An Investigation of Influence of Student Absenteeism on Academic Performance of Secondary School Students in Nyandarua, Kenya

The influence of student absenteeism on academic performance has always concerned all stakeholders in education. Schools in Nyandarua, Kenya have recorded high levels of absenteeism in their institutions. This has made teachers wonder whether student absenteeism significantly influences student academic performance in their schools. This study targeted a population of 869 Form Three students from 11 schools sampled for the study. The sample was made up of 72 respondents, comprising of 54 students, 9 class teachers and 9 school counsellors. Stratified, simple random and purposive sampling methods were used to arrive at a representative sample of students who displayed chronic absenteeism during the previous school term. To validate the research instrument, piloting was carried out in two schools outside Nyandarua in order to avoid contamination of data. Cronbach’s coefficient alpha at 0.79 was achieved as the reliability level of the instrument. Computer software SPSS- v20 was used for the analysis of data for both descriptive and inferential statistics. Pearson’s product moment was used for data analysis. All hypotheses were tested at 95% significance level. The results indicated that student absenteeism influenced academic performance although the significance level was not good enough to conclusively confirm that. However it was evident that, level of student absenteeism mattered in academic performance. The study recommended that, the government needed to meet the whole cost of education at secondary school, so that students may not have to absent themselves from school for whatever reason, thereby compromising their academic performance.Keywords: Student Absenteeism, Academic Performance, Secondary School Student

Integration of STI and HIV/AIDS with MCH-FP Services: A case study of the Nakuru Municipal Council\u27s project on strengthening STD/AIDS control

Kenya’s Nakuru Municipal Council (NMC) operates five clinics located primarily in residential areas with high concentrations of people. The clinics provide basic antenatal, child welfare, STI, and other curative services, and family planning services are available at four of the clinics. One provincial referral hospital operated by the Ministry of Health also provides MCH-FP and HIV/STI services in a special STI treatment clinic. The seven public health facilities in Nakuru Municipality are participating in a collaborative project with the Department of Community Health at the University of Nairobi, the University of Manitoba in Canada, and the Nairobi Municipal City Council. The goal is to reduce the incidence of STD\u27s, including HIV/AIDS in Kenya, through strengthening management of STDs and AIDS at the health facilities and establishing sustainable community-based STD/AIDS control activities with an emphasis on women\u27s participation. This report describes a case study of the integration activities being undertaken by the NMC. NMC clinics have adequate basic infrastructure to provide MCH-FP and STI/HlV/AlDS services using an integrated approach, however they lack basic equipment and supplies to support the integration of these services

Draft genomes of two Artocarpus plants, jackfruit (A. heterophyllus) and breadfruit (A. altilis)

Two of the most economically important plants in the Artocarpus genus are jackfruit (A. heterophyllus Lam.) and breadfruit (A. altilis (Parkinson) Fosberg). Both species are long-lived trees that have been cultivated for thousands of years in their native regions. Today they are grown throughout tropical to subtropical areas as an important source of starch and other valuable nutrients. There are hundreds of breadfruit varieties that are native to Oceania, of which the most commonly distributed types are seedless triploids. Jackfruit is likely native to the Western Ghats of India and produces one of the largest tree-borne fruit structures (reaching up to 45 kg). To-date, there is limited genomic information for these two economically important species. Here, we generated 273 Gb and 227 Gb of raw data from jackfruit and breadfruit, respectively. The high-quality reads from jackfruit were assembled into 162,440 scaffolds totaling 982 Mb with 35,858 genes. Similarly, the breadfruit reads were assembled into 180,971 scaffolds totaling 833 Mb with 34,010 genes. A total of 2822 and 2034 expanded gene families were found in jackfruit and breadfruit, respectively, enriched in pathways including starch and sucrose metabolism, photosynthesis, and others. The copy number of several starch synthesis-related genes were found to be increased in jackfruit and breadfruit compared to closely-related species, and the tissue-specific expression might imply their sugar-rich and starch-rich characteristics. Overall, the publication of high-quality genomes for jackfruit and breadfruit provides information about their specific composition and the underlying genes involved in sugar and starch metabolism

Improving the management of STIs among MCH/FP clients at the Nakuru Municipal Council health clinics

In an effort to address the global crisis of HIV/AIDS and to reduce the spread of other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), maternal and child health/family planning (MCH/FP) programs have attempted to integrate the management of STIs into their services. This integration was endorsed at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo. However, as noted in this report, programs have encountered a number of difficulties as they try to effectively manage STIs in an MCH/FP setting. In particular, the effective detection and treatment of STIs has proven difficult among MCH/FP populations. This current study was developed to help improve integration efforts and to contribute to a reduction in the prevalence and spread of STIs among women receiving MCH/FP services from the Nakuru Municipal Council health clinics in Kenya. The project looked at the validity of the current syndromic management approach and explored various ways to improve its approach through the incorporation of risk assessment

Predominance of the heterozygous CCR5 delta‐24 deletion in African individuals resistant to HIV infection might be related to a defect in CCR5 addressing at the cell surface

Introduction The chemokine receptor CCR5 is the main co-receptor for R5-tropic HIV-1 variants. We have previously described a novel 24-base pair deletion in the coding region of CCR5 among individuals from Rwanda. Here, we investigated the prevalence of hCCR5 Delta 24 in different cohorts and its impact on CCR5 expression and HIV-1 infection in vitro. Methods We screened hCCR5 Delta 24 in a total of 3232 individuals which were either HIV-1 uninfected, high-risk HIV-1 seronegative and seropositive partners from serodiscordant couples, Long-Term Survivors, or HIV-1 infected volunteers from Africa (Rwanda, Kenya, Guinea-Conakry) and Luxembourg, using a real-time PCR assay. The role of the 24-base pair deletion on CCR5 expression and HIV infection was assessed in cell lines and PBMC using mRNA quantification, confocal analysis, flow and imaging cytometry. Results and Discussion Among the 1661 patients from Rwanda, 12 individuals were heterozygous for hCCR5 Delta 24 but none were homozygous. Although heterozygosity for this allele may not confer complete resistance to HIV-1 infection, the prevalence of the mutation was 2.41% (95%CI: 0.43; 8.37) in 83 Long-Term Survivors (LTS) and 0.99% (95%CI: 0.45; 2.14) in 613 HIV-1 exposed seronegative members as compared with 0.35% (95% Cl: 0.06; 1.25) in 579 HIV-1 seropositive members. The prevalence of hCCR5 Delta 24 was 0.55% (95%CI: 0.15; 1.69) in 547 infants from Kenya but the mutation was not detected in 224 infants from Guinea-Conakry nor in 800 Caucasian individuals from Luxembourg. Expression of hCCR5 Delta 24 in cell lines and PBMC showed that the hCCR5 Delta 24 protein is stably expressed but is not transported to the plasma membrane due to a conformational change. Instead, the mutant receptor was retained intracellularly, colocalized with an endoplasmic reticulum marker and did not mediate HIV-1 infection. Co-transfection of hCCR5 Delta 24 and wtCCR5 did not indicate a transdominant negative effect of CCR5 Delta 24 on wtCCR5. Conclusions Our findings indicate that hCCR5 Delta 24 is not expressed at the cell surface. This could explain the higher prevalence of the heterozygous hCCR5 Delta 24 in LTS and HIV-1 exposed seronegative members from serodiscordant couples. Our data suggest an East-African localization of this deletion, which needs to be confirmed in larger cohorts from African and non-African countries

Draft genome sequence of Solanum aethiopicum provides insights into disease resistance, drought tolerance, and the evolution of the genome

The African eggplant (Solanum aethiopicum) is a nutritious traditional vegetable used in many African countries, including Uganda and Nigeria. It is thought to have been domesticated in Africa from its wild relative, Solanum anguivi. S.aethiopicum has been routinely used as a source of disease resistance genes for several Solanaceae crops, including Solanum melongena. A lack of genomic resources has meant that breeding of S. aethiopicum has lagged behind other vegetable crops. Results: We assembled a 1.02-Gb draft genome of S. aethiopicum, which contained predominantly repetitive sequences (78.9%). We annotated 37,681 gene models, including 34,906 protein-coding genes. Expansion of disease resistance genes was observed via 2 rounds of amplification of long terminal repeat retrotransposons, which may have occurred ∼1.25 and 3.5 million years ago, respectively. By resequencing 65 S. aethiopicum and S. anguivi genotypes, 18,614,838 single-nucleotide polymorphisms were identified, of which 34,171 were located within disease resistance genes. Analysis of domestication and demographic history revealed active selection for genes involved in drought tolerance in both “Gilo” and “Shum” groups. A pan-genome of S. aethiopicum was assembled, containing 51,351 protein-coding genes; 7,069 of these genes were missing from the reference genome. Conclusions: The genome sequence of S. aethiopicum enhances our understanding of its biotic and abiotic resistance. The single-nucleotide polymorphisms identified are immediately available for use by breeders. The information provided here will accelerate selection and breeding of the African eggplant, as well as other crops within the Solanaceae family

Chromosome evolution and the genetic basis of agronomically important traits in greater yam

The nutrient-rich tubers of the greater yam, Dioscorea alata L., provide food and income security for millions of people around the world. Despite its global importance, however, greater yam remains an orphan crop. Here, we address this resource gap by presenting a highly contiguous chromosome-scale genome assembly of D. alata combined with a dense genetic map derived from African breeding populations. The genome sequence reveals an ancient allotetraploidization in the Dioscorea lineage, followed by extensive genome-wide reorganization. Using the genomic tools, we find quantitative trait loci for resistance to anthracnose, a damaging fungal pathogen of yam, and several tuber quality traits. Genomic analysis of breeding lines reveals both extensive inbreeding as well as regions of extensive heterozygosity that may represent interspecific introgression during domestication. These tools and insights will enable yam breeders to unlock the potential of this staple crop and take full advantage of its adaptability to varied environments

The draft genomes of five agriculturally important African orphan crops

Background: Continuous growth of the world population is expected to double the worldwide demand for food by 2050. Eighty-eight percent of countries current face a serious burden of malnutrition, especially in Africa and South and South-East Asia. About 95% of the food energy needs of humans are fulfilled by just 30 species, of which wheat, maize and rice provide the majority of calories. Therefore, to diversify and stabilize global food supply, enhance agricultural productivity and tackle malnutrition, greater use of neglected or underutilized local plants (so-called 'orphan crops‘, but also including a few plants of special significance to agriculture, agroforestry and nutrition) could be a partial solution.Results: Here, we present draft genome information from five agriculturally, biologically, medicinally and economically important underutilized plants native to Africa; Vigna subterranea, Lablab purpureus, Faidherbia albida, Sclerocarya birrea, and Moringa oleifera. Assembled genomes range in size from 217 to 654 Mb. In V. subterranea, L. purpureus, F. albida, S. birrea and M. oleifera we have predicted 31707, 20946, 28979, 18937, 18451 protein-coding genes, respectively. By further analysing the expansion and contraction of selected gene families, we have characterized root nodule symbiosis genes, transcription factors and starch biosynthesis-related genes in these genomes.Conclusions: These genome data will be useful to identify and characterize agronomically important genes and understand their modes of action, enabling genomics-based, evolutionary studies, and breeding strategies to design faster, more focused and predictable crop improvement programs

Pharmacognostical studies of Hymenodictyon orixence (Roxb.) Mabb. leaf

Hymenodictyon orixence is medicinally important plant found in India, Malaysia and Africa. Due to overexploitation the population of this species has decreased very rapidly. The present study includes pharmacognostical examination of this species. It includes morphological, anatomical, chemical and chromo-fingerprinting characters of Hymenodictyon orixence leaf