Innovation in rural development

The role of agriculture in rural development has recently been overshadowed by discussions about the role of rural industries, small scale business enterprises, growth pole strategies and diversification of other non farm income generating activities. This paper re-analyses and attempts to establish the need for policies and programmes to accelerate agricultural technological development. The study reviews the role of government research stations, extension services, mass media channels and training programmes in accelerating technological change whose advantages within a Kenya rural development context are laid out in the first section of the paper. One the problems highlighted by this study is the fact that there is no adequate or relevant technology or the means to transfer any such technology to the small farmer and also those living in the medium and marginal farming regions of Kenya

Energy from sugarcane by-products : analysis for Kenya

Bibliography: leaves 68-71.The Kenyan sugar industry continues to face the task of being competitive in a liberalized global economy that has witnessed a trend in declining sugar prices and increasing local production costs. This dissertation attempts to investigate possible options that could assist Kenyan sugar industry to cope with the crisis. One such option is the diversification of the sugar industry's product base. Expanding their business to energy as a co-product to sugar processing, sugar companies could generate additional revenue from surplus electricity sales to the national utility. In Mauritius, gross revenue of USD 50 million, equivalent to 90% of that accruing to the miller for cane processing is generated from bagasse-based energy sales. On the basis of the Mauritian and other experiences the research concludes that Kenya sugar industries have the potential to export 43, 258, and 306 GWh of electricity to the national grid, depending on the mode of operation of the power plant. Thus the potential for revenue expansion through power sales for the Kenyan sugar industry is substantial. Power sector reforms have seen the entry into the electricity market of independent power producers (IPPs), and so this presents a good opportunity for sugar companies to enter into power purchase agreements with the national utility for the supply of power. Anaerobic digestion systems, used in the treatment and management of industrial effluent provide an additional benefit of generating boiler fuel in the form of biogas in sugar industries of Kenya. This technology and its application to the sugarcane industry are reviewed as part of this thesis

Prevalence of Human Papillomavirus infection by age and cervical cytology in Thika, Kenya

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections cause cervical cancer and premalignant dysplasia. Data on HPV and cervical cancer in Kenya are scarce. Type-specific HPV prevalence data provides a basis for assessing the impact of HPV vaccination programs on cervical cytology and how HPV based screening will influence cervical cancer prevention. To investigate HPV infections in a population in Kenya, we obtained cervical cells specimen from 498 women in a population in Thika district. We report HPV type specific prevalence and distribution data for 498 women (age range 18-74 years; mean age 36 years) recruited into the study in relation to age and cervical cytology. The study was conducted between January to May 2010. Pap smears were performed, HR HPV DNA were detected by Digene Hybrid capture 2® (hc2) test and HPV genotyping was performed with Multiplex Luminex HPV genotyping kit (Multimetrix, Progen, Germany). Samples from 106 women (21.3%) tested positive for HPV. Multiple HPV types were detected in 40 (37.7% of HC2-positive samples) and the rest had infection with single HPV type. The most common HR HPV type at all ages was HPV16, 52, 56, 66, and 18. There was a marked decline in the prevalence of HR-HPV with age. The pattern of HR HPV distribution in this population was slightly different from existing literature, which has important consequences for HPV vaccination and prevention programs

Management Effectiveness of the World's Marine Fisheries

A global analysis shows that fishery management worldwide is lagging far behind international standards, and that the conversion of scientific advice into policy, through a participatory and transparent process, holds promise for achieving sustainable fisheries

How long do nosocomial pathogens persist on inanimate surfaces? A systematic review

BACKGROUND: Inanimate surfaces have often been described as the source for outbreaks of nosocomial infections. The aim of this review is to summarize data on the persistence of different nosocomial pathogens on inanimate surfaces. METHODS: The literature was systematically reviewed in MedLine without language restrictions. In addition, cited articles in a report were assessed and standard textbooks on the topic were reviewed. All reports with experimental evidence on the duration of persistence of a nosocomial pathogen on any type of surface were included. RESULTS: Most gram-positive bacteria, such as Enterococcus spp. (including VRE), Staphylococcus aureus (including MRSA), or Streptococcus pyogenes, survive for months on dry surfaces. Many gram-negative species, such as Acinetobacter spp., Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Serratia marcescens, or Shigella spp., can also survive for months. A few others, such as Bordetella pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae, Proteus vulgaris, or Vibrio cholerae, however, persist only for days. Mycobacteria, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and spore-forming bacteria, including Clostridium difficile, can also survive for months on surfaces. Candida albicans as the most important nosocomial fungal pathogen can survive up to 4 months on surfaces. Persistence of other yeasts, such as Torulopsis glabrata, was described to be similar (5 months) or shorter (Candida parapsilosis, 14 days). Most viruses from the respiratory tract, such as corona, coxsackie, influenza, SARS or rhino virus, can persist on surfaces for a few days. Viruses from the gastrointestinal tract, such as astrovirus, HAV, polio- or rota virus, persist for approximately 2 months. Blood-borne viruses, such as HBV or HIV, can persist for more than one week. Herpes viruses, such as CMV or HSV type 1 and 2, have been shown to persist from only a few hours up to 7 days. CONCLUSION: The most common nosocomial pathogens may well survive or persist on surfaces for months and can thereby be a continuous source of transmission if no regular preventive surface disinfection is performed

Developing Global Maps of the Dominant Anopheles Vectors of Human Malaria

Simon Hay and colleagues describe how the Malaria Atlas Project has collated anopheline occurrence data to map the geographic distributions of the dominant mosquito vectors of human malaria