Leapfrogging in Marketing: Empirical Analysis of Kenyan Mobile Phone Industry

Purpose: This paper aims to analyze the concept of leapfrogging in the mobile phone industry in the Republic of Kenya. Design/Methodology: The study adopted a cross-sectional research design, stratified and simple random sampling techniques in collecting data from 349 respondents picked from a population of 15506 employees of three Cosmopolitan County Governments in Kenya. Findings: Outcome indicates that; perceived product quality and perceived switching cost positively and significantly influence intentions to Leapfrog. However, the urgency to replace does not influence choices to leapfrog. Originality/value: The study findings bring a new understanding of the determinants of consumer leapfrogging and their intentions to leapfrog in the mobile phone industry and highlight the role perceived product quality and switching cost play in determining intention leapfrog

Factors Influencing Farmers Participation in Smallholder Irrigation Schemes: The Case of Ntfonjeni Rural Development Area

Most Swazi households depend on rainfed agriculture for food production, which limits the output because of the unreliable rainfall in the country. To mitigate this, the government has invested in rehabilitation of irrigation schemes to reduce the dependence on rainfall. This study therefore determined the factors influencing participation of farmers in small holder irrigation schemes in Swaziland, using Ntfonjeni Rural Development Area (RDA), as a case study. A multistage sampling technique was used to select 96 farming households, 48 participants of local irrigation scheme and 48 non participants. Data was collected using questionnaires. Analysis involved descriptive statistics and probit model. The study revealed that the participation in small holder irrigation schemes is significantly influenced by households distance to the scheme, age and occupation of household head, farm size and access to credit and membership in other groups. Participation improves output and income for households.  Hence it is recommended that peasant farmers should be assisted with credit facilities as an incentive to participate in irrigation schemes. Key words: Participation, small scale irrigation schemes, Probit, Ntfonjeni, Swaziland

The State of Agricultural Mechanisation in Uasin Gishu District, Kenya, and its Impact on Agricultural Output

Rosana G. Moreira, Editor-in-Chief; Texas A&M UniversityThis is a paper from International Commission of Agricultural Engineering (CIGR, Commission Internationale du Genie Rural) E-Journal Volume 9 (2007): The State of Agricultural Mechanisation in Uasin Gishu District, Kenya, and its Impact on Agricultural Output. Invited Overview. Vol. IX. June, 2007

Oral contraceptives and intrauterine devices as risk factors for breast and cervical cancers: a systematic review

Breast and cervical cancers have commandingly become major public health threats across the world. While studies have reported on the nexus between the use of oral contraceptives (OCs) and intrauterine devices (IUDs) as risk factors for breast and cervical cancers, there exists a paucity of explicit data on the nature of the association. Authors report the effect of oral contraceptives and the use of IUDs on the development of breast and cervical cancers. Several databases (Cochrane Library, Google Scholar and PubMed) were searched using well-specified criteria and a total of 15 papers selected. Meta-analyses, systematic reviews and studies that used cross-sectional designs were excluded from the review. Three and twelve cohort and case-control studies were reviewed respectively. Four of these studies reported an increased association between oral contraceptives and the risk of cervical cancer while nine showed positive correlation between oral contraceptives and risk of breast cancer. One study showed association between levonogestrel IUDs and risk of breast cancer while the other study did not show association between both levonogestrel and copper IUDs with risk of breast cancer. Use of copper IUDs was associated with diminishing risk of cervical cancer. Overall, use of oral contraceptives upsurges risk of breast and cervical cancers especially when used for longer periods of time. Further studies should therefore be done to understand the mechanisms of action of oral contraceptives and IUDs on the development of both cancers

Workload Indicators Of Staffing Need Method in determining optimal staffing levels at Moi Teaching and Referal Hospital

Background: There is an increasing demand for quality healthcare in the face of limited resources. With the health personnel consuming up to three quarters of recurrent budgets, a need arises to ascertain that a workforce for any health facility is the optimal level needed to produce the desired product. Objective: To highlight the experience and findings of an attempt at establishing the optimal staffing levels for a tertiary health institution using the Workload Indicators of Staffing Need (WISN) method popularised by the World Health Organisation (WHO), Geneva, Switzerland. Design: A descriptive study that captures the activities of a taskforce appointed to establish optimal staffing levels. Setting: Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH), Eldoret, Kenya, a tertiary hospital in the Rift Valley province of Kenya from September 2005 to May 2006. Main outcome measures: The cadres of workers, working schedules, main activities, time taken to accomplish the activities, available working hours, category and individual allowances, annual workloads from the previous year\'s statistics and optimal departmental establishment of workers. Results: There was initial resentment to the exercise because of the notion that it was aimed at retrenching workers. The team was given autonomy by the hospital management to objectively establish the optimal staffing levels. Very few departments were optimally established with the majority either under or over staffed. There were intradepartmental discrepancies in optimal levels of cadres even though many of them had the right number of total workforce. Conclusion: The WISN method is a very objective way of establishing staffing levels but requires a dedicated team with adequate expertise to make the raw data meaningful for calculations. East African Medical Journla Vol. 85 (5) 2008: pp. 232-23

Evaluation of Genotype x Environment Interaction and Stability of Grain Yield and Related Yield Components in Pearl Millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R.Br.)

Thirty six pearl millet genotypes were evaluated in randomized complete block design with two replications during 2011/2012 at two locations to study the magnitude of genotype by environment interaction for yield and yield related traits and identify the most stable high yielding genotypes. ANOVA of data at individual locations revealed significant differences among genotypes at Marigat and Koibatek for all yield components. Combined mean analysis of variance showed that the Genotype and location main effects and the genotype by environment interaction were highly significant (P≤0.01) for grain yield and other traits, indicating differential response of genotypes across testing locations and the need for stability analysis. Marigat was the most suitable environment and gave highest mean grain yield of 3620 kg/ha. The lowest yield 870 Kg/ha was recorded at Koibatek. Genotypes EUP 32, EUP 35, EUP 19 and EUP 10 produced high mean yield of 3530, 3080, 2690 and 2590 kg/ha respectively. The lowest grain 1290 kg/ha was obtained from genotype EUP 4.Based on the parameters of stability, three stable (widely adapted) and high yielding genotypes (EUP 34, EUP 18, and EUP 9) were identified. They also out-yield the standard open pollinated variety (OPV) check, Kat PM2. Genotypes EUP 32 was the highest yielding across all sites followed by EUP 35 and could be recommended for further multi-location evaluation in warmer environment and possible release for commercial production. The findings of this study showed that pearl millet hybrids have high potential for commercial production in Kenya than the OPVs. The ANOVA results showed that the effects of environments, genotypes and genotype x environment interaction (GE) were important in trait expression and performance of genotypes. In addition, it was observed that amount of rainfall received at both vegetative and post-anthesis phases and temperature had an effect on grain yield. The GGE biplot analysis characterised the environments in terms of stability and productivity, where Marigat was the best for grain yield; implying that environment-specific selection should be adopted. Genotypes EUP 34, EUP 18, and EUP 9 were the best performing since they out yielded the standard OPV check. These stable high yielding genotypes can be evaluated further in varied agro-ecologies and recommended for release as commercial hybrid varieties in ASALs of Kenya

HIV-1 subtype and viral tropism determination for evaluating antiretroviral therapy options: an analysis of archived Kenyan blood samples

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Infection with HIV-1 is characterized by genetic diversity such that specific viral subtypes are predominant in specific geographical areas. The genetic variation in HIV-1 <it>pol </it>and <it>env </it>genes is responsible for rapid development of resistance to current drugs. This variation has influenced disease progression among the infected and necessitated the search for alternative drugs with novel targets. Though successfully used in developed countries, these novel drugs are still limited in resource-poor countries. The aim of this study was to determine HIV-1 subtypes, recombination, dual infections and viral tropism of HIV-1 among Kenyan patients prior to widespread use of antiretroviral drugs.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Remnant blood samples from consenting sexually transmitted infection (STI) patients in Nairobi were collected between February and May 2001 and stored. Polymerase chain reaction and cloning of portions of HIV-1 <it>gag</it>, <it>pol </it>and <it>env </it>genes was carried out followed by automated DNA sequencing.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Twenty HIV-1 positive samples (from 11 females and 9 males) were analyzed. The average age of males (32.5 years) and females (26.5 years) was significantly different (p value < 0.0001). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that 90% (18/20) were concordant HIV-1 subtypes: 12 were subtype A1; 2, A2; 3, D and 1, C. Two samples (10%) were discordant showing different subtypes in the three regions. Of 19 samples checked for co-receptor usage, 14 (73.7%) were chemokine co-receptor 5 (CCR5) variants while three (15.8%) were CXCR4 variants. Two had dual/mixed co-receptor use with X4 variants being minor population.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>HIV-1 subtype A accounted for majority of the infections. Though perceived to be a high risk population, the prevalence of recombination in this sample was low with no dual infections detected. Genotypic co-receptor analysis showed that most patients harbored viruses that are predicted to use CCR5.</p

Injury to the tunica media initiates atherogenesis in the presence of hyperlipidemia

Background and aimsFatty streaks initiating the formation of atheromatous plaque appear in the tunica intima. The tunica media is not known to be a nidus for lipid accumulation initiating atherogenesis. We assessed changes to the tunica media in response to a micro-injury produced in the pig aorta. In addition, we assessed human carotid endarterectomy plaques for indication of atheroma initiation in the tunica media.MethodsThree healthy landrace female pigs underwent laparotomy to inject autologous blood and create micro-hematomas at 6 sites within the tunica media of the infrarenal abdominal aorta. These pigs were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 4–12 weeks. Post-mortem aortas from all pigs, including a control group of healthy pigs, were serially stained to detect lipid deposits, vasa vasora (VV), immune cell infiltration and inflammatory markers, as well as changes to the vascular smooth muscle cell (vSMC) compartment. Moreover, 25 human carotid endarterectomy (CEA) specimens were evaluated for their lipid composition in the tunica media and intima.ResultsHigh lipid clusters, VV density, and immune cell infiltrates were consistently observed at 5 out of 6 injection sites under prolonged hyperlipidemia. The hyperlipidemic diet also affected the vSMC compartment in the tunica media adjacent to the tunica adventitia, which correlated with VV invasion and immune cell infiltration. Analysis of human carotid specimens post-CEA indicated that 32% of patients had significantly greater atheroma in the tunica media than in the arterial intima.ConclusionThe arterial intima is not the only site for atherosclerosis initiation. We show that injury to the media can trigger atherogenesis

Health disparities across the counties of Kenya and implications for policy makers, 1990-2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016.

BACKGROUND:The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2016 provided comprehensive estimates of health loss globally. Decision makers in Kenya can use GBD subnational data to target health interventions and address county-level variation in the burden of disease. METHODS:We used GBD 2016 estimates of life expectancy at birth, healthy life expectancy, all-cause and cause-specific mortality, years of life lost, years lived with disability, disability-adjusted life-years, and risk factors to analyse health by age and sex at the national and county levels in Kenya from 1990 to 2016. FINDINGS:The national all-cause mortality rate decreased from 850·3 (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 829·8-871·1) deaths per 100 000 in 1990 to 579·0 (562·1-596·0) deaths per 100 000 in 2016. Under-5 mortality declined from 95·4 (95% UI 90·1-101·3) deaths per 1000 livebirths in 1990 to 43·4 (36·9-51·2) deaths per 1000 livebirths in 2016, and maternal mortality fell from 315·7 (242·9-399·4) deaths per 100 000 in 1990 to 257·6 (195·1-335·3) deaths per 100 000 in 2016, with steeper declines after 2006 and heterogeneously across counties. Life expectancy at birth increased by 5·4 (95% UI 3·7-7·2) years, with higher gains in females than males in all but ten counties. Unsafe water, sanitation, and handwashing, unsafe sex, and malnutrition were the leading national risk factors in 2016. INTERPRETATION:Health outcomes have improved in Kenya since 2006. The burden of communicable diseases decreased but continues to predominate the total disease burden in 2016, whereas the non-communicable disease burden increased. Health gains varied strikingly across counties, indicating targeted approaches for health policy are necessary. FUNDING:Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation