Copper Extraction Using Aluminum in Acidic Leachate Media

Copper is found in several minerals with varied elemental composition. For instance, copper minerals occur as chalcopyrite (CuFeS2), bornite (Cu5FeS4), chalcocite (Cu2S), covellite (CuS), cuprite oxide (Cu2O), and malachite (Cu2CO3 (OH)2) among many other minerals. In Kenya, extraction of valuable minerals like copper is hampered by high capital and technological investment requirements. Mineral ores found in Tharaka sub – county in Tharaka Nithi County in Kenya in particular contains significant concentrations of copper which are worth extraction. These minerals cannot be exploited due to financial and technological constraints. However, efficient and cheaper methods of extraction of copper with affordable technology are currently required. Electrolysis of copper leach solution after reaction of ground ore with acid has been done. Since the available methods involve the use of large amount of power for large scale production, alternative method for extraction has been investigated. The method involves dipping aluminum in acidic leach solution at room temperatures. The copper recovered was found to contain 80 to 90% purity depending with ore composition. Keywords: key copper extraction, aluminum half-cell reaction, displacement of copper using aluminum. DOI: 10.7176/CMR/12-7-06 Publication date:September 30th 202

Impure Hydrazone Preparation from Chicken Dung

Hydrazones are strong reducing agents. Some hydrazones like hydrazine are is highly toxic and unstable and are therefore found dissolved in water. Chicken dung contains amines and uric acid that are potential sources of hydrazones. This paper reports on the use of chicken dung as an important raw material for the industrial hydrazones. In this study, we investigated the conversion of amine to amide compounds in chicken dung and later chlorine treatment to produce impure hydrazones. In the preparation, 1.0 kg of the chicken dung was soaked in 2.0 litres of distilled water for fifteen days. After filtration, the leachate obtained was treated with chlorine gas. The chemical conversion of the compounds in the chicken dung leachate before and after chlorination was monitored using FT-IR and MS. A sample of pure hydrazine hydrate was analyzed using the two techniques and the spectra obtained was used as a reference standard.  The findings of this study indicate that chicken dung is rich in amine-containing compounds that can be converted to amide derivatives under ambient conditions. A comparison of FT-IR and MS data before and after chlorination indicated the formation of hydrazones. The findings of this study provide some scientific rationale for using chicken dung as an alternative source of industrial hydrazones. Keywords: Hydrazones, amines, amides, chicken dung. DOI: 10.7176/CMR/12-7-02 Publication date:September 30th 202

Implementation of respondent driven sampling in Nairobi, Kenya, for tracking key family planning indicators among adolescents and youth: lessons learnt

Objective: Adolescents and youth constitute a significant proportion of the population in developing nations. Conventional survey methods risk missing adolescents/youth because their family planning/contraception (FP/C) behavior is hidden. Respondent-driven sampling (RDS), a modified chain-referral recruitment sampling approach, was used to reach unmarried adolescents/youth aged 15–24 in Nairobi, Kenya to measure key FP/C indicators. Seeds were selected and issued with three coupons which they used to invite their peers, male or female, to participate in the study. Referred participants were also given coupons to invite others till sample size was achieved. We report on key implementation parameters following standard RDS reporting recommendations. Results: A total of 1674 coupons were issued to generate a sample size of 1354. Coupon return rate was 82.7%. Study participants self-administered most survey questions and missing data was low. Differential enrolment by gender was seen with 56.0% of females recruiting females while 44.0% of males recruited males. In about two months, it was possible to reach the desired sample size using RDS methodology. Implementation challenges included presentation of expired coupons, recruitment of ineligible participants and difficulty recruiting seeds and recruits from affluent neighborhoods. Challenges were consistent with RDS implementation in other settings and populations. RDS can complement standard surveillance/survey approaches, particularly for mobile populations like adolescents/youth

Demand satisfied by modern contraceptive among married women of reproductive age in Kenya

Background: Demand for family planning met/satisfied with modern contraceptive methods (mDFPS) has been proposed to track progress in Family Planning (FP) programs for Sustainable Development Goals. This study measured mDFPS among married women of reproductive age (MWRA) in Kenya to identify which groups were not being reached by FP programs. Materials and methods: Performance, Monitoring and Accountability 2020 (PMA2020) survey data from 2014–2018 was used. PMA2020 surveys are cross-sectional including women 15–49 years. PMA2020 used a 2-stage cluster design with urban/rural regions as strata with random selection of households. Univariate and multivariate analysis was done using stata V15. Results: Of the 34,832 respondents interviewed from 2014 to 2018, 60.2% were MWRA. There was a significant decrease in demand for FP from 2014 to 2018, p = 0.012. Lowest demand was among 15–19 and 45–49 years old women. Overall, modern contraceptive prevalence rate increased significantly from 54.6% to 60.8%, p = 0.004, being higher for women from urban areas, home visits by health care worker (HCW), educated, wealthy, visited health facilities and exposed to mass media. Unmet need for FP decreased from 23.0–13.8% over the 5-years, p\u3c0.001. Married adolescent 15–19 had the highest unmet need and those from rural areas, poor, uneducated and not exposed to mass media. mDFPS increased significantly from 69.7–79.4% over the 5-years, p\u3c0.001, with increase in long acting reversible contraception/permanent methods from 19.9–37.2% and decrease in short acting methods from 49.9–42.2%. Significant determinants of mDFPS were age, rural/urban residence, education, wealth, health facility visitation, exposure to FP messages via mass media in the last 12 months, year of study and county of residence. Conclusions: Results show a good progress in key FP indicators. However, not all MWRA are being reached and should be reached if Kenya is to achieve the desired universal health coverage as well as Sustainable Development Goals. Targeted home visits by HCW as well increase in mass media coverage could be viable interventions

Exploring contraception myths and misconceptions among young men and women in Kwale County, Kenya

BackgroundMyths and misconceptions around modern contraceptives have been associated with low contraceptive uptake in sub-Saharan Africa and Kenya in particular. Addressing persistent contraceptive knowledge gaps can make a significant contribution towards improved contraceptive uptake among young women. This qualitative study therefore sought to explore and understand young people's knowledge of modern contraception and to identify their key concerns regarding these methods.MethodsWe used focus group discussions (FGD) with vignette and writing activities to explore key myths and misconceptions around the use of contraceptives. Six FGDs (three for young men and three for young women) were conducted with a total of 28 young women and 30 young men from Kwale County, Kenya. We included 10 discussants aged 18-24 per FGD, one FGD had 8 participants. Predefined codes reflecting the discussion guides and emerging issues in the FGDs were used to develop the thematic coding framework. Our analysis followed a pattern of association on the key preset themes focusing on myths and misconceptions around contraceptive use.ResultsResults are presented under four key themes: awareness of contraception, myths and misconceptions around contraception, males' contraceptive narratives and young people's preferred sources of contraceptives. Both men and women participants reported basic awareness of contraceptives. A mixture of biological and social misconceptions were discussed and included perceptions that modern contraception: jeopardized future fertility, could result in problems conceiving or birth defects, made women promiscuous, was 'un-African', and would deny couples their sexual freedom. Compared to female respondents in the study, young men appeared to be strong believers of the perceived socio-cultural effects of contraceptives. On preferred sources of contraceptives, respondents reported on two main sources, pharmacies and public hospitals, however, they could not agree on which one was suitable for them.ConclusionsThis study revealed the presence of a mixture of biological and social myths and misconceptions around contraception, with young men also strongly adhering to these misconceptions. The low level of contraceptive knowledge, particularly on contraceptive fears as revealed by the study demonstrate critical gaps in sexual and reproductive health (SRH) knowledge among young people. Improved SRH literacy to address contraceptives' fears through appropriate and gender specific interventions to reach out to young men and women with factual SRH information may therefore contribute to increased uptake of SRH services including modern contraceptive methods

Young people’s experiences using an on-demand mobile health sexual and reproductive health text message intervention in Kenya : qualitative study

Background: Digital health usability assessments can help explain how well mobile health (mHealth) apps targeting young people with sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information performed and whether the intended purpose was achieved. However, few digital health assessments have been conducted to evaluate young people’s perceptions regarding mHealth system interactions and content relevance on a wide range of SRH topics. In addition, the majority of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have focused on push messaging platforms; therefore, the mHealth field lacks sufficient RCTs investigating on-demand mHealth SRH platforms. Objective: The objective of this study was to explore young people’s experiences using an on-demand SRH mHealth platform in Kenya. Methods: We used qualitative data related to the usability of an mHealth platform, Adolescent/Youth Reproductive Mobile Access and Delivery Initiatives for Love and Life Outcome (ARMADILLO), collected at the end of the intervention period. A total of 30 in-depth interviews (IDIs) were held with the intervention participants (15 women and 15 men) to elicit their experiences, opinions, and perspectives on the design and content of the ARMADILLO platform. The study participants were randomly selected from a list of intervention arm participants to participate in the IDIs. The interviews were later transcribed verbatim, translated into English, and coded and analyzed thematically using NVivo version 12 software (QSR International). Results: Respondents reported varied user experiences and levels of satisfaction, ranging from ease of use by the majority of the respondents to systematic frustrations that prevented some participants from progressing to other stages. Interesting features of the mHealth platform included the immediate response participants received when requesting messages, weekly remunerated quizzes, and perceived ability of educative and informative content and messages to change behaviors. Proposed enhancements to the platform included revising some concepts and words for easy understanding and increasing the interactivity of the platform, whereby young people could seek clarity when they came across difficult terms or had additional questions about the information they received. Conclusions: The importance of understanding the range of health literacy and technological variations when dealing with young people cannot be overemphasized. Young people, as mHealth end users, must be considered throughout intervention development to achieve optimum functionality. In addition, young people targeted with mHealth SRH interventions must be sensitized to the interactions on mHealth platforms or any other digital health apps if implemented in a nonresearch setting for optimal use by the targeted audience

Missed opportunities for family planning counselling among postpartum women in eleven counties in Kenya

Background: Mothers may access medical facilities for their babies and miss opportunities to access family planning (FP) services. This study was undertaken to describe missed opportunities for FP among women within the extended (0–11months) postpartum period from counties participating in Performance Monitoring and Accountability 2020 (PMA2020) surveys. Design and setting: This study analysed cross-sectional household survey data from 11 counties in Kenya between 2014 and 2018. PMA2020 uses questions extracted from the Demographic and Health survey (DHS) and DHS defnitions were used. Multivariable logistic regression was used for inferential statistics with p-value of \u3c0.05 considered to be signifcant. Participants: Women aged 15-49 years from the households visited. Primary outcome measure: Missed opportunity for family planning/contraceptives (FP/C) counselling. Results: Of the 34,832 women aged 15-49 years interviewed, 10.9% (3803) and 10.8% (3746) were in the period 0–11months and 12–23months postpartum respectively, of whom, 38.8 and 39.6% respectively had their previous pregnancy unintended. Overall, 50.4% of women 0-23months postpartum had missed opportunities for FP/C counselling. Among women who had contact with health care at the facility, 39.2% of women 0-11months and 44.7% of women 12-23months had missed opportunities for FP/C counselling. Less than half of the women 0-11months postpartum (46.5%) and 64.5% of women 12 – 23months postpartum were using highly efcacious methods. About 27 and 18% of the women 0-11months and 12 – 23months postpartum respectively had unmet need for FP/C. Multivariable analysis showed that being low parity and being from the low wealth quintile signifcantly increased the odds of missed opportunities for FP/C counselling among women in the extended postpartum period, p\u3c0.05. Conclusions: A large proportion of women have missed opportunities for FP/C counselling within 2 years postpartum. Programs should address these missed opportunities

Busting contraception myths and misconceptions among youth in Kwale County, Kenya: results of a digital health randomised control trial

Objectives: The objective of this randomised controlled trial in Kenya was to assess the effect of delivering sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information via text message to young people on their ability to reject contraception-related myths and misconceptions. Design and setting: A three-arm, unblinded randomised controlled trial with a ratio of 1:1:1 in Kwale County, Kenya. Participants and interventions: A total of 740 youth aged 18–24 years were randomised. Intervention arm participants could access informational SRH text messages on-demand. Contact arm participants received once weekly texts instructing them to study on an SRH topic on their own. Control arm participants received standard care. The intervention period was 7 weeks. Primary outcome: We assessed change myths believed at baseline and endline using an index of 10 contraception- related myths. We assessed change across arms using difference of difference analysis. Results: Across arms, \u3c5% of participants did not have any formal education, \u3c10% were living alone, about 50% were single and \u3e80% had never given birth. Between baseline and endline, there was a statistically significant drop in the average absolute number of myths and misconceptions believed by intervention arm (11.1%, 95% CI 17.1% to 5.2%), contact arm (14.4%, 95% CI 20.5% to 8.4%) and control arm (11.3%, 95% CI 17.4% to 5.2%) participants. However, we observed no statistically significant difference in the magnitude of change across arms. Conclusions: We are unable to conclusively state that the text message intervention was better than text message ‘contact’ or no intervention at all. Digital health likely has potential for improving SRH-related outcomes when used as part of multifaceted interventions. Additional studies with physical and geographical separation of different arms is warranted

Reshaping Antibody Diversity

SummarySome species mount a robust antibody response despite having limited genome-encoded combinatorial diversity potential. Cows are unusual in having exceptionally long CDR H3 loops and few V regions, but the mechanism for creating diversity is not understood. Deep sequencing reveals that ultralong CDR H3s contain a remarkable complexity of cysteines, suggesting that disulfide-bonded minidomains may arise during repertoire development. Indeed, crystal structures of two cow antibodies reveal that these CDR H3s form a very unusual architecture composed of a β strand “stalk” that supports a structurally diverse, disulfide-bonded “knob” domain. Diversity arises from somatic hypermutation of an ultralong DH with a severe codon bias toward mutation to cysteine. These unusual antibodies can be elicited to recognize defined antigens through the knob domain. Thus, the bovine immune system produces an antibody repertoire composed of ultralong CDR H3s that fold into a diversity of minidomains generated through combinations of somatically generated disulfides