“How can you write about a person who does not exist?”: rethinking pseudonymity and informed consent in life history research

This methodology paper recommends that, when possible, qualitative research on activism should be designed to enable each participant to choose between using a pseudonym and one’s actual name. The stance is informed by life history data collection encounters with women in post-conflict settings whose activism seeks to eliminate violence against women and girls (VAWG). The benefits of accommodating a mix of names make this a viable alternative to the prevalent practice of obscuring all participants’ identities with pseudonyms. Writing about participants in a way that does no harm to them depends on the care and attention with which the researcher ascribes or dissociates data to or from them, regardless of the name used. Process consent is desirable as participants’ consent is not fully informed prior to data collection. One aspect of informed consent worthy of attention is the need to explain the methods of data analysis and presentation of findings to life history participants. The above practices help ensure that negotiating informed consent with participants whilst acting towards the principle of doing no harm are tailored to the particular features of the life history method

Evaluating and Understanding the Reason for an Increase in Nonconformances in the Laboratory

This is a study of nonconformances experienced by a laboratory of a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in East Africa. There has been an increase in nonconformances from 216 nonconformances in 2017 to 229 in 2018 and by September 2019, 306 nonconformances were already logged. Increasing nonconformances result in delayed release of tested materials and many resources are wasted (e.g. chemicals, man hours and equipment). Analysts become frustrated, which may result in inexhaustive investigations. Understanding the reason for the increase in nonconformances will enable the facility to derive effective solutions to the identified causes, hence reducing the number of nonconformances and improving the productivity and morale of employees. This quantitative, nonexperimental, longitudinal survey study was intended to evaluate and understand the reason for increasing nonconformances. Trends of the nonconformances, previous investigations, procedure for investigation and the training given to analysts have been reviewed. Laboratory incidences were the most recurring nonconformances; and these were mainly caused by analyst errors. Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPAs) were derived by cross functional teams whenever root causes were identified. Procedure for investigation of nonconformances refers to investigative tools. Identification of root causes to nonconformances recently became mandatory. Analysts have limited advanced industrial training on investigation of nonconformances. Another study should be carried out to understand the cause of analyst errors. The study can be rolled out to other departments at the manufacturing facility to create similar improvements. Analysts should enroll into advanced courses of industrial pharmacy to gain advanced industrial skills which they can apply in investigations to find root causes to nonconformances

Women’s anti-violence activism relations in post-conflict Namibia and Northern Ireland

This thesis argues forms of relational agency can help anti-VAWG (Violence against Women and Girls) activists to challenge division and aspects of oppressive political cultures in post-conflict places and spaces. Focusing on Namibia and Northern Ireland, this research seeks to understand how anti-VAWG activists navigate through deep ethnic and ethnonational post-conflict division, to work together to bring about change. Life history interviews with twenty women activists, in 2015 and 2016, explore their activism biographies and relationships. Critical feminist analysis of these interviews reveals how solidarities formed between activists of different ages and ethnicities/ethnonationalities, can shape the development of different forms of relational agency. This thesis shows how solidarities can emerge from activists learning from each other’s situated knowledges and experiences and how benefits of this learning can be retained in activism groups and networks that have continuity. However, when solidarity is strained or not fully formed in relationships between activists, they have a repertoire of practices they carry out to help safeguard activism. These practices include avoidance of contentious topics and potentially problematic encounters, as well as focusing on the high-level goals of activism. Recognising activists’ concerns that addressing contentious VAWG issues, such as VAWG perpetrated by conflict actors, risks damaging relations in post-conflict contexts, helps us understand activism addressing conflict-related harms. Therefore, it is important to understand the complex legacies of conflict to be able to contextualise the relational dynamics in activism addressing these legacies. This thesis contributes to an expanded understanding of relational agency, including the features and practices of relational agency in activism and how relational agency is shaped by forms of solidarities

Isolation and structural elucidation of compounds from the non-alkaloidal extract of Nicandra physaloides and the antimicrobial activity of withanicandrin

The aerial parts of Nicandra physaloides plant collected from Kenyatta National Hospital grounds were dried and subjected to acid-base extraction and partitioned to obtain alkaloidal and non-alkaloidal extracts. The  non-alkaloidal extract yielded three compounds; withanicandrin, â-sitosterol and stigmasterol after column chromatography. Withanicandrin exhibited antifungal activity against Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans but lacked antibacterial activity.Key words: Nicandra physaloides, withanicandrin, β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, antifungal activity