Factors Influencing the Evolution of Academic Dress at Kenyatta University, Kenya

Kenyatta University was established in 1985, as Kenya’s third university. It is based in Kahawa, which is a suburb of Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya. It is a modern institution, with well-equipped laboratories and other teaching facilities, state-of-the-art digital communications, including a fibre-optic cable network linking administrative and staff offices, and well-qualified teaching and administration staff. The declared aim of the management team is recognition as a ‘world class university’. However, in spite of the effort to achieve a modern image in teaching and research, the university has embraced the centuries-old tradition of wearing academic dress on certain occasions. [Excerpt]

A Check-list and identification key for succulent plants in general cultivation in Nairobi

Volume: 8

Digital Knowledge of Kenyan Succulent Flora and Priorities for Future Inventory and Documentation

Biodiversity inventory in Kenya has been ongoing for about a century and a half, coinciding with the arrival of naturalists from Europe, America, and elsewhere outside Africa. Since the first collections in the mid-to-late 1800s, there has been a steady increase of plant surveys, frequency of inventory, and discovery of new species that have considerably increased knowledge of faunal and floristic elements. However, as in all other countries, such historical biological collection activities are more often than not, ad hoc, resulting in gaps in knowledge of species and their habitats. While Kenya is relatively rich botanically, with a succulent flora of about 428 taxa, it is apparent that the list is understated owing to, among other factors, difficulty of preparing herbarium material and restricted access to some sites. This study investigated completeness of geographic knowledge of succulent plants in Kenya, with the aim of establishing species distribution patterns and identifying gaps that will guide and justify priority setting for future work on the group. Species data were filtered from the general BRAHMS database at the East African Herbarium and cleaned via an iterative series of inspections and visualizations designed to detect and document inconsistencies in taxonomic concepts, geographic coordinates, and dates of collection. Eight grid squares fulfilled criteria for completeness of inventory: one in the city of Mombasa, one in the Kulal–Nyiro complex, one in Garissa, one in Baringo, and four grid squares in the Nairobi–Nakuru–Laikipia area. Poorly-known areas, mostly in the west, north, and north-eastern regions of the country, were extremely isolated from well-known sites, both geographically and environmentally. These localities should be prioritised for future inventory as they are likely to yield species new to science, species new to the national flora, and/or contribute new knowledge on habitats. To avoid inconsistencies and data leakage, biodiversity inventory and documentation needs streamlining to generate standardised metadata that should be digitised to enhance access and synthesis

Paying attention to what's important : using focus of attention to improve unsupervised learning

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Media Arts & Sciences, 1994.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 145-150).by Leonard Newton Foner.M.S

Political artifacts and personal privacy : the Yenta multi-agent distributed matchmaking system

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 1999.Includes bibliographical references (p. 119-128).Technology does not exist in a social vacuum. The design and patterns of use of any particular technological artifact have implications both for the direct users of the technology, and for society at large. Decisions made by technology designers and implementors thus have political implications that are often ignored. If these implications are not made a part of the design process, the resulting effects on society can be quite undesirable. The research advanced here therefore begins with a political decision: It is almost always a greater social good to protect personal information against unauthorized disclosure than it is to allow such disclosure. This decision is expressly in conflict with those of many businesses and government entities. Starting from this premise, a multi-agent architecture was designed that uses both strong cryptography and decentralization to enable a broad class of Internet-based software applications to handle personal information in a way that is highly resistant to disclosure. Further, the design is robust in ways that can enable users to trust it more easily: They can trust it to keep private information private, and they can trust that no single entity can take the system away from them. Thus, by starting with the explicit political goal of encouraging well-placed user trust, the research described here not only makes its social choices clear, it also demonstrates certain technical advantages over more traditional approaches. We discuss the political and technical background of this research, and explain what sorts of applications are enabled by the multi-agent architecture proposed. We then describe a representative example of this architecture--the Yenta matchmaking system. Yenta uses the coordinated interaction of large numbers of agents to form coalitions of users across the Internet who share common interests, and then enables both one-to-one and group conversations among them. It does so with a high degree of privacy, security, and robustness, without requiring its users to place unwarranted trust in any single point in the system.by Leonard Newton Foner.Ph.D

Ethnobotanical Uses of Sansevieria Thunb (Asparagaceae) in Coast Province of Kenya

Sansevieria Thunb. is a genus with diverse ethnobotanical uses in its geographical range. The current study reports on findings from an ethnobotanical study carried out on the genus Sansevieria in Coast Province of Kenya. Collating of ethnobotanical uses of Sansevieria from existing literature has been complicated by the fact that the ethnobotany of the genus is poorly documented with most species misidentified due to the nomenclatural confusion and the unresolved taxonomy of the genus Sansevieria. The aim of the current study was to correctly identify various Sansevieria species from their natural habitats and type localities where possible, to observe the plants in situ, and to document ethnobotanical uses of different Sansevieria species that occur in Coast Province of Kenya. Indigenous knowledge on the use of the plants by the local communities was captured by interviewing people residing in the study area. Purposive sampling and snow ball sampling were employed in the selection of informants. Direct observation, open ended, informal, and semi structured interviews covering questions on local names of species, plant uses, mode of administration, and the specific plant parts used were carried out with thirty respondents. Responses were documented for ethnobotanical uses of 9 Sansevieria species: S. conspicua N.E.Br., S. dumetescens L.E. Newton, S. fischeri (Baker) Marais, S. kirkii Baker, S. nitida Chahin., S. perrotii Warb., S. powellii N.E.Br., S. raffillii N.E.Br., and S. volkensii Gürke. A total of four broad use categories were identified from the study: medicinal use, horticultural use, food additives, and materials. Materials category was the most prevalent category with 49% of the total responses, followed by Medicinal category that accounted for 27%, the Horticultural use category that accounted for 21%, and the Food additives category that accounted for 3% of the total responses. The current study contributes to documentation of the ethnobotany of genus Sansevieria species in Coast Province of Kenya and provides a basis for a broader inquiry on the ethnobotany of genus Sansevieria based on wider sampling.

Feasibility of using smartphones by village health workers for pregnancy registration and effectiveness of mobile phone text messages on reduction of homebirths in rural Uganda

INTRODUCTION: Homebirths are common in low and middle income countries and are associated with poor child survival. We assessed the feasibility of using smartphones by village health workers for pregnancy registration and the effectiveness of health text messages (SMS) sent to pregnant women through village health workers in reducing homebirths in rural Uganda. METHODS: A non-randomised intervention study was undertaken in 26 villages. In the intervention arm, village health workers registered pregnant women (n = 262) in 13 villages using a smartphone app (doForm) and paper forms and gestation age-timed SMS were sent through village health workers to the pregnant women. In 13 control villages, (n = 263) pregnant women were registered on paper forms only and no SMS was sent. The main outcome was place of birth measured through a self-report. Logistic regression with generalised estimating equations was used to explore the effect of the intervention. RESULTS: Comparing 795 corresponding data fields on phone and paper revealed that numeric variable fields were 86%-95% similar while text fields were 38%-48% similar. Of the 525 pregnant women followed, 83 (15.8%) delivered at home. In the adjusted analysis, the intervention was associated with lower odds of homebirths [AOR = 0.38, 95%CI (0.15-0.97)]. Muslim religion [AOR = 4.0, 95%CI (1.72-9.34)], primary or no maternal education [AOR = 2.51, 95%CI (1.00-6.35)] and health facility distance ≥ 2 km [AOR = 2.26, 95%CI (0.95-5.40)] were independently associated with homebirths. CONCLUSION: Village health workers can register pregnant women at home using phones and relay gestation age specific SMS to them to effectively reduce homebirths

The uses of Kenyan aloes: an analysis of implications for names, distribution and conservation

Background The genus Aloe is renowned for its medicinal and cosmetic properties and long history of use. Sixty-three Aloe species occur in Kenya, of which around 50 % are endemic. Several species of aloes are threatened with extinction and knowledge about their use is of major importance for sound conservation strategies. The main aims of this study were to assess the biocultural value of Aloe in Kenya by documenting local uses of aloes and evaluating how the vernacular names reflect the relative importance in different ethnic groups. Methods Ethnobotanical and ethnotaxonomical data were collected using field observations and semi-structured interviews. Information was collected by interviewing 63 respondents from nine different ethnic groups, representing different ages, gender and occupations. Statistical analyses were performed using R version 3.1.2. Results A total of 19 species of Aloe were found in the study area, of which 16 were used. On the generic level Aloe was easily distinguished. At species level, the local and scientific delimitation were almost identical for frequently used taxa. Aloe secundiflora, with 57 unique use records was the most important species. The two most frequently mentioned Aloe treatments, were malaria and poultry diseases. In our study area neither age nor gender had a significant influence on the level of knowledge of Aloe use. Finally, no correlation was found between extent of use and people’s perception of decrease in local aloe populations. The aloes are highly appreciated and are therefore propagated and transported over large areas when people relocate. Conclusion Biocultural value is reflected in the ethnotaxonomy of Aloe in Kenya. Different ethnic groups recognise their most-valued Aloe at the genus level as “the aloe” and add explanatory names for the other species, such as the “spotted aloe” and the “one-legged aloe”. Widespread species of Aloe have the highest number of uses. There is no obvious correlation with high use and decrease in abundance of aloes locally, and we found no compelling evidence for local uses causing devastating damage to populations of the 19 species in use, whereas habitat loss and commercial harvesting appear to be of urgent concern for these important plants

Note and Comment

Provability in Bankruptcy of Claims Arising out of Alimony Decrees or Separation Agreements Between Husband and Wife; The Scope and Function of the Federal Employer\u27s Liability Act; Control by the Judiciary Over the Chief Executive of a State; What Constitutes an Appearance in an Action for Divorce; The Question of the Validity of a Stipulation for Attorney\u27s Fees Under the Negotiable Instruments La