Activity of MG-192 Against in Vitro Cultures of Infective Trypanosome Species and its Acute Toxicity Effects in Mice.

Trypanosomiasis is a disease caused by parasites of the Trypanosoma genus. The parasites are transmitted by the bite of an infected tsetse fly, resulting in human and animal disease

Facilitating or Restraining Access To Genetic Resources? Procedural Dimensions In Kenya

States have the right to regulate access to biological resources subject to national legislations. Allowing, restricting or prohibiting access, however, requires a balance to avoid contravention of the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Convention requires that, in regulating access, the measures adopted do not become a hindrance to access. In many instances, however, this has been the case. Overreaction to previous cases of bio-piracy and over-enthusiasm to tap into the benefits from discovered genetic resources have caused many provider countries to either over-regulate or extremely complicate access procedures, thus deterring access. In some instances, over-regulation and complex procedures are to be blamed on the users’ reluctance to collaborate with providers in minimising or eliminating abuse. Also, the need to protect certain rights over genetic resources or of an intellectual (property) character, for example, might at times complicate regulation. While it is appreciated that such issues must also be taken into account in addressing and creating a balance in access and benefit sharing, a discussion embracing all these aspects cannot be captured within the ambit of this article. Focus is therefore laid on the procedural dimensions of access in Kenya and suggestions for improvement

Impact of mergers and acquisitions in the financial sector of the Nairobi Securities Exchange - an event study approach

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Business Science in Financial Economics at Strathmore UniversityThis paper examines the impact of mergers and acquisitions in the financial services firms listed on the NSE on shareholder wealth in Kenya during the period 2000-20015. With the use of event study methodology, we reject the "semi-strong form" of Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) of the Nairobi Securities Exchange. We find that thirty days and ten days prior to the announcement of a merger and acquisition, shareholders receive considerable and significant positive cumulative average abnormal returns (CAARs). Also the results show that significant negative CAARs after the announcement of the deals. The overall results indicate that bank mergers and acquisitions have an effect on the shareholder wealth as the y significantly affect the share prices of the acquiring firm

An Introduction to the International ABS Regime and a Comment on its Transposition by the EU

This article summarises the core provisions of the ABS regime as required by the CBD and the NP. It identifies open questions and takes position concerning the interpretation of certain clauses. Looking at an exemplary transposition by a Contracting Party on the user side, it critically discusses the recent EU Commission Proposal for an ABS regulation

The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and Benefit Sharing: What is New and What are the Implications for Provider and User Countries and the Scientific Community?

In culmination of the efforts by the Conference of the Parties (COP) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (1992) to adopt an international regime to regulate access and benefit sharing, the Nagoya Protocol was adopted at the COP 10 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on 29 October 2010. The preceding negotiations aimed to produce a legal tool or regime that would oblige the parties to the Convention as well as resolve the long-standing stalemate between providers and users of genetic resources and traditional knowledge. The entire process leading to the adoption of the Protocol was marked with contention. Many issues remained unresolved until the last minute, when in night-long sessions a bargain was struck between provider and user states. The resulting text therefore abandons many legitimate issues raised by provider states that still existed in the final text of the ICG (Informal Consultative Group) as handed over to the Plenary for adoption. What is new in the Protocol? Who got what? In its current status, is the Protocol able to resolve the stalemate? Should parties adopt it and what are the stakes? This article gives an evaluation of the outcome of the negotiations based on these and other questions and assesses which implications this might have on provider and user states and the scientific community

The birds of Uaso Narok Forest Reserve, Central Kenya

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A novel coronavirus and a broad range of viruses in Kenyan cave bats

Background and Methods: To investigate virus diversity in hot zones of probable pathogen spillover, 54 oral-fecal swabs were processed from five bat species collected from three cave systems in Kenya, using metagenome sequencing. Results: Viruses belonging to the Astroviridae, Circoviridae, Coronaviridae, Dicistroviridae, Herpesviridae and Retroviridae were detected, with unclassified viruses. Retroviral sequences were prevalent; 74.1% of all samples were positive, with distinct correlations between virus, site and host bat species. Detected retroviruses comprised Myotis myotis, Myotis ricketti, Myotis daubentonii and Galidia endogenous retroviruses, murine leukemia virus-related virus and Rhinolophus ferrumequinum retrovirus (RFRV). A near-complete genome of a local RFRV strain with identical genome organization and 2.8% nucleotide divergence from the prototype isolate was characterized. Bat coronavirus sequences were detected with a prevalence of 24.1%, where analyses on the ORF1ab region revealed a novel alphacoronavirus lineage. Astrovirus sequences were detected in 25.9%of all samples, with considerable diversity. In 9.2% of the samples, other viruses including Actinidia yellowing virus 2, bat betaherpesvirus, Bole tick virus 4, Cyclovirus and Rhopalosiphum padi virus were identified. Conclusions: Further monitoring of bats across Kenya is essential to facilitate early recognition of possibly emergent zoonotic viruses