More than a tribesman: the New African diasporan identity

Current global levels of immigration stand at about 300 million persons; of these, IFAD estimates that 30 million Africans are in the Diaspora. The contributions of diasporic Africans to their communities and to the cultural experiences of the United States are multimodal. To their domiciles, they contribute economically, empowering their families to become more active and less dependent on the state, while transmitting ideas about democracy and better government. At the same time, they contribute to their adopted homelands through social and cultural activities, cultural festivals and other indicators of cultural connectedness to their motherlands. The African diaspora of necessity has to negotiate an identity that finds a home between the residual tribal identities derived from the African national identity, to the often incompatible African American slave history experience. This paper argues that the modern African diasporan has an identity different from the African American one; that they adapt to western modernity but are excluded from the mainstream American and also African American experience. The paper suggests that the diasporan African constructs a new, less-tribal identity with other nationals and African diaspora members. Further, the diasporan is more likely to overcome negative cultural traditions and the associated destructive tribal identity and contribute to the possibility of a new, post-tribal identity while highlighting the best of the African cultural experiences

A culture-sensitive semi-quantitative FFQ for use among the adult population in Nairobi, Kenya: development, validity and reproducibility

Objective: To develop a semi-quantitative FFQ and to evaluate its validity and reproducibility for the assessment of total dietary intake of Kenyan urban adult population, given its non-existence in Kenya. Design: The current study adopted a cross-sectional design. A culture-sensitive semi-quantitative FFQ was developed and its validity was tested relative to thre non-consecutive 24-h recalls (24hR). Reproducibility was tested by the test–retest method, with a 3-week interval. Spearman’s correlation coefficients and intra-class correlation coefficients were calculated for several macro- and micronutrients. Cross-classification into quartiles and Bland and Altman plots were analysed. Setting: Nairobi county (Dagoreti South and Starehe constituencies). Participants: A convenient sample was recruited in three different clusters in Nairobi. Results: A culture-sensitive 123-food-item semi-quantitative FFQ showed higher nutrient intakes compared with the 24hR (total energy median 12543·632 v. 8501·888 kJ, P < 0·001). Energy-adjusted and deattenuated Spearman’s correlations for macronutrients ranged between 0·21 (total fat) and 0·47 (protein). The agreement in the same quartile varied from 28 % (protein) to 41 % (carbohydrates). Including adjacent quartiles, the range increased: 76 % (protein and fat) to 81 % (carbohydrates). The extreme disagreement was low. The first FFQ application resulted in higher mean values for all nutrients compared with the second FFQ (total energy median 12459·952 v. 10485·104 kJ, P < 0·001). Energy-adjusted correlations for macronutrients ranged from 0·28 (carbohydrates) to 0·61 (protein). Intra-class correlation coefficients for macronutrients were moderate, between 0·6 and 0·7. Conclusions: The developed semi-quantitative FFQ was shown to be a valid and reproducible tool for ranking urban adult Kenyans according to their dietary intake.N/

Radial Solutions of the Schrodinger's Equation with Superposition of Yukawa and Manning-Rosen Applying the Nikiforov-Uvarov Method

The solutions of the SchrÓ§dinger equation with Manning-Rosen plus Yukawa potential (MRYP) have been presented using the Pekeris-like approximation of the Coulomb term and parametric Nikiforov-Uvarov (NU) method. The bound state energy eigenvalues and the corresponding un-normalized eigenfunctions are obtained regarding Jacobi polynomials. Also, Yukawa, Manning-Rosen, and Coulomb potentials have been recovered from the mixed potential, and their eigenvalues obtained

More than a tribesman: the New African diasporan identity

Current global levels of immigration stand at about 300 million persons; of these, IFAD estimates that 30 million Africans are in the Diaspora. The contributions of diasporic Africans to their communities and to the cultural experiences of the United States are multimodal. To their domiciles, they contribute economically, empowering their families to become more active and less dependent on the state, while transmitting ideas about democracy and better government. At the same time, they contribute to their adopted homelands through social and cultural activities, cultural festivals and other indicators of cultural connectedness to their motherlands. The African diaspora of necessity has to negotiate an identity that finds a home between the residual tribal identities derived from the African national identity, to the often incompatible African American slave history experience. This paper argues that the modern African diasporan has an identity different from the African American one; that they adapt to western modernity but are excluded from the mainstream American and also African American experience. The paper suggests that the diasporan African constructs a new, less-tribal identity with other nationals and African diaspora members. Further, the diasporan is more likely to overcome negative cultural traditions and the associated destructive tribal identity and contribute to the possibility of a new, post-tribal identity while highlighting the best of the African cultural experiences

Optimization of Bioslurry-Available Plant Nutrients Using T. brownii and Acanthaceae spp. Biocatalysts

The plant extracts of T. brownii and Acanthaceae spp. have been used as biocatalysts by several communities in Kenya to hasten anaerobic digestion. This study aimed at assessing the viability of these two extracts in hastening the availability of plant nutrients from bioslurry at ambient conditions. A controlled research design was followed using uncooked kitchen waste as the substrate for 28 retention days. Changes in bioslurry physicochemical properties and available plant nutrients were monitored every 7 days using wet chemistry and spectroscopic methods. The findings indicated that the two extracts significantly impacted the levels of available plant nutrients in the bioslurry compared to the control samples. T. brownii additives significantly increased the levels of lime content, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, total phosphorus, phosphoric acid, sulfur, and soluble silicic acid. On the contrary, Acanthaceae spp. additives significantly increased the levels of calcium, potassium, nitrates, total ammoniacal nitrogen, sulfates, and phosphates in the bioslurry samples. The use of these plant extracts thus reduces the time taken while increasing the concentration of available plant nutrients from bioslurry

Prevalence of Intestinal Parasitic Infections and Associated Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Risk Factors among School Children in Mwea Irrigation Scheme, Kirinyaga County, Kenya

School children bear a significant burden of intestinal parasitic infections. Because they spend most of their time at home and school, it is necessary to identify the key water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) factors associated with these infections in both environments. This was a cross-sectional survey conducted in Mwea West, Kirinyaga County. 180 primary school children aged 8–14 years were randomly selected from three schools (Mianya, Mbui Njeru, and Mukou primary schools). Questionnaires and checklists were administered and single stool samples were collected. Stool samples were microscopically examined for Schistosoma mansoni, soil-transmitted helminths, and protozoan infections. Data on WASH were obtained at home and school. The factors significantly associated with S. mansoni and intestinal protozoa infections in the school children were determined using univariable and multivariable logistic regression models reporting the odds ratio at 95% confidence intervals. The overall prevalence of S. mansoni and intestinal protozoa infections was 70.5% (95% CI: 59.1–84.3) and 32.7% (95% CI: 26.8–40.1), respectively. Only one case of STH (A. lumbricoides) was identified. The prevalence of coinfections of S. mansoni and intestinal protozoa infections was 22.8% (95% CI: 19.2–27.1). An increased prevalence of S. mansoni infection was associated with children above 12 years (aOR = 3.19, p=0.015), those in Mianya primary (aOR = 1.23, p=0.001), those in Mukou primary (aOR = 3.19, p=0.001), and reported behavior of wearing shoes at home (aOR = 1.67, p=0.010). However, handwashing behavior after defecation at home (aOR = 0.39, p=0.001) was protective against S. mansoni infection. For any protozoan infection, male children had increased odds of infection (aOR = 2.41, p=0.001) while use of wiping material (aOR = 0.55, p=0.019) and water contact (aOR = 0.32, p=0.001) was protective against intestinal protozoa infections. Infections with S. mansoni and any protozoa and their coinfection were present. Findings revealed that several hygiene factors were protective against infections while other were risk factors. Therefore, deworming should be complemented with behavior education on hygienic habits