Integrating ICT with education: using computer games to enhance learning mathematics at undergraduate level

Integration of ICT in the education sector is a desired trend globally. Where it has been adopted, it contributes significantly to increased access to education for all (EFA). This research seeks to look into ways in which computer games as ICT tools can be used to enhance and promote quality teaching and learning; particularly in creating and sustaining interest in the teaching and learning of Functions, a topic taught in mathematics coursessuch as Discrete Mathematics, Real Analysis and Calculus, among others. At Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) in Kenya, the topic is introduced to students of Mathematics and those of Computer Science in first year Discrete Mathematics. A computer game was developed using Full Professional Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro. The game isdesigned in five levels in line with the progression of functions subject content. A minimum score of 60% for each level was built in the game to ensure the player has a good grip of the content for a certain level before moving on to the next level, thus contributing to guided revision of the level with fun. After game development, it was availed to ten first year Bachelor of Science in Mathematics students taking discreet Mathematics course at the Taita Taveta Campus of JKUAT. The students were in their second semester academic year 2009/2010. Analysis of end of the  semester examinations results show that students who played the game had better performance than their counterparts who had not. Recommendations for further work as advancement of this research is development of a more advanced game in terms of adaptation of the game for use in teaching and learning other Mathematics topics considered to be boring, or difficulty or both and ultimately for purposes of promoting universal quality of university teaching.&nbsp

Review of Health Sector Services Fund Implementation and Experience

The Health Sector Services Fund (HSSF) is an innovative scheme established by the Government of Kenya (GOK) to disburse funds directly to health facilities to enable them to improve health service delivery to local communities. HSSF empowers local communities to take charge of their health by actively involving them through the Health Facility Management Committees (HFMCs) in the identification of their health priorities and in planning and implementation of initiatives responsive to the identified priorities. Following a successful pilot of a similar mechanism, the strategy was scaled up nationwide, starting in 2010. Following the recent general election in Kenya, dramatic changes to the health system are being considered and introduced, including devolution of government functions to 47 semi-autonomous counties, the merging of the two ministries of health, and the abolition of user fees at health centres and dispensaries. Given the experience of nearly 3 years of HSSF implementation, and the context of these important changes in the organisation of health service delivery, a review of experiences to date with HSSF and key issues to consider moving forward is timely. The overall goal of HSSF is to generate sufficient resources for providing adequate curative, preventive and promotive services at community, dispensary and health centre levels, and to account for the resources in an efficient and transparent manner. HSSF can cover items such as facility operations and maintenance, refurbishment, support staff, allowances, communications, utilities, non-drug supplies, fuel and community based activities. DANIDA and the World Bank are currently partnering with the MOPHS in supporting the HSSF’s phased implementation which began in October 2010 with public health centres, and public dispensaries in July 2012. Following a facility stakeholder’s forum, HFMCs should develop annual work plans (AWPs) and quarterly implementation plans (QIPs). HSSF resources are credited directly to each designated facility’s bank account every quarter and to the District Health Management Team (DHMT): KSH 112,000 (1,339 USD) for health centres, KSH 27,500 (327 USD) for dispensaries and 131,500 (1,565 USD) for DHMTs. Other funds available to the facility, such as user fee revenue, and grants and donations received locally, should be banked in the same account, and managed and accounted for together with HSSF funds from national level. All funds should be managed by the Health Facility Management Committee (HFMC) which includes community representatives, according to the financial guidelines approved by the Ministry of Health (MOH). Funds can only be spent on receipt of an Authority to Incur Expenditure (AIE) from national level. Facilities must then account for funds using monthly and quarterly financial reports, and expenditures are recorded in a specific software called Navision. Facility level supervision and support is provided by the DHMT and county based accountants (CBAs) hired specifically for HSSF; and at national level HSSF oversight is provided by the National Health Sector Committee. This review had the following objectives: 1. To describe the process of HSSF implementation to date, including facilities covered, funds disbursed, and activities undertaken. 2. To review evidence on the experience with HSSF implementation 3. To identify key issues including devolution for consideration in future planning around HSSF These objectives have been addressed through review of policy documents, administrative reports, and research studies related to HSSF; and interviews with key stakeholders in MOPHS, DANIDA and the World Bank, to obtain updates on HSSF implementation and experience

The prevalence of smoking and the knowledge of smoking hazards and smoking cessation strategies among hiv positive patients in johannesburg, south africa

Background: While the detrimental effects of smoking among HIV positive patients have been well documented, there is a paucity of data regarding cigarette smoking prevalence among these patients in South Africa. Objectives: To establish the frequency, demographics, and knowledge of harmful effects and of smoking cessation strategies among HIV-positive patients in Johannesburg, South Africa. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional survey, using a structured questionnaire interview, of HIV-positive patients attending the HIV Clinic at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital between 1 July 2011 and 31 October 2011. Results: Of 207 HIV positive patients attending an ARV roll-out clinic, 31 (15%) were current smokers (23% of the males and 7.5% of the females) and a further 45 (21.7%) were ex-smokers. Most of the current smokers (30/31 patients) indicated their wish to quit smoking, and among the group as a whole most patients were aware of the general (82.5%) and HIV-related (77.8%) risks of smoking and of methods of quitting smoking. Despite this, however, most (61.8%) were not aware of whom they could approach for assistance and advice. Conclusions: Given the relatively high prevalence of current and ex-smokers amongst HIV positive patients there is a need for the introduction of smoking cessation strategies and assistance at HIV-rollout clinics in South Africa

Raised temperatures over the Kericho Tea Estates: revisiting the climate in the East African highlands malaria debate: Supplemental Information

Supplemental information to a study examining a time series of quality controlled daily temperature and rainfall data from Kericho, in the Kenyan Highlands, for the 30-year period 1 January 1979 to 31 December 2009

Raised temperatures over the Kericho tea estates: revisiting the climate in the East African highlands malaria debate

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Whether or not observed increases in malaria incidence in the Kenyan Highlands during the last thirty years are associated with co-varying changes in local temperature, possibly connected to global changes in climate, has been debated for over a decade. Studies, using differing data sets and methodologies, produced conflicting results regarding the occurrence of temperature trends and their likelihood of being responsible, at least in part, for the increases in malaria incidence in the highlands of western Kenya. A time series of quality controlled daily temperature and rainfall data from Kericho, in the Kenyan Highlands, may help resolve the controversy. If significant temperature trends over the last three decades have occurred then climate should be included (along with other factors such as land use change and drug resistance) as a potential driver of the observed increases in malaria in the region.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Over 30 years (1 January 1979 to 31 December 2009) of quality controlled daily observations ( > 97% complete) of maximum, minimum and mean temperature were used in the analysis of trends at Kericho meteorological station, sited in a tea growing area of Kenya's western highlands. Inhomogeneities in all the time series were identified and corrected. Linear trends were identified via a least-squares regression analysis with statistical significance assessed using a two-tailed t-test. These 'gold standard' meteorological observations were compared with spatially interpolated temperature datasets that have been developed for regional or global applications. The relationship of local climate processes with larger climate variations, including tropical sea surface temperatures (SST), and El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) was also assessed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>An upward trend of ≈0.2°C/decade was observed in all three temperature variables (P < 0.01). Mean temperature variations in Kericho were associated with large-scale climate variations including tropical SST (r = 0.50; p < 0.01). Local rainfall was found to have inverse effects on minimum and maximum temperature. Three versions of a spatially interpolated temperature data set showed markedly different trends when compared with each other and with the Kericho station observations.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study presents evidence of a warming trend in observed maximum, minimum and mean temperatures at Kericho during the period 1979 to 2009 using gold standard meteorological observations. Although local factors may be contributing to these trends, the findings are consistent with variability and trends that have occurred in correlated global climate processes. Climate should therefore not be dismissed as a potential driver of observed increases in malaria seen in the region during recent decades, however its relative importance compared to other factors needs further elaboration. Climate services, pertinent to the achievement of development targets such as the Millennium Development Goals and the analysis of infectious disease in the context of climate variability and change are being developed and should increase the availability of relevant quality controlled climate data for improving development decisions. The malaria community should seize this opportunity to make their needs heard.</p

Loss and gain of gut bacterial phylotype symbionts in afrotropical stingless bee species (Apidae: Meliponinae)

Stingless bees (Apidae: Meliponini) are the most diverse group of corbiculate bees and are important managed and wild pollinators distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions of the globe. However, little is known about their associated beneficial microbes that play major roles in host nutrition, detoxification, growth, activation of immune responses, and protection against pathogens in their sister groups, honeybees and bumble bees. Here, we provide an initial characterization of the gut bacterial microbiota of eight stingless bee species from sub-Saharan Africa using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Our findings revealed that Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, and Proteobacteria were the dominant and conserved phyla across the eight stingless bee species. Additionally, we found significant geographical and host intra-species-specific bacterial diversity. Notably, African strains showed significant phylogenetic clustering when compared with strains from other continents, and each stingless bee species has its own microbial composition with its own dominant bacterial genus. Our results suggest host selective mechanisms maintain distinct gut communities among sympatric species and thus constitute an important resource for future studies on bee health management and host-microbe co-evolution and adaptation.Figure S1: Alpha rarefaction curve. Figure S2: Gut bacterial genera associated with each of the eight stingless bee species in Kenya. Figure S3: Bacterial alpha diversity did not correlate with the stingless bee size. Table S1: 16S rRNA sequencing data analysis (Excel file).Supplementary material: Figure S1: Alpha rarefaction curve. Figure S2: Gut bacterial genera associated with each of the eight stingless bee species in Kenya. Figure S3: Bacterial alpha diversity did not correlate with the stingless bee size. Table S1: 16S rRNA sequencing data analysis (Excel file).The Swiss National Science Foundation Postdoc Mobility, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, the Section for Research, Innovation, and Higher Education and by icipe core donors.https://www.mdpi.com/journal/microorganismsam2022BiochemistryForestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI)GeneticsMicrobiology and Plant Patholog

The development of bone char-based filters for the removal of flouride from drinking water

Millions of people rely on drinking water that contains excess fluoride. Only few fluoride removal techniques have been implemented on a wider scale in low and middle income countries. One of these methods, bone char filtration, is highly efficient. However, its lifespan is rather limited. This paper presents first laboratory results and field testing of a new fluoride removal technology, based on a combination of bone char and calcium-phosphate pellets. These chemicals are slowly released to the water for fluoride precipitation. Although this method, commonly referred to as contact precipitation is known, the development of such pellets is new. Fixed-bed laboratory experiments show that this mixture of materials can increase filter uptake capacity by a factor of 3 and more. However, to reduce the phosphate concentration in the treated water, the design of full-scale community filters for field testing has to be slightly modified

Organic waste substrates induce important shifts in gut microbiota of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens L.) : coexistence of conserved, variable, and potential pathogenic microbes

The sustainable utilization of black soldier fly (BSF) for recycling organic waste into nutrient-rich biomass, such as high-quality protein additive, is gaining momentum, and its microbiota is thought to play important roles in these processes. Several studies have characterized the BSF gut microbiota in different substrates and locations; nonetheless, in-depth knowledge on community stability, consistency of member associations, pathogenic associations, and microbe–microbe and host–microbe interactions remains largely elusive. In this study, we characterized the bacterial and fungal communities of BSF larval gut across four untreated substrates (brewers’ spent grain, kitchen food waste, poultry manure, and rabbit manure) using 16S and ITS2 amplicon sequencing. Results demonstrated that substrate impacted larval weight gain from 30 to 100% gain differences among diets and induced an important microbial shift in the gut of BSF larvae: fungal communities were highly substrate dependent with Pichia being the only prevalent genus across 96% of the samples; bacterial communities also varied across diets; nonetheless, we observed six conserved bacterial members in 99.9% of our samples, namely, Dysgonomonas, Morganella, Enterococcus, Pseudomonas, Actinomyces, and Providencia. Among these, Enterococcus was highly correlated with other genera including Morganella and Providencia. Additionally, we showed that diets such as rabbit manure induced a dysbiosis with higher loads of the pathogenic bacteria Campylobacter. Together, this study provides the first comprehensive analysis of bacterial and fungal communities of BSF gut across untreated substrates and highlights conserved members, potential pathogens, and their interactions. This information will contribute to the establishment of safety measures for future processing of BSF larval meals and the creation of legislation to regulate their use in animal feeds.The Canadian International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, the Section for Research, Innovation, and Higher Education (CAP-Africa), the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, WOTRO Science for Global Development (NWO-WOTRO) and The Rockefeller Foundation through the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe).http://www.frontiersin.org/Microbiologyam2022BiochemistryForestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI)GeneticsMicrobiology and Plant Patholog