AN EXAMINATION OF THE IMPACT OF THE TEACHER QUALIFICATIONS ON MATHEMATICS ACHIEVEMENT OF CLASS SIX PUPILS WITH DYSCALCULIA IN MBEERE SOUTH SUB COUNTY, KENYA

Previous studies have noted that 10 children in every class of 40 pupils do not acquire mathematical numeracy in the sub-county. Further, among these pupils, those in class six achieved between 15% -18% in Mathematics subject. In this regard, it is expected that for inclusive education; teacher competency is considered a key determinant for mathematics achievement among class six learners with dyscalculia in Mbeere South Sub-County, Embu County. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of teacher qualifications on the Mathematics achievement of class six pupils with dyscalculia. The study adopted a mixed method research adopting a descriptive survey design. The research was guided by the social developmental theory. The target population consisted of 378 pupils, 97 teachers from 14 primary schools, and 1 QASO officer, giving a total of 476. A simple random sampling technique was used to select a sample of 38 pupils, and 30 teachers, whereas purposive sampling was used to select the QASO officer. The main tools of data collection were: questionnaires and interviews. Piloting was done in one of the schools in the study area, which was omitted in the final study. Quantitative data realized from questionnaires were tallied, coded, and analyzed descriptively (means, frequencies, and percentages), with the aid of SPSS software, version 26. The study findings were presented in tables and diagrams. Qualitative data from the interview was edited, transcribed, coded, and analyzed thematically. Findings revealed that established the majority (60%) of class six mathematics teachers were well trained and therefore knowledgeable to teach pupils with dyscalculia. However, the majority (53.3%) of the teachers disagreed that they were not able to cope with pupils with dyscalculia while a further 53.3% disagreed that they have a negative perception of learners with dyscalculia. With 60% positive cases being greater than 54.4% negative cases, teacher qualifications, experiences, and abilities are considered to determine to a great extent mathematics achievement by class six pupils with dyscalculia. The study concluded that the teacher competencies determined to a great extent the mathematics achievement of class six pupils in Mbeere South sub-county. The study recommended that the school administrative body should ensure that there are enough teaching and learning resources to ensure a persuasive learning process in schools. This can be done with cognizance that government support may not always be adequate.  Article visualizations

Geographical distribution and molecular insights into abamectin and milbemectin cross-resistance in European field populations of Tetranychus urticae

BACKGROUND Milbemectin and abamectin are frequently used to control the spider mite Tetranychus urticae. The development of abamectin resistance in this major pest has become an increasing problem worldwide, potentially compromising the use of milbemectin. In this study, a large collection of European field populations was screened for milbemectin and abamectin resistance, and both target-site and metabolic (cross-)resistance mechanisms were investigated. RESULTS High to very high levels of abamectin resistance were found in one third of all populations, while milbemectin resistance levels were low for most populations. The occurrence of well-known target-site resistance mutations in glutamate-gated chloride channels (G314D in GluCl1 and G326E in GluCl3) was documented in the most resistant populations. However, a new mutation, I321T in GluCl3, was also uncovered in three resistant populations, while a V327G and L329F mutation was found in GluCl3 of one resistant population. A differential gene-expression analysis revealed the overexpression of detoxification genes, more specifically cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (P450) and UDP-glycosyltransferase (UGT) genes. Multiple UGTs were functionally expressed, and their capability to glycosylate abamectin and milbemectin, was tested and confirmed. CONCLUSIONS We found a clear correlation between abamectin and milbemectin resistance in European T. urticae populations, but as milbemectin resistance levels were low, the observed cross-resistance is probably not of operational importance. The presence of target-site resistance mutations in GluCl genes was confirmed in most but not all resistant populations. Gene-expression analysis and functional characterization of P450s and UGTs suggests that also metabolic abamectin resistance mechanisms are common in European T. urticae populations

Multiple evolutionary origins of Trypanosoma evansi in Kenya

Trypanosoma evansi is the parasite causing surra, a form of trypanosomiasis in camels and other livestock, and a serious economic burden in Kenya and many other parts of the world. Trypanosoma evansi transmission can be sustained mechanically by tabanid and Stomoxys biting flies, whereas the closely related African trypanosomes T. brucei brucei and T. b. rhodesiense require cyclical development in tsetse flies (genus Glossina) for transmission. In this study, we investigated the evolutionary origins of T. evansi. We used 15 polymorphic microsatellites to quantify levels and patterns of genetic diversity among 41 T. evansi isolates and 66 isolates of T. b. brucei (n = 51) and T. b. rhodesiense (n = 15), including many from Kenya, a region where T. evansi may have evolved from T. brucei. We found that T. evansi strains belong to at least two distinct T. brucei genetic units and contain genetic diversity that is similar to that in T. brucei strains. Results indicated that the 41 T. evansi isolates originated from multiple T. brucei strains from different genetic backgrounds, implying independent origins of T. evansi from T. brucei strains. This surprising finding further suggested that the acquisition of the ability of T. evansi to be transmitted mechanically, and thus the ability to escape the obligate link with the African tsetse fly vector, has occurred repeatedly. These findings, if confirmed, have epidemiological implications, as T. brucei strains from different genetic backgrounds can become either causative agents of a dangerous, cosmopolitan livestock disease or of a lethal human disease, like for T. b. rhodesiense

Collaboration - A policy analysis study. : A policy study of the Swedish National Board of Institutional Care agency's Leadership and Employeeship policy documents with focus on collaboration.

This policy analysis study focuses on the leadership and employeeship policy documents that are in use within The Swedish National Board for Institutional Care agency. In order to conduct this policy analysis, the What's the problem represented to be approach (referred to as the WPR approach) based on a poststructuralist perspective is applied. This policy analysis sets out to examine how collaboration is represented in the leadership and employeeship policy documents, to analyse the presuppositions that arise from the analysis and to explore the measures that can be implemented in order to address collaboration. It results in illustrating how collaboration is represented as a problem in the policy documents. It brings to the fore presuppositions that arise from this representation and also generates new ideas on alternative ways to present and implement collaboration. This concurs with this study's preset that collaboration is in need of elaboration and improvement within the agency's departments.

Energy Poverty and Its Implication on Standard of Living in Kirinyaga, Kenya

Energy poverty affects physical health, well-being, and ability to prosper. A large proportion of Kenyan population lack access to electricity because they are located far from the national grid where it is uneconomical to extend electricity. This paper assesses energy poverty situation in Kirinyaga and reviews its implication on standard of living. Kirinyaga is a rural county with the main economic activity being agriculture and a few agroprocessing factories. Most rural households in Kirinyaga rely on fuel wood to meet their basic energy requirements and lack access to electricity. Tea factories and educational institutions rely on fuel wood to minimize cost of electricity. Kirinyaga residents, therefore, experience energy poverty as indicated by low electricity access and reliance on traditional cooking fuels. Energy poverty in Kirinyaga has negative impact on indicators of standards of living, calorific intake, life expectancy, and literacy levels

A H258Y mutation in subunit B of the succinate dehydrogenase complex of the spider mite Tetranychus urticae confers resistance to cyenopyrafen and pyflubumide, but likely reinforces cyflumetofen binding and toxicity

Succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) inhibitors such as cyflumetofen, cyenopyrafen and pyflubumide, are selective acaricides that control plant-feeding spider mite pests. Resistance development to SDH inhibitors has been investigated in a limited number of populations of the spider mite Tetranychus urticae and is associated with cytochrome P450 based detoxification and target-site mutations such as I260 T/V in subunit B and S56L in subunit C of SDH. Here, we report the discovery of a H258Y substitution in subunit B of SDH in a highly pyflubumide resistant population of T. urticae. As this highly conserved residue corresponds to one of the ubiquinone binding residues in fungi and bacteria, we hypothesized that H258Y could have a strong impact on SDH inhibitors toxicity. Marker assisted introgression and toxicity bioassays revealed that H258Y caused high cross resistance between cyenopyrafen and pyflubumide, but increased cyflumetofen toxicity. Resistance associated with H258Y was determined as dominant for cyenopyrafen, but recessive for pyflubumide. In vitro SDH assays with extracted H258 mitochondria showed that cyenopyrafen and the active metabolites of pyflubumide and cyflumetofen, interacted strongly with complex II. However, a clear shift in IC50s was observed for cyenopyrafen and the metabolite of pyflubumide when Y258 mitochondria were investigated. In contrast, the mutation slightly increased affinity of the cyflumetofen metabolite, likely explaining its increased toxicity for the mite lines carrying the substitution. Homology modeling and ligand docking further revealed that, although the three acaricides share a common binding motif in the Q-site of SDH, H258Y eliminated an important hydrogen bond required for cyenopyrafen and pyflubumide binding. In addition, the hydrogen bond between cyenopyrafen and Y117 in subunit D was also lost upon mutation. In contrast, cyflumetofen affinity was enhanced due to an additional hydrogen bond to W215 and hydrophobic interactions with the introduced Y258 in subunit B. Altogether, our findings not only highlight the importance of the highly conserved histidine residue in the binding of SDH inhibitors, but also reveal that a resistance mutation can provide both positive and negative cross-resistance within the same acaricide mode of action group

The complex II resistance mutation H258Y in succinate dehydrogenase subunit B causes fitness penalties associated with mitochondrial respiratory deficiency

BACKGROUNDThe acaricides cyflumetofen, cyenopyrafen and pyflubumide inhibit the mitochondrial electron transport chain at complex II [succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) complex]. A target site mutation H258Y was recently discovered in a resistant strain of the spider mite pest Tetranychus urticae. H258Y causes strong cross-resistance between cyenopyrafen and pyflubumide, but not cyflumetofen. In fungal pests, fitness costs associated with substitutions at the corresponding H258 position that confer resistance to fungicidal SDH inhibitors have not been uncovered. Here, we used H258 and Y258 near-isogenic lines of T. urticae to quantify potential pleiotropic fitness effects on mite physiology. RESULTSThe H258Y mutation was not associated with consistent significant changes of single generation life history traits and fertility life table parameters. In contrast, proportional Sanger sequencing and droplet digital polymerase chain reaction showed that the frequency of the resistant Y258 allele decreased when replicated 50:50 Y258:H258 experimentally evolving populations were maintained in an acaricide-free environment for approximately 12 generations. Using in vitro assays with mitochondrial extracts from resistant (Y258) and susceptible (H258) lines, we identified a significantly reduced SDH activity (48% lower activity) and a slightly enhanced combined complex I and III activity (18% higher activity) in the Y258 lines. CONCLUSIONOur findings suggest that the H258Y mutation is associated with a high fitness cost in the spider mite T. urticae. Importantly, while it is the most common approach, it is clear that only comparing life history traits and life table fecundity does not allow to reliably estimate fitness costs of target site mutations in natural pest populations. & COPY; 2023 Society of Chemical Industry

High-resolution genetic mapping combined with transcriptome profiling reveals that both target-site resistance and increased detoxification confer resistance to the pyrethroid bifenthrin in the spider mite Tetranychus urticae

Pyrethroids are widely applied insecticides in agriculture, but their frequent use has provoked many cases of resistance, in which mutations in the voltage-gated sodium channel (VGSC), the pyrethroid target-site, were shown to play a major role. However, for the spider mite Tetranychus urticae, it has also been shown that increased detoxification contributes to resistance against the pyrethroid bifenthrin. Here, we performed QTL-mapping to identify the genomic loci underlying bifenthrin resistance in T. urticae. Two loci on chromosome 1 were identified, with the VGSC gene being located near the second QTL and harboring the well-known L1024V mutation. In addition, the presence of an L925M mutation in the VGSC of a highly bifenthrin-resistant strain and its loss in its derived, susceptible, inbred line indicated the importance of target-site mutations in bifenthrin resistance. Further, RNAseq experiments revealed that genes encoding detoxification enzymes, including carboxyl/choline esterases (CCEs), cytochrome P450 monooxygenases and UDP-glycosyl transferases (UGTs), were overexpressed in resistant strains. Toxicity bioassays with bifenthrin (ester pyrethroid) and etofenprox (non-ester pyrethroid) also indicated a possible role for CCEs in bifenthrin resistance. A selection of CCEs and UGTs were therefore functionally expressed, and CCEinc18 was shown to metabolize bifenthrin, while teturUGT10 could glycosylate bifenthrin-alcohol. To conclude, our findings suggest that both target-site and metabolic mechanisms underlie bifenthrin resistance in T. urticae, and these might synergize high levels of resistance

Intradiol ring cleavage dioxygenases from herbivorous spider mites as a new detoxification enzyme family in animals

Background Generalist herbivores such as the two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae thrive on a wide variety of plants and can rapidly adapt to novel hosts. What traits enable polyphagous herbivores to cope with the diversity of secondary metabolites in their variable plant diet is unclear. Genome sequencing of T. urticae revealed the presence of 17 genes that code for secreted proteins with strong homology to "intradiol ring cleavage dioxygenases (DOGs)" from bacteria and fungi, and phylogenetic analyses show that they have been acquired by horizontal gene transfer from fungi. In bacteria and fungi, DOGs have been well characterized and cleave aromatic rings in catecholic compounds between adjacent hydroxyl groups. Such compounds are found in high amounts in solanaceous plants like tomato, where they protect against herbivory. To better understand the role of this gene family in spider mites, we used a multi-disciplinary approach to functionally characterize the various T. urticae DOG genes. Results We confirmed that DOG genes were present in the T. urticae genome and performed a phylogenetic reconstruction using transcriptomic and genomic data to advance our understanding of the evolutionary history of spider mite DOG genes. We found that DOG expression differed between mites from different plant hosts and was induced in response to jasmonic acid defense signaling. In consonance with a presumed role in detoxification, expression was localized in the mite's gut region. Silencing selected DOGs expression by dsRNA injection reduced the mites' survival rate on tomato, further supporting a role in mitigating the plant defense response. Recombinant purified DOGs displayed a broad substrate promiscuity, cleaving a surprisingly wide array of aromatic plant metabolites, greatly exceeding the metabolic capacity of previously characterized microbial DOGs. Conclusion Our findings suggest that the laterally acquired spider mite DOGs function as detoxification enzymes in the gut, disarming plant metabolites before they reach toxic levels. We provide experimental evidence to support the hypothesis that this proliferated gene family in T. urticae is causally linked to its ability to feed on an extremely wide range of host plants

Neonatal mortality in Kenyan hospitals: a multisite, retrospective, cohort study

Background Most of the deaths among neonates in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) can be prevented through universal access to basic high-quality health services including essential facility-based inpatient care. However, poor routine data undermines data-informed efforts to monitor and promote improvements in the quality of newborn care across hospitals.Methods Continuously collected routine patients’ data from structured paper record forms for all admissions to newborn units (NBUs) from 16 purposively selected Kenyan public hospitals that are part of a clinical information network were analysed together with data from all paediatric admissions ages 0–13 years from 14 of these hospitals. Data are used to show the proportion of all admissions and deaths in the neonatal age group and examine morbidity and mortality patterns, stratified by birth weight, and their variation across hospitals.Findings During the 354 hospital months study period, 90 222 patients were admitted to the 14 hospitals contributing NBU and general paediatric ward data. 46% of all the admissions were neonates (aged 0–28 days), but they accounted for 66% of the deaths in the age group 0–13 years. 41 657 inborn neonates were admitted in the NBUs across the 16 hospitals during the study period. 4266/41 657 died giving a crude mortality rate of 10.2% (95% CI 9.97% to 10.55%), with 60% of these deaths occurring on the first-day of admission. Intrapartum-related complications was the single most common diagnosis among the neonates with birth weight of 2000 g or more who died. A threefold variation in mortality across hospitals was observed for birth weight categories 1000–1499 g and 1500–1999 g.Interpretation The high proportion of neonatal deaths in hospitals may reflect changing patterns of childhood mortality. Majority of newborns died of preventable causes (>95%). Despite availability of high-impact low-cost interventions, hospitals have high and very variable mortality proportions after stratification by birth weight