INFLUENCE OF EXTERNAL ORGANIZATIONAL ENVIRONMENT ON PERFORMANCE OF COMMUNITY-BASED HIV AND AIDS ORGANIZATIONS IN NAIROBI COUNTY, KENYA

As the external organizational environment continue to be turbulent, affecting activities for both profit and non-profit organizations, organizations are becoming more concerned with their performance so as to ensure that the available but limited resources are utilized efficiently and effectively. Over time, attention has been focused on profit-making organizations with little emphasis on performance of community-based organizations (CBOs) especially those located in Sub-Saharan Africa. Theoretically, scholars in management discipline indicate that the external environment of an organization influences its performance. Thus, an organization’s level of performance is dependent on dynamism and complexity of the external environment, heterogeneity as well as capacity and domain consensus of the existing organizations. This paper examines the impact of the external organizational environment on performance of community-based HIV and AIDS organizations in Nairobi County, Kenya. The authors empirically assess the predicted relationship using survey data from 163 Community Based HIV and AIDS Organizations, in Nairobi County, Kenya between January and March 2013. The study findings indicate that the external environment of an organization has an impact on an organization’s effectiveness, efficiency, relevance and financial viability with higher impacts on the relevance performance indicators. External environment was evaluated from dimensions of uncertainty, domain consensus, heterogeneity, capacity and dynamism. The findings of this study indicate statistically significant positive relationship between external environment and CBOs external environment and effectiveness (beta 0.541, p-value=0.000), efficiency (beta 0.695, p-value=0.000), relevance (beta 0.707, pvalue= 0.000) and financial viability (beta 0.578, p-value=0.000) leading to an argument that proper scanning of external environment influences all activities of an organization from planning to implementation. However, extra attention should be paid to external environment in program identification and planning as this shapes implementation. This study has important implications for managers of CBOs on the relevance of proper scanning of external environment as it influences all activities of an organization from program conceptualization to implementation

INFLUENCE OF INTERNAL ORGANIZATION ALENVIRONMENT ON PERFORMANCE OF COMMUNITY-BASED HIV AND AIDS ORGANIZATIONS IN NAIROBI COUNTY

Organizational performance is a key concern for stakeholders in both the profit and non-profit sectors. However, more attention has been focused on profit-making organizations with little emphasis on performance of community-based organizations (CBOs) and other Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) especially those located in sub-Saharan Africa. Theoretically, scholars in management discipline indicate that the internal environment of an organization influences its performance. Thus, performance is dependent on the internal structures and systems existing within an organization. This paper examines the impact of the internal organizational environment on performance of community-based HIV and AIDS organizations in Nairobi County, Kenya. The authors empirically assess the predicted relationship using survey data from 163 Community Based HIV and AIDS Organizations, in Nairobi County, Kenya. The study findings indicate that the internal environment of an organization has an impact on an organization’s effectiveness, efficiency, relevance and financial viability with impacts on the efficiency and relevance performance indicators. This study has important implications for managers of CBOs on the relevance of developing sustainable internal systems and structures within their organizations to enhance performance

Suborbits and Suborbital Graphs of the Symmetric Group acting on Ordered r-element Subsets

The ranks and subdegrees of the symmetric group  acting on ,  the set of all ordered  r-element subsets from X have been studied (See Rimberia [4]). In this paper, we examine some properties of suborbits and suborbital graphs of  acting on .   Keyword: Suborbital graphs, Suborbits, Symmetric Group, Group actio

ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF ESSENTIAL OILS OF OCIMUM GRATISSIMUM L. FROM DIFFERENT POPULATIONS OF KENYA

Hydro-distilled volatile oils from the leaves of Ocimum gratissimum L. (Lamiaceae) of 13 populations of different silvicultural zones were evaluated for antimicrobial activity against Gram positive (Staphylococcus aereus, Bacillus spp.) and Gram negative (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Samonella typhi, Klebisiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis) bacteria and a pathogenic fungus, Candida albicans. All the essential oils are active to the tested microbiles with different strength. The highest antimicrobial activity against Gram positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosae and Proteus mirabilis) was observed from the eastern Kenya (Meru) oil. Meru oil was the best and its effectiveness was consistent on nearly all the microbes tested. The oil from the plant growing in the coastal region of Kenya (Mombasa) showed the best effect only on Gram negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Proteus mirabilis). Both oils (Meru and Mombasa) were dominated by monoterpenes accounting for 92.48 % and 81.37 % respectively. The monoterpene fraction was characterized by a high percentage of eugenol (68.8 %) for Meru oil and 74.10 % for Mombasa oil. The other major monoterpene was methyl eugenol (13.21 %). Camphor (0.95 %) was observed only in the Meru oil. (Cis)-Ocimene, (trans)-ocimene and β-pinene were present in both Meru and Mombasa oils. The sesquiterpenes present in fairly good amounts in both oils were germacrene D and (trans)-caryophyllene. The minor sesquiterpenes were α-farnesene (0.85 %) and β-bisabolene (0.74 %) which were present in the Meru oil only

Influence of the Environment on Cassava Quality Traits in Central Rift Valley of Kenya

U radu koji slijedi napravit ću komparaciju sustava prijma i napredovanja Belgije, Estonije te Hrvatske. Rad ću započeti objašnjavanjem pojma te navođenjem karakteristika državnih službenika. Nadalje ću objasniti koje vrste klasifikacijskih sustava raspoznajemo, te kako se u svakome od njih primaju i napreduju službenici. Također, navest ću metode i tehnike zapošljavanja i napredovanja koje poznajemo. Osvrnuti ću se na suvremene trendove u zapošljavanju i napredovanju službenika, odnosno kako se sukladno tim trendovima mijenja zapošljavanje i napredovanje. Usporedbu službeničkih sustava započet ću prikazivanjem procedure prijma i napredovanja službenika u Belgiji, slijedom čega isto objašnjavam i za Estoniju. Još detaljnije ću obraditi stanje u Hrvatskoj, a zaključno prilažem tablični pregled sličnosti i razlika svih triju zemalja. U radu se koristim komparativnom metodom kroz analizu dostupnih znanstvenih i stručnih radova

Mitigative effects of Moringa oleifera against liver injury induced by artesunate-amodiaquine antimalarial combination in wistar rats

Abstract Background Artesunate-amodiaquine (AS-AQ) is an antimalarial drug. It is associated with improved cure rates, accelerated response to therapy and delayed development of resistance. However, liver damage, neurotoxicity and agranulocytosis have been reported as adverse effects whose origins have been linked to free radicals generated by the drug. According to native materia medica, Moringa oleifera (MO) has wide utility in ethnomedicine. However, there is paucity of information on the hepatoprotective efficacy of this plant. The present study evaluated the mitigative effects of MO leaf extracts against liver injury induced by AS-AQ combination in female Wistar rats. Methods Dry leaf powder of MO was extracted with water and a 20:80 v/v mixture of water and methanol to give aqueous (AQ) and aqueous-methanol (AQ-ME) MO leaf extracts respectively. In vitro hydroxyl free radical scavenging activity of serial dilutions (10–100 μg/ml) of each of the extracts was then evaluated using an assay model where butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) served as a reference standard. The extract with better free radical scavenging activity was then evaluated for hepatoprotective effects against AS-AQ intoxication in female Wistar rats based on the Acute Toxic Class method (OECD 2000). Serum asparate amino transferase (AST), alanine amino transferase (ALT), total bilirubin and histological examination of rat liver sections were used to evaluate the hepatoprotective activity of the selected MO leaf extract. Siliphos® (standard hepatoprotectant) was used for comparison. Results There was a concentration dependent increase in the hydroxyl free radical scavenging activity of MO leaf extracts and standard (BHT) with values ranging from 46.36–66.36% for the AQ extract, 41.04–60.95% for the AQ-ME extract and 44.93–65.23% for BHT with corresponding IC50 values of 26.84 μg/ml, 51.88 μg/ml and 32.58 μg/ml respectively. A 1000 mg/kg dose of the AQ-ME MO leaf extract significantly (p  0.05). The 1000 mg/kg dose also reduced hepatocyte degeneration in rats treated with four times the clinical dose of AS-AQ. This study suggests that the hepatoprotective activity of the leaves of MO may have some relation to its free radical scavenging properties. These leaves may thus be useful in mitigating free radical initiated disease conditions. Conclusion The aqueous-methanol Moringa oleifera leaf extract exhibits free radical scavenging and hepatoprotective properties. Further investigations on the structural identity of the phytoconstituents and their mechanisms of action should be performed to facilitate the development of a potent medicinal agent

Can static habitat protection encompass critical areas for highly mobile marine top predators? Insights from coastal East Africa

© 2015 Pérez-Jorge et al. Along the East African coast, marine top predators are facing an increasing number of anthropogenic threats which requires the implementation of effective and urgent conservation measures to protect essential habitats. Understanding the role that habitat features play on the marine top predator' distribution and abundance is a crucial step to evaluate the suitability of an existing Marine Protected Area (MPA), originally designated for the protection of coral reefs. We developed species distribution models (SDM) on the IUCN data deficient Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) in southern Kenya. We followed a comprehensive ecological modelling approach to study the environmental factors influencing the occurrence and abundance of dolphins while developing SDMs. Through the combination of ensemble prediction maps, we defined recurrent, occasional and unfavourable habitats for the species. Our results showed the influence of dynamic and static predictors on the dolphins' spatial ecology: dolphins may select shallow areas (5-30 m), close to the reefs (< 500 m) and oceanic fronts (< 10 km) and adjacent to the 100m isobath (< 5 km).We also predicted a significantly higher occurrence and abundance of dolphins within the MPA. Recurrent and occasional habitats were identified on large percentages on the existing MPA (47% and 57% using presence-absence and abundance models respectively). However, the MPA does not adequately encompass all occasional and recurrent areas and within this context, we propose to extend the MPA to incorporate all of them which are likely key habitats for the highly mobile species. The results from this study provide two key conservation and management tools: (i) an integrative habitat modelling approach to predict key marine habitats, and (ii) the first study evaluating the effectiveness of an existing MPA for marine mammals in the Western Indian Ocean. Copyright:ML was funded by a Juan de la Cierva postdoctoral contract (JCI-2010-07639, Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation - http://www.idi.mineco.gob.es/) and a Ramón y Cajal postdoctoral contract (RYC-2012-09897). Funds were partially provided by a grant from the Spanish Ministry of Economy - http://www.idi.mineco.gob.es/ (CGL2013-42203-R)Peer Reviewe