Factors Influencing Financial Control Practices in Community Based Organizations: A Case Study of CBOs in Migori County, Kenya

Studies  reveal  that  weaknesses  in  financial  control practices  in  CBOs  have  led  to corruption, embezzlement of funds by CBO officials and even the organizations’ risk to lose funding by donors. Therefore, the overall objective of this study was to analyze the factors influencing financial control practices of CBOs in Migori County. The specific objectives of the study were to: analyze the influence of technical skills of CBO officials; internal controls systems and budgeting; bookkeeping and auditing on financial control practices of CBOs in Migori County. The study used survey research design targeting CBOs in the County. Stratified sampling design was adopted targeting 142 management staff of the different CBOs from eight sub counties in the area. The sample of 142 was selected from a population of 220 CBOs in Migori County. Data was collected using questionnaires and analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings revealed that technical skills of the CBO officials (r = 0.478, α = 0.01), Auditing (r = 0.435, α = 0.01), Bookkeeping (r = 0.268, α = 0. 05) and Internal control systems and budgeting (r = 0.220 α = 0.05) were positively correlated with financial control practices respectively. Multiple linear regression analysis results showed that Technical skills (β = 0.347) and Auditing (β = 0.285) are significant while Internal control systems and budgeting (β = 0.095) and Bookkeeping (β = 0.024) are not significant.  The study further found out that most CBOs in the area were audited annually although there was need to ensure compliance among all to be subjected to an audit at least once a year. The technical skills of the CBO officials  in  the  area  needed  to  be  strengthened  especially  with  regard  to  spending priorities. The study was very important since the findings will inform the donors and other stakeholders to address the gaps in CBOs to ensure they give the best to the community. It is recommended that standardized accounting and reporting should be provided by the government in order to make the financial activities of the CBOs tractable through sharing of information on a common and acceptable platform. More studies should however be done on the effects of regulations governing funding of CBOs on their performance and on the influence of ICT on the financial performance of CBOs. Keywords: Community Based Organizations, Financial control, Capacity assessment

Extra-adrenal Pheochromocytoma in an Adolescent

A 17-year-old male with symptoms of headache and diaphoresis presented to the emergency department. He had eight months of noted hypertension attributed to medications. On arrival his blood pressure was 229/117mmHg, and he was ill-appearing. His blood pressure was managed aggressively, and he was diagnosed with extra-adrenal pheochromocytoma by computed tomography. He eventually underwent resection of the mass. Children with severe, symptomatic hypertension should be evaluated for pheochromocytoma. Although rare, it is curable. Failure to diagnose carries a high risk of morbidity and mortality

Exploring The Effect of Online Course Design on Preservice Teachers’ Knowledge Transfer and Retention Through Learning Analytics

There is a vast amount of data collected on e-learning platforms that can provide insight and guidance to both learners and educators. However, this data is rarely used for evaluation and understanding the learning process. Hence, to fill this gap in the literature this study explored the effect of online course design on students’ transfer and retention of knowledge through learning analytics. The aim was to reveal study behaviours of participants over a short time while exploring their academic performance. Using a mixed method approach, this research is conducted in two different countries in a limited time. The results showed that the more times students visited the learning module and the longer these visits, the higher the students’ transfer knowledge scores in this module. Most importantly, the only variable found to be a significant predictor of students’ transfer learning outcome was the number of sessions in the module website

Inception: Virtual Space in Memory Space in Real Space

Virtual Reality (VR) has become a reality. With the technology\u27s increased use cases, comes its misuse. Malware affecting the Virtual Environment (VE) may prevent an investigator from ascertaining virtual information from a physical scene, or from traditional “dead” analysis. Following the trend of antiforensics, evidence of an attack may only be found in memory, along with many other volatile data points. Our work provides the primary account for the memory forensics of Immersive VR systems, and in specific the HTC Vive. Our approach is capable of reconstituting artifacts from memory that are relevant to the VE, and is also capable of reconstructing a visualization of the room setup a VR player was immersed into. In specific, we demonstrate that the VE, location, state and class of VR devices can be extracted from memory. Our work resulted in the first open source VR memory forensics plugin for the Volatility Framework. We discuss our findings, and our replicable approach that may be used in future memory forensics research

Characterisation of the Binding Properties of Bacillus Thuringiensis 18 Toxin on Leukaemic Cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Various strains of <it>Bacillus thuringiensis </it>(Bt) have been found to produce parasporal proteins that are cytotoxic to human cancer cells. This study aims to establish the binding affinity of purified Bt 18 toxin for CEM-SS (T lymphoblastic leukaemia cell line), to determine if competition exists between the toxin and commercial anticancer drugs for the binding site on CEM-SS and to localise the binding site of the toxin on CEM-SS.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In homologous competitive binding study, the purified toxin was labelled with biotin and allowed to compete with unlabelled toxin for binding sites on CEM-SS and its dissociation constant (Kd) was determined. Comparisons were made with CCRF-SB, CCRF-HSB-2 and MCF-7. In heterologous competitive binding study, biotinylated toxin competition was determined with two other Bt toxins (crude Btj and crude Bt 22) and anticancer drugs (cisplatin, doxorubicin, etoposide, navelbine and methotrexate). To localise the binding site under the confocal microscope, the biotinylated toxin was tagged with FITC-conjugated streptavidin.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Homologous competitive binding assays revealed decreasing binding affinity of Bt 18 toxin for CEM-SS, CCRF-SB, and CCRF-HSB-2 with Kd of 8.44 nM, 14.98 nM and 17.71 nM respectively. Kd for MCF-7 was not determined as the inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) was not reached. Heterologous competitive study showed little competition (< 30%) between biotinylated Bt 18 toxin and all test compounds used. Confocal microscopy revealed binding of toxin at the periphery of the cell.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>It was postulated that purified Bt 18 toxin binds on the cell surface of CEM-SS and the mechanism of cell death may differ from that of Btj toxin, Bt 22 toxin and all five anticancer drugs used in this study, since it did not significantly compete with these compounds for the same binding site.</p

An assessment of the impacts of pesticide use on the environment and health of rice farmers in Sierra Leone

One of the biggest challenges faced by Sierra Leonean farmers is pest control. Birds, rodents, insects, crustaceans and other organisms can drastically reduce yields. In order to prevent these organisms from destroying their crop, farmers use pesticides. However there are reports that these chemicals are being misused and such misuse is having a negative impact on the environment and the health of the farmers. This research study aimed to investigate the use of pesticides in rice fields and its potential effects on the environment and on the farmers of Sierra Leone. Five hundred farmers and one hundred health workers across the country were interviewed. Fifty focus group discussions were also completed. Field observations were also undertaken to see how farmers apply pesticides to their farms and the possible threats these methods have on human health and the environment. It is clear that a wide range of pesticides are used by rice farmers in Sierra Leone with 60% of the pesticides used entering the country illegally. Most farmers have no knowledge about the safe handling of pesticides as 71% of them have never received any form of training. The pesticides kill both target and non-target organisms some of which enter the food chain. Cases of health problems such as nausea, respiratory disorders and blurred vision investigated in this research are significantly higher among farmers who use pesticides than those who do not use pesticides. Cases of pesticide intoxication are not investigated by health workers but results obtained from interviews with them also indicated that cases of pesticides related symptoms are significantly higher in environments where pesticides are used than those in which pesticides are not used

Phase I dose-escalation trial of the oral AKT inhibitor uprosertib in combination with the oral MEK1/MEK2 inhibitor trametinib in patients with solid tumors.

PurposeThis study aimed to determine the safety, tolerability, and recommended phase II doses of trametinib plus uprosertib (GSK2141795) in patients with solid tumors likely to be sensitive to MEK and/or AKT inhibition.MethodsThis was a phase I, open-label, dose-escalation, and dose-expansion study in patients with triple-negative breast cancer or BRAF-wild type advanced melanoma. The primary outcome of the expansion study was investigator-assessed response. Among 126 enrolled patients, 63 received continuous oral daily dosing of trametinib and uprosertib, 29 received various alternative dosing schedules, and 34 were enrolled into expansion cohorts. Doses tested in the expansion cohort were trametinib 1.5&nbsp;mg once daily (QD) + uprosertib 50&nbsp;mg QD.ResultsAdverse events (AEs) were consistent with those reported in monotherapy studies but occurred at lower doses and with greater severity. Diarrhea was the most common dose-limiting toxicity; diarrhea and rash were particularly difficult to tolerate. Overall, 59% and 6% of patients reported AEs with a maximum severity of grade 3 and 4, respectively. Poor tolerability prevented adequate delivery of uprosertib with trametinib at a concentration predicted to have clinical activity. The study was terminated early based on futility in the continuous-dosing expansion cohorts and a lack of pharmacological or therapeutic advantage with intermittent dosing. The objective response rate was &lt; 5% (1 complete response, 5 partial responses).ConclusionsContinuous and intermittent dosing of trametinib in combination with uprosertib was not tolerated, and minimal clinical activity was observed in all schedules tested

Mapping of networks to detect priority zoonoses in Jordan

Early detection of emerging disease events is a priority focus area for cooperative bioengagement programs. Communication and coordination among national disease surveillance and response networks are essential for timely detection and control of a public health event. Although systematic information sharing between the human and animal health sectors can help stakeholders detect and respond to zoonotic diseases rapidly, resource constraints and other barriers often prevent efficient cross-sector reporting. The purpose of this research project was to map the laboratory and surveillance networks currently in place for detecting and reporting priority zoonotic diseases in Jordan in order to identify the nodes of communication, coordination, and decision-making where health and veterinary sectors intersect, and to identify priorities and gaps that limit information-sharing for action. We selected three zoonotic diseases as case studies: highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1, rabies, and brucellosis. Through meetings with government agencies and health officials, and desk research, we mapped each system from the index case through response – including both surveillance and laboratory networks, highlighting both areas of strength and those that would benefit from capacity-building resources. Our major findings indicate informal communication exists across sectors; in the event of emergence of one of the priority zoonoses studied there is effective coordination across the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Agriculture. However, routine formal coordination is lacking. Overall, there is a strong desire and commitment for multi-sectoral coordination in detection and response to zoonoses across public health and veterinary sectors. Our analysis indicates that the networks developed in response to HPAI can and should be leveraged to develop a comprehensive laboratory and surveillance One Health network

Trypanosoma brucei aquaglyceroporin 2 is a high-affinity transporter for pentamidine and melaminophenyl arsenic drugs and the main genetic determinant of resistance to these drugs.

OBJECTIVES: Trypanosoma brucei drug transporters include the TbAT1/P2 aminopurine transporter and the high-affinity pentamidine transporter (HAPT1), but the genetic identity of HAPT1 is unknown. We recently reported that loss of T. brucei aquaglyceroporin 2 (TbAQP2) caused melarsoprol/pentamidine cross-resistance (MPXR) in these parasites and the current study aims to delineate the mechanism by which this occurs. METHODS: The TbAQP2 loci of isogenic pairs of drug-susceptible and MPXR strains of T. brucei subspecies were sequenced. Drug susceptibility profiles of trypanosome strains were correlated with expression of mutated TbAQP2 alleles. Pentamidine transport was studied in T. brucei subspecies expressing TbAQP2 variants. RESULTS: All MPXR strains examined contained TbAQP2 deletions or rearrangements, regardless of whether the strains were originally adapted in vitro or in vivo to arsenicals or to pentamidine. The MPXR strains and AQP2 knockout strains had lost HAPT1 activity. Reintroduction of TbAQP2 in MPXR trypanosomes restored susceptibility to the drugs and reinstated HAPT1 activity, but did not change the activity of TbAT1/P2. Expression of TbAQP2 sensitized Leishmania mexicana promastigotes 40-fold to pentamidine and >1000-fold to melaminophenyl arsenicals and induced a high-affinity pentamidine transport activity indistinguishable from HAPT1 by Km and inhibitor profile. Grafting the TbAQP2 selectivity filter amino acid residues onto a chimeric allele of AQP2 and AQP3 partly restored susceptibility to pentamidine and an arsenical. CONCLUSIONS: TbAQP2 mediates high-affinity uptake of pentamidine and melaminophenyl arsenicals in trypanosomes and TbAQP2 encodes the previously reported HAPT1 activity. This finding establishes TbAQP2 as an important drug transporter