Effect of eliminating open defecation on diarrhoeal morbidity: an ecological study of Namable sub-county, Kenya

Kenya launched a program to eradicate open defecation (OD) in rural areas by 2013 using the community led total sanitation (CLTS) methodology. By 2014, only two out of 265 sub-Counties had been declared open defecation free (ODF). Nambale sub-County was the first to be declared ODF in 2012. This study looked at the impact of eliminating OD on diarrhoea morbidity among children less than 5 years of age. Mean monthly diarrhoea cases declined from 208 a year before elimination of OD, to 149 a year after elimination of OD, and 92 two years after elimination of OD. This is a reduction of 28.4% after first year and 38.3% after second year of becoming OD. Number of diarrhoeal cases reduced significantly after eliminating OD (t (3.2) = 14.1 sig 0.006 95% CI (30-148). This study recommends that the remaining sub-Counties strive to attain and sustain ODF status

Spatial mechanism design in virtual reality with networking

Development and increased use of virtual reality tools are allowing users to replace physical models with digital models. Changes that are expensive and take a long time to make are easily done on digital models. VRNETS software was developed as a tool for designing and evaluating spatial 4C mechanism with networking to allow users at different locations to share positions and mechanism data. Spatial mechanisms allow motion in three-dimensional space. Spatial 4C mechanisms consist of four rigid links connected by four cylindrical (CCCC) joints. Solutions are obtained by synthesis, after specifying the location and orientation of four positions in space. The solutions are represented as a type map or as a set of congruencies. A type map is a 2D color-coded map representing the solutions. All of the possible mechanisms that can be formed that pass through all four positions are obtained in the solution set but not all of the mechanisms necessarily move in a continuous motion between the positions.;Filters are applied to the type map to indicate the mechanisms that suffer from branch and circuit defects. From these representations, the user can choose and evaluate different mechanisms. Animating each mechanism will show if the mechanism goes through the positions in the orientation and order specified. This design process is shared between two or more users through a network process based on client/server networking. Networking is implemented using World2Wolrd software, which is written on top of User Datagram Protocol (UDP). The application itself is written in C++ using WorldToolKit software libraries. This application provides designers with a tool to design spatial 4C mechanism. The virtual environment enables designers to interact with the design using natural, intuitive, three-dimensional motions

A Review of Smishing Attaks Mitigation Strategies

Mobile Smishing crime has continued to escalate globally due to technology enhancements and people's growing dependence on smartphones and other technologies. SMS facilitates the distribution of crucial information that is principally important for non-digital savvy users who are typically underprivileged. Smishing, often known as SMS phishing, entails transmitting deceptive text messages to lure someone into revealing individual information or installing malware. The number of incidences of smishing has increased tremendously as the internet and cellphones have spread to even the most remote regions of the globe

Silicon Savannah and Smallholder Farming: How can Digitalization Contribute to Sustainable Agricultural Transformation in Africa?

High hopes are pinned on digitalisation for the much-needed transformation of African agriculture, but there is little empirical evidence on the nature and impact of digitalisation on smallholder farming. Using a novel classification framework and impact pathways, we examine the landscape of digital agriculture in Kenya – Africa’s Silicon Savannah. We find a slowing trend in the establishment of new digital start-ups since a peak in 2016, but also a shift from generic to farm-specific tools, which provide more farm-tailored advice based on data entered by farmers or obtained with sensors and improved data analytics. Reviewing all digital tools regarding the impact pathways developed, we find great potential to increase farmers’ knowledge and access to inputs, services, and markets, all of which raise productivity and incomes, but limited evidence regarding food & nutrition security as well as the environmental effects and climate resilience

Biochemical basis of the muscular activity of erlangia cordifolia (S.Moore) - (Gathuna)

Water extract of the leaves of Erlangla cordifolia (S. Moore) - compositae (commonly known in Gikuyuland as Gathuna) has been traditionally used by the Gikuyu people of Kenya for centuries for the purpose of stimulating myometrial contractions in the process of parturition. The use of this extract has been called for when the progress of the birth process has been judged to be unsatisfactorily slow. The introduction to this work (Chapter 1) therefore surveys this use of the plant material and proceeds on to show the validity of using Erlangia material for the study of the process of muscle contraction. The section also includes a short discussion on the validity of the use of what could be termed a pathological condition - that is, the obstetric 'lazy' uterus - for the purpose of studying a normal physiological process (muscle contraction) at the cellular and molecular levels. Chapter 2 explains the methods used to obtain the crude extract from Erlangia leaves andvalso a purified compound, cordifene, from the same source, that was found by the author of this work to have stimulatory activity on contracting muscle. The chapter also deals with the methods used to characterize cordifene chemically. Chapter 3 describes the physiological experiments carried out to confirm the stimulatory activity of Erlangia extract and also of cordifene on the smooth muscle of the myometrium and that of the intestinal wall, in addition to similar effects on skeletal muscle. These experiments therefore confirmed the fact that the activity of Erlangia material has a common biochemical basis for all types of muscle at the molecular level. Stimulation of muscle contraction can be brought about through biochemical effects on the nerve(s) supplying the muscle or through direct effects on biochemical mechanisms occurring within the muscle cell itself. Chapter 4 of this work is therefore concerned with an investigation into the possibility of a chemical compound or compounds from Erlangia leaves that may be capable of influencing biochemical processes within the peripheral autonomic nervous system, as this system is known to be intricately involved in muscle contraction. Acetylcholine metabolism is important not only for the autonomic nervous system's biochemical role in muscle contraction: it is also important for the biochemical processes that take place in nervous impulse transmissions in general - with all the consequences that this has on all muscles, both voluntary and involuntary. For this reason, a possible effect of Erlangia material on the cholinesterase enzymes has been searched for Chapter 5 is concerned with a series of investigations into the different biochemical processes that occur in the muscle cell during the contractile activity and the mode of action by which Erlangia material might be influencing such processes. Chapter 6 is a discussion based on the results of the investigations reported in the previous sections. Erlangia material was found to react with ADP forming a complex and, besides probably inducing increased myosin ATPase activity, it was also found to induce marked configurational changes within the actomyosin molecule. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.

Sandwiched carbon nanotube film as strain sensor

Two types of carbon nanotube nanocomposite strain sensors were prepared by mixing carbon nanotubes with epoxy (nanocomposite sensor) and sandwiching a carbon nanotube film between two epoxy layers (sandwich sensor). The conductivity, response and sensitivity to static and dynamic mechanical strains in these sensors were investigated. The nanocomposite sensor with 2-3 wt.% carbon nanotube demonstrated high sensitivity to mechanical strain and environmental temperature, with gauge factors of 5-8. On the other hand, a linear relationship between conductivity and dynamic mechanical strain was observed in the sandwich sensor. The sandwich sensor was also not sensitive to temperature although its strain sensitivity (gauge factor of about 3) was lower as compared with the nanocomposite sensor. Both sensors have excellent response to static and dynamic strains, thereby having great potential for strain sensing applications

Factors influencing the utilization of family planning services among HIV infected women in a Kenyan health facility

Background: Women’s knowledge and access to reproductive health services improves their ability to safely achieve their required fertility and reduces maternal and infant morbidity and mortality. We aimed to determine the utilization of family planning (FP) among HIV Infected women visiting the HIV clinic.Methods: A cross-sectional mixed quantitative and qualitative study among HIV positive females in Nairobi, Kenya was conducted. Consenting women completed a questionnaire that assessed the utilization of FP services. Descriptive and inferential analysis was carried out on quantitative data to determine significant associations with FP utilization. Qualitative data were analyzed after coding for significant clauses and transcribing to determine themes arising.Results: We enrolled a total of 387 patients, mean age (IQ range) 40 years (36-44). The contraceptive prevalence was 53% with an unmet need of family planning of 38.5%. Patients were more likely to use family planning if they were married, if condoms were offered at the clinic, if they discussed contraception with the clinic staff and their partners. They were less likely to use FP if they had expressed fertility desire. Widows were less likely to use any form of FP than married couples despite having sexual partners. The main themes on the barriers of utilization of family planning services included lack of knowledge, pill burden, and adverse reactions to hormonal FP.Conclusions: The unmet need of family planning is high, and heightened measures need to be taken to improve the utilization of the service. Particular groups such as sexually active widows and single women should be targeted for these interventions

Determinants of Livelihood Outcome Differentials among Urban Youth in Nairobi, Kenya

Youth livelihood outcomes (YLO) are important factors in the development of sustainable community livelihoods in Kenya.  The purpose of the study was to determine the predictors of urban youth livelihood outcomes in Nairobi, Kenya. The study was guided by the General Systems Theory by Bertalanffy (1968) and the Department for International Development (DFID) livelihoods framework (1999). A survey of 206 youths was conducted in Kamukunji Sub-County in Nairobi County. Results showed that there was a significant relationship between individual attributes and youth livelihood outcomes (χ2= 44.47; d.f. =14; ρ<0.01). Specifically, age (p<0.05), marital status (p<0.05), household headship (p<0.01), individual savings (p<0.05), individual assets (p<0.01) were important predictors of youth livelihood outcomes. Implications for formulating appropriate intervention programs to enhance youth livelihood outcomes are included. Keywords: capitals, individual attributes, livelihood strategies, youth livelihood outcome

Recent developments in graphene oxide/epoxy carbon fiber-reinforced composites.

The two-dimensional macro molecule graphene and its derivatives have widely been investigated for their application as nanofiller in carbon fibre-reinforced composites (CFRC). Research has progressed from techniques that simply mix graphene as a mixing constituent within the composite material to more complex examples where graphene is covalently bonded to fibre, matrix or both via multiple reaction steps. This field of research is multi-disciplinary whereby branches of materials, engineering, polymer science, physics and chemistry often overlap. From the materials engineering perspective, the desire is to discover the novel materials targeting industrial applications and obtain a full understanding of the graphene oxide chemistry and interaction of graphene oxide with a polymer matrix. To date, most of the research is targeted at (i) improving the fibre / matrix interface properties and / or (ii) improving the dispersion of nanofiller within the matrix; both of these factors ultimately improve composite performance. Organising that information critically can lead to emergence of a generalization of material design. Therefore, the objective of this work is to critically review current state of art in the field of graphene oxide / epoxy CFRCs and propose the design rules based on current scientific trend and common themes for future works