The Timing of Smectite-To-Illite Transformation in Cretaceous Rocks of Powder River Basin

Mixed-layer illite/smectite (I-S) is an important semi-quantitative geothermometer for the study of thermal histories of sedimentary basins. The purpose of this research is to examine the relationship between smectite illitization and hydrocarbon formation and migration in the Cretaceous Mowry shale of the Wyoming Powder River Basin. The I-S (R≥1) and the measured K-Ar ages of I-S ranging from 49 Ma to 64.9 Ma were observed in the clay fractions of the Mowry Shale. The measured ages of I-S correspond to burial temperatures ~110 C. While maximum burial occurred later in the Miocene Epoch for the Mowry Shale. The extent of illitization in the Mowry Shale bentonites was limited by the availability of potassium

Transition and Participation of Rural Students in Higher Education: Barriers and Opportunities

There is an accumulating body of knowledge that points to the fact that rurality is a crucial demographic to be considered in the identification of students with respect to access to and retention in the higher institutions of learning. Research shows that rural economies, for instance, help shape students’ career aspirations and labour options in these institutions. Among others, some students may find it difficult to make a decision on whether to go back to their hometowns instead of pursuing their dreams elsewhere in the community once they graduate from the higher institutions of learning. Students from rural areas are generally perceived to have low educational aspirations and achievement. Indeed, most of the studies concerning rural students tend to be tilted towards their educational and career choices. Interestingly, despite policy makers across the various sectors of the economy increasingly paying attention to the rural population, little focus has been directed towards transition, experiences and or participation of students from the rural communities in higher education. Against this background, this theoretical paper explores the barriers as well as opportunities regarding transition and participation of rural students, with a view to enhancing provision of meaningful higher education, including realization of the envisaged goals of this cycle of learning

Tamarinier (Tamarindus indica)

Conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources of priority food tree species in sub-Saharan AfricaConservation et utilisation durable des ressources génétiques des espèces ligneuses alimentaires prioritaires de l'Afrique subsaharienneLa publicación de esta hoja divulgativa ha sido financiada con la acción complementaria nº AC-2008-00050-00-00, titulada "Publicación de hojas divulgativas: Uso y gestión sostenible y conservación de especies forestales para la alimentación (ELA) en Africa Subsahariana" solicitada por el Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria de Aragón (CITA), investigador responsable: Eduardo Notivo

Equity in Access to Secondary Education in Kenya

The Constitution promulgated on August 27, 2010 divides the territory of Kenya into administrative units called counties as it did away with the provinces. One of the objectives of such devolution is to promote social and economic development as well as the provision of proximate and easily accessible services, including education, throughout the country. Among others, the Constitution holds that every child has the right to free and compulsory basic education. However, historically, there has been uneven distribution of schools right from the pre-colonial, colonial period up to now. This disparity in the distribution of schools in regions has far reaching implications not only with regard to  equity in access,  but also quality that depended highly on the type of school, especially at the secondary level. This scenario is strikingly similar to the defunct provinces where a number of them had fewer and poorly equipped secondary schools as compared to their share of the population. Thus there is a daunting task in the planning of education in the country’s 47 counties. The purpose of this paper therefore, is to critically examine the provision of secondary education in Kenya,  with specific reference to equity in access, in the wake of the devolved county units as well as explore the prospects in a bid  to facilitate its successful implementation. During the critical examination, the distribution of secondary schools in general, and the national ones in particular,  in the country is discussed in a historical perspective. Particularly, this approach will  assist not only in bringing out the stark disparities in the provision of secondary education in the country, but also help in formulating policy suggestions to attempt and surmount the attendant challenges. Key words:  Access, County, Equity, Secondary Education

Modeling e-learning implementation level for Primary Schools in Nairobi County through Stratified Random Sampling

Recent policy initiatives on education have focused on improving access to education and retaining pupils in schools through equity and enhancing quality education. However, the Government of Kenya has not unveiled detailed programme that will be a roadmap in implementation of e-learning policies in Kenyan primary and secondary schools set in the year 2006 under the Ministry of Information and Communications. The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), formerly KIE, has worked towards production of e-learning content and materials but the consumption of digital print materials to be produced by publishers have been given little attention in terms of provision of ICT infrastructures at school level. Thus there has been a need to carry out a research to evaluate the e-learning implementation level in Kenyan primary schools. The findings of the research are of great benefit to scholars, government and education private developers. The mathematical equation on finite union of sets is based on the concept of set theory and probability theory models. The scholars will appreciate the utility of mathematical concepts in solving real problem wherefore the link may not be easily observed in usual instructions. On the other hand, the government may find this applied equation, a useful tool to be used in provision of ICT infrastructures at various education centres while emphasis is on equity of resources as exposed by the model. Both the government and private developers can use it to implement e-learning policies to a particular proportion or percentage. The research was carried out in Nairobi County by drawing three independent samples using stratified random sampling strategy from private and public primary schools. Neyman allocation scheme was applied in determination of strata sample sizes per region whereas purposive sampling was applied to obtained regions of the county. Similar questionnaires were administered to selected fifty-one schools and observation used concurrently. The research results are numeric vectors for mean of e-learning implementation level (Y) per stratum per region. The mean e-learning implementation level is greater than 40% in each of the stratum, though some regions have higher and others have lower values. From the Shapiro-Wilk test, all samples have the variable Y from non-Gaussian family except one case, prompting the non-parametric test. At 5% level of significance, Kruskal-Wallis test carried out shows that the sample per region per stratum forms a stratified population. Keywords: Modeling E-learning, E-learning implementation level, Set and probability theory, Stratified random samplin

Assessing the Current Status of Information Security Policies Among Saccos in Kenya

In 2013, Communication Authority of Kenya (CAK) recorded cyber-attacks amounting to Sh5.4 million loses. In April 2016, Bandari Savings and Credit Cooperative Society lost Sh5 million through fraudulent ATM withdrawals (Nation Newspapers, April 8, 2016). These examples demonstrate weaknesses that may exist from security breaches and incidents caused by people, processes, and technology. Ministry of ICT and CAK are lacking specific Information Security Models tailored towards SACCOS in Kenya. The study therefore sought to assess the current status of information security policies among SACCOS in Kenya. The study adopted descriptive research design. The unit of observation was 135 SACCOS registered with SACCO Societies Regulatory Authority (SASRA) while the unit of analysis was 270 ICT personnel working in the 135 targeted SACCOS. The study targeted the SACCOS heads of IT department. The study used Nassiuma (2000) formula to get a sample of 85 respondents. Purposive sampling was further used in selecting study participants in every SACCOS who were considered to be knowledgeable of the variables under study. The study utilized questionnaire as the survey instrument to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. The study adopted descriptive statistics. Descriptive data was presented by use of frequency tables. The study established that in all the SACCOS studied, information security policy is used. However, there are still challenges on how information security breaches and incidents can be contained based on the results of the study and therefore calls for further research in academic research. The findings of the study indicate that SACCOS were able to validate that the enhanced information security model using an integrated approach worked as planned and reported to auditors, managers and executives that incident response programs are robust and reliable. If security controls didn’t work as planned, they will need to fix them. The actions and resources needed should be included in in the report to executives in the SACCOS sector in KenyaKeywords: SACCOS, Management controls, Information Security Policies, Risk assessmentDOI: 10.7176/EJBM/11-27-09 Publication date:September 30th 201

Community Based Rice Seed Production system: Experiences from Climate Smart Village (CSV), Phailom, Lao PDR

This manual provides a snapshot of community based quality rice seed production activities drawing from experiences Climate-Smart Village (CSV), Phailom in Laos PDR. Each module in this manual consists of the following components: learning objectives, methodology, content, and resources

Quantity and Functionality of Protein Fractions Isolated from 3 Ecotypes of Indigenous Chicken in Kenya

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the cluster ecotype and the part of chicken on nutritional composition, and functionality of sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar proteins that are most relevant to the technological features of chicken meat. Over 50 chickens from each ecotype cluster purchased, slaughtered and the meat stored under refrigeration at -20oC and later on transferred in cooler box on ice and flown to South Africa, at the Durban University of Technology. Protein fractions were extracted with a cocktail of Sodium Chloride buffer (50mM NaCl, 50mM Tris HCl; 75mM DTT and 1mM EDTA at pH 7) and quantified by Bradford method. One dimensional Sodium Dodecyl Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SDS PAGE) was applied to separate protein fractions. Emulsifying capacity, emulsifying stability, solubility, and in vitro digestibility were determined on the total protein isolates. Significant differences in band expressions were recorded for the myofibrillar and the sarcoplasmic proteins. The three ecotypes had high quality proteins with all the limiting and essential amino acids at concentrations higher than FAO/WHO recommended daily allowance for adults and children. Distinct protein bands at larger molecular weight proteins >100 kDa, corresponding to Myosin Heavy Chain, medium fractions 75 kDa and 45 kDa and even lower molecular weight fraction <25 kDa were present in the chicken breast and the thighs. It concludes that Indigenous chicken protein isolates’ nutritional and functional properties are affected by part of chicken and ecotype clusters

Prunier d'Afrique (Sclerocarya birrea)

Conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources of priority food tree species in sub-Saharan AfricaConservation et utilisation durable des ressources génétiques des espèces ligneuses alimentaires prioritaires de l'Afrique subsaharienneLa publicación de esta hoja divulgativa ha sido financiada con la acción complementaria nº AC-2008-00050-00-00, titulada "Publicación de hojas divulgativas: Uso y gestión sostenible y conservación de especies forestales para la alimentación (ELA) en Africa Subsahariana" solicitada por el Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria de Aragón (CITA), investigador responsable: Eduardo Notivo