A tool for estimating Best Management Practice effectiveness in Arkansas

Increased nutrient and sediment losses from expanding agricultural practices and urban development in Arkansas are important environmental concerns. Best Management Practices (BMPs) are being implemented to lessen the effects of these developments on existing water bodies. There is, however, insufficient scientific base as to the effectiveness of these practices. A number of studies have been conducted in recent years to determine BMP effectiveness. Data from these studies can only be reliably used for the individual site from which they were obtained. When considered collectively, these data comprise quantitative effectiveness over a wide range of conditions and can thus be used to provide reliable estimates of BMP effectiveness. This study develops a tool for estimating BMP effectiveness, based on accumulation and analyses of data reported in previous studies, with a focus on site conditions and management interventions in Arkansas. This study incorporates data from a variety of regions in the southeastern U.S., which have site conditions and management similar to those in Arkansas. Developed within Microsoft® Access© from a pre-existing BMP characterization tool, this tool will be made accessible to local and state agencies and will aid rural and urban planners in developing management solutions for nutrients and sediment control. The tool describes individual BMPs in detail and gives site-specific estimates of their long-term effectiveness in sediment and nutrient control

Breaking barriers to increase the participation of women in cycling in Nairobi city county

Papers presented virtually at the 41st International Southern African Transport Conference on 10-13 July 2079As the conversation to decarbonize the transport sector by 2050 is progressing, countries like Kenya are accelerating their investments in sustainable transport. Nairobi City County has adopted a Non-Motorized Transport Policy which commits to increasing NMT budgetary allocations from 2% to 20%. In 2020, a network of walking and cycling paths was constructed to encourage the uptake of NMT in the city. The presence of this infrastructure has however not translated to their full utilization by cyclists who comprise 1% of the modal share in Nairobi. Among these cyclists, 96.9% are male while women comprise only 3.6%. Cycling offers an attractive and sustainable option for women to support their travel patterns and behaviours, which largely entail mobility of care. The purpose of this study is hence to explore the level of uptake of cycling within Nairobi County, the cycling motivations and challenges facing women cyclists, barriers limiting increased uptake of cycling among women and provide policy recommendations on how to promote the participation of women in the cycling as a sustainable and reliable mode of transport. The methodology used comprised questionnaires and focus groups with female cyclists and non-cyclists, key informant interviews, and study tours to cycling events to understand the pain points of cyclists within Nairobi County. Results show that socio-cultural perceptions, safety and security concerns, lack of skills and access to affordable womenfriendly bicycles, and infrastructural constraints are the main impediments to women’s uptake of cycling. The study concludes by providing policy directions on breaking negative socio-cultural perceptions through sustained public awareness and education, prevention of sexual harassment, promotion of safer roads, increasing access to affordable women-friendly bicycles through fiscal incentives, and collection of gender aggregated data on the cycling value chain, which will require robust stakeholder collaboration

Differences in the epidemiology of theileriosis on smallholder dairy farms in contrasting agro-ecological and grazing strata of highland Kenya

A prospective cohort study was conducted in five purposively-sampled agro-ecological zone (AEZ)-grazing system strata in Murang’a District, Kenya, between March 1995 and June 1996. The study strata were selected based on a preliminary characterization study to represent the widest range of risks to East Coast fever (ECF) in the District and included zero-grazing and open-grazing farms. In total, 225 calves from 188 smallholder farms were examined from birth to 6 months of age and visited within the first 2 weeks of life and thereafter at bi-weekly intervals for up to 14 visits. The purpose of the study was to characterize the differences in epidemiology (risks of infection, morbidity and mortality) and potential control of ECF between the selected strata. Evidence of Theileria parva infection was assessed by increased antibody levels as measured in an indirect ELISA assay by the percent positivity (PP) of serum samples relative to a strong positive reference serum. Sero-conversion risks of T. parva were highest in the open-grazing strata. Antibody prevalence in adult cattle and ECF morbidity and mortality risks were also highest in open-grazing strata. While different, all five AEZ-grazing strata were considered to be endemically unstable for ECF. East Coast fever challenge was low in all zero-grazing strata and this challenge is likely to remain low due to continuing intensification of smallholder farming in the central highlands. In the open-grazing strata, there was higher challenge and a greater impact of ECF. ILRI publication no.: 99017

Maternal micronutrient status and decreased growth of Zambian infants born during and after the maize price increases resulting from the southern African drought of 2001-2002.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects on maternal micronutrient status and infant growth of the increased maize prices that resulted from the southern African drought of 2001-2002. DESIGN: Longitudinal cohort study. SETTING: A maternal and child health clinic in Lusaka, Zambia. SUBJECTS: Maternal and infant health and nutrition data and maternal plasma were being collected for a study of breast-feeding and postpartum health. Samples and data were analysed according to whether they were collected before (June to December 2001), during (January 2002 to April 2003) or after (May 2003 to January 2004) the period of increased maize price. Season and maternal HIV status were controlled for in analyses. RESULTS: Maize price increases were associated with decreased maternal plasma vitamin A during pregnancy (P = 0.028) and vitamin E postpartum (P = 0.042), with the lowest values among samples collected after May 2003 (vitamin A: 0.96 micromol l(-1), 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.84-1.09, n = 38; vitamin E: 30.8 micromol mmol(-1) triglycerides, 95% CI 27.2-34.8, n = 64) compared with before January 2002 (vitamin A: 1.03 micromol l(-1), 95% CI 0.93-1.12, n = 104; vitamin E: 38.9 micromol mmol(-1) triglycerides, 95% CI 34.5-43.8, n = 47). There were no significant effects of sampling date on maternal weight, haemoglobin or acute-phase proteins and only marginal effects on infant weight. Infant length at 6 and 16 weeks of age decreased progressively throughout the study (P-values for time of data collection were 0.51 at birth, 0.051 at 6 weeks and 0.026 at 16 weeks). CONCLUSIONS: The results show modest effects of the maize price increases on maternal micronutrient status. The most serious consequence of the price increases is likely to be the increased stunting among infants whose mothers experienced high maize prices while pregnant. During periods of food shortages it might be advisable to provide micronutrient supplements even to those who are less food-insecure

Environmental Challenge and Water Access in Africa: Empirical Evidences based on Nigeria’s Households Survey

One of the environmental challenges is the effect on water availability and water-related diseases accounts for 80 percent of sicknesses in developing countries. Despite this, there has remained increasing research on poverty reduction, with little emphasis on water access particularly in Africa. Using micro-level data from survey conducted by the World Bank and National Bureau of Statistics, covering over 5,000 households and 27,000 household members across the 36 States of Nigeria, the study formulates an econometric model. The results from logistic regression analysis show that the main determinants of households access to water include: age of the household members, the marital status, the sector where the household member works, the type of employment, the number of working hours, access to informal means of financial credit and the income level of the household, among others. Some recommendations on how to boost water access of households are made in the study

Moving barriers, increasing access: an assessment of the mobility of women with disabilities and elderly women

Papers presented virtually at the 41st International Southern African Transport Conference on 10-13 July 2023.The success of Sustainable Development Goal 11, particularly target 11.2 on access to safe, affordable, and sustainable transport systems will be measured through the proportion of people especially vulnerable groups with access to convenient public transport systems. In Kenya, this demographic group comprises 2.2% (0.9 million) of people with disabilities and 6% (2.7 million) of the elderly. Among these statistics, women form the largest proportion; 2.5% for people with disabilities and 55% for the elderly. The purpose of this assessment is hence to understand the vulnerabilities women with disabilities and elderly women face in accessing public transport through documenting their subjective experiences, with a special focus on Nairobi City County. A mixed methodology approach was adopted comprising a survey targeting women with disabilities and elderly women to collect data; Focus Group Discussions; and Key Informant Interviews with transport policymakers, public transport operators and owners, and relevant government institutions. Findings from the study indicate that women with disabilities and elderly women currently face challenges in accessing public transport services due to a lack of inclusive national and county transport policies, inaccessible design of public transport vehicles and infrastructure, unaffordable and hidden costs of transport, vulnerability to sexual harassment, limited road safety, and security; inaccessible travel information; discrimination, unresponsive reporting mechanisms, and a non-representative workforce. To enhance access to public transport for these vulnerable groups, the study recommends technical, social, and institutional interventions, including implementation of the Public Service Vehicle standard designs in Kenya to ensure inclusive accessibility, education and awareness programs to public service operators on handling and treatment of vulnerable groups, sensitization and implementation of policies governing vulnerable groups and building capacity of women belonging to these groups on self-advocacy

Activity Budget and Foraging Patterns of Nubian Giraffes (\u3cem\u3eGiraffa camelopardalis camelopardalis\u3c/em\u3e) in Lake Nakuru National Park, Kenya

How animals decide to spend their time has a key impact on their survival and reproduction. These behavioral decisions are shaped by ecological and environmental factors, such as seasonal changes. Foraging patterns show how an animal chooses to forage in its environment as influenced by resource availability, competition, and predation risk. Giraffe activity budget has been investigated in populations across Africa and found to be influenced by body size, diet composition, and sex. The activity budget and foraging patterns of Nubian giraffes vary considerably between ecosystems. The Nubian giraffe, a subspecies of the Northern giraffe species (Giraffa Camelopardalis) is a critically endangered population and occurs only within Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Southern Sudan. We performed 3 months of behavioral observation on a population of Nubian giraffes in Lake Nakuru National Park, Kenya, to assess seasonal activity budgets and foraging patterns. We found that in the wet and dry seasons giraffe spent approximately the same amount of time (53% and 57%, respectively) foraging. Movement and resting duration decreased slightly from dry to wet seasons 22% to 20% and 25% to 22% respectively. Across both seasons, Vachellia xanthophloea (67%), Maytenus senegalensis (19%), and Solanum incanum (9%) made up the bulk of giraffe\u27s diet. In the dry season, giraffes additionally foraged on Maerua triphylla (2%), Vachellia gerrardi (2%), and Grewia similis (1%); in the wet season, they added Vachellia abyssinica (2%) and Rhus natalensis (2%) to their diet. The most utilized browsing height was 3.5 meters (level 5), below their average height. Giraffes browse at lower heights after they consume the young shoots from the top of the bushes. Overall, seasonality did not appear to influence the Nubian giraffe\u27s activity budget or foraging patterns in LNNP. Planting perennial plants encourage uniform park resource use, boosts forage diversity, and minimizes Vachellia browsing pressure

Assessment of heavy metals concentration in water, soil sediment and biological tissues of the lesser flamingos in four eastern rift valley lakes

The term heavy metal refers to any metallic chemical element that has a relatively high density and is toxic at low concentrations. This study was conducted in four eastern Rift Valley lakes which included Lakes Oloidien, Crater, Elementaita and Nakuru, to determine the presence and levels of lead, arsenic, cadmium and chromium concentration in water, soil sediments and biological tissues of the Lesser Flamingos (Phoeniconaias minor) and compare with the set standards. As these lakes catchments fall directly within a combination of agricultural and industrial regions, the run-offs and the resulting effluents will make the waters highly prone to chemical contamination. The methodology involved collection of water samples (n=40), sediments samples (n=51) and the Lesser Flamingos (live n= 6; dead n=2) for qualitative and quantitative toxicological analysis. The analysis was done using Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (GFAAS) model-Specter AA-10 Varian. Lead and arsenic were found to be in high concentration in soil sediments in all four lakes while chromium and cadmium were in low concentration. Soil sediments analysed from the inflow of the Nakuru sewerage drain (1754±22.81 ppb) and rivers to Lake Nakuru (1129±107 ppb) had the highest mean ± SD lead concentration. Arsenic, cadmium, chromium and lead were also observed in bird tissues. Metals in the Lesser Flamingo tissues were below the toxicological levels that are reported in literature to be harmful, except lead which was above the level recommended by the US Environmental Protection Agency.Keywords: Heavy metals, lesser flamingo, environmen

Differential Plasmodium falciparum surface antigen expression among children with Malarial Retinopathy

Retinopathy provides a window into the underlying pathology of life-threatening malarial coma (“cerebral malaria”), allowing differentiation between 1) coma caused by sequestration of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes in the brain and 2) coma with other underlying causes. Parasite sequestration in the brain is mediated by PfEMP1; a diverse parasite antigen that is inserted into the surface of infected erythrocytes and adheres to various host receptors. PfEMP1 sub-groups called “DC8” and “DC13” have been proposed to cause brain pathology through interactions with endothelial protein C receptor. To test this we profiled PfEMP1 gene expression in parasites from children with clinically defined cerebral malaria, who either had or did not have accompanying retinopathy. We found no evidence for an elevation of DC8 or DC13 PfEMP1 expression in children with retinopathy. However, the proportional expression of a broad subgroup of PfEMP1 called “group A” was elevated in retinopathy patients suggesting that these variants may play a role in the pathology of cerebral malaria. Interventions targeting group A PfEMP1 may be effective at reducing brain pathology

Task Shifting in HIV Clinics, Western Kenya

Background: United states Agency for International development-Academic Model for Providing Accesses to Healthcare (USAID-AMPATH) cares for over 80,000 HIVinfected patients. Express care (EC) model addresses challenges of: clinically stable patient’s adherent to combined-antiretroviral-therapy with minimal need for clinician intervention and high risk patients newly initiated on cART with CD4 counts ≤100 cells/mm3 with frequent need for clinician intervention. Objective: To improve patient outcomes without increasing clinic resources. Design: A descriptive study of a clinician supervised shared nurse model. Setting: USAID-AMPATH clinics, Western Kenya. Results: Four thousand eight hundred and twenty four patients were seen during the pilot period, 90.4% were eligible for EC of whom 34.6% were enrolled. Nurses performed all traditional roles and attended to two thirds and three quarters of stable and high risk patient visits respectively. Clinicians attended to one third and one quarter of stable and high risk patient visits respectively and all visits ineligible for express care. Conclusion: The EC model is feasible. Task shifting allowed stable patients to receive visits with nurses, while clinicians had more time to concentrate on patients that were new as well as more acutely ill patients.East African Medical Journal Vol. 87 No. 7 July 201