THE INFLUENCE OF STAFF COMPETENCE ON CREDIT RECOVERY IN DEPOSIT-TAKING MICROFINANCE INSTITUTIONS IN NAKURU COUNTY, KENYA

The study looked into how staff competencies affect loan recovery at deposit-taking microfinance firms in Nakuru County, Kenya. Microfinance institutions have evolved into self-sustaining financial organizations that provide credit for a fee and profit. Despite efforts to prevent loan defaults, MFIs are experiencing an increase in loan defaults. The study employed two theories: knowledge asymmetry and delegated borrower monitoring. The findings revealed that staff competencies had a substantial impact on credit recovery among MFIs. MFI management should guarantee that the crediting team has enough capacity to detect and prevent bad debt and that adverse debt reports are addressed promptly. Management and staff should inform clients about the repercussions of loan default, as bad debts lead to institutional failure. JEL: G21, O16, D82, G32, M12  Article visualizations

Parks, people and pixels: evaluating landscape effects of an East African national park on its surroundings

Landscapes surrounding protected areas, while still containing considerable biodiversity, have rapidly growing human populations and associated agricultural development in most of the developing world that tend to isolate them, potentially reducing their conservation value. Using field studies and multi-temporal Landsat imagery, we examine a forest park, Kibale National Park in western Uganda, its changes over time, and related land cover change in the surrounding landscape. We find Kibale has successfully defended its borders and prevents within-park deforestation and other land incursions, and has maintained tree cover throughout the time period of the study. Outside the park there was a significant increase in tea plantations and continued forest fragmentation and wetland loss. The question of whether the park is a conservation success because of the network of forest fragments and wetlands or in spite of them remains unanswered

The Chemical and Ionization Conditions in Weak Mg II Absorbers

We present an analysis of the chemical and ionization conditions in a sample of 100 weak Mg II absorbers identified in the VLT/UVES archive of quasar spectra. Using a host of low ionization lines associated with each absorber in this sample, and on the basis of ionization models, we infer that the metallicity in a significant fraction of weak Mg II clouds is constrained to values of solar or higher, if they are sub-Lyman limit systems. Based on the observed constraints, we present a physical picture in which weak Mg II absorbers are predominantly tracing two different astrophysical processes/structures. A significant population of weak Mg II clouds, those in which N(Fe II) is much less than N(Mg II), identified at both low (z ~ 1) and high (z ~ 2) redshift, are potentially tracing gas in the extended halos of galaxies, analogous to the Galactic high velocity clouds. These absorbers might correspond to alpha-enhanced interstellar gas expelled from star-forming galaxies, in correlated supernova events. On the other hand, N(FeII) approximately equal to N(Mg II) clouds, which are prevalent only at lower redshifts (z < 1.5), must be tracing Type Ia enriched gas in small, high metallicity pockets in dwarf galaxies, tidal debris, or other intergalactic structures.Comment: 35 pages (including tables & figures). Accepted for publication in ApJ. A high resolution version of the paper is available at "http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~anand/weakMgII.pdf

Short-term genome stability of serial Clostridium difficile ribotype 027 isolates in an experimental gut model and recurrent human disease

Copyright: © 2013 Eyre et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are creditedClostridium difficile whole genome sequencing has the potential to identify related isolates, even among otherwise indistinguishable strains, but interpretation depends on understanding genomic variation within isolates and individuals.Serial isolates from two scenarios were whole genome sequenced. Firstly, 62 isolates from 29 timepoints from three in vitro gut models, inoculated with a NAP1/027 strain. Secondly, 122 isolates from 44 patients (2–8 samples/patient) with mostly recurrent/on-going symptomatic NAP-1/027 C. difficile infection. Reference-based mapping was used to identify single nucleotide variants (SNVs).Across three gut model inductions, two with antibiotic treatment, total 137 days, only two new SNVs became established. Pre-existing minority SNVs became dominant in two models. Several SNVs were detected, only present in the minority of colonies at one/two timepoints. The median (inter-quartile range) [range] time between patients’ first and last samples was 60 (29.5–118.5) [0–561] days. Within-patient C. difficile evolution was 0.45 SNVs/called genome/year (95%CI 0.00–1.28) and within-host diversity was 0.28 SNVs/called genome (0.05–0.53). 26/28 gut model and patient SNVs were non-synonymous, affecting a range of gene targets.The consistency of whole genome sequencing data from gut model C. difficile isolates, and the high stability of genomic sequences in isolates from patients, supports the use of whole genome sequencing in detailed transmission investigations.Peer reviewe

Frequency Control of Multi-Pulse 2-micron Laser Transmitter for Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Measurement

Laser sources with highly stabilized emission wavelength is of paramount importance for a long term atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) measurement from a space platform. Integrated Path Differential Absorption (IPDA) lidar is a promising instrument for such a task. The design of a laser transmitter, with emphasis on the method used to control and select several wavelengths, is presented. This multi-pulsed, injection seeded, 2-m transmitter uses a Ho:Tm:YLF laser crystal which has matching emission to the absorption of CO2 in the R30 spectroscopic area. The injection seeded laser produces triple single longitudinal mode transform limited line width pulses with a total of 80 mJ at a repetition rate of 50 Hz

An optical fiber hydrogen sensor using a palladium-coated ball lens

A self-referenced optical fiber refractometer using a ball lens as a sensor head has been developed and characterized. A 350-μm ball lens created at the tip of a single mode fiber has been coated with a 40-nm optically thin layer of palladium that reacts with hydrogen to form a hydride, which has a lower reflectivity than pure palladium. Optical reflectance measurements from the tip of the ball lens were performed to determine the hydrogen response. The change in reflectivity is proportional to the hydrogen concentration in the range 0% to 1% hydrogen in air with a detection limit down to 10 ppm (1σ) in air. This technique offers a simple sensor head arrangement, with a larger sampling area (~40 times) than a typical single-mode fiber core. A statistical image analysis of a palladium film, with cracks created by accelerated failure, confirms that the anticipated sensor area for a ball lens sensor head has a more predictable reflectivity than that of a bare fiber core

In vitro assessment of Clostridium difficile PCR ribotype 002: the most prevalent C. difficile ribotype in the United Kingdom.

Simon Baines, Iye Ameh, Jane Freeman, W.N. Fawley, M.H. Wilcox, ‘In vitro assessment of Clostridium difficile PCR ribotype 002: the most prevalent C. difficile ribotype in the United Kingdom’, poster presented at the 25th European Congress on Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen, Denmark, 25-28 August, 2015.Background: Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) causes substantial morbidity and healthcare expenditure across Europe. UK prevalence of C. difficile PCR ribotype 027 (NAP1) has declined dramatically recently and other ribotypes have emerged, including ribotype 002 (CD002); now the most prevalent UK ribotype. CD002 is also responsible for CDI in many countries across Europe, including: France, Germany, Ireland, and The Netherlands. We assessed the in vitro phenotypic characteristics of CD002 from across Europe to determine traits that may contribute to its increasing clinical prevalence. Material/methods: Sixty CD002 were studied: UK isolates from 2007-2008 (geographically distinct, N=15), UK isolates from 2011-2013 (19 locations, N=22), and non-UK European isolates from 2012-2014 (N=23, 20 locations). Antimicrobial susceptibilities (13 antimicrobials) were evaluated using an agar incorporation method. Maximum specific growth rates (μmax) were calculated and cytotoxin titres (log10-relative units, RU) determined using Vero cell cytotoxicity assays. Biofilm formation was quantified using 96-well microtitre plate assays and sporulation capacities assessed in liquid culture by quantifying spore-formation over 120 h (CFU/mL). Results: All isolates were susceptible metronidazole, vancomycin, tetracycline and linezolid (MICs ≤2 mg/L). Clindamycin resistance (MIC ≥8 mg/L) was more common in non-UK CD002 (30%) than UK strains (5-13%). Resistance to erythromycin, clarithromycin, nitrofurantoin, chloramphenicol, and moxifloxacin was uncommon (5-7%). MICs for penicillin’s remained below resistance breakpoints, regardless of origin, in all but one isolate (ampicillin MIC 2 mg/L). All CD002 were resistant to trimethoprim (MICs >128 mg/L) and ciprofloxacin (MICs ≥8 mg/L). One MDR strain (UK, 2007) was observed that was macrolide, fluoroquinolone, ampicillin, and nitrofurantoin resistant. Significantly faster μmax was seen in non-UK CD002 (0.92 ±0.058 h-1) than recent/older UK strains (0.76 ±0.063/0.69 ±0.028 h-1 respectively) (P<0.001). Cytotoxin production did not differ significantly (median titres 2-3 RU) between CD002 groups. Recent UK/non-UK CD002 formed significantly greater biofilms by 3 days than asynchronous UK CD002 (P<0.001). Sporulation studies demonstrated that recent UK/non-UK CD002 sporulated more at 24 h than older UK CD002; 18.6-fold/31.2-fold respectively (P<0.05), but by 120 h sporulation did not differ. Conclusions: Recent CD002 from diverse European locations were assessed for traits that may help to explain emergence of CD002 in the UK and compared to asynchronous CD002. Previous studies demonstrated elevated CD002 μmax compared to hypervirulent ribotypes 027/078; and the present study demonstrated that recent non-UK CD002 μmax were significantly further elevated vs. UK isolates. Non-UK CD002 were more clindamycin resistant, but other antimicrobial susceptibilities were similar between CD002 groups. Recent CD002 demonstrated significantly increased sporulation capacities at 24 h and more extensive 3 day biofilm formation compared to asynchronous UK CD002, which could enhance their survival and transmission early in an episode CDI. Further phenotypic and genetic studies are required to evaluate further characteristics of CD002 that may be associated with its emergence in the UK.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Rich Intercultural Music Engagement Enhances Cultural Understanding: The Impact of Learning a Musical Instrument Outside of One’s Lived Experience

Rich intercultural music engagement (RIME) is an embodied form of engagement whereby individuals immerse themselves in foreign musical practice, for example, by learning a traditional instrument from that culture. The present investigation evaluated whether RIME with Chinese or Middle Eastern music can nurture intercultural understanding. White Australian participants were randomly assigned to one of two plucked-string groups: Chinese pipa (n = 29) or Middle Eastern oud (n = 29). Before and after the RIME intervention, participants completed measures of ethnocultural empathy, tolerance, social connectedness, explicit and implicit attitudes towards ethnocultural groups, and open-ended questions about their experience. Following RIME, White Australian participants reported a significant increase in ethnocultural empathy, tolerance, feelings of social connection, and improved explicit and implicit attitudes towards Chinese and Middle Eastern people. However, these benefits differed between groups. Participants who learned Chinese pipa reported reduced bias and increased social connectedness towards Chinese people, but not towards Middle Eastern people. Conversely, participants who learned Middle Eastern oud reported a significant increase in social connectedness towards Middle Eastern people, but not towards Chinese people. This is the first experimental evidence that participatory RIME is an effective tool for understanding a culture other than one’s own, with the added potential to reduce cultural bias.</p