Comparative Study On Water Resources Assessment Between Kenya And England

Water resources systems are important for various uses such as agriculture, water supply, energy, transportation, recreation, ecosystems, among others. Design of water resources systems is of increasing importance due to the ever increasing demand for efficient water management. This study explores water resources assessment in two different regions with contrasting climate, socio-economic development level and data availability. The Thames catchment in England is in the temperate zone, which is data rich and is at a high socioeconomic development level; while, The Tana catchment in Kenya is in the tropics, which is data poor and at a low socioeconomic development level. Accurate estimation of precipitation is a key process in assessing water resources. To furnish optimal input data, point rainfall at un-gauged locations from measurements at surrounding sites is used in obtaining a continuous surface of relevant information. Rainfall interpolation based on the four commonly used methods (namely Thiessen polygon, Thinplate, Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) and Kriging) is done and validation is achieved by Leave-one out cross validation (LOOCV) method. Different rain gauge densities have been explored to search the optimum interpolation method so that appropriate schemes could be adopted for the catchments in England and Kenya. Other data sources in addition to rain gauges are collected and processed including temperature, stream flow, and solar radiation. Furthermore, hydrological models suited to different catchment characteristics are explored and used to assess different water resources utilisation options. The commonality and differences for the data and the model between the two regions are then analysed. Finally, data fusion techniques are used to integrate data from different sources to quantify data uncertainty and maximise their accuracy. Findings from the study are useful to water resources specialists when assessing water resources across different regions of contrasting climates, geographical zones, socioeconomic development levels and data availability

PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT AND READING CULTURE AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS CASE OF INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS

Poor culture of reading among Rwanda students is a perennial problem. This study sought to investigate the relationship between parental involvement and reading culture among secondary school students. Specifically, the study sought to identify parental involvement practices in promoting reading culture among students in international secondary schools, to identify reading culture practices among students in international secondary schools and to determine the influence of parental involvement on reading culture among students in international secondary schools. Descriptive and correlational research designs were adopted. Primary data was collected using questionnaires and interview guide. The population size was 3557 and a sample size of 360 was computed which comprised of teachers, parents and students. The study utilized purposive, stratified proportional and simple random sampling techniques. Data was processed using IBM SPSS software version 21 in addition to Excel and presented in tabula and graphic forms. Computation of percentages and frequencies formed the basis of descriptive analysis. The study findings indicated that 41% and above of parents, teachers and children supported that parents are involved in various learning practices which includes joint reading, donating books and teaching aids to school, going through students’ homework, buying recommended books to the children, encouraging technology use in reading and offering reading incentives to the children. Additionally, findings did indicate that between 36% to 51%, 39% to 61% and 41% to 57% of teachers, parents and students respectively agreed that students engage in various reading culture practices including having favorite story books, spending free time reading, love for reading, talking about books they have read, creative and writes something on what they have read and making consultations from teachers and parents for clarifications. Moreover, the findings indicated that there is still a great percentage of parents who don’t engage themselves on students learning matters supported by 17%-40% of respondents and also a greater percentage of students having poor reading culture in secondary schools supported by at most 45% of respondents. correlation finings indicated a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.650 which positive and significant whereas regression finings indicated R squared of 54.7% and beta coefficient of 0.119 with p value of 0.025 for parental involvement. The study concluded that there is a moderate involvement of parents in the learning process of their children, good reading culture is practiced to a moderate extent by secondary school students in Rwanda and there is positive significant influence of parental involvement on reading culture among secondary school students. This study recommends parents to engage in various activities aimed at promoting the reading culture and performance of their children. Schools to organize workshops to enlighten the parents on the need to engage in various supports to promote their students reading culture.  Article visualizations

The Impacts of Water Abstraction in Tropical Rivers: A Case of South West Upper Tana Basin, Kenya.

The study to determine the impacts of water abstraction in South West Upper Tana Basin which is part of the larger Upper Tana basin was undertaken in four major rivers, Thika, Kimakia, Kiama and Chania. Data for this study was obtained from the Kenya Meteorological department (KMD), Water Resources Management (WRA) and questionnaire surveys. The questionnaires were administered in the period between January 2018 and December 2018 to determine the impacts of water abstraction in both dry and wet seasons. Regression and correlation analysis was used to determine the nature and strength of relationships between different variables. The results of the study indicate that the main impacts of water abstraction are hydrological, environmental and socio-economic. The hydrological impacts include reduced water levels, changes in stream morphology, decreased turbidity and reduced siltation. Socio-economic impacts include increased income from crop production and conflicts while environmental impacts were mainly changes in riparian vegetation. The study established that the best combination of impacts of water abstraction in the South West Upper Tana Basin were changes in water turbidity, decline in water levels, improved crop yields, changes in channel morphology and siltation with a coefficient correlation r of 0.57 and coefficient of determination R2 of 0.52. To mitigate these impacts, there is a need for better enforcement of legislations on water abstraction and the monitoring of the river basins to curb water over-abstraction. Public awareness campaigns and involvement of stakeholders could also minimize these impacts. Keywords: Water abstraction, hydrological impacts, socio-economic impacts, environmental impacts, South West Upper Tana Basin (SWUT). DOI: 10.7176/JEES/9-5-08 Publication date:May 31st 201

Performance Evaluation of Water Services Provision in Counties and Water Services Boards of Kenya

Principal component analysis has been applied to eight dimensionless water services provision parameters for forty three administrative counties and eight water services boards of Kenya, in order to group the parameters under different components based on significant correlations. Good correlation (r=0.63) exist between Water Supply coverage (Cw) and the viability of water services utilities (Comc), while the hours of supply (Hs) is also correlated (r=0.55) to the viability of water services utilities (Comc). Non-Revenue Water (NRW) showed negative correlation with the coverage of water supply and viability of water services utilities. In fact these two parameters showed low correlation (r<0.3) with any of the other remaining parameters. Furthermore, the similarity and dissimilarity between the counties and water services boards in terms of water services provision is evaluated. In relation to benchmark conditions, a lot of work still needs to be done to realise ideal status. Tharaka-Nithi, Uasin-Gishu, Kakamega, Bungoma, Busia, Trans-Nzoia, Meru, Garissa and Kisumu counties formed the cluster of best performing counties with a strong showing in Non-Revenue Water, viability of water services utilities, coverage of water services, Hours of supply and a weak showing in Cwb i.e the ratio of cost of water billed to the average tarrif. Migori, Homa-Bay, Elgeyo-Marakwet, Vihiga, and West-Pokot counties are clustered together with a strong showing on ratio of cost of water produced to the average tariff (Cwp) and NRW but weak sewerage service coverage (Cs), Population within the service area (WSPp) and Comc and appear to be the worst performers.  Athi and Lake Victoria North Water services boards though not clustered together are the best performers while Tanathi water services board is the worst performer. Generally, utilities with weak technical performance were found to do poorly financially and also offered poor customer care and quality of service. This study therefore, is key in facilitating cross-utility comparison. Keywords: key words, water services, Principal component analysis, county, performance DOI: 10.7176/JEES/12-5-05 Publication date:May 31st 202

Molecular Research Progress on Xishuangbanna Cucumber (<i>Cucumis sativus</i> L. var. Xishuangbannesis Qi et Yuan): Current Status and Future Prospects

The Xishuangbanna (XIS) cucumber is an important botanical variety, accumulating high levels of β-carotene (700 μg/100 g) in the endocarp of mature fruit compared with normal green/white flesh types (25–50 μg/100 g, fresh weight). β-carotene is an essential precursor of provitamin A synthesis required for human health, thus XIS cucumber is an appealing germplasm for vitamin A breeding programs. In this review, we highlighted the molecular research progress of XIS cucumber as well as the bottlenecks undermining its utilization in genetic breeding. The XIS cucumber was first reported in 1983; thereafter, the literature on XIS cucumber was sporadic until 2012 and 2013 following QTL mapping of the Ore gene and subsequent cloning of the CsaBCH1 gene, respectively. Whereas QTL mapping studies underlying its flowering time and fruit quality related traits have been reported, fine mapping of their candidate genes remains unknown. Cucumber fruits are mainly consumed at fresh immature stage; however, XIS cucumber accumulates β-carotene at mature fruit state, thus limiting the utilization of β-carotene derived from it. In our opinion, we believe that the production and commercialization of immature orange-fleshed cucumber would gain wider acceptance among consumers. Additionally, we highlighted a comprehensive breeding strategy, precisely for enhanced β-carotene accumulation based on prior studies of XIS cucumber coupled with those from other crops. In MAS, we proposed schematic molecular backcross breeding strategy using lines possessing both ore and fft1.1 loci. This review, therefore, provides insights of XIS cucumber research and opportunities for further genetic breeding

Molecular Research Progress on Xishuangbanna Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. var. Xishuangbannesis Qi et Yuan): Current Status and Future Prospects

The Xishuangbanna (XIS) cucumber is an important botanical variety, accumulating high levels of &beta;-carotene (700 &mu;g/100 g) in the endocarp of mature fruit compared with normal green/white flesh types (25&ndash;50 &mu;g/100 g, fresh weight). &beta;-carotene is an essential precursor of provitamin A synthesis required for human health, thus XIS cucumber is an appealing germplasm for vitamin A breeding programs. In this review, we highlighted the molecular research progress of XIS cucumber as well as the bottlenecks undermining its utilization in genetic breeding. The XIS cucumber was first reported in 1983; thereafter, the literature on XIS cucumber was sporadic until 2012 and 2013 following QTL mapping of the Ore gene and subsequent cloning of the CsaBCH1 gene, respectively. Whereas QTL mapping studies underlying its flowering time and fruit quality related traits have been reported, fine mapping of their candidate genes remains unknown. Cucumber fruits are mainly consumed at fresh immature stage; however, XIS cucumber accumulates &beta;-carotene at mature fruit state, thus limiting the utilization of &beta;-carotene derived from it. In our opinion, we believe that the production and commercialization of immature orange-fleshed cucumber would gain wider acceptance among consumers. Additionally, we highlighted a comprehensive breeding strategy, precisely for enhanced &beta;-carotene accumulation based on prior studies of XIS cucumber coupled with those from other crops. In MAS, we proposed schematic molecular backcross breeding strategy using lines possessing both ore and fft1.1 loci. This review, therefore, provides insights of XIS cucumber research and opportunities for further genetic breeding

Genome-Wide Identification of the B-Box Gene Family and Expression Analysis Suggests Their Potential Role in Photoperiod-Mediated β-Carotene Accumulation in the Endocarp of Cucumber (<i>Cucumis sativus</i> L.) Fruit

Carotenoids are indispensable to plants and essential for human nutrition and health. Carotenoid contents are strongly influenced by light through light-responsive genes such as B-Box (BBX) genes. BBX proteins, a class of zinc-finger transcription factors, mediate many light-signaling pathways, leading to the biosynthesis of important metabolites in plants. However, the identification of the BBX gene family and expression analysis in response to photoperiod-mediated carotenoid accumulation in cucumber remains unexplored. We performed a genome-wide study and determined the expression of cucumber BBX genes (hereafter referred to as CsaBBXs genes) in the endocarp of Xishuangbanna cucumber fruit (a special type of cucumber accumulating a high level of β-carotene in the endocarp) using an RNA-seq analysis of plants previously subjected to two photoperiodic conditions. Here, 26 BBX family genes were identified in the cucumber genome and named serially CsaBBX1 through CsaBBX26. We characterized CsaBBX genes in terms of their phylogenetic relationships, exon-intron structures, cis-acting elements, and syntenic relationships with Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. RNA-seq analysis revealed a varied expression of CsaBBX genes under photoperiod treatment. The analysis of CsaBBXs genes revealed a strong positive correlation between CsaBBX17 and carotenoid biosynthetic pathway genes (phytoene synthase, ζ-carotene desaturase, lycopene ε-cyclase, β-carotene hydroxylase-1), thus suggesting its involvement in β-carotene biosynthesis. Additionally, nine CsaBBX genes (CsaBBX 4,5,7,9,11, 13,15,17 and 22) showed a significant positive correlation with β-carotene content. The selected CsaBBX genes were verified by qRT-PCR and confirmed the validity of RNA-seq data. The results of this study established the genome-wide analysis of the cucumber BBX family and provide a framework for understanding their biological role in carotenoid accumulation and photoperiodic responses. Further investigations of CsaBBX genes are vital since they are promising candidate genes for the functional analysis of carotenoid biosynthesis and can provide genetic tools for the molecular breeding of carotenoids in plants

Transcriptomic and Physiological Analyses Reveal Potential Genes Involved in Photoperiod-Regulated &beta;-Carotene Accumulation Mechanisms in the Endocarp of Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) Fruit

The accumulation of carotenoids in plants is a key nutritional quality in many horticultural crops. Although the structural genes encoding the biosynthetic enzymes are well-characterized, little is known regarding photoperiod-mediated carotenoid accumulation in the fruits of some horticultural crops. Herein, we performed physiological and transcriptomic analyses using two cucumber genotypes, SWCC8 (XIS-orange-fleshed and photoperiod-sensitive) and CC3 (white-fleshed and photoperiod-non-sensitive), established under two photoperiod conditions (8L/16D vs. 12L/12D) at four fruit developmental stages. Day-neutral treatments significantly increased fruit &beta;-carotene content by 42.1% compared to short day (SD) treatments in SWCC8 at 40 DAP with no significant changes in CC3. Day-neutral condition elevated sugar levels of fruits compared to short-day treatments. According to GO and KEGG analyses, the predominantly expressed genes were related to photosynthesis, carotenoid biosynthesis, plant hormone signaling, circadian rhythms, and carbohydrates. Consistent with &beta;-carotene accumulation in SWCC8, the day-neutral condition elevated the expression of key carotenoid biosynthesis genes such as PSY1, PDS, ZDS1, LYCB, and CHYB1 during later stages between 30 to 40 days of fruit development. Compared to SWCC8, CC3 showed an expression of DEGs related to carotenoid cleavage and oxidative stresses, signifying reduced &beta;-carotene levels in CC3 cucumber. Further, a WGCNA analysis revealed co-expression between carbohydrate-related genes (pentose-phosphatase synthase, &beta;-glucosidase, and trehalose-6-phosphatase), photoperiod-signaling genes (LHY, APRR7/5, FKF1, PIF3, COP1, GIGANTEA, and CK2) and carotenoid-biosynthetic genes, thus suggesting that a cross-talk mechanism between carbohydrates and light-related genes induces &beta;-carotene accumulation. The results highlighted herein provide a framework for future gene functional analyses and molecular breeding towards enhanced carotenoid accumulation in edible plant organs