An examination of factors impacting the Implementation of Information Technology Shared Services (ITSS) in UK local government bodies

The Conservative and Liberal Democrats coalition government was formed in the year 2010 and embarked on austerity measures aimed at reducing the UK’s budget deficit. Among the measures that were proposed was the need for local governments to find ways of reducing their cost of operations. One way of reducing costs was through sharing resources. This measure was proposed in the Gershon report, commissioned by the central government. Information technology is a vital resource for running the operations of local governments. Sharing of information technology became crucial in facilitating sharing of other resources by Local Government bodies. There is, however, the need to take into consideration a number of factors in order to ensure that sharing of Information technology (Information Technology Shared Services – ITSS) resources is successful. Factor consideration involves implementation processes that take into account the constraints or facilitators that can be categorised into Technological, Organisational and Environmental categories. Through the review of academic literature, government records, news articles and from the interviews that were held with respondents from Local Government bodies, using advanced qualitative research method and Nvivo as an analytical tool, it was found that beside the reduction of costs and efficiency motives, sharing of Information Technology also impacted work culture and changes to internal processes. The main contribution of this thesis is that Information Technology Shared Services led to long term (or permanence of) association among Local Councils. This degree of permanence of association is beneficial for meeting the main objectives of each council, but also has the potential to lead to loss of autonomy by individual local authorities. Local government managers (management bodies) had to consider the ‘How? When? What?’ questions in order to implement the sharing of information technology resources. This research proposes further examination of the Technological, Organisational and Environmental (TOE) framework through the prism of a Technology Sharing Implementation Framework (TSIF). The proposed framework examines the impacts of TOE factors on implementing sharing of information technology processes / resources and why these factors have to be examined jointly, not disparately, when seeking to implement information technology resources. Mention has been made about examining these factors by assigning weights on them and using quantitative measures to show the importance of the factors. Implementation process of ITSS has been proposed for local government managers

In/dependent Collaborations: Perceptions and Experiences of African Scientists in Transnational HIV Research.

This article examines collaboration in transnational medical research from the viewpoint of African scientists working in partnerships with northern counterparts. It draws on ethnographic fieldwork in an HIV laboratory of an East African state university, with additional data from interviews with scientists working in related research institutions. Collaboration is today the preferred framework for the mechanisms by which northern institutions support research in the south. The concept signals a shift away from the legacy of unequal (post-) colonial power relations, although, amid persisting inequalities, the rhetorical emphasis on equality might actually hinder critical engagement with conflicts of interest and injustice. To collaborate, African scientists engage various strategies: They establish a qualified but flexible, non-permanent workforce, diversify collaborators and research areas, source complementary funding to assemble infrastructures, and maintain prospective research populations to attract transnational clinical trials. Through this labor of collaboration, they sustain their institutions under prevailing conditions of scarcity

Digitization of Libraries/Archives and Development

Libraries and archives are essential components of any strategy aimed at improving information access, both for the public at large and for other specialised groups, including students and researchers. Information in all its forms is an important vehicle for knowledge development, which contributes enormously to the socio-economic development of societies and nations

Dealing with 'Remote Control' : Ritual Healing and Modernity in Western Kenya

Dealing with ‘Remote Control’: Ritual Healing and Modernity in Western Kenya. Abstract. Like other former colonies in Africa, Kenya has a plural medical system consisting of traditional ritual healing as well as imported western biomedicine. Since the colonial period however, ritual healing has been subject to criticism and even persecution by the forces of modernity as represented by biomedical practitioners, the state and Christianity often acting in concert. This thesis examines why and how ritual healing persists in Kenya in spite of this criticism guided by the following three key questions: one, why ritual healing has persisted and continued to be part of the people’s health strategies even in the face of modernity; secondly how ritual healing adapts to the challenges posed by ‘modernity’ - challenges which include but are not limited to the hegemonic tendencies of biomedicine, emerging needs posed by modernity, the altered economic and social matrix of potential clients, economic necessities etc; and thirdly on the question of efficacy: how the efficacy of ritual healing can be adjudged. This dissertation is based on ethnography of ritual healers and their clients from Western Kenya conducted over a period of 15 months. The author initially interviewed several healers from Western Kenya before eventually selecting two of them for intense continuous observation of their ritual practices as well as interviewing and observing the outcome of their healing on their clients. Ethnographic notes, tape recorded interviews notes and video photography were employed for this study. With respect to the first question, this thesis observed that ritual healing persists in Western Kenya because it does what it purports to do, i,e. it heals. In its healing however ritual undergoes several alterations and adaptations including the incorporation of procedures that resemble those from biomedicine. On the question of adaptation this dissertation focuses more on practices rather than systems in view of the idiosyncratic nature of traditional healing in Africa as well as the desire to avoid the anthropological temptation to systematize a set of contingently related practices. Several ways in which ritual healers altered their rituals are examined and illustrations provided. The efficacy of ritual forms the last part of this dissertation. Here the author agrees with the argument by other scholars on ritual that the efficacy of any system of healing ought to be assessed according to their own set of standards and that although diverse forms of healing are recognized by their common concern to alleviate suffering, prolong life and reduce disability, their effectiveness could be judged against their ability to achieve goals that vary widely across different settings and traditions. By means of selected case studies, this dissertation shows that the efficacy of ritual was based on the fact that healers provided comprehensive and acceptable narratives that captured the clients’ affliction and proposed remedial actions that led to their resolution. The expectation that ritual healing was something traditional that would automatically disappear with modernisation does not fit with actual developments in Western Kenya today and in Africa as a whole. The persistence of ritual is however not a rejection of the project of modernity. Rather it is the rejection of the dichotomies in the modernist paradigm that propose that tradition and modernity do not belong together. Contemporary ritual healing practices not only call for a reconsideration of the teleology of the project of modernity but also for the possibility of modernities being multiple, where a society can be modern while still retaining the practices and institutions, such as rituals healing, that according to the old modernisation paradigm ought to be effaced for the project of modernity to be complete

Field and laboratory studies of bovine genital campylobacteriosis with particular reference to diagnosis

Crude sonicated antigens of Campylobacter fetus have been shown to possess several precipitating antigens of which at least two and at most four, possibly five, were anodally migrating. These antigens reacted with rabbit anti-C. fetus whole cell antisera in the counter-immunoelectrophoresis (CIE) system to produce immunoprecipitates in agarose gels. The reaction appeared to be pH dependent as at pH 8.61 it was less pronounced than at pH 6.6-7.6, although it was not possible to classify the antigens using the CIE test. These antigens failed to react with phenol saline extracts of vaginal mucus from cows known to be infected with C. fetus and which reacted to the vaginal mucus agglutination test (VMAT). Further studies revealed that the agarose type used as support medium was of importance in the use of CIE for immunodiagnosis of C. fetus infection in cattle. Two agarose types, Agarose B (Pharmacia, Sweden) and Litex HSB Agarose (Litex, Denmark) were found suitable and three others unsuit-able. The vaginal mucus required to be diluted 1:4 with normal saline, homogenized and centrifuged. The development of directly visible precipitation was favoured by concentrating the sol to 0.5-1.0 ml by dialysis against polyethylene glycol (Carbowax, Sigma Chemicals, U.S.A.) before testing. Despite concentration, the staining of immunoplates increased the chances of detecting positive cases. That the effect of pH was important was further emphasised when bovine mucus samples were found to be most reactive at pH 7.6 and 7.9. Buffer types tested did not affect the test as long as the gel pH was 7.6 and 7.9. However, the involve-went of more than one biotype of C. fetus in field infections led to the realisation that a mixed sonicated antigen comprising one strain of C. fetus subsp fetus and one strain of C. fetus subsp venerealis provided a wide antigenic spectrum that detected all field infections investigated by the CIE test. In order to determine the specificity of the test, virgin heifers shown to be free of infection and to be immunologically negative, were infected with C. fetus subsp fetus to study immunoconversion and the type of immunoglobulins reactive in the CIE test. All heifers continued to be immunologically negative until about 3-4 weeks after infection when evidence of immunoconversion was shown by the VMAT. On the 37th day post infection (Dpi), immunoconversion was also detected by CIE in two of the three heifers and in the third heifer on day 113 post infection. From then onwards both VMAT and CIE detected the presence of antibodies, with the period 141-193 days post infection showing the clearest CIE reactions as samples tested over this period from all heifers were positive. While the VMAT tended to be unreliable after about 5 months post infection, positive CIE reactions were recorded over a longer period. In the one heifer which was pregnant even though still harbouring the infection, an anamnestic response to the presence of C. fetus organisms in the cervico-vaginal area was thought to have occurred because positive CIE reaction reappeared 36 days after parturition and persisted till the end of the experimental period at 383 days post infection. On the basis of studies of the antibodies in the vaginal mucus of the three experimentally infected heifers and field samples, IgG1 was found to be the predominant antibody associated with CIE reactions. IgA also participated in this reaction but IgM activity was demonstrated in only one sample. IgG2 apparently did not participate to any level measurable by the absorption method used. Because it was - possible that the more abundant antibodies could mask the presence of those present in smaller quantities, it was not possible to draw conclusions regarding the activity of the minor antibodies. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.)

Digital News Media Coverage on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Kenya: Scoping the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in Kenya is frequently covered in digital news media. As a powerful influencer of public opinion, news media coverage can have a significant societal impact. This scoping review identifies the extent, nature, and themes of all available digital news media coverage on SGBV in Kenya from June 2019 to July 2020. It analyzes changes in coverage since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: The methodological framework for scoping reviews developed by Arksey and O’Malley (2005) guided the scoping review. The selected articles were analyzed using NVivo. Results: Analysis of the 340 included articles indicates clear trends in news media coverage on SGBV in Kenya. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, trends include high numbers of news reports, feature articles, and opinion pieces on SGBV, female genital mutilation (FGM) as the most covered form of SGBV, and opinion pieces in line with the Kenya Vision 2030 agenda. Since the implementation of the COVID-19 mitigation measures in Kenya, trends include an increase in news media coverage on SGBV, extensive reporting on the causes of the rise in SGBV cases in Kenya, and increased media attention for domestic and sexual violence. Conclusions: Analysis of the news media coverage demonstrates the health advocacy/ agenda-setting role of the media. The increased reporting on SGBV since the implementation of the COVID-19 mitigation measures could facilitate broad-based awareness

The impact of COVID-19 mitigation measures on sexual and reproductive health in low- and middle-income countries: a rapid review

Pandemic mitigation measures can have a negative impact on access and provision of essential healthcare services including sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. This rapid review looked at the literature on the impact of COVID-19 mitigation measures on SRH and gender-based violence (GBV) on women in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) using WHO rapid review guidance. We looked at relevant literature published in the English language from January 2020 to October 2021 from LMICs using WHO rapid review methods. A total of 114 articles were obtained from PubMed, Google Scholar and grey literature of which 20 met the eligible criteria. Our review found that there was an overall reduction in; (a) uptake of services as shown by lower antenatal, postnatal and family planning clinic attendance, (b) service delivery as shown by reduced health facility deliveries, and post abortion care services and (c) reproductive health outcomes as shown by an increase in incidence of GBV especially intimate partner violence. COVID-19 mitigation measures negatively impact SRH of women in LMICs. Findings from this review could inform policy makers in the health sector to recognize the potential adverse effects of COVID-19 responses on SRH in the country, and therefore implement mitigation measure

Genetic diversity study of Kenyan cassava germplasm using simple sequence repeats

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Cranzt) is an important food security crop for resource poor rural communities particularly in Africa. Little is however known about molecular diversity of Kenyan cassava germplasm. This led to a study whose objective was to identify genetic constitution of cassava accessions from different regions of Kenya using molecular tools. Seven pairs of micro satellite (SSR) primers previously developed from cassava were used to detect polymorphic 21 alleles in a sample of 69 accessions. The cluster analysis of similarity matrix obtained at 68% with SSR data showed that the 69 accessions were grouped into five marker based groups. This study proved that SSRs could be used to identify cassava accessions as well as in the assessment of level of genetic relatedness among accessions.Keywords: Cassava, simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers, genetic diversity

Uptake and outcomes of early infant male circumcision services in four counties in Western Kenya

Background: Early Infant Male Circumcision (EIMC) is part of sustainable HIV prevention strategies in Kenya. The goals of the national EIMC program are to circumcise at least 40% of all newborn male infants delivered at hospitals offering the service and keep the rate of moderate and adverse events below 2%. Objectives: To determine the proportion of early male infants (age less than 60 days) born at hospitals in four counties of western Kenya who got circumcised and document the prevalence of adverse events (AEs) among those circumcised. Methods: A retrospective descriptive study involving all records for EIMC from 1st March 2014 through 31st March 2018 in four counties of western Kenya. Data analysis was done using EXEL to document proportion of facilities offering EIMC and compare EIMC uptake and outcomes in the four counties against the national goals for the program. Results: A mean of 4.3% of total health facilities offer EIMC in the region. Siaya had the highest proportion of facilities offering EIMC while Migori had the lowest proportion. Uptake of EIMC was low at 17.4% for all male infants born, far less than the anticipated target of 40%. Average adverse event rates were 0.3%. Conclusion: EIMC uptake remains low in this region of Kenya due to small number of health facilities offering the service. The proportion of circumcised early male infants born at the target health facilities is below the national target of 40% even though the rate of adverse events among those circumcised is acceptable