The Extent to Which Public Universities in Kenya Experience Managerial and Environmental Challenges

The environment in which organisations operate is continuously changing, thereby posing challenges to the organisations, and higher education institutions are no exception. This study was undertaken to understand the managerial and environmental challenges faced by public universities in Kenya. The study design was descriptive and utilized a cross-sectional survey of all the public universities in Kenya through administration of a structured questionnaire to the top management team. Secondary data were collected from published works and, universities and government documents in public domain in order to corroborate the data collected from the primary sources. Positive responses were received from 63 respondents out of 91, yielding a 69.4 percent response rate. Of the respondents, 76 percent had basic training in the sciences and only 3 percent in business; 79 percent had no training in management and only 8 percent each had training in management at postgraduate diploma and postgraduate degree levels. The universities faced managerial challenges ‘to a greater extent’ than they faced environmental challenges. The control function of management, and competitive and economic macro-economic factors posed the highest challenges. A significant difference (p<0.05) in the managerial and environmental challenges existed between new and old universities, and rural and urban universities, respectively. There was significant difference (p<0.05) and no significant difference (p<0.05) among the three categories of public universities (old, new and university colleges) in managerial and environmental challenges, respectively. The results indicate that the managerial and environmental challenges experienced by public universities in Kenya could be related to lack of training in management. The results further indicate that public universities in Kenya are dependent on the environment in which they operate and, therefore, the study contributes to the environment-dependence theory of organizations. Keywords: Environmental challenge, environment-dependence theory, higher education institutions, Kenya, managerial challenge, public universit

Microbiological quality and safety of raw and pasteurized milk marketed in and around Nairobi Region

The microbiological quality of raw and pasteurized milk marketed in Nairobi and its environs was determined. Milk samples were collected randomly at milk selling points from three market areas: rural (Kiambu/Ngong), urban (East/West of Tom Mboya street) and slum (Kibera/Mathare). Samples were analysed for titratable acidity, total viable count (TVC), Staphylococcus aureus, coliforms and Enterobacteriaceae. Titratable acidity was determined using titration method, while TVC, S. aureus and Enterobacteriaceae were determined by the spread plate methods and coliforms were determined by most probable number. Data collected were subjected to analysis of variance using Genstat statistical package. The mean acidity was 0.20% lactic acid (LA), while mean counts for TVC, S. aureus, coliforms and Enterobacteriaceae were 6.05, 3.46, 2.30, and 3.93 log10cfu/ml, respectively. The  ercentage of milk samples with acidity values greater than 0.18% LA, the upper limit set by Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), was 52.8 %. Total viable count (TVC) greater than 106 cfu/ml, was detected in 95.2% and 21.4% of raw and pasteurized milk, respectively. Coliform counts greater than 4.70 and 1.0 log10cfu/ml for raw and pasteurized milk were detected in 77.8% and 4.8%, respectively of raw and pasteurized milk samples collected. Enterobacteriaceae and S. aureus were detected with mean counts ranging from 6.08-6.86 and 5.82-6.32 log10/ml, respectively. Highest mean acidity and counts were recorded from slum areas of Nairobi and there were significant differences between raw and pasteurized milk (P<0.05). The poor bacterial quality coupled with high acidity of raw milk, indicates poor hygienic practices and lack of temperature control during marketing. The incidence of high acidity and bacterial counts in pasteurized milk could indicate post process contamination and/or inappropriate storage of the milk. Most vendors of pasteurized milk were observed selling directly from the distributor crates without refrigerated storage. The rapid deterioration of raw and pasteurized milk marketed in Nairobi, at the time of this study, may be largely due to poor hygienic standards and non-adherence to temperature controls during handling, distribution and marketing. This requires urgent attention by the appropriate authorities, because the poor microbiological quality of raw milk and pasteurized milk may expose consumers to health risks associated with the consumption of contaminated milk.Key words: Marketed milk, quality, acidity, total viable count, coliforms, enterobacteriaceae, Staphylococcus aureu

Kutoka lugha kienzo hadi lugha ya isimu: matatizo yanayotinga kiswahili kama lugha ya kufunzia isimu vyuoni vikuu nchini Kenya

Makala hii inachunguza hali ya somo la isimu ya lugha linalofundishwa katika nyingi ya idara za Kiswahili vyuoni vikuu nchini Kenya. Inaangazia matatizo yanayotinga kufana kwa somo hili. Inahitimiza kwa kupendekeza kwamba iwapo matokeo mazuri yatapatikana na wanafunzi wa somo hili, yafaa matatizo yanayokwamiza somo hili yatatuliwe, hasa kwa upande wa usawazishaji wa istilahi, tafsiri, uzito wa kozi na mengineyo. Makala hii inapendekeza kuwa ni muhimu kila chuo kikuu kiunde kamati ya kuchunguza jambo hili

Production and characterization of wine from mango fruit (Mangifera indica) varieties in Kenya

Mango is one of the most important tropical fruit. In Kenya, increased production has been observed over years paralleled by large postharvest losses which are partly attributed to poor value addition practices. This study sought to investigate the suitability of mango fruit for wine production and characterization of the wine produced. Six mature and unripe mango fruits were harvested three times from a farm in Katheka Kai Division, Machakos County of Kenya. The ripened fruits were screened for their suitability to produce wine based on juice yield, °brix (°Bx), pH, reducing sugars and titratable acidity (TTA). The wine produced was analyzed for the chemical properties whereas characterization of the major volatile compounds was determined by GC‐FID. Sensory evaluation was done using a nine point hedonic scale with a reference commercial grape wine (chardonnay). Juice recovery was dependent on variety with Kent yielding 72.8%, Apple 71.3% and Ngowe 67.6%. The extracted juice had a high sugar content ranging from 17.0 to 23.9°Bx. Apple and Ngowe variety had the most suitable properties for wine production based on sugar levels and juice yield. The ethanol content of the wines produced was between 8.9‐ 9.5 %v/v, the range acceptable for table wine. The methanol content (128‐129mg/l) was however higher than grape wine (100mg/l) although it was within the acceptable limits for wine. The sensory evaluation indicated that mango wine exhibited similar sensory characteristics with those of grape wine. This study provides evidence that mango fruits are suitable for wine processing

Determining efficient extraction procedure of phytochemicals from the fruit paste of Ziziphus abyssinica and Tamarindus indica.

Objective: To determine the most effective method of extracting metabolites from the two herbs Ziziphus abyssinica and Tamaridus. Indicus.Methodology and results: The methods used included cold and soxhlet extraction using methanol as the solvent and hot extraction using distilled water. To determine the efficiency in which compounds are extracted TLC was performed on silica gel aluminium plates using ethyl acetate: formic acid: glacial acetic acid: water (100:11:11:27). To determine the quantity of phenolic compounds in the extract, the Folin and Ciocalteau’s method (1927) was used, using Gallic acid in various concentrations. For the total quantity of flavonoid compounds, the method of Miliauskas et al. (2004) was used. To determine the Proanthocyanidin content in the extract a method previously reported by Ayoola et al, 2006 was used. To measure the antioxidant capacity of the extracts the hydrogen donating or free radical scavenging activity, was measured using the stable radical DPPH. The compounds extracted by all the methods were about seven but the difference was noted when the individual compounds were analysed. The cold extraction on the herb extract of Z. abyssinica had significantly high amount of total phenols 1.99g/100g of sample than both soxhlet and water extraction with 1.51g and 0.61g/100g of sample respectively. The results of T. indicus indicate that the extracts from the soxhlet and cold extraction methods contained a significantly low amount of all the three compounds compared to the water extractsConclusion and application of results: The method best suited for obtaining extracts from the two herbs T. indicus and Z. abyssinica is, cold method of extraction with methanol as the solvent for Z. abyssinica and hot extraction using distilled water for T. indicus. The results obtained give guidance to the fact that using both herbs would result in a better preservative than using one herb since the identified compounds would complement each other.Key words: Antimicrobial, antioxidant, phytochemicals and Radical scavenging activity

Modifying Surber sampling technique increases capture of freshwater crabs in African upland streams

We compared 2 methods for sampling the freshwater crab Potamonautes odhneri (Colosi) in Kenyan streams: standard Surber sampling, in which a sample is taken over a period of several minutes; and rapid Surber sampling, in which the process is reduced to around 10 seconds. Rapid Surber sampling caught more crabs than standard Surber sampling, This suggests that the crab species investigated is normally able to evade capture if sampling is carried out at an unhurried pace, but that if precision is sacrificed for speed, then capture efficiency increases. The size of crabs caught using the 2 techniques was similar, and use of baited traps set in the same locations showed that Surber sampling methods were not capturing larger individuals. Like all methods available to sample large benthic crustaceans, rapid Surber sampling has its limitations, but this study demonstrates that it can be used as a method for rapid assessment of crab presence and for comparative determination of population density, to significantly greater effect than the standard method of Surber sampling

傷害処理したカボチャ果肉組織から抽出したACC酸化酵素の2,3の性質

1-Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) oxidase, the enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of ACC to ethylene, the final step of ethylene biosynthesis was extracted from wounded mesocarp tissue of winter squash (Cucurbita maxima Duch. v. Ebisu) fruit. The enzyme was characterized with respect to temperature optima, thermostability, stability in the presence f selected metal ions and alkylating agents, and Km value for ACC. 　　ACC oxidase requires Fe2+ as a co-factor and maximum activity was achieved using Fe2+ at 20uM in the reaction mixture. The enzyme was activated by C02 and inclusion of C02 in the reaction mixture increased the apparent Km value of the enzyme with respect to ACC. The enzyme exhibited apparent Km values for ACC of 147uM in air and 454 uM in the presence of 5 % C02. ACC oxidase was partially inactivated by ACC during its catalytic action. The enzyme had maximum activity at 30℃ and its activity was almost completely lost m the presence of Ag+, C02+, Cu2+ and Zn2+ ions. The alkylating agents, iodoacetamide and iodoacetic acid partially inhibited and almost completely abolished ACC oxidase activity respectively, thereby suggesting requirement of sulfhydryl groups for ACC oxidase activity. Following excision of the mesocarp tissue, the increase in in vivo ACC oxidase activity was accompanied by a concomitant increase in in vitro ACC oxidase activity. 　The results support and extend previous observations and indicate that the solubilized enzyme is indeed ACC oxidase and resembles the physiological ACC oxidase in several aspects

"I can't get no satisfaction":measuring student satisfaction in the age of a consumerist higher education

One could be excused for failing to recognise today’s universities as the inheritors of the global higher education system that arose more than 70 years ago from the ashes of the Second World War. A wave of post-war optimism ushered in a global movement with a utopian vision in which arbitrary divisions such as class, gender and race would be transcended in the pursuit of academic enlightenment (Scott, 1995). Universities were to be one of the key drivers of this change. But, contemporary academia is a distinctly different beast. The enlightenment values of the liberal education model, once the dominant philosophy in universities across the world, are gradually being supplanted by a consumerist ideology (Furedi, 2011): Yesterday’s ‘Cathedrals of learning’ are being replaced by today’s ‘Supermarkets of facts’

Optimal Handling and Postharvest Strategies to Reduce Losses of ‘Cuello Dama Negro’ Dark Figs (Ficus Carica L.)

The optimal postharvest handling to reduce postharvest decay and maintain quality of ‘Cuello Dama Negro’ fresh dark figs grown in Spain is been studied. Different storage temperatures (0ºC and 4ºC), relative humidity (RH, 75% to 95%) and cooling strategies (delayed and intermittent cooling) were tested. Moreover, different postharvest strategies such as 1-MCP (10 ppm), two different passive modified atmosphere packaging (Xtend® and LifePack MAP), and SO2 generating pads (UVASYS, Grapetek (Pty) Ltd.), were also tested. Storage at 0ºC, 95% RH together with MAP effectively decreased postharvest rots and therefore increased the market life of ‘Cuello Dama Negro’ fresh figs, without altering the fruit quality nor the consumer liking degree. No improvement on the shelf life of the fruit was observed with the application of 1-MCP. The use of SO2 generating pads reduced the decay but detrimentally affected fruit quality by inducing skin bleaching. Low temperature from harvest to consumption is crucial for a good maintenance of quality in fresh fig. In addition, EMAP technology is a low-cost technology able to reduce decay and maintain fruit quality of fresh figs up to 2 weeks.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio