A Preliminary Yield Model for Natural Yushania Alpina Bamboo in Kenya

Natural bamboo resources in Kenya are about 150,000 ha and they are mainly found on the mountain slopes in the high potential areas in Mt Kenya, Aberdares ranges, Mau escarpment, Cherangani hills and Mt Elgon at high elevations between 2300 and 3200 meters above sea level.  There is only one indigenous bamboo species, Yushania alpina (formerly Arundinaria alpina). It grows in single culms grouped into clumps. The main use of Y. alpina bamboo in Kenya is construction and fencing. There is high demand for bamboo for use in horticulture farming, handcraft, residential fencing, and cottage industry for making furniture, baskets, tooth picks and match sticks. Some companies have expressed interest in using large amounts of bamboo for bio-energy, panels, particle boards and pulp. However, bamboo raw material is not available for use because of a Presidential ban imposed on harvesting bamboo resources in all Government and Trust lands. But even if the ban was lifted, harvesting of bamboo in the natural forests cannot be prudent because there is very little information on the quantity, quality and geographical distribution of the available amount. Many entrepreneurs have continued to request the Government through Kenya Forest Service (KFS) to be allowed to extract natural bamboo for various uses. On the other front Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) has vigorously continued to promote growing and intensive use of bamboo. These two noble ideas cannot be realized in the absence of the bamboo resource data. The objective of this study was to develop a yield model that can be used to estimate total bamboo culms biomass in a given area and the proportion that can be harvested on a sustainable basis. This study used bamboo data from 25 rectangular temporary sample plots of 10 m x 20 m in natural stands of Y. alpina and trees at Kieni, Kamae and Kinale in Kiambu County to estimate density and model the dependence of culms merchantable green weight and oven dry weight on diameter at breast height. The culms mean stoking density was 21000 culms ha-1. The coefficient of determination (R2) for green weight model is 0.82 and the root mean square error (RMSE) is 1.45 kg. The model calculates mean weight of old Y. alpina culm as 9.6 kg. Keywords: Bamboo, stocking, yield, weight, culms, green weight mode

Availability and Adequacy of Physical Infrastructure as Determinants of Parental Choice of Primary Schools in Embakasi Sub-County, Nairobi City County, Kenya

The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of physical facilities on parental choice of primary schools in Embakasi Sub-county, Nairobi City County, Kenya. Specifically, the study sought to determine the extent to which the adequacy and condition of physical facilities influenced parents’ choice of primary schools. The study also sought to compare the adequacy and condition of physical facilities in public and private schools in Embakasi Sub-county. Using a descriptive survey design, the study targeted 20 public schools with 30,201 parents and 97 private schools with 30,257 parents.  To pick the study sample, the population was stratified into two subgroups of public and private schools. Each of the subgroups was further subdivided into subgroups of school heads and parents from which 95 school heads and 600 parents were picked.  Systematic sampling was used to pick the respondents. Primary data were collected using questionnaires. Collected data was analyzed qualitatively based on themes and quantitatively using frequencies and percentages. The study findings revealed that majority (68.7%) of the parents were influenced by availability of permanent buildings. Well-stocked libraries ranked second at 54.4 percent while good furniture ranked third at 39.5 percent. The study recommends that the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) in partnership with other stakeholders ensures that schools have adequate facilities to meet parents’ expectations. There is also need for regular assessment of both public and private schools by MoEST to ensure that they operate above a given minimum standard of physical facilities. Keywords: Physical facilities, Parental choice, availability, adequacy (247 words

Impact of Land Use on Water Quality in River Njoro Watershed, Kenya

Water resources within the River Njoro watershed have become degraded due to high population growth rate and change in land use upsetting environmental stability. Land cover classification using Landsat images (Baldyga et al., 2004) shows loss of about 20% of forested areas between 1986 and 2003 in the watershed. The forested and large-scale farm areas have been converted mainly into small-scale mixed agriculture and human settlements. These changes have impacted negatively on the ecological integrity and hydrologic processes in the watershed (Shivoga, 2001) but little is known about the influence of specific land uses on water quality of the river

Needs assessment to strengthen capacity in water and sanitation research in Africa:experiences of the African SNOWS consortium

Despite its contribution to global disease burden, diarrhoeal disease is still a relatively neglected area for research funding, especially in low-income country settings. The SNOWS consortium (Scientists Networked for Outcomes from Water and Sanitation) is funded by the Wellcome Trust under an initiative to build the necessary research skills in Africa. This paper focuses on the research training needs of the consortium as identified during the first three years of the project

Evaluation of the health-related quality of life of children in Schistosoma haematobium-endemic communities in Kenya: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Schistosomiasis remains a global public health challenge, with 93% of the ~237 million infections occurring in sub-Saharan Africa. Though rarely fatal, its recurring nature makes it a lifetime disorder with significant chronic health burdens. Much of its negative health impact is due to non-specific conditions such as anemia, undernutrition, pain, exercise intolerance, poor school performance, and decreased work capacity. This makes it difficult to estimate the disease burden specific to schistosomiasis using the standard DALY metric. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In our study, we used Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL), a modular instrument available for ages 2-18 years, to assess health-related quality of life (HrQoL) among children living in a Schistosoma haematobium-endemic area in coastal Kenya. The PedsQL questionnaires were administered by interview to children aged 5-18 years (and their parents) in five villages spread across three districts. HrQoL (total score) was significantly lower in villages with high prevalence of S. haematobium (-4.0%, p<0.001) and among the lower socioeconomic quartiles (-2.0%, p<0.05). A greater effect was seen in the psychosocial scales as compared to the physical function scale. In moderate prevalence villages, detection of any parasite eggs in the urine was associated with a significant 2.1% (p<0.05) reduction in total score. The PedsQL reliabilities were generally high (Cronbach alphas ≥0.70), floor effects were acceptable, and identification of children from low socioeconomic standing was valid. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We conclude that exposure to urogenital schistosomiasis is associated with a 2-4% reduction in HrQoL. Further research is warranted to determine the reproducibility and responsiveness properties of QoL testing in relation to schistosomiasis. We anticipate that a case definition based on more sensitive parasitological diagnosis among younger children will better define the immediate and long-term HrQoL impact of Schistosoma infection

An Outbreak of Rift Valley Fever in Northeastern Kenya, 1997-98

In December 1997, 170 hemorrhagic fever-associated deaths were reported in Carissa District, Kenya. Laboratory testing identified evidence of acute Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV). Of the 171 persons enrolled in a cross-sectional study, 31(18%) were anti-RVFV immunoglobulin (Ig) M positive. An age-adjusted IgM antibody prevalence of 14% was estimated for the district. We estimate approximately 27,500 infections occurred in Garissa District, making this the largest recorded outbreak of RVFV in East Africa. In multivariate analysis, contact with sheep body fluids and sheltering livestock in one’s home were significantly associated with infection. Direct contact with animals, particularly contact with sheep body fluids, was the most important modifiable risk factor for RVFV infection. Public education during epizootics may reduce human illness and deaths associated with future outbreaks

Strategic maintenance technique selection using combined quality function deployment, the analytic hierarchy process and the benefit of doubt approach

The business performance of manufacturing organizations depends on the reliability and productivity of equipment, machineries and entire manufacturing system. Therefore, the main role of maintenance and production managers is to keep manufacturing system always up by adopting most appropriate maintenance methods. There are alternative maintenance techniques for each machine, the selection of which depend on multiple factors. The contemporary approaches to maintenance technique selection emphasize on operational needs and economic factors only. As the reliability of production systems is the strategic intent of manufacturing organizations, maintenance technique selection must consider strategic factors of the concerned organization along with operational and economic criteria. The main aim of this research is to develop a method for selecting the most appropriate maintenance technique for manufacturing industry with the consideration of strategic, planning and operational criteria through involvement of relevant stakeholders. The proposed method combines quality function deployment (QFD), the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and the benefit of doubt (BoD) approach. QFD links strategic intents of the organizations with the planning and operational needs, the AHP helps in prioritizing the criteria for selection and ranking the alternative maintenance techniques, and the BoD approach facilitates analysing robustness of the method through sensitivity analysis through setting the realistic limits for decision making. The proposed method has been applied to maintenance technique selection problems of three productive systems of a gear manufacturing organization in India to demonstrate its effectiveness

Utility of Repeated Praziquantel Dosing in the Treatment of Schistosomiasis in High-Risk Communities in Africa: A Systematic Review

Infection by Schistosoma worms causes serious disease among people who live in areas of Africa, South America, and Asia where these parasites are regularly transmitted. Although yearly treatment with the drug praziquantel is fairly effective in reducing or eliminating active infection, it does not cure everyone, and reinfection remains a continuing problem in high-risk communities. Studies have suggested that a repeat dose of praziquantel, given 2 to 8 weeks after the first dose, can improve cure rates and reduce remaining intensity of infections in population-based programs. Our systematic review of published research found that, on average, in Africa, such repeated dosing appears to offer particular advantages in the treatment of S. mansoni, the cause of intestinal schistosomiasis, but there was less consistent improvement after double-dosing for S. haematobium, the cause of urogenital schistosomiasis. Based on this evidence, we used a calibrated life-path model to predict the costs and benefits of a single-dose vs. a double-dose strategy in a typical high-risk community. Our projections suggest cost-effective incremental benefits from double dosing in terms of i) limiting a person's total years spent infected and ii) limiting the number of years they spend with heavy infection, with consequent improvements in quality of life