Although under-5 mortality rates have significantly decreased, most countries in sub-Saharan Africa with high mortality rates are unlikely to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of at least as low as 25 deaths per 1000 livebirths by 2030

Child mortality in Africa and south Asia: a multidimensional research and policy framework

Globally, progress has been made to address the diagnosis and management of common and avoidable acute illnesses that contribute to child mortality. Nevertheless, regions across sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia continue to have the highest rates of mortality in children younger than 5 years, with most deaths occurring after discharge from health facilities, indicating a gap in care following hospitalisation

Project Planning and Implementation in Public TVET Institutions in Nairobi County, Kenya

This study aimed to determine the influence project planning has on implementation of projects in public TVET institutions in Nairobi County, Kenya, due to limited empirical evidence on the phenomenon. Hoshin's model of strategic planning made up the study’s theoretical framework. The study adopted an explanatory research design and was conducted in public TVET institutions in Nairobi County. The target population of 132 respondents for the study constituted Ministry of Education officials and top management and staff members of public TVET institutions who were selected using a multistage sampling approach. The sample size was 79 respondents while 72 respondents returned questionnaires. Data was collected using semi-structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive (measures of central tendency, measures of frequency, and measures of dispersion) and inferential statistics (correlation analysis and regression analysis). The study found that project planning (p=.000) has significant positive effect on project implementation. Therefore, this research concluded that planning is a significant predictor of project implementation success in public TVET institutions in Nairobi County. The study urges future research to explore other types of project management practices and how they influence project implementation

Spatial motion vector recovery in wireless high definition video transmission using H.264 over WLANs

Mobile devices are becoming more prevalent and complex. As a result, the wireless communication aspect of these devices is becoming increasingly significant. At the same time, video demands in terms of availability and quality are also on the uprise. High definition (HD) video is the standard of choice for meeting today's video demands. However, HD video is characterized by high data rates. Therefore, there is heightened interest in the 60-GHz spectrum as it is suitable for streaming uncompressed HD video. On the other hand, 802.11 wireless technology, compared to 60-GHz, is much more established and widely available and able to cater to a wide variety of devices. HD video compressed using H.264 can be wirelessly streamed via 802.11 wireless networks. However, such wireless networks are prone to packet losses, which result in degraded perceptual quality of video. It is thus important to perform error concealment in order to improve the visual quality of degraded video. Among the key techniques in performing error concealment on video compressed with H.264 is spatial motion vector recovery. This paper proposes a new spatial motion vector recovery technique (MI-WAM) that takes advantage of properly decoded motion vectors. MI-WAM and pre-existing MV recovery techniques are used to provide different corresponding macroblock candidates that compete for the best concealment of each lost macroblock in what will be referred to as competitive motion vector recovery (CMVR)

A Pilot Study Exploring Nursing Knowledge of Depression and Suicidal Ideation in Kenya

Nurses play key roles in recognizing, diagnosing, managing, and referring persons with mental disorders. This cross-sectional study assessed mental health literacy (depression and suicidal ideation) among nurses in a private urban referral hospital in Kenya. Nurses read a vignette and answered questions regarding diagnosis, treatment/interventions, and related attitudes and beliefs. Thirty-seven nurses (12 males) completed the questionnaire. Three correctly identified the diagnosis and 23 identified depression only. Although 75% noted the symptoms were extremely distressing, fear, and stigma were common reactions. This highlights challenges in mental health promotion/prevention in Kenya, and suggests continuous nursing education and curriculum enhancement is needed

A Method for Simulating Acoustic Emissions from Tensile Cracks in Sea Ice

As the seasons change, sea ice in the polar regions undergoes a freeze-thaw cycle producing anisotropic sea ice in terms of physical properties and structures. Deformation of these variable structures from the freeze-thaw cycle and flux of energy within the polar regions causes the ice to fracture radiating noise into the water. Simulating the noise from sea ice is difficult due to the variability in the physical properties of sea ice, dynamic environment of the polar regions, complex physics governing sound propagation and numerous methods by which the emission of noise can be generated from sea ice. The radiated ambient noise generated from deforming sea ice can influence the habits of oceanic life, targeting abilities of vessels equipped with sonar, and add to the background acoustic noise in the polar regions. This work addresses the noise generated by opening (Mode I) fractures in sea ice. OASN was used to simulate acoustic waves propagating through the complex arctic environment. For this problem, a significant understanding of mathematics was required to overcome a mathematical aberration, within the computational tool, which was reduced and compared against simulations computed by an alternate propagation tool, RAM. Simulations of Model I fractures were compared against observed data. The methods developed for the simulation of Mode I fractures was proven successful