My World of Motherhood

Artist Statement In my artwork, I want to relay the emotional ups and downs of being a single mother. Motherhood, its challenges and rewards, is a recurring theme in my mixed media and photographic work. In family life we all experience the cycles of pain, sorrow, happiness, and tranquility. These are the moments that I want to explore and share. In my pieces, I incorporate simple, black outlined figures that contain little to no facial features, text that is hidden and broken up, and repeated drawings of entangled spirals. These outlined figures symbolize me as a woman that is facing the world. The obscured and hidden text represents life that is full of mystery and emotional layers. The use of spirals represents the circle of life and the limitlessness of unconditional love

Leisure Time Use in Kenya, an assessment of University Undergraduate Students in Eldoret Town.

This study examines leisure time-use amongst undergraduate students in Kenyan universities based in Eldoret Town; using data collected from 100, individuals from 4 campuses. The objective of this study included to establish which activities they participate in, to find out their understanding of leisure time, to determine the consequences of leisure to undergraduate students. The response rate was 100%. The results of this study indicated significant relationships existed between leisure participation and leisure satisfaction (P=0.004 <0.05), leisure participation and life satisfaction (P=0.002 <0.01), and leisure satisfaction and life satisfaction (P=0.000<0.01) of university students in Kenya. Such findings supported other research on the relationship of leisure participation and leisure satisfaction to other facets of life. Keywords: Leisure time, Leisure, University undergraduates, Keny

25 novembre 2015 : cent ans de Relativité

La théorie proposée par Einstein au début du XXe siècle porte bien mal son nom; car si, historiquement, l'accent fut mis d'abord sur la relativité de certaines notions (en particulier, la mesure de l'intervalle de temps écoulé entre deux événements donnés), on a compris par la suite qu'elle reposait plus fondamentalement sur l'existence de quantités absolues, c'est-à-dire, dont la mesure est identique pour tous les observateurs, quel que soit leur état de repos ou de mouvement. Ces quantités sont inconnues de la mécanique de Newton, laquelle ne reconnaît qu'un seul invariant : le temps. Ce texte cherche à retracer, avec un minimum de formalisme, comment s'est imposé un nouveau cadre géométrique pour la physique, dominé par cette exigence d'invariance des mesures spatio-temporelles et intégrant une description révolutionnaire de la gravitation

Mechanical Properties of Nanomodified Hybrid GFRP Composite Materials

The mechanical behavior of the nanomodified hybrid epoxy matrix was investigated in glass fiber reinforced plastics (GFRP). In this study, five nanocomposites enriched with as received halloysite, nanomer I.28E, HNT-APTES, and the hybrid combinations of the two HNTs with the nanomer I.28E were successfully fabricated. To evaluate the effects and morphological characteristics of the individual fillers and the hybrid configurations on the epoxy resin matrix, TGA, DSC, and DMA were analyzed. To understand the effect of the five configurations on the neat GFRP laminate, mode I interlaminar fracture toughness, tensile, and vibration properties were investigated. Electron microscopy testing techniques were used to support the results and conclusions. The addition of the filler material showed significant improvement in the GFRP materials’ properties, with the hybrid configuration showing exceptional results. Overall, the work demonstrated the ability to tailor GFRP composite properties using hybrid modified fillers. The data suggest that toughening epoxy with nanomodified filler materials is instrumental to various applications by improving and maintaining the overall integrity of structures, such as in the automotive and aerospace industries

PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF A RECTANGULAR MICROSTRIP PATCH ANTENNA ON DIFFERENT DIELECTRIC SUBSTRATES

The sizes and weights of various wireless electronic systems (e.g. mobile handsets) have rapidly reduced due to the development of modern integrated circuit technology. A Microstrip antenna (MSA) is well suited for wireless communication due to its light weight, low volume and low profile planar configuration which can be easily conformed to the host surface. However, MSAs suffers from low bandwidth. MSA bandwidth is greatly affected by the dielectric substrate material used in its design. Larger bandwidth can be achieved by using a thicker substrate with a lower dielectric constant value. In this paper, the effect of various dielectric constants on rectangular microstrip patch antenna performance is investigated. By keeping the substrate thickness constant over various dielectric constants, simulations were carried out using MATLAB® and Antenna Magus software. The results show that the dielectric constant effectively determines the performance of MSAs. Keywords: Microstrip Antennas (MSAs), Dielectric Constan

Commercial Home Accommodation as a Tool for Rural Tourism in Uasin Gishu County in Kenya

This paper examines the extent to which commercial home accommodation could contribute to growth of rural tourism and the acceptability and challenges in providing commercial accommodation. The study was undertaken in Uasin Gishu county in Kenya. The study adopted descriptive survey design which targeted 500 potential entrepreneurs. Cluster sampling was used to select the study area while judgmental, convenience and snowball sampling techniques were used to identify the respondents. The sample size comprised of 120 potential entrepreneurs of commercial homes. Questionnaires were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze data. The results revealed that entrepreneurs believe that home accommodation can be instrumental in the development of rural tourism as the cost of investment was relatively low and does not put great demands on the entrepreneur. However, it was clear that entrepreneurs are reluctant to embrace it for fear of exposing their families to external influences and deprival of privacy. Entrepreneurs were also uncertain about their ability to meet and satisfy tourists in terms of hospitality and communication, although they are willing to meet the challenge for economic gains. The findings may be beneficial to entrepreneurs in Uasin Gishu county as they can exploit the opportunity as the county government benefits from increased revenue from taxes. Keywords: Home stay; Commercial homes; Uasin Gishu; Rural touris

Effect of Determinants of Lending Interest Rate Fluctuations on the Profitability of Commercial Banks in Kenya

Volatility in lending interest rates represents one of the key forms of financial risk faced by commercial banks in Kenya. The aim of this research project was to identify and assess the effect that the determinants of lending interest rate volatility have on the profit levels realized by commercial banks in Kenya for the period 2010-2015.  This study used profitability measured by Net Interest Margin as the dependent variable, while the independent variables were Borrowers’ Default Rate, Central Bank of Kenya Liquidity Ratio, Central Bank Kenya Cash Reserve Ratio, Inflation Rate and Maturity Mismatch. The study population was the total 42 commercial banks that were in operation as at the end of 2015, with a sample size of 20 banks. The study used secondary data collected from individual commercial banks, among them audited financial statements, published bank supervision reports by Central Bank of Kenya, data on inflation was obtained from Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. Data analysis involved both descriptive and inferential statistics; with descriptive statistics involving the use of mean, standard deviation, minimum and maximum values of data collected, while the inferential statistics comprising the use of regression coefficients to test the hypotheses ywith values generated using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences software. The findings of the study revealed that Borrower’s Default Rate, Inflation Rate and Maturity Mismatch Risk would impact negatively on the profitability of banks, whereas Cash Reserve Ratio and Liquidity Ratio would impact positively on the profitability of commercial banks in Kenya. The study therefore concluded that commercial banks should work in tandem with Central Bank of Kenya in order to constantly monitor the Cash Reserve Ratio and Liquidity levels to avoid cases of instability; the Inflation Rate should be watched as well in order to know and study the borrowing culture of the various bank clientele, and that both Maturity Mismatch and Borrowers Default Rate levels should be contained to avoid growth in Non-Performing Loans and to keep the banks’ loan book open and in constant flow. Key words: interest rate fluctuation, Default Rate, Liquidity Ratio, Cash Reserve Ratio DOI: 10.7176/RJFA/10-8-21 Publication date: April 30th 201

Influence of Age and Education Level on the Choice of Higher Tourism Education at Moi University, Kenya

The purpose of the study was to determine how age and education level influenced the choice of higher education in tourism by students of Moi University, Eldoret. Kenya.  The objectives were: i) To determine how age affects the choice of higher education in tourism by students of Moi University and ii) to establish how education level affects the choice of higher education in tourism by students. Stratified sampling technique was used to sample 142 respondents for the study who were the students. Descriptive statistic was used to address the research objectives. From the study results on age, a majority of the respondents (95.1%) were of age bracket 18-25 years and this varied between the respondents (χ2 =243.817, df=2, p<0.001). On education level, 73.2% of the respondents had bachelors level of education and this varied between the respondents (χ2 =111.268, df=2, p<0.001). On choosing higher tourism education, 84.5% of the respondents said that they choose higher tourism education, while 15.5% would not (χ2 = 67.634, df=1, p<0.001). On whether gender influenced the choice of education, 51.4% said it did not (χ2 = 113, d = 1, p<0.737). 59.2% of the respondents mentioned that age influenced the choice of education and this varied between the respondents (χ2 = 4.761, d = 1, p<0.029). On whether education level influenced the choice of tourism education, 83.8% of the respondents mentioned that education level influenced the choice of tourism education and and this varied between the respondents (χ2 = 64.901, d = 1, p<0.001).  The first hypothesis that stated that ‘Age of the students does not influence the choice of higher tourism education’ was accepted (F=0.045, p< 0.832). The second hypothesis that stated that ‘Education level of the students does not influence the choice of higher tourism education’ was accepted (F=0.649, p< 0.007). Keywords: Age, education level, tourism education, choice