Semantic Analysis of Swahili Action Verb “To cut”: A Natural Semantic Metalanguage Approach

This research paper aims to analyze the Swahili action verb “to cut” within the framework of Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM) theory. The study also seeks to identify other Swahili verbs that share similar semantic correlations. No research has been conducted on the verb “to cut” using the NSM model in Swahili. Therefore, this research is crucial in bridging the gap in the existing literature. Swahili holds a significant position as one of the official languages in Kenya, alongside English, making it prevalent in the region. To achieve the research objectives, a qualitative-descriptive research design methodology was employed. Native Swahili speakers were involved in the study, and selected texts were utilized as data sources. Through self-examination and careful analysis, a total of 22 Swahili verbs were identified to have comparable semantic correlates to the verb “to cut.” These verbs include kata, tahirisha, pogoa, tema, katisha, nyofoa, chuna, vunja, kuhasiwa, tenganisha, nyoa, keketa, chanja, punguza, fyeka, pasua, chana, chinja, katika, gawanya, chomoa, and ng’oa. The findings of this study reveal that the Swahili word for “cutting” is derived from the original meaning of “doing” or “happening.” In this context, X represents the agent, Y represents the patient, and Z represents the instrument used in the action of cutting. By exploring the semantic relationships of the verb “to cut” and identifying other verbs that share similar patterns, this research sheds light on the versatility and richness of the Swahili language verbs

How the ten year plan to end homelessness has affected delivery of services

The County of San Bernardino Homeless Partnership has developed a ten-year plan to end homelessness in the County of San Bernardino. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded jurisdictions within the San Bernardino County nearly {dollar}7 million to be used to provide financial assistance and services to prevent individuals and families from becoming homeless and help those who are experiencing homelessness to be quickly re-housed and stabilized. The purpose of this study was to interview the case managers, directors, and managers of the facilities that were awarded the funds by HUD, to find out how the program has helped them in service delivery to the homeless population

Eliud Mwai Wahome to James H. Meredith (2 October 1962)

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/mercorr_pro/1541/thumbnail.jp

EFFORTS TOWARDS THE REDUCTION IN POST-HARVEST LOSSES OF CABBAGE

For a profitable cabbage production, growers should reduce losses in the field, enhance quality and safety of the produce after harvesting, and supply the produce at its best possible condition to the consumers. After harvesting, the quality of produce usually cannot be improved, but can only be maintained. The most basic factor affecting good quality is harvesting at proper stage of maturity. The most important quality characteristics of fresh market cabbage are colour, firmness, crispness, and freedom from decay and rot. High temperatures during post-harvest period and the use of non-protective packages are the major sources of high level damage and deterioration, which greatly reduces the potential post-harvest life of all fresh produce including cabbage. Assessing post-harvest losses of fresh produce provides benchmark information for determining loss reduction interventions to increase profitability and competitiveness of farming and marketing ventures. The most common post-harvest problems of cabbage in the supply chain are physical damage, bacterial soft rot, leaf yellowing, and wilting. Storage of cabbage at 4-10C, can effectively delay leaf yellowing and maintain leaf chlorophyll content. Low temperature or cold storage is the single most effective method of prolonging the post-harvest life of fresh produce. Weight loss, respiration rate and ethylene production can also be reduced at low temperatures and the head firmness maintained. In many developing countries, the fresh produce industry is hampered by lack of efficient and effective supply chains. The supply chains are generally not organised, are fragmented, and losses in product quality and quantity are usually high, which are absorbed by farmers as reduced farm-gate price and by consumers as increased purchase price

Conducting Graduate Tracer Studies for Quality Assurance in East African Universities: A Focus on Graduate Students Voices on Quality Culture

The purpose of this paper is to propose a guide for graduate trace studies (GTS) to be adopted by universities and other higher education institutions (HEIs) in East Africa. Their essential role notwithstanding, graduate tracer studies present viable opportunities through which quality assurance (QA) can be institutionalized and mainstreamed in activities of HEIs in East Africa (EA). Moi University is embracing graduate tracer studies triggered by the DAAD UNITRACE initiative much for the reason of generating from immediate users of university academic services, nuanced and evidenced information requisite for improvement of university education and service programmes. This paper is presented as a proposal for a GTS guide for East Africa higher institutions of learning (HEIs) that if accepted shall benchmark through GTS methodology and results for use to entrench a culture of quality assurance at universities. The objective of this paper thus, is to propose a methodological guide for graduate trace studies suitable for East Africa Universities. Using experiences, methodologies, results and lessons of a pioneer graduate tracer survey conducted at Moi University, the paper posits a seven staged GTS guide that fits the needs for East Africa. Information feedback, recommendations and evaluative proposals made by graduates about their experiences during degree study and transition to the job market immensely help to improve the quality of education and services at the University (table 1). This paper should arouse our desire to initiate and entrench GTS as means by which we can achieve quality assurance at universities and HEIs in East Africa. Originality and value of this paper lies in its first ever proposal for a guide for GTS suitable and domesticated for East Africa. Key Words: GTS Guide, Methodology, Results Utilization, Quality Assurance, Higher Education Institutions

The effect of biochar from rice husks on evapotranspiration, vegetative growth and fruit yield of greenhouse tomato cultivar Anna F1 grown in two soil types

Biochar made from crop residues has been shown to improve soil texture, soil porosity and soil structure. It can enhance fertilizer utilization, reduce leaching loses and hence improve nitrogen supply for plant growth. Utilization of biochar in preparation of potting substrates can enhance growth and yields of greenhouse tomato. A study was carried out to test the influence of rice husks biochar on substrate properties, growth and yield of greenhouse tomato. The experiment was carried as a factorial in completely randomized design with two factors: four biochar levels and two soil types, replicated three times. The biochar levels were volume ratios of 0 biochar: 1 soil (0Biochar), 0.25 biochar: 0.75 soil (0.25Biochar), 0.5 biochar: 0.5 soil (0.5Biochar) and 0.75 biochar: 0.25 soil (0.75Biochar). The two soil types used were the well drained deep red friable soil and imperfectly drained dark brown clay soil obtained from the University farm. Tomato Anna F1 was grown in four-liter plastic pots containing about 3 kg of soil-biochar mixture. Data were collected on the plant growth parameters of plant height, number of leaves per plant and plant dry weight upto the 8th - 9th week after transplanting, when fruit ripening began. The chlorophyll index of the leaves were measured using the SPAD meter. At harvesting, fresh weight and number of the fruits were determined. Incorporating biochar into potting substrate at 0.25-0.75 levels significantly increased evapotranspiration during early vegetative growth. This was indicative of biochar changing substrate properties mainly through significant reduction of bulk density and possibly increasing porosity. Biochar levels of 0.25-0.75 resulted in significant increases in vegetative growth and fruit yield of tomato. Adding biochar to the pot substrate increased tomato plant height, plant dry weight and fruit fresh weight by 21- 34%, 50-64% and 49%-56%, respectively. The increase in vegetative growth and fruit yield at 0.25-0.75 biochar levels was attributed to the positive effect of biochar on substrate physical properties. Plant height and number of leaves per plant had a significant linear relationship whose slope, the rate of increase in plant height with increase in number of leaves was not influenced by biochar levels. Biochar enhanced growth without changing the ratio of plant height to number of leaves of tomato. It is concluded that incorporation of biochar made from rice husks at 0.25 level can enhance greenhouse production in both red and clay soils. &nbsp

THE MANAGEMENT OF POST-HARVEST LOSSES OF TOMATO IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Reducing post-harvest losses of fresh produce has been demonstrated to be an important part of sustainable agricultural development efforts meant to increase food availability. Failure to achieve food security in most developing countries can be attributed to over-reliance on production related activities and the lack of adequate training of farmers on post-harvest handling practices, slow or no development of appropriate post-harvest infrastructure or neglect of other aspects of the post-harvest chain during transportation and marketing. Reducing food losses offers an important pathway of availing food, alleviating poverty, and improving nutrition. Moreover, reducing post-harvest losses has positive impacts on the environment and climate as it enhances farm-level productivity and reduces the utilisation of production resources or expansion into fragile ecosystems to produce food that will be lost and not consumed. Tomato is a major vegetable crop that has achieved tremendous popularity over the last century. It is grown in practically every country of the world in outdoor fields, greenhouses and net houses. Global post-harvest losses of tomato are as high as 30-50%, but this can be much higher in developing countries due to improper handling procedures and lack of appropriate methods to prevent decay

Alcohol use dynamics and mitigation among adolescents in rural Kenya

Alcohol use has remained a critical problem among adolescents in Kenya. The use is conceptualized as a behavior which results from the interplay between the social-economic environment and personal factors. The purpose of the study was to assess the prevalence, predictors and alleviation of alcohol use among adolescents in rural Nyeri, Kenya. The study was a quasi-experimental quantitative study in which purposive and simple random sampling were used to select participants (n=1038) from eight county administrative units. A self-administered questionnaire was employed to collect data at baseline and endline after six months. Descriptive statistics were applied to summarize categorical and continuous variables while Odds Ratio (OR) and 95% Confidence Interval (CI) brought out the estimated strength of association between independent and the dependent variables. Effectiveness of the mitigation strategy applied was assessed after six months with reference to the baseline. 48.6% of the participants indicated having used alcohol in their lifetime, with 34.7% reporting alcohol consumption in the last one month.  Seven independent predictors of alcohol use among the participants were identified using binary logistic regression at P<0.05. Application of five life skills had significant protective effect on alcohol use (OR=0.36; 95% CI: 0.26 – 0.48; p=0.001) whereby a student enrolled in the experimental group was 64% less likely to use alcohol compared to one in the control group. Life skills were therefore found to be effective in empowering adolescents to develop safe and healthy behavior with regard to alcohol use reduction

EFFORTS TOWARDS THE REDUCTION IN POST-HARVEST LOSSES OF CABBAGE

For a profitable cabbage production, growers should reduce losses in the field, enhance quality and safety of the produce after harvesting, and supply the produce at its best possible condition to the consumers. After harvesting, the quality of produce usually cannot be improved, but can only be maintained. The most basic factor affecting good quality is harvesting at proper stage of maturity. The most important quality characteristics of fresh market cabbage are colour, firmness, crispness, and freedom from decay and rot. High temperatures during post-harvest period and the use of non-protective packages are the major sources of high level damage and deterioration, which greatly reduces the potential post-harvest life of all fresh produce including cabbage. Assessing post-harvest losses of fresh produce provides benchmark information for determining loss reduction interventions to increase profitability and competitiveness of farming and marketing ventures. The most common post-harvest problems of cabbage in the supply chain are physical damage, bacterial soft rot, leaf yellowing, and wilting. Storage of cabbage at 4-10 C, can effectively delay leaf yellowing and maintain leaf chlorophyll content. Low temperature or cold storage is the single most effective method of prolonging the post-harvest life of fresh produce. Weight loss, respiration rate and ethylene production can also be reduced at low temperatures and the head firmness maintained. In many developing countries, the fresh produce industry is hampered by lack of efficient and effective supply chains. The supply chains are generally not organised, are fragmented, and losses in product quality and quantity are usually high, which are absorbed by farmers as reduced farm-gate price and by consumers as increased purchase price