KNOWLEDGE DISCOVERY IN ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS AND REGRESSION MODELS

In this paper, Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) and Regression Analysis models were considered to determine which ofthem performs better. Prediction was done using one hidden layer and three processing elements in the ANN model.Furthermore, prediction was done using regression analysis. The parameters of regression model were estimated using LeastSquare method. To determine the better prediction, mean square errors (MSE) attached to ANN and regression models wereused. Seven real series were fitted and predicted with in both models. It was found out that the mean square error attached to ANNmodel was smaller than regression model which made ANN a better model in prediction.Keywords: Artificial Neural Networks, Regression, Least Square, Processing Element, Hidden Layer, Mean Square Error.

Editorial: Antiretroviral therapy program in Ethiopia benefits from virology treatment monitoring

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Assessment of Urban Cattle Keeping Patterns and Waste Disposal Mechanisms in Nakuru Municipality, Kenya

Urban livestock production has recorded significant growth in East Africa since the 1970’s. However, proximity to cattle creates potential to public health hazards due to poor hygiene caused by the presence of dung, and flies and parasites that transmit zoonotic diseases. These environmental problems from urban cattle farming threaten both human life and natural ecosystems. The objective of the current study was to assess the patterns of cattle keeping in Nakuru Municipality in Kenya, and identify cattle waste disposal mechanisms in relation to environmental pollution. Through a cross-sectional survey, primary data was collected using sets of structured and semi-structured questionnaires and focused group discussions. To select respondents to be interviewed, stratified sampling was used followed by simple random sampling within the strata. Fishers Exact Formula was then applied to get the 186 cattle keepers that were interviewed. Subsequently, descriptive statistics was used to describe the results, and Chi-square and paired t- tests performed to determine the existence of differences between observations. Results indicate that almost all cattle (80% of the respondents) were found either on owners’ and landlords’ plots. The number of cattle kept on “own land” differed (P<0.005) from that reared on “tenant/ rental” land (t183=7.95, P=0.000). Majority of the cattle were grazed on roadsides/ streets, some under zero-grazing and the rest (10.3%) under semi zero-grazing. Differences existed between various production systems, i.e., zero-grazing vs semi zero-grazing (t77=2.280, P=0.012) and roadside/ street grazing vs semi zero-grazing (t165=3.50, P=0.001). Much (52.2%) of the cattle waste was used as manure for crops, and the rest (10.2%) dumped on the streets, and dustbins, pits and compounds (10.2%).Use of waste as manure on crops differed from giving it away to neighbours, 26.9%, (t145=3.137, P=0.001).Generally, land was a limiting factor that made the cattle keepers opt for free-range grazing system, which exposed the Municipality to cattle waste. Use of manure on crops as the major method of waste disposal was inadequate as a means of disposal, resulting in exposure of the Municipality to a serious problem of cattle waste. The findings of this study provide information that the Municipal authorities, policy makers and cattle keepers would need in terms of managing the menace of cattle waste in the Municipality. Keywords: Environmental Pollution, Cattle Waste, Urban Cattle Keepin

Environmental Effects of Urban Cattle Keeping in Nakuru Municipality, Kenya

Dilemma exists in Kenya among various urban dwellers and policy makers on whether to promote or prohibit urban cattle keeping. This is due to the intricate nature of the tradeoffs between its benefits and associated environmental hazards. The current study, therefore, sought to assess environmental effects of urban cattle keeping in Nakuru Municipality in Nakuru County of Kenya. Through a cross-sectional survey, primary data was collected using sets of structured and semi-structured questionnaires, and focused group discussions. Stratified sampling was used, with simple random sampling within the strata applied. Fishers Exact Formula was then used to select the 186 cattle keepers that were interviewed. Chi-square and paired t-tests were performed to determine the existence of significant differences between observations. Results indicate that majority (90.3%) of the survey respondents disagreed that cattle waste had any environmental hazards. This was due to lack of awareness among urban cattle keepers on environmental hazards related to livestock keeping in confined areas and close proximity to human beings. Most (82.8%) of the survey respondents who practiced zero-grazing perceived bad odour/ air pollution as an environmental hazard. Similarly, those who grazed their cattle by the roadside or streets perceived bad odour /air pollution and littered streets as environmental hazards. Overall, the type of cattle rearing system was highly associated with environmental hazards. The number of cattle kept, however, was independent of the environmental hazard (P=0.191, ?24=6.109). The heaping of manure in the cattle pen was more likely to contaminate the environment than when given away or applied on the kitchen garden. There were differences in the rating of environmental hazards of cattle waste across levels of education attained by the respondents (P=0.191, ?24= 6.109). However, there were no differences between respondents who deposited cattle waste less than 10 meters away from the household and those who deposited it farther away. Generally, there was no proper cattle waste management procedures in Nakuru Municipality. It is recommended that cattle waste management be decentralized with active participation of organized urban cattle keepers and supported by the public. User pay principle should also be applied whereby urban cattle keepers pay a determined fee for cattle waste collection. This would assist in the sustainability of the decentralized service. The findings in the current study are useful for policy formulation on the management of cattle waste and associated environmental hazards in the Municipality and other areas with similar circumstances. Keywords: Environmental Hazards, Urban Cattle Keeping, Cattle waste, Nakuru, Keny

Gambaran Penyuluhan Kesehatan Terhadap Pengetahuan pada Peserta Didik tentang PHBS di SMA Negeri 1 Sinonsayang Minahasa Selatan

Dalam upaya meningkatkan  derajat  kesehatan  di  sekolah, penerapan perilaku hidup bersih dan sehat di sekolah sangatlah penting. Selain  manfaat  penerapan perilaku hidup bersih dan sehat dalam kebiasaan sehari-hari dapat mencegah kerentanan timbulnya penyakit, tentunya juga bermanfaat dalam meningkatkan kualitas pembelajaran di kelas karena fisik yang sehat pada pelajar. Tujuan penelitian ini Untuk mengetahui gambaran penyuluhan kesehatan terhadap pengetahuan tentang Perilaku Hidup Bersih dan Sehat pada pelajar kelas X di SMA Negeri 1 Sinonsayang. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian deskriptif yang dilaksanakan di SMA Negeri 1 Sinonsayang minahasa selatan pada Oktober 2021 - Januari 2022 dengan total populasi 51 siswa kelas X. Hasil penelitian menunjukan angka pengetahuan yang awalnya (88,24%) meningkat menjadi (100%) setelah dilakukannya penyuluhan.  Kata Kunci : PHBS, Penyuluhan Kesehatan, SMA Negeri 1 Sinonsayang ABSTRACTIn an effort to improve the health status in schools, the application of clean and healthy living behavior in schools is very important. In addition to the benefits of implementing clean and healthy living behavior in daily habits, it can prevent susceptibility to disease, of course, it is also useful in improving the quality of learning in the classroom because students are physically healthy. The purpose of this study was to determine the description of health education on knowledge about Clean and Healthy Life Behavior in class X students at SMA Negeri 1 Sinonsayang. This research is a descriptive study that was conducted at SMA Negeri 1 Sinonsayang, South Minahasa in October 2021 - January 2022 with a total population of 51 students in class X. The results showed that the initial knowledge rate (88.24%) increased to (100%) after counseling. . Keywords: PHBS, Health Counseling, SMA Negeri 1 Sinonsayan

Factors Militating Against Usage of Research and Scholarship Works Among Faculty and Students

ABSTRACT This study sought to explore the factors militating against the usage of research and scholarship works among university faculty and students at the Zimbabwe Open University. The study adopted a multi site case study approach in which two regions of ZOU (Mashonaland East and West) were explored over time through the use of structured interviews, which solicited for information about faculty and students` usage of research and scholarship works. However, data were reported both qualitatively and quantitatively. A total of 26 lecturers and 912 students made the total population. All the 26 lecturers were interviewed. A purposive sample of 100 students was drawn from the four faculties of the university and these were also interviewed through the use of assistant interviewers. Despite the availability of research and scholarship works, there seems to be under-utilisation of these because of a number of challenges which include the nature and form of the research and scholarship work, inability to manipulate ICT gadgets by potential users, financial constraints, inadequate internet connectivity and social networking on the internet. In light of these findings, it was recommended that research and scholarship works be available in a more accessible and appropriate nature and form. There should be training in ICT usage to enable access and use of research and scholarship works. Funds should be made available for the acquisition of essential gadgets and social networking on the internet could drastically be reduced so that potential users focus more on research and scholarship work

Determination of Major Ion Concentration and Ionic Strength of Saline Water: A Case Study of Lakes; Nakuru, Bogoria-Kenya and Nata Saltpan Sanctuary –Botswana

Lakes Nakuru, Bogoria and Nata salt pan are of great ecological and economic importance. They are home to one of the world’s renowned bird sanctuaries with over 400 bird species, lesser flamingoes and breeding ground for a host of water birds including pelicans and flamingoes. These aquatic ecosystems are however; threatened by environmental pollution mainly due to anthropogenic activities in the catchment basins. The current study therefore, sought to determine the concentration of individual ions of saline waters and ionic strength in Lake Nakuru, Lake Bogoria (Kenya) and Nata Saltpan Sanctuary (Botswana) so as to form the baseline information for periodic monitoring and remediation of such aquatic saline systems amid the environmental pollution. Identification of individual dissolved ions can also be used as an indicator of the source of pollution. Samples were collected during the dry season by stratified sampling technique using Van Dorn Sampler. Water temperatures were generally high and consistent with the ambient air temperatures and pH values were 10.55±0.09, 10.15±0.18 and 9.97±0.33 for Nakuru, Bogoria and Nata saltpan respectively. Mean conductivity of values of 47.77±0.78, 62.50±0.37 and 12.79±0.33 were recorded for Lakes Nakuru, Bogoria and Nata saltpans respectively. Cation concentration were dominated by Na+ followed by K+, Ca2+ and Mg2+ and significant amount of trace anions in Lake Nakuru, Bogoria and Nata saltpan. Ionic strength for lakes Nakuru, Bogoria and Nata saltpan waters was 0.166, 0.195 and 0.059 M respectively. The findings of the study showed high level of ions in lakes Nakuru and Bogoria compared to Nata Saltpan. This was attributed to high agricultural and industrial activities in the catchment area. Key Words: Salinity, Conductivity, Ionic strength, Pollution, Water

ViSE: Vision-Based 3D Online Shape Estimation of Continuously Deformable Robots

The precise control of soft and continuum robots requires knowledge of their shape. The shape of these robots has, in contrast to classical rigid robots, infinite degrees of freedom. To partially reconstruct the shape, proprioceptive techniques use built-in sensors resulting in inaccurate results and increased fabrication complexity. Exteroceptive methods so far rely on placing reflective markers on all tracked components and triangulating their position using multiple motion-tracking cameras. Tracking systems are expensive and infeasible for deformable robots interacting with the environment due to marker occlusion and damage. Here, we present a regression approach for 3D shape estimation using a convolutional neural network. The proposed approach takes advantage of data-driven supervised learning and is capable of real-time marker-less shape estimation during inference. Two images of a robotic system are taken simultaneously at 25 Hz from two different perspectives, and are fed to the network, which returns for each pair the parameterized shape. The proposed approach outperforms marker-less state-of-the-art methods by a maximum of 4.4% in estimation accuracy while at the same time being more robust and requiring no prior knowledge of the shape. The approach can be easily implemented due to only requiring two color cameras without depth and not needing an explicit calibration of the extrinsic parameters. Evaluations on two types of soft robotic arms and a soft robotic fish demonstrate our method's accuracy and versatility on highly deformable systems in real-time. The robust performance of the approach against different scene modifications (camera alignment and brightness) suggests its generalizability to a wider range of experimental setups, which will benefit downstream tasks such as robotic grasping and manipulation

Drivers of sustainable intensification in Kenyan rural and peri-urban vegetable production

Sustainable intensification promotes environmentally sound and productive agriculture. However, use of sustainable intensification practices (SIPs) is low in many sub-Sharan African countries. This study examined the adoption of SIPs in Kenyan rural and peri-urban vegetable production to understand the scale of and underlying factors in the use of SIPs. A multistage sampling technique was employed to randomly select 685 rural and peri-urban vegetable farm households. Household data was then collected and anaylsed for four practices namely improved irrigation, integrated soil fertility, organic manure and crop diversification using a pre-tested structured questionnaire. A multivariate probit model was run to model simultaneous interdependent adoption decisions. Adoption of organic manure and African indigenous vegetables (AIV) diversification was high in both rural and peri-urban areas. However, adoption of improved irrigation systems and integrated soil fertility management was low, and even significantly lower in rural areas than in peri-urban areas (p < 0.041). Similarly, adoption intensity of SIPs was lower in rural areas than in peri-urban areas. Furthermore, the findings also show complementarities and substitutabilities between SIPs. Market integration, the farm location and household income were the major factors heavily influencing the adoption of most SIPs. Policies and programmes that seek to build household financial capital base and integrate farm households into effective and efficient vegetable markets need to be formulated and implemented in order to enhance adoption of SIPs in AIV production