Me, Myself, and A.I.: Should Kenya’s Patent Law Be Amended to Recognise Machine Learning Systems as Inventors?

On 28 July 2021, South Africa set the record for being the first country in the world to grant a patent to an artificial intelligence (AI) system known as ‘Device for the Autonomous Bootstrapping of Unified Sentience’ (DABUS). Although DABUS is not the first AI system to produce patentable products, it is the first AI system to be listed as an inventor in a patent application, attracting worldwide interest. Against this backdrop, this article seeks to analyse whether Kenya’s Industrial Property Act, 2001 (IPA) should evolve to recognise machine learning (ML) systems as inventors. It submits that some ML systems are capable of inventive activity that is equivalent to or superior to that of the human intellect and that such systems should be recognised as inventors. This paper illustrates that Kenya's IPA, however, is unable to recognise ML systems since it is based on anthropocentric standards that, when put into practice, preclude the acknowledgement of non-human inventors. Therefore, this article makes several recommendations aimed at overhauling not only Kenya's IPA but also the country’s patent system

Investigating the Effect of Knowledge of Environmental Implications on Generation Z Vehicle Choice in Last Mile Delivery Service

Consumer knowledge has a significant impact on consumer behavior and choice, where specific types of knowledge influences consumer shopping and purchasing decisions. As concerns about the environment and businesses operations’ effect on the environment grows, there has been various calls for facilitating increased consumer awareness on environmental issues; with the intent of this knowledge serving to influence consumer decision making in a manner that is viewed as favorable for environmental sustainability. With the substantial growth of ecommerce, one of the decisions that consumers more frequently make is that of delivery service choice as they make online purchase transactions. Various aspects of delivery to consumer homes, also referred to as last mile delivery, offer the opportunity to reduce carbon footprint. These aspects include types of packaging, whether orders are consolidated or not when going to the same location, or the type of vehicle used to make the delivery. With a range of vehicles available from conventional fuel vehicles to advanced full-electric vehicles, company and consumer preference of delivery vehicle type can have effects on the environment. In this paper, the objective is to determine whether making knowledge about the environment available as consumers make delivery service vehicle decisions can influence the delivery vehicle preference of consumers. More specifically, with a focus on consumers that belong to Generation Z, an experiment is conducted to determine if getting information on tree degradation and air pollution influences delivery vehicle preferences. Additionally, the research investigates if a delivery fee being charged or not, and the type of item being ordered also influences delivery vehicle preference. Results indicate that knowledge of the environment does affect vehicle choice. Further, findings showed that the type of product had a significant effect on vehicle preference; and that the effect of delivery fee was marginally significant. These findings bear significant implications for retailers, marketers, and supply chain managers as they design supply chains and delivery systems with sustainability being a considered factor

Investigating the Effect of Knowledge of Environmental Implications on Generation Z Vehicle Choice in Last Mile Delivery Service

Consumer knowledge has a significant impact on consumer behavior and choice, where specific types of knowledge influences consumer shopping and purchasing decisions. As concerns about the environment and businesses operations’ effect on the environment grows, there has been various calls for facilitating increased consumer awareness on environmental issues; with the intent of this knowledge serving to influence consumer decision making in a manner that is viewed as favorable for environmental sustainability. With the substantial growth of ecommerce, one of the decisions that consumers more frequently make is that of delivery service choice as they make online purchase transactions. Various aspects of delivery to consumer homes, also referred to as last mile delivery, offer the opportunity to reduce carbon footprint. These aspects include types of packaging, whether orders are consolidated or not when going to the same location, or the type of vehicle used to make the delivery. With a range of vehicles available from conventional fuel vehicles to advanced full-electric vehicles, company and consumer preference of delivery vehicle type can have effects on the environment. In this paper, the objective is to determine whether making knowledge about the environment available as consumers make delivery service vehicle decisions can influence the delivery vehicle preference of consumers. More specifically, with a focus on consumers that belong to Generation Z, an experiment is conducted to determine if getting information on tree degradation and air pollution influences delivery vehicle preferences. Additionally, the research investigates if a delivery fee being charged or not, and the type of item being ordered also influences delivery vehicle preference. Results indicate that knowledge of the environment does affect vehicle choice. Further, findings showed that the type of product had a significant effect on vehicle preference; and that the effect of delivery fee was marginally significant. These findings bear significant implications for retailers, marketers, and supply chain managers as they design supply chains and delivery systems with sustainability being a considered factor

The Insanity of Kenya’s ‘Guilty but Insane’ Verdict

A person may be insane while committing an unlawful act, leading them to raise the defence of insanity in court. This defence argues that the person’s illness prevented them from having the criminal intent needed to satisfy the mens rea requirement for criminal responsibility. The successful establishment of this defence in Kenya leads to the court issuing a special verdict of ‘guilty but insane’ (GBI). This verdict sees that the defendant is incarcerated in a place of safe custody where they can be treated for the illness that contributed to their commission of the offence. While isolation and treatment of the defendant form the primary aims of the verdict, this paper demonstrates that they are barely achieved in Kenya. This is because the conditions crucial to the verdict’s implementation–medication and therapy, a place of custody and the presence of psychiatrists–are wanting in the country. After examining the institutional barriers to the realisation of the verdict’s objectives, the paper studies various responses to these challenges by Kenya and Ghana. It finds solutions that promote the realisation of the verdict’s aims such as the provision of educational opportunities in forensic psychiatry

Comparison on students’ motivation in learning music between China and Hong Kong / Debbie Mitchelle Robben

The purpose of this study was to explore whether there are comparisons between two countries, namely China and Hong Kong, on students and parents' perception towards learning music and the factors that affect students' motivation in learning music. Secondary data was used where articles, journals, books, and previous related researches became the source of information for this study. Findings suggest that students and parents' perception towards learning music between these two countries is more or less the same and the factors that affect students' motivation in learning music are generally the same and show not much of a difference

WASTE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES OF SCIENCE LABORATORIES AMONG HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN DAVAO CITY: BASIS FOR A CITY-WIDE WASTE MANAGEMENT ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM IN SCIENCE LABORATORIES

The primary aim of the study was to determine the waste management practices of science laboratories of Higher Education Institutions in Davao City. Mean was the statistical tool used to determine the level of waste management practices in the profile of wastes being generated by science laboratories of Higher Education Institutions in Davao City in terms of . Biodegradable wastes, non-biodegradable waste and of residual wastes. T-test was used to determine the significant difference in the level of waste management practices when analyzed by the type of school laboratory, the biology and chenistry laboratory. The instrument used in the study was patterned from the Rhode Island University- Assessment Questionnaire which was used in assessing the status of waste management practices in science laboratories in that State. The questionnaire was modified to include only the items relevant to the study, was validated and tested for its realibility. These were the mean ratings for each of the indicators of the level of waste management practices of science laboratories in HEI's: Science laboratories of HEIs in Davao City generate 63.8 kilograms of wastes per week, or the equivalent of 3.2 tons of wastes per annum, with biology laboratory contributing 32.8 kilograms per week or 1.71 tons per annum and chemistry laboratory contributing 31.0 kilograms per week or 1.61 tons per annum. On the type of wastes being generated, biodegradable wastes contribute 21.9 kilograms per week, non biodegradable wastes 22.8 kilograms per week and residual wastes 19.1kilograms per week. The overall mean rating for level of waste management practices in science laboratories of HEIs in Davao City was 3.15 or moderate. The mean rating by laboratory is 3.17 for biology laboratory and 3.12 for chemistry laboratory. On the indicators of waste management practices, the mean scores were 3.41 for handling of laboratory wastes at source; 3.36 for storage of laboratory wastes; 3.18 for collection of laboratory wastes and 2.64 for final disposal of laboratory wastes. Based on the mean rating of waste management practices when analyzed in terms of biology laboratory and chemistry laboratory showed that the overall computed t-value was 3.091 with the corresponding probability value of 0.002 at a = 0.05 level of significance. Therefore, the null hypothesis for sub-problem 3 was rejected

The Life of Daniel R. Thomas

Daniel R. Thomas was born in 1843 and died April 7,1916. Married Jeane M. E. Had four children, two died before adulthood. The two that lived were John M. and Jennie T. Danlel R. Thomas wad a coal manufacturer and an insurance agent.He was a. member of the Independent Presbyterian Church. He became an Alderman ln Savannah ln 1883 to 1889 and again from 1893 to 1901. Daniel R. Thomas was affiliated with the following organizations: Director of Savannah and Ogeechee Canal Company, Commissioner of Sinking Fund, member of the Savannah Christian Society, and a member of the Masonic Temple.https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/sav-bios-lane/1126/thumbnail.jp

Underwater Inductive Power Transfer with Wireless Charging Applications

Underwater wireless power transfer (UWPT) has become an area of great interest due to the advancement of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and electic boats. This paper seeks to investigate the variation of the coupling coefficient and power transfer in air versus in seawater. The design is based on a class E converter as it can achieve soft-switching inherently. I made the transmitter and receiver coils then measured self-inductance and parasitic resistance in air and in water. I noted that self-inductance increases when they are placed in water but the mutual inductance is lower. I then calculated the component values for the class E converter based on inductor values (140 μH and 105 μH) and simulated the circuit on LTspice. The power at the output was 74W which is lower than the required value. However, I noted that reducing the coils inductance values while maintaining the value of the other passive components increased the efficiency and power at the output upto four times (311W). The final value chosen for making the inductors was 115 μH and 75 μH as these values gave the maximum power at the output while achieving ZVS. I then designed the transmitter and receiver circuits on Altium and printed the PCBs. All the components were then soldered onto the board and the tests done

The advantages of algebra for learning proof

Calls to expand proof beyond geometry are usually based on the general benefits of proving for students, but this essay argues that proof should be extended to algebra because the representational systems in algebra are well suited for understanding the generality and deductive flow of proofs