JOB ROTATION AND EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION: A CASE OF SMALL ICT FIRMS IN NAIROBI KENYA

This study explored how job rotation affects employee motivation. The population of the study consisted of 90 employees who worked in small ICT firms in Nairobi. Simple random sampling was applied to select a sample size of 45 employees. A structured questionnaire was used as a data collection tool. The data analysis involved descriptive statistics and also, Chi Square test which was computed to determine the relationship between job rotation and employee motivation. The results showed that there was a significant association between job rotation and employee motivation. Key words: Job Rotation, Employee Motivation, Extrinsic Motivation, Intrinsic Motivatio

Rotational deformities after femoral shaft fractures in childhood: A retrospective study 27-32 years after the accident

Fifty femoral shaft fractures sustained in childhood and for the most part treated conservatively were studied in retrospect 27-32 years after the accident, with special reference to rotational deformity. Femoral rotation was measured by means of so-called anteversion X-rays according to Dunn-Rippstein, and the same radiological examination was carried out in a control group of 100 adult volunteers. the L/R differences in femoral rotation were studied in the patient group in comparison with the control group. Persistent rotational dislocation was found in only one case, and had had no demonstrable untoward consequences. the established view that rotational dislocation is incapable of spontaneous correction is refuted with the aid of clinical and experimental data from the literature and personal observations. It is concluded that, in the patients studied, good results have been obtained by the conventional traction methods of Bryant and Russel. the use of the so-called Weber Bock to replace these methods is therefore not recommended

Formation and control of nitrogenous DBPs from Western Australian source waters: Investigating the impacts of high nitrogen and bromide concentrations

We studied the formation of four nitrogenous DBPs (N-DBPs) classes (haloacetonitriles, halonitromethanes, haloacetamides, and N-nitrosamines), as well as trihalomethanes and total organic halogen (TOX), after chlorination or chloramination of source waters. We also evaluated the relative and additive toxicity of N-DBPs and water treatment options for minimisation of N-DBPs. The formation of halonitromethanes, haloacetamides, and N-nitrosamines was higher after chloramination and positively correlated with dissolved organic nitrogen or total nitrogen. N-DBPs were major contributors to the toxicity of both chlorinated and chloraminated waters. The strong correlation between bromide concentration and the overall calculated DBP additive toxicity for both chlorinated and chloraminated source waters demonstrated that formation of brominated haloacetonitriles was the main contributor to toxicity. Ozone–biological activated carbon treatment was not effective in removing N-DBP precursors. The occurrence and formation of N-DBPs should be investigated on a case-by-case basis, especially where advanced water treatment processes are being considered to minimise their formation in drinking waters, and where chloramination is used for final disinfection

Neutrophil Trafficking in Pulmonary Inflammation: Monitoring Migration and Blockade with 111In-Labeled Leukocytes

AbstractAim: Although imaging of In vitro labeled leukocytes is commonly used for diagnosing inflammation and infection, data concerning the use of this technique to monitor neutrophil trafficking are scarce. Here we investigated thepotential of 111In-in vitro labeled leukocytes (InWBC) to monitor neutrophil trafficking in an animal model of pulmonary inflammation.Methods: F344 rats were divided into 3 groups: Controls (received only InWBC), Inflammation (intra-tracheally challenged with lipoteichoic acid (LTA)+peptidoglycan (PGN) two hours before InWBC injection), and Blockade(pulmonary challenge with receptor blockade [LTAPGN+Antileukinate, a CXC receptor 1 and 2 antagonist]). Leukocytes were obtained from donor rats and labeled with 111In-oxine using standard procedures. Labeling efficiencyand leukocyte integrity were determined. Animals were administered 3.7-4.6 MBq InWBC via the tail vein, and were imaged 18-30 hours later and then euthanized. Post mortem the lungs were lavaged and total and differential alveolar cell counts performed. Lung tissue myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity was determined. Lung, heart, liver, spleen, kidney, marrow, intestine, blood, and muscle were harvested and organ activity/gm tissue determined. Results: InWBC labeling efficiency and cell integrity were not significantly different among groups. InWBC pulmonary activity was significantly higher (p<0.0001) in the Inflammation group (17.10 ± 2.04%) than in the Controls (1.76 ± 0.60%) and the Blockade group (9.74 ± 1.14%). Hemocytometer assessment of the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid revealed that the total number of neutrophils was significantly higher in the Inflammation group than in Controls and the Blockade group. Pulmonary MPO activity (pg/mg tissue) was significantly higher (p<0.01) in the Inflammation group (14.11 ± 5.56%) than in Controls (5.22 ± 4.77%) and the Blockade group (3.66 ± 3.77%). InWBC splenic activity was significantly higher (p<0.0001) in the Controls than in the Inflammation and Blockade groups. In the remaining organs, InWBC activity was significantly higher in the Blockade group than in the Control and the Inflammation groups.Conclusions: In a rat model of pulmonary inflammation using Antileukinate to block neutrophil chemokine receptors, InWBC accurately characterized both pulmonary and extrapulmonary neutrophil trafficking. These data indicate that InWBC may be useful to monitor both pulmonary and extrapulmonary neutrophil trafficking associated with lung inflammation and its regulation

Widespread erosion on high plateaus during recent glaciations in Scandinavia

Glaciers create some of Earth’s steepest topography; yet, many areas that were repeatedly overridden by ice sheets in the last few million years include extensive plateaus. The distinct geomorphic contrast between plateaus and the glacial troughs that dissect them has sustained two long-held hypotheses: first, that ice sheets perform insignificant erosion beyond glacial troughs, and, second, that the plateaus represent ancient pre-glacial landforms bearing information of tectonic and geomorphic history prior to Pliocene–Pleistocene global cooling (~3.5 Myr ago). Here we show that the Fennoscandian ice sheets drove widespread erosion across plateaus far beyond glacial troughs. We apply inverse modelling to 118 new cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al measurements to quantify ice sheet erosion on the plateaus fringing the Sognefjorden glacial trough in western Norway. Our findings demonstrate substantial modification of the pre-glacial landscape during the Quaternary, and that glacial erosion of plateaus is important when estimating the global sediment flux to the oceans

Magical attachment: Children in magical relations with hospital clowns

The aim of the present study was to achieve a theoretical understanding of several different-age children's experiences of magic relations with hospital clowns in the context of medical care, and to do so using psychological theory and a child perspective. The method used was qualitative and focused on nine children. The results showed that age was important to consider in better understanding how the children experienced the relation with the hospital clowns, how they described the magical aspects of the encounter and how they viewed the importance of clown encounters to their own well-being. The present theoretical interpretation characterized the encounter with hospital clowns as a magical safe area, an intermediate area between fantasy and reality. The discussion presented a line of reasoning concerning a magical attachment between the child and the hospital clowns, stating that this attachment: a) comprised a temporary relation; b) gave anonymity; c) entailed reversed roles; and d) created an emotional experience of boundary-transcending opportunities

Stable isotope records for the last 10 000 years from Okshola cave (Fauske, northern Norway) and regional comparisons

The sensitivity of terrestrial environments to past changes in heat transport is expected to be manifested in Holocene climate proxy records on millennial to seasonal timescales. Stalagmite formation in the Okshola cave near Fauske (northern Norway) began at about 10.4 ka, soon after the valley was deglaciated. Past monitoring of the cave and surface has revealed stable modern conditions with uniform drip rates, relative humidity and temperature. Stable isotope records from two stalagmites provide time-series spanning from c. 10 380 yr to AD 1997; a banded, multi-coloured stalagmite (Oks82) was formed between 10 380 yr and 5050 yr, whereas a pristine, white stalagmite (FM3) covers the period from ~7500 yr to the present. The stable oxygen isotope (&amp;delta;&lt;sup&gt;18&lt;/sup&gt;O&lt;sub&gt;c&lt;/sub&gt;), stable carbon isotope (&amp;delta;&lt;sup&gt;13&lt;/sup&gt;C&lt;sub&gt;c&lt;/sub&gt;), and growth rate records are interpreted as showing i) a negative correlation between cave/surface temperature and &amp;delta;&lt;sup&gt;18&lt;/sup&gt;O&lt;sub&gt;c&lt;/sub&gt;, ii) a positive correlation between wetness and &amp;delta;&lt;sup&gt;13&lt;/sup&gt;C&lt;sub&gt;c&lt;/sub&gt;, and iii) a positive correlation between temperature and growth rate. Following this, the data from Okshola show that the Holocene was characterised by high-variability climate in the early part, low-variability climate in the middle part, and high-variability climate and shifts between two distinct modes in the late part. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt; A total of nine Scandinavian stalagmite &amp;delta;&lt;sup&gt;18&lt;/sup&gt;O&lt;sub&gt;c&lt;/sub&gt; records of comparable dating precision are now available for parts or most of the Holocene. None of them show a clear Holocene thermal optimum, suggesting that they are influenced by annual mean temperature (cave temperature) rather than seasonal temperature. For the last 1000 years, &amp;delta;&lt;sup&gt;18&lt;/sup&gt;O&lt;sub&gt;c&lt;/sub&gt; values display a depletion-enrichment-depletion pattern commonly interpreted as reflecting the conventional view on climate development for the last millennium. Although the &amp;delta;&lt;sup&gt;18&lt;/sup&gt;O&lt;sub&gt;c&lt;/sub&gt; records show similar patterns and amplitudes of change, the main challenges for utilising high-latitude stalagmites as palaeoclimate archives are i) the accuracy of the age models, ii) the ambiguity of the proxy signals, and iii) calibration with monitoring data