An enhanced Least Significant Bit Steganographic Method for Information Hiding

The least significant bit (LSB) insertion method is a simple steganographic algorithm that takes the least significant bit in some bytes of the cover medium and swaps them with a sequence of bytes containing the secret data in order to conceal the information in the cover medium. However its imperceptibility and hiding capacity are relatively low. This is as revealed by the statistical characteristics of its resultant stego images compared to the original cover images. To increase the level of imperceptibility and the hiding capacity in the LSB insertion method, this research proposes an enhanced LSB method that employs a selective and randomized approach in picking specific number of target image bits to swap with the secret data bits during the embedding process. To facilitate the selective picking of the target image bits, the standard minimal linear congruential number generator (LCG) is used. The message digest (digital signature) of a user supplied password is used to seed the LCG and to extract the message from the cover medium. In measuring the effectiveness of the proposed method, the study adopted an experimental research design where the statistical characteristics of the proposed method stego images were compared with those of the traditional LSB method in a comparative experiment designed to establish the levels of image distortion (noise) introduced in the original cover image when either of the methods is used under the same payload and image. The experiment results indicated improved levels of imperceptibility and hiding capacity in the proposed method. Key Words: Steganography, Steganalysis, Stego image, payload, imperceptibilit

Avifauna of Ishaqbini Community Conservancy in Ijara District, NE Kenya

Ishaqbini community conservancy, in the arid northern-eastern Kenya was established in 2006 by local pastoralists as a community initiative to safeguard their wildlife heritage especially the endemic Hirola Beatragus hunteri. Prior to this survey there were no known recent avifaunal surveys for the area despite the fact that the conservancy lies adjacent to the relatively well-known lower Tana River forests, an important bird area (Bennun & Njoroge 1999), as well as the East Africa coast forests endemic bird area (Stattersfield et al. 1998). In this paper we present the results of an avifaunal survey of the conservancy that includes a description of the bird assemblages in the conservancy, and an annotated account of some species of global and regional conservation concern occurring there

Determination of vectorial potential of Mansonia species in the transmission of Wuchereria bancrofti in Tana-Delta District, Coast-Kenya

Background: Wuchereria bancrofti are parasites causing bancroftian filariasis which is transmitted by different species of mosquitoes. Mosquitoes of Anopheles, Culex and Aedes species are known to transmit W. bancrofti parasites.Objective: To determining the potential of Mansonia species; Ma. africanus and Ma. uniformis in the transmission of W. bancrofti.Design: Cross sectional study.Setting: Villages in Tana Delta district, Kenya.Subjects: In-door collected mosquitoes.Results: A total of one thousand, six hundred and sixty two (1632) female mosquitoes were collected by gravid traps, CDC light traps and Pyrethrum spray methods. Of these, 236 representing 14.5% were identified as Mansonia species. Two filarial larvae of stage two (L2) were obtained from the dissected mosquitoes. Polymerase chain reaction assays did not show any amplified W. bancrofti DNA from the obtained larvae or the mosquitoes.Conclusion: There was no evidence that Mansonia species play a role in the transmission of W. bancrofti

Awareness, Treatment and Control of Hypertension in Kenya

The emerging epidemic of hypertension (HTN) in sub-Saharan Africa is predicted to worsen. Uncontrolled HTN is associated with CVD, high morbidity and premature mortality; hence early detection, treatment and control of HTN is critical to reduction of the associated sequelae. The study was guided by the Social Ecological Model and principles of Community Based Participatory Research

Synergistic Antiplasmodial Activity of Artemisia annua fractions against in vitro cultures of Plasmodium falciparum

Background: Artemisia annua has a very rich phytochemistry comprising several classes of compounds, mainly monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, and flavonoids.  It has been used in China for about 2000 years in the treatment of fever. Objective: The aim was to determine if there is any synergistic effect on the Artemisia annua phytochemicals. Materials and methods: Artemisia annua used in this study was obtained from a hybrid of the plant grown in the Tanzania highlands (2000-2200 m altitude) in Arusha by Natural Uwemba System for Health (N.U.S.Ag). The dried leaves were ground, and sequentially extracted with hexane, dichloromethane (DCM), methanol and water and the extracts were then combined. The extract was then fractionated using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The effect of the combined crude extract was tested at different doses on in-vitro cultures (a CQ sensitive isolate D6 and CQ resistant isolate W2) of Plasmodium falciparum. The fractions and different blends of these were tested at different doses to determine their role, if any, on the activity of the full blend of the plant. Results: Of nine fractions thus tested against D6 and W2, four had activities of less than 3.9µg /ml, three fractions had activities of between 4.77-14.76 µg/ml and the remaining two had activities above 250g/µml. The seven more active fractions were re-evaluated in a subtractive bioassay procedure, in which one of each fraction was excluded at a time from the full 7-component blend. The activity of the combined seven active compounds was 10.40+0.50 µg/ml against W2.  Of these, one showed IC50 of less than 3.9 µg/ml and all blends showed IC50 at below 27µg/ml. Conclusion: The results show that different components of A. annua contribute to the synergistic anti-Plasmodium activity. The results constitute a useful basis for identifying the components of the plant other than artemisinin that contribute to the activity of herb. Key words- Artemisia annua, malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, artemisinin, synergy

Managing emerging fisheries of the North Kenya Banks in the context of environmental change

The North Kenya Banks have long been considered an important emerging fishery with the potential to spur economic growth for local fishing communities. As a regionally important extension to the otherwise narrow East African continental shelf, the North Kenya Banks remain under studied with implications for efforts to develop a sustainable fisheries management strategy. The local marine ecosystem is known to be strongly influenced by wind driven upwelling processes with seasonal variability driven by the changing monsoon seasons being of particular importance. Nevertheless, the Western Indian Ocean is warming due to anthropogenic climate change with evidence indicating reduced ocean productivity in future. How the ecosystem of the North Kenya Banks will respond is currently uncertain but is of great importance due to the significance of coastal fishery resources to coastal communities, and growing Blue Economy initiatives to exploit the North Kenya Banks fisheries more widely. There is, however, limited knowledge of the processes influencing productivity over the North Kenya Banks regions and currently there is no management plan in place to sustainably manage the fishery resources. Here, information about the North Kenya Banks fisheries are examined in relation to environmental processes and threats from climate change impacts with suggestions for future research and management directions

Breastfeeding education and support for women with twins or higher order multiples.

BACKGROUND: There are rising rates of multiple births worldwide with associated higher rates of complications and more hospital care, often due to prematurity. While there is strong evidence about the risks of not breastfeeding, rates of breastfeeding in women who have given birth to more than one infant are lower than with singleton births. Breastfeeding more than one infant can be more challenging because of difficulties associated with the birth or prematurity. The extra demands on the mother of frequent suckling, coordinating the needs of more than one infant or admission to the neonatal intensive care unit can lead to delayed initiation or early cessation. Additional options such as breast milk expression, the use of donor milk or different methods of supplementary feeding may be considered. Support and education about breastfeeding has been found to improve the duration of any breastfeeding for healthy term infants and their mothers, however evidence is lacking about interventions that are effective to support women with twins or higher order multiples. OBJECTIVES: To assess effectiveness of breastfeeding education and support for women with twins or higher order multiples. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register (30 June 2016), ClinicalTrials.gov (30 June 2016), the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) (1 July 2016), the excluded studies list from the equivalent Cochrane review of singletons, and reference lists of retrieved studies. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised or quasi-randomised trials comparing extra education or support for women with twins or higher order multiples were included. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently assessed trials for inclusion and risk of bias, extracted data and checked them for accuracy. We planned to assess the quality of evidence using the GRADE approach, but were unable to analyse any data. MAIN RESULTS: We found 10 trials (23 reports) of education and support for breastfeeding that included women with twins or higher order multiples. The quality of evidence was mixed, and the risk of bias was mostly high or unclear. It is difficult to blind women or staff to group allocation for this intervention, so in all studies there was high risk of performance and high or unclear risk of detection bias. Trials recruited 5787 women (this included 512 women interviewed as part of a cluster randomised trial); of these, data were available from two studies for 42 women with twins or higher order multiples. None of the interventions were specifically designed for women with more than one infant, and the outcomes for multiples were not reported separately for each infant. Due to the scarcity of evidence and the format in which data were reported, a narrative description of the data is presented, no analyses are presented in this review, and we were unable to GRADE the evidence.The two trials with data for women with multiple births compared home nurse visits versus usual care (15 women), and telephone peer counselling versus usual care (27 women). The number of women who initiated breastfeeding was reported (all 15 women in one study, 25 out of 27 women in one study). Stopping any breastfeeding before four to six weeks postpartum, stopping exclusive breastfeeding before four to six weeks postpartum, stopping any breastfeeding before six months postpartum andstopping exclusive breastfeeding before six months postpartum were not explicitly reported, and there were insufficient data to draw any meaningful conclusions from survival data. Stopping breast milk expression before four to six weeks postpartum, andstopping breast milk expression before six months postpartum were not reported. Measures ofmaternal satisfaction were reported in one study of 15 women, but there were insufficient data to draw any conclusions; no other secondary outcomes were reported for women with multiple births in either study. No adverse events were reported. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: We found no evidence from randomised controlled trials about the effectiveness of breastfeeding education and support for women with twins or higher order multiples, or the most effective way to provide education and support . There was no evidence about the best way to deliver the intervention, the timing of care, or the best person to deliver the care. There is a need for well-designed, adequately powered studies of interventions designed for women with twins or higher order multiples to find out what types of education and support are effective in helping these mothers to breastfeed their babies

Initiatives to embrace inclusive education : teachers' attitudes towards the inclusion of learners with special needs into regular schools in two districts in Kenya

A b s t r a c t The purpose of this study was to investigate the attitudes of teachers towards the inclusion of learners with special needs in education into regular schools in Kenya in relation to no training or training in special needs education. It goes further to establish whether there is a difference in the attitudes of teachers in relation to the specialization and inclusive modes of teacher training in special needs education. The study also looks briefly at teachers attitudes in relation to gender differences, teaching experience, differences in urban and rural settings and in school and class size. This study involved 186 teachers in schools with programmes for children with special needs and in special schools to obtain opinions using a Likert scaled questionnaire. The study also interviewed four head teachers of schools with programmes for learners with special needs and two education officers at the Ministry of Education headquarters. The schools selected were in urban and rural settings. The findings were analyzed using the Statistical Programme for Social Sciences (SPSS) and generally indicated a high statistical significant difference in attitudes towards inclusion of learners with special needs into regular schools between teachers with no training and those trained in special needs. Teachers trained in special needs education were more positively inclined to inclusive education. The results also indicated a no statistical significant difference in opinion on attitudes towards inclusion between teachers trained in the specialization and those trained in the inclusive model although those trained in the specialization mode were less positive. The results indicated that training and practice in special needs education are important factors in the development of positive attitudes towards inclusion. There was little or no statistical significant difference in attitude formation in relation to gender, to location of school (urban and rural), class size and school size. The main barriers to the implementation of inclusive education in Kenya is lack of a clear policy on inclusive education, lack of collaboration and integration between teachers trained in special needs education with regular teachers, lack of integration between special and regular education and the non-domestication of the universal declarations on inclusive education

Effect of a community-based approach of iron and folic acid supplementation on compliance by pregnant women in Kiambu County, Kenya: A quasi-experimental study.

IntroductionIron and Folic Acid Supplementation (IFAS) is an essential and affordable intervention strategy for prevention of anaemia during pregnancy. The supplements are currently provided for free to pregnant women in Kenya during antenatal care (ANC), but compliance remains low over the years. There is need for diversification of IFAS programme implementation by exploring other distribution channels to complement existing antenatal distribution and ensure consistent access to IFAS supplements.ObjectivesTo determine the effect of a community-based approach of IFAS distribution on compliance and assess side-effects experienced and their mitigation by pregnant women in Kiambu County.MethodologyA pretest-posttest quasi-experimental study design was used, consisting of an intervention and a control group, among 340 pregnant women 15-49 years, in five health facilities in Lari Sub-County in Kiambu County, between June 2016 and March 2017. Community health volunteers provided IFAS supplements, counselling and weekly follow-up to pregnant women in the intervention group while the control group followed standard practice from health facilities. Baseline and endline data were collected during antenatal care and compared. Quantitative data was analyzed using STATA version 14. Analysis of effect of intervention was done using Difference-In-Difference regression approach.ResultsLevels of compliance increased by 8% in intervention group and 6% in control group. There was increased awareness of IFAS side-effects across groups. The intervention group reported experiencing less side-effects and were better able to manage them compared to the control group.ConclusionImplementation a community-based approach improved maternal compliance with IFAS, awareness of IFAS side effects and their management, with better improvement being recorded in the intervention group. Hence, there is need to integrate community-based approach with antenatal distribution of IFAS to improve supplementation