ANALYSIS OF KNOWLEDGE AND COMPETENCE ON ADOPTION OF CASHLESS PAYMENT SYSTEM AMONG PASSENGER SERVICE VEHICLES IN NAIROBI CITY COUNTY, KENYA

This study sought to analyze the influence of knowledge and competence on the adoption of cashless payment systems in Nairobi. If this innovation is not adopted, then there is hindrance to entrepreneurial growth and development. The research used survey research design and the target population was 197 registered Passenger Service Vehicle SACCOS in Nairobi, Kenya. The sample was 99 respondents selected through systematic random sampling by picking every 2nd manager. The questionnaire was self designed and was used to seek information from the SACCO managers. The SPSS program version 21 was used to aid in organizing and summarizing the data by the use of descriptive statistics. Regression analysis and correlation were used and there was a positive correlation but the relationship was weak. Given that the pvalue was 0.358, a conclusion can be made that knowledge and competence of managers is was not significant in adoption of the cashless payment system, hence we don’t reject the null hypothesis. The study recommends that: passengers and the public be educated on benefits of technology adoption, the cashless system to make use of one smart card that can be used across all transport modes and the network system to be improved. Keywords: Adoption, Cashless Payment Systems, Education Level, Experience, Matatu SACCOs, Keny

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE RETURNS OF QUOTED SIN AND NON SIN STOCKS AT THE NAIROBI SECURITIES EXCHANGE

Sin stocks are of increased interest since more and more investors and fund managers avoid them whileintegrating social screening with their investment decisions. As a reflection of social norms, sociallyresponsible investing has become a niche of its own in determining investors’ portfolio decisions in the pastdecade. The study adopted an explanatory research design with the population consisting of all firms listen inthe NSE. The sample of the study involved the 20 firm that make up the NSE index. Secondary data usedsecondary data sources in gathering data for analysis which was done using the Statistical Package forSocial Sciences (SPSS version 20) to generate the descriptive statistics and also to generate inferentialresults. T-Tests used to check whether the mean returns of Sin stock differ from the mean returns of non sinstocks. Regression analysis done showed that the type of firm that is either sinstock or non sinstock have apositive and significant relationship with return. T-test statistics indicate that capital gains for sinstocks werehigher than that of non sinstocks. Dividends of nonsinstocks, were slightly lower than that of sinstocks. Fromthe given results, it is evident to conclude that sinstocks have a higher capital gain, return and dividends thanin nonsinstocks

Understanding mountain soils : a contribution from mountain areas to the International Year of Soils 2015

Smallholder farmers in the Taita hills and Mount Kilimanjaro recognize the need to conserve soil nutrients of fields and farms located in the upper, middle and lower zones of mountainous areas. These mountain communities depend on rain-fed subsistence agriculture which means that for sustainable subsistence crop production, they also depend on nutrient availability and use efficiency in farming households. A study under way in the area has looked at loss of land cover and infestations of plant pests and diseases and is using this information to raise farmers’ awareness of soil fertility and to introduce best cropping practices

Antimicrobial resistance and plasmid profiles of Aeromonas hydrophila isolated from River Njoro, Kenya

The purpose of this study was to investigate the presence of Aeromonas hydrophila at commonly used water collection points on the River Njoro and to determine the in-vitro antimicrobial susceptibility and plasmid profiles of isolates. In total, 126 samples were collected and 36.5% of them were positive for A. hydrophila. The A. hydrophila were recovered on membrane filters, cultured on Trypticase Soy agar, Bile aesculin agar and Aeromonas Medium agar. They were further characterized using cytochrome oxidase and API 20E tests. Detection of drug susceptibility was determined using modified disc diffusion method to ampicillin (25 ìg), cefaclor (30 ìg), ceftizoxime (30 ìg), cefixime (5 ìg), cefazidime (30 ìg), gentamicin (200 ìg), streptomycin (25 ìg), chloramphenicol (50 ìg), nalidixic acid (30 ìg) and ciprofloxacin (1 ìg). Most of the isolates showed multi-drug resistance to two or more antibiotics. Chloramphenicol, nalidixic acid, ciprofloxacin, cefazidime and cefixime were the most sensitive drugs with 100% efficacy whereas ampicillin, cefaclor and streptomycin were the most resistant drugs having 100, 67 and 50 resistance, respectively. There was low resistance against ceftizoxime (16.7%) and gentamicin (23.3%). These results indicates that all A. hydrophila isolated from River Njoro had complete resistance to ampicillin and showed variable resistance to cefaclor, streptomycin, gentamycin and ceftizoxime. R-plasmids were extracted from multi-drug resistance strains and separated by agarose gel (0.8%) electrophoresis for profiling. Plasmid profiling revealed that most of the multi-drug resistant isolates contained one plasmid of 21.0 kb. Although some strains exhibited different antimicrobial resistance patterns, all of their plasmids were of the same size (21.0 kb). However, there were no plasmids in the antimicrobial sensitive isolates. This study also indicates that plasmid 21.0 kb is common in A. hydrophila and is important for antimicrobial resistance and virulence. Further studies are required to ascertain the role of this plasmid as a virulence marker.Key words: Aeromonas hydrophila, antimicrobial resistance, plasmid profile

Evidence of high-risk sexual behaviors among injection drug users in the Kenya PLACE study

Injection drug users (IDUs) in resource poor settings are at high risk for HIV transmission through unsafe needle-sharing and sexual practices. We report on the injecting and sexual behavior of a sample of IDUs from Malindi, Kenya

ILRI In-House reconstituted SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR testing kit as an alternative to the commercial kits

Due to worldwide shortage and the increasing cost of COVID-19 testing kits, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) scientists have developed in-house reconstituted testing reagents based on the known primer sequences and their targets on the SARS-COV-2 genome. The ILRI In-House reconstituted kit reduces the cost of COVID-19 RT-qPCR testing by at least 50% compared to the cheapest commercial kits available. Our ILRI In-House reconstituted kit is a three-target multiplex formation consisting of IDT synthesized primer and probes targeting two SARS-COV-2 genes (ORF1ab and N) and an internal control targeting the human RNAse P gene. The reconstituted kit uses an RT-qPCR Mastermix with low Rox for RT-PCR amplification. We have thoroughly conducted validation tests on the ILRI In-House reconstituted kit by comparing results of the same/matching samples generated by approved commercial kits for SARS-COV-2 testing. The commercial kits used for validation experiments include DA0990-Detection Kit (Da An Gene) and TaqPath™ COVID-19 CE-IVD RT-PCR Kit (Applied Biosystems) to which we have obtained 98.96% concordance. Detailed documentation of our validation results is available

A Venue-Based Approach to Reaching MSM, IDUs and the General Population with VCT: A Three Study Site in Kenya

A venue-based HIV prevention study which included Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) was conducted in three diverse areas of Kenya— Malindi, Nanyuki and Rachounyo. Aims of the study were to: 1) assess the acceptability of VCT for the general population, men who have sex with men (MSM), and injecting drug users (IDUs) within the context of a venue-based approach; 2) determine if there were differences between those agreeing and not agreeing to testing; and 3) study factors associated with being HIV positive. Approximately 98% of IDUs and 97% of MSM agreed to VCT, providing evidence that populations with little access to services and whose behaviors are stigmatized and often considered illegal in their countries can be reached with needed HIV prevention services. Acceptability of VCT in the general population ranged from 60% in Malindi to 48% in Nanyuki. There were a few significant differences between those accepting and declining testing. Notably in Rachuonyo and Malindi those reporting multiple partners were more likely to accept testing. There was also evidence that riskier sexual behavior was associated with being HIV positive for both men in Rachounyo and women in Malindi. Overall HIV prevalence was higher among the individuals in this study compared to individuals sampled in the 2008–2009 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, indicating the method is an appropriate means to reach the highest risk individuals including stigmatized populations

Antimicrobial resistance and plasmid profiles of Aeromonas hydrophila isolated from River Njoro, Kenya

The purpose of this study was to investigate the presence of Aeromonas hydrophila at commonly used water collection points on the River Njoro and to determine the in-vitro antimicrobial susceptibility and plasmid profiles of isolates. In total, 126 samples were collected and 36.5% of them were positive for A. hydrophila. The A. hydrophila were recovered on membrane filters, cultured on Trypticase Soy agar, Bile aesculin agar and Aeromonas Medium agar. They were further characterized using cytochrome oxidase and API 20E tests. Detection of drug susceptibility was determined using modified disc diffusion method to ampicillin (25 μg), cefaclor (30 μg), ceftizoxime (30 μg), cefixime (5 μg), cefazidime (30 μg), gentamicin (200 μg), streptomycin (25 μg), chloramphenicol (50 μg), nalidixic acid (30 μg) and ciprofloxacin (1 μg). Most of the isolates showed multi-drug resistance to two or more antibiotics. Chloramphenicol, nalidixic acid, ciprofloxacin, cefazidime and cefixime were the most sensitive drugs with 100% efficacy whereas ampicillin, cefaclor and streptomycin were the most resistant drugs having 100, 67 and 50 resistance, respectively. There was low resistance against ceftizoxime (16.7%) and gentamicin (23.3%). These results indicates that all A. hydrophila isolated from River Njoro had complete resistance to ampicillin and showed variable resistance to cefaclor, streptomycin, gentamycin and ceftizoxime. R-plasmids were extracted from multi-drug resistance strains and separated by agarose gel (0.8%) electrophoresis for profiling. Plasmid profiling revealed that most of the multi-drug resistant isolates contained one plasmid of 21.0 kb. Although some strains exhibited different antimicrobial resistance patterns, all of their plasmids were of the same size (21.0 kb). However, there were no plasmids in the antimicrobial sensitive isolates. This study also indicates that plasmid 21.0 kb is common in A. hydrophila and is important for antimicrobial resistance and virulence. Further studies are required to ascertain the role of this plasmid as a virulence marker

Digital Signal Processing Research Program

Contains table of contents for Section 2, an introduction and reports on seventeen research projects.U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-91-J-1628Vertical Arrays for the Heard Island Experiment Award No. SC 48548Charles S. Draper Laboratories, Inc. Contract DL-H-418472Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency/U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-89-J-1489Rockwell Corporation Doctoral FellowshipMIT - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint ProgramDefense Advanced Research Projects Agency/U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-90-J-1109Lockheed Sanders, Inc./U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Contract N00014-91-C-0125U.S. Air Force - Office of Scientific Research Grant AFOSR-91-0034AT&T Laboratories Doctoral ProgramU.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-91-J-1628General Electric Foundation Graduate Fellowship in Electrical EngineeringNational Science Foundation Grant MIP 87-14969National Science Foundation Graduate FellowshipCanada Natural Sciences and Engineering Research CouncilLockheed Sanders, Inc