The effect of the East African community integration process on informal cross-border trade (ICBT) : an analysis of the Customs Union Protocol

Informal cross border trade (ICBT) includes imports and exports that are traded across borders informally by escaping the normal border procedures like customs clearance. As a consequence of the said informality, ICBT is viewed as illegal cross border activities. Despite the fact that it is not possible to give the accurate extent of ICBT in the East African Community (EAC), it continues to grow by the day and has contributed significantly to economic and sustainable growth. It therefore has the potential to support the ongoing initiatives on poverty reduction and raise the standards of living for a majority of the people. In fact, if properly managed, it definitely has the effect of boosting the economies. The concept therefore that ICBT is illegal trade shows that legislators have not fully appreciated the benefits of this trade and the fact that they have downplayed it means overlooking a significant proportion of trade. The main aim of the study therefore is to give an overview of the nature and scope as well as the significance of ICBT in EAC. In this regard, the three major advantages are that it is a source of employment, assists in eradicating poverty and contributes immensely towards food security in the region. The study also analyzes the Customs Union Protocol and highlights opportunities that can be derived from specific articles for the benefit of the informal cross border traders and eventually comes up with policy recommendations to provide a regulatory environment that can accommodate both the formal and informal sector without harming either of the two. The research has also discussed the regional integration initiatives taken with the aim of promoting economic development in the Community and their effect on ICBT. The route taken by Africa as a whole is market integration which has not been without difficulties. As an alternative, regionalism from below could be the better way forward in the quest for regional economic integration considering ICBT has greatly supported the shrinking formal economy. This would mean tapping into this informal trade by building on those informal trade networks to create a robust economy bearing in mind that is where a substantial proportion of cross-border trade is conducted. This would ultimately lead to formalizing ICBT. While it may seem difficult, the study shows that formalizing ICBT and having its official recognition in the Customs Union Protocol would be a stepping stone to realizing economic integration within the Community. It is a kind of trade that is there to stay and as a result of the shrinking formal economy; EAC will with time have to deal with ICBT as a parallel and alternative source of employment in relation to the formal sector. Therefore, it is necessary that the Community deals with ICBT sooner rather than later considering it has become a social-economic lifestyle for a large number of EAC citizens

Serotonin Syndrome Associated with Antidepressant Discontinuation in a Neonate Following Drug Exposure During Pregnancy

Sudden withdrawal of some drugs leads to withdrawal issues. We describe a baby girl who was indirectly exposed to venlafaxine as her mother was administered this drug during pregnancy for treatment of depression. The subject presented with involuntary movement of the limbs. The mother had also encountered similar scenario along with some other symptoms after she suddenly discontinued her medication. The symptoms of the mother completely resolved a few hours after the she took another dose of venlafaxine. The baby was kept under observation and recovered completely without any intervention. We suggest that healthcare professionals should be aware that patients may require tapering of anti-depressants before discontinuation

Energetic interactions within the solid-state spectrometer of the ASCA Satellite

Thesis (M.Eng. and B.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; and, (B.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Physics, 1995.Includes bibliographical references (p. 82-84).ASCA is a broad band (0.3 - 12 keV) x-ray astrophysical observatory in which various instruments operate with high throughput and high spectral resolution. Detailed examination of the method in which photoelectronic interactions occur in the Charge Coupled Devices (CCDs) of the Solid-State Imaging Spectrometer (SIS) on ASCA reveals a sudden variation in the nearly linear CCD signal output versus energy input curve near the silicon K-edge. The focus of this thesis is the modeling of the behavior of the SIS CCD at the silicon K-edge, first by theoretical analysis, and then by analysis of X-ray spectral data already acquired from the instrument. The relationship between CCD signal out and incoming photon energy at the silicon K-edge in the ASCA detectors is studied in detail in order to define and analyze the behavior of the CCD in this range. The results from this study showed that theoretically, a one to two percent deviation between incoming energy and output pulse-height should exist in the CCD. Although the nonlinearity was consistent with the available data, insufficient signal-to-noise in this data restricted the definite quantification of this disparity.by Srimal Wangu.B.S.M.Eng.and B.S

Kajian Profil Spektrum UV-Vis pada Susu Kedelai Elisitasi dalam Air Kelapa

Tujuan dari penelitian yaitu mendeskripsikan profil spektrum UV-Vis dari susu kedelai elisitasi yang dilarutkan dengan air kelapa. Kedelai Devon 1 dielisitasi dengan cara menginokulasikan 107 Saccharomyces cerevisae sebanyak 7,5 mL pada 100 g kedelai, diberi cahaya lampu 60W dengan frekuensi 16 jam/hari selama 3 hari . Terdapat 4 sampel dengan dua perlakuan yaitu tanpa pemanasan (SKEAkTP & SKEAqTP), dan pemanasan (SKEAkP & SKEAqP). Kedelai elisitasi dihaluskan dengan air kelapa atau akuades (1:20 w/v), diperas, dan disaring. Pemanasan dilakukan pada hasil penyaringan pada suhu 50℃-52℃, 10 menit dan didinginkan. Proses tersebut dilakukan dua kali. Setelah itu, sampel disentrifus pada kecepatan 4.500 rpm, 4℃ selama 15 menit. Pelet diresuspensi dan disentrifugasi kembali. Analisis profil spektrum UV-Vis dilakukan pada panjang gelombang 200-800 nm, diukur pH, turbiditas dan massa pelet. Kemudian data profil spektrum UV-Vis ditampilkan dalam bentuk grafik menggunakan software Microsoft Excel. Peak yang muncul dicatat panjang gelombang dan intensitas absorbansinya, kemudian dibandingkan antar sampel. Proses pemanasan menyebabkan terjadinya efek hipokromik dan pergeseran hipsokromik pada sampel susu kedelai elisitasi dalam akuades, sedangkan pada susu kedelai elisitasi dalam air kelapa menyebabkan efek hipokromik dan pergeseran batokromik. Penggunaan air kelapa sebagai pelarut dibandingkan dengan akuades menunjukan terjadinya pergeseran hipsokromik dan efek hipokromik. Turbiditas pada susu kedelai elisitasi dipengaruhi oleh proses pemanasan dan juga pelarut yang digunakan. Susu kedelai elisitasi dalam air kelapa memiliki nilai pH yang lebih rendah dibanding dalam akuades. Massa pelet setiap sampel susu kedelai elisitasi menunjukkan nilai <0,01 gram. Kesimpulannya yaitu perbedaan profil spektrum UV-Vis susu kedelai elisitasi dalam air kelapa dengan susu kedelai elisitasi dalam akuades dipengaruhi oleh proses pemanasan dan pelarut yang digunaka

Influence of Innovation on performance of Insurance companies in Kenya

The need for improved performance by insurance companies in Kenya in both life and non-life segments has been underscored and innovation has been identified as a means to boost performance. The main objective of this study was to determine the influence of innovation on performance of insurance companies in Kenya. The study adopted the use of a descriptive cross-sectional design. A census survey was used with the study population comprising all 49 insurance companies operational in Kenya as at 31st December 2014. Primary data was collected using structured questionnaires. Data was analyzed using SPSS statistical package program version 22 for descriptive and inferential statistics. The results of the study revealed that product innovation positively and significantly influences organizational performance (β=57271.822, t=2.423, p0.05). The results also showed that process innovation was the most predominant type of innovation in the insurance industry in Kenya. Additionally, the survey found that among the three types of innovation studied, process innovation registered the strongest correlation to organizational performance (coefficient value 0.584, 0.01 level of significance, and p value 0.001). The study recommends that management of insurance companies in Kenya should place greater emphasis on process innovation in order to improve performance. Further research should adopt a longitudinal research design, multiple informant approach, wider scope of study and the use of both objective and subjective measures to assess performance. These will give useful insight into the relationship between the variables under study

The Effect of Bank Specific Factors on Financial Performance of Commercial Banks in Kenya.

The main goal of many banks is to grow and sustain growth in its financial performance. Internal factors   are viewed as critical drivers for bank financial performance. The main goal of this study was to investigate the effect of bank specific factors on financial performance of commercial banks in Kenya. Various studies indicate divergent views on the effect of bank specific on commercial banks financial performance. There is lack of consensus on the effect of bank specific factors on bank financial performance. Different researchers have used different models and assumed different variables. The main objective of this study was to assess the effect of bank specific factors   on the financial performance of commercial banks in Kenya. The Findings of the study should help understand the effect of bank specific factors on financial performance of commercial banks in Kenya. In light of the different views that appear in some studies the results will be useful to investors, management, auditors, financial analyst and researchers. The population of this study comprised of all the forty five(45) commercial banks in Kenya licensed by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) .The study used Panel data covering a period of eleven years from 2007 to 2017.The data was collected from CBK published financial annual supervisory reports for the 45 commercial banks listed by Central bank of Kenya and the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics periodic reports. The study used Correlation and multiple linear regression analysis to analyze the data. The researcher used SPSS software to assist in analyzing the data. The study established that bank specific   accounted for 89.3% financial performance of commercial banks in Kenya (R2 = 0.893). This point out that bank specific strongly predicts financial performance of listed commercial banks in Kenya.  Therefore, bank specific   have a statistical positive significant effect on financial performance of commercial banks in Kenya. The study recommends further research on other bank specific together with macroeconomic factors to determine whether they have a significant positive effect on financial performance of commercial banks in Kenya or not. Key wards: Bank Specific Factors, Financial Performance. DOI: 10.7176/RJFA/10-20-14 Publication date:October 31st 201

Biochar and gypsum amendment of agroindustrial waste for enhanced black soldier fly larval biomass and quality frass fertilizer

Open Access Journal; Published online: 27 Aug 2020Black soldier fly (BSF) (Hermetia illucens L.) is one of the most efficient bio-waste recyclers. Although, waste substrate amendments with biochar or gypsum during composting process are known to enhance nutrient retention, their impact on agro-industrial waste have not been documented. Hence, this study focuses on a comparative effect of agro-industrial waste amended with biochar and gypsum on BSF larval performance, waste degradation, and nitrogen (N) and potassium retention in frass fertilizer. Brewery spent grain was amended with biochar or gypsum at 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20% to determine the most effective rates of inclusion. Amending feedstock with 20% biochar significantly increased wet (89%) and dried (86%) larval yields than the control (unamended feedstock). However, amendment with 15% gypsum caused decrease in wet (34%) and dried (30%) larval yields but conserved the highest amount of N in frass. Furthermore, the inclusion of 20% biochar recorded the highest frass fertilizer yield and gave a 21% increase in N retention in frass fertilizer, while biomass conversion rate was increased by 195% compared to the control. Feedstock amendment with 5% biochar had the highest waste degradation efficiency. Potassium content in frass fertilizer was also significantly enhanced with biochar amendment. At maturity, frass compost with more than 10% inclusion rate of biochar had the highest cabbage seed germination indices (>100%). The findings of this study revealed that initial composting of biochar amended feedstocks using BSF larvae can significantly shorten compost maturity time to 5 weeks with enhanced nutrient recycling compared to the conventional composting methods

Low-cost technology for recycling agro-industrial waste into nutrient-rich organic fertilizer using black soldier fly

Open Access Article; Published online: 15 Oct 2020Efforts to recycle organic waste using black soldier fly (BSF) larvae into high-quality alternative protein ingredients in animal feeds and organic fertilizers have gained momentum worldwide. However, there is limited information on waste manipulation to increase nutrient retention for enhanced larval performance and frass fertilizer quality. In the present study, brewer’s spent grain with a carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratio of 11 (control) was amended with sawdust to obtain substrates with C/N ratios of 15, 20, 25 and 30. The effects of substrate C/N ratios on BSF larval yield, waste degradation, biomass conversion efficiency, compost maturity and nutrient levels of frass fertilizer were evaluated. Substrates amended with sawdust did not significantly affect waste degradation efficiency and biomass conversion rates of BSF larvae. The wet and dried larval yields were significantly higher for substrates with C/N ratio of 15 compared to the other amended substrates. An amended substrate with C/N ratio of 15 enhanced nutrients uptake by BSF larvae, and increased nitrogen (N) and phosphorus retention in frass compost by 21 and 15%, respectively. Compost maturation time was shortened to five weeks, as indicated by the stable C/N ratios and high seed germination indices. This study has demonstrated that the amendment of the substrate with sawdust to C/N ratio of 15 could generate compost with desirable nutrients for use as high-quality fertilizer for organic farming