Report on the evaluation of surveillance systems relevant to zoonotic diseases in Kenya, 2015: A basis for design of an integrated human–livestock surveillance system

The Zoonoses in Livestock in Kenya (ZooLinK) is a project that seeks to enable Kenya develop an effective surveillance programme for zoonotic diseases (infectious diseases transmissible between animals and human beings). The surveillance programme will be integrated across both human and animal health sectors. To achieve this goal the project will work in close collaboration with Kenyan government departments in responsible for animal and human health. As a prelude to the start of the project, an evaluation of the existing surveillance systems for human and animal health was carried out. The evaluation focused on the national surveillance system and the systems at the western part of Kenya (Busia county, Kakamega county and Bungoma county) where the initial programme will be developed. In conducting the evaluation the investigators used key informant interviews, focused group discussion participant questionnaires, audio recordings and observation for data collection. Data analysis for the qualitative data focused on generating themes or theory around the responses obtained in the key informants interviews and focused group discussions. Univariate analysis was performed by use of simple proportions in calculation for surveillance system attributes like sensitivity, completeness, PVP and Timeliness for the human health surveillance systems. The findings of the evaluation revealed that there was poor linkage between animal health surveillance and the human health surveillance systems. None of the systems had surveillance structures dedicated to zoonotic diseases. Most practitioners used clinical signs for diagnosis of diseases with little reference to acceptable case definitions. Laboratory diagnosis in animal health services focused more on suspected notifiable diseases as opposed to being a standard operating procedure for diagnosis. In Human health services the health care facilities that had laboratory within the facility conducted laboratory diagnosis for cases referred by the clinicians. However, some clinicians preferred using clinical signs for diagnosis to avoid the wait or turn-around time in the laboratory. For effective surveillance of zoonoses to be realized it would be advisable to establish surveillance structures specific to zoonoses and the necessary resources allocated to the surveillance activities. In addition, an integrated approach that incorporated both human and animal disease surveillance should be employed in the surveillance of zoonoses

Factors Affecting the Financial Performance of Listed Companies at the Nairobi Securities Exchange in Kenya

With the increasing trend of sudden corporate failure in both global and local context, shareholders and other stakeholders are increasingly becoming more concerned of the financial performance of their firms. The study therefore aimed to find out the factors affecting the financial performance of listed companies at Nairobi Securities Exchange in Kenya. It was informed by trade off and the agency theories. The study adopted an explanatory research design and 29 listed firms (excluding listed banks and insurance companies) which have consistently been operating at the Nairobi securities exchange during the period 2006-2012 were sampled. Purposive sampling technique was used. The analysis of the data collected from financial statement followed a number of basic statistical techniques. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Pearson correlation and multiple-regression) were used to analyze data. Pearson correlation was used to ascertain the interrelationship between the variables, whereas multiple-regression was used to assess the extent of the effect of the independent variables on the dependent variable. Study findings showed that leverage had a significant negative effect on financial performance (?1 = -0.289, ?<0.05). Findings also showed that liquidity had a significant positive effect on financial performance (?2 = 0.296, ?<0.05). Company size had a significant positive effect on financial performance (?3 = 0.480, ?<0.05). The study also revealed that company age had a significant positive effect on financial performance (?4 = 0.168, ?<0.05). The study provides some precursory evidence that leverage, liquidity, company size and company age play an important role in improving company’s financial performance. The study suggests that there is need to determine an optimal debt level that balances the benefits of debt against the costs of debt and developing sound techniques of managing current assets to ensure that neither insufficient nor unnecessary funds are invested in current assets as maintaining a balance between short-term assets and short-term liabilities is critical. The study also suggest that firms should expand in a controlled way with the aim of achieving an optimum size so as to enjoy economies of scale which can ultimately result in higher level of financial performance. Keywords: Financial Performance, Liquidity, Leverage, Company Size and Ag

Synthesis, Physical and Antimicrobial Studies of Ferrocenyl-N-(pyridinylmethylene)anilines and Ferrocenyl-N-(pyridinylmethyl)anilines

Ferrocenyl-N-(pyridinylmethylene)anilines Schiff bases were synthesized by reaction of 3- or 4-ferrocenylaniline with either 2-, 3-, or 4-pyridinecarboxaldehyde under solvent-free conditions via mechanochemistry technique. Products were obtained in excellent yields within 10 min of grinding. The reactions afforded a melt orgummysemi-solid that solidified to the desired Schiff bases within a short time. These Schiff bases were reduced to their corresponding amines, ferrocenyl-N-(pyridinylmethyl)anilines, with NaBH4 over neutral Al2O3 solid support via grinding. Amines were obtained in excellent yields after intermittent grinding for approximately 1 h. Herein, five novel ferrocenyl-N-(pyridinylmethylene)anilines (compounds 3, 4, 6–8) and six ferrocenyl-N-(pyridinylmethyl)anilines (compounds 9–14) are reported. Compounds were characterized through FT-IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR,HRMSand SC-XRDtechniques. These compounds show visible solvatochromism, whenUV-Vis absorption was measured in polar and nonpolar solvents. In changing solvent from polar to non-polar, the Schiff bases exhibited a blue shift while the amines portrayed a red shift. Electrochemical studies on these compounds reveal that redox behaviour of the iron centre is influenced by the position imine or amine groups. Antimicrobial properties of these compounds were studied for Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhimirium and Candida albicans. Highest activity was recorded against Gram-positive bacteria and fungi.KEYWORDS Ferrocenyl-N-(pyridinylmethylene)anilines, ferrocenyl-N-(pyridinylmethyl)anilines, mechanochemistry technique, solventfree synthesis, antimicrobial activity

1-(Ferrocen-1-ylmeth­yl)-3-methyl­imidazol-3-ium hexa­fluorido­phosphate

The crystal structure of the title compound, [Fe(C5H5)(C10H12N2)]PF6, consists of a ferrocene-1-methyl-(3-methyl­imidazolium) cation and a hexa­fluorido­phosphate anion. The ferrocenyl rings are skewed by 6.7 (4)° from the ideal eclipsed conformation. The inter­planar angle between the plane of the substituted cyclo­penta­dienyl ring and that of the imidazole ring is 89.9 (4)°. The crystal packing is stabilized by C—H⋯F hydrogen bonds

Determinants of the outcome on traumatic brain injury patients at Kenyatta National Hospital

Introduction: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is among the leading causes of admissions in hospitals globally. TBI has been attributed with significant morbidity, mortality and disability. Most injuries have mainly been attributed to motor accidents and falls from heights.Traumatic brain injuries represent a significant and growing disease burden in the developing world, and one of the leading causes of death in economically active adults in many low- and middle-income countries.In Kenya, motor vehicle accidents, assaults and motorcycle are significant causes. Per vehicle mile travelled, motorcycle riders have a 34-fold higher risk of death in a crash than people driving vehicles and 8 times more likely to be injured. neurological injury progresses over hours and days, resulting in a secondary injury. Inflammatory and neurotoxic processes result in vasogenic fluid accumulation within the brain, contributing to raised intracranial pressure, hypoperfusion, and cerebral ischaemia a secondary injury may be amenable to intervention. Almost one-third of patients who die after a TBI will talk or obey commands before their death.Physiological insults, Hypoxia, hypotension, hyper - or hypocapnia, hyper - or hypoglycaemia have all been shown to increase the risk of secondary brain injuryObjectives: To determine the patients’ factor, clinical care and systems factor affecting outcome of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) patients at Kenyatta National Hospital. Which led to a poor outcome of above 40 years, casual laborers, Polytrauma and time lapse from trauma to hospitalization experienced. The clinical care factors indicating good outcome which included; diagnosis and medication, Nursing care and clinical setting A&E, CCU. Length of hospitalization >10 days. Protocols factors; Patients in surgical wards recording poor outcome.Design: The rationale for using purposive sampling was to be able to distinguish between traumatic brain injury patients, who did not have any neurological problems before the injury, and those who had suffered neurological problems prior to trauma. A descriptive cross-sectional design, Purposive sampling and Quantitative approach to data collection, analysis and presentation was adopted.Setting: The study was carried out at the Accident and Emergency department (A&E), Critical care unit (CCU) and surgical wards of Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH).Subjects: Patients with TBI within 72 hours of injury, aged between 18- 65 years and should have had no previous neurological problem.Results: Patient factors; that led to poor outcome; above 40 years (p=0.042), casual laborers (p=0.043), Polytrauma (p=0.042) and time lapse from trauma to hospitalization (p=0.051). The clinical care factors indicated good outcome which included; diagnosis and medication (p=0.001), Nursing care (p=0.055) and clinical setting A&E (p=0.051), CCU (p=0.032). Length of hospitalization >10 days (p=0.050). Protocols factors; Patients in surgical wards had poor outcome (p=0.051).Conclusion: Patient factor's influenced outcome of TBI, Intensive care and longer time of hospitalization is paramount for better outcome.Recommendation: Setup of a Trauma Neuro Ward and training of Neuro Teams to facilitate professional and quality care to improve outcome of Traumatic Brain Injury patient

Financial Management Reforms and the Economic Performance of Public Sector in Kenya

The research aimed at determining the impact of financial management reforms on the economic performance of public sector entities in Kenya. The study used the economic unit performance contracting results as the measure of performance. The study’s main objective was to determine the relationship between financial management reforms and the economic performance of the public sector in Kenya. The study used descriptive survey design. The population was the 42 ministries and departments that were in existence during the period of the study.  The study was carried out at the Ministry’s headquarters based in Nairobi. Data was collected from secondary and primary sources for five years between financial years 2007/2008 – 2011/2012.Analysis was done using ordinary least squares (OLS) method. Three types of financial reforms were targeted; budgetary reforms, accounting reforms and auditing reforms. The findings of the study revealed that financial reforms achieved more than half of the intended performance targets over the period under investigation. The results show that budgetary reforms had the strongest explanatory power on performance indicators at 0.681, followed by accounting reforms at 0.47 and audit reforms at 0.387. We therefore conclude that audit reform does not aid in improving performance of public sector entities while budgetary and accounting reforms are the most effective tools. The reason for this misnomer could be that civil servants could have developed a negative attitude against audit and see it as slowing down delivery of services or that audit is a conduit for corruption. More financial and budgetary reforms should therefore be undertaken for improved results. Audit reforms need to be closely reevaluated and new approaches employed to yield better results and economic performance. Key words: Financial reforms, Budgeting, Accounting, Auditing, public secto

De novo assembly and annotation of the Amblyomma hebraeum tick midgut transcriptome response to Ehrlichia ruminantium infection

The South African bont tick Amblyomma hebraeum is a hematophagous vector for the heartwater disease pathogen Ehrlichia ruminantium in southern Africa. During feeding, the tick’s enterocytes express proteins that perform vital functions in blood digestion, including proteins that may be involved in E. ruminantium acquisition, colonization or immunity. To delineate the molecular mechanism of midgut response to E. ruminantium infection, we performed comparative analyses of midgut transcriptomes of E. ruminantium infected engorged A. hebraeum nymphs, and infected adult male and female ticks with their corresponding matched uninfected controls, before and during feeding. A total of 102,036 unigenes were annotated in public databases and their expression levels analyzed for engorged nymphs as well as unfed and partly-fed adult ticks. There were 2,025 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in midguts, of which 1,225 unigenes were up-regulated and 800 unigenes were down-regulated in the midguts of infected ticks. Annotation of DEGs revealed an increase in metabolic and cellular processes among E. ruminantium infected ticks. Notably, among the infected ticks, there was up-regulation in the expression of genes involved in tick immunity, histone proteins and oxidative stress responses. We also observed up-regulation of glycoproteins that E. ruminantium could potentially use as docking sites for host cell entry. Insights uncovered in this study offer a platform for further investigations into the molecular interaction between E. ruminantium and A. hebraeum

External factors influencing consumer purchase decision by home furniture buyers: case of Victoria Courts Kenya

A Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the Degree of Masters of Business Administration at Strathmore University Business SchoolConsumer behavior is affected by many factors, and characteristics, influencing the consumer in their decision making, purchase behavior, brand loyalty and even their choice of retailer. The factors influencing consumer behavior include; the psychological factors like perception, motivation, attitudes and beliefs, social factors like reference, family, status and role, cultural factors like own cultural beliefs and habits, sub culture and social class. In addition, there are also the economic factors for instance, family income, personal income, savings, liquid assets and government policy, as well as personal factors like personality, age, life style and occupation. This study sought to establish external factors influencing consumer purchase decision of home furniture buyers in Kenya through a case analysis of Victoria Courts (Kenya). The specific objectives were; to determine the effect of economic factors on consumer purchase decisions in Kenya’s home furniture industry, to determine how psychological factors influence consumer purchase decisions in Kenya’s home furniture industry and to determine how social-cultural factors affect consumer purchase decisions in Kenya’s home furniture industry. The study was based on two theories namely the theory of reasoned action and the theory of planned behaviour. A descriptive case study research design was adopted. Using simple random sampling technique, 367 respondents were selected from a population of 8152 customers who visited Victoria Courts in 2018. Descriptive, correlation and regression analysis were conducted to establish the influence of external factors on consumer purchase decision of home furniture buyers in Kenya; a case of Victoria Courts. The study found that economic factors, psychological factors and social cultural factors exhibited a positive and a significant relationship to decision-making process of home furniture buyers. The multiple regression findings indicate that these factors influenced consumer purchase decision by 74% which was statistically significant. The results revealed that psychological factors had the greatest influence on consumer purchase decision of home furniture buyers at Victoria Courts followed by social-cultural and economic factors. The study therefore concluded that the external factors significantly and positively influence the consumer decision-making process. To the furniture retailers, the recommendations were to ensure they understand the perceptions, attitudes of their customers as well as know that their customers are price sensitive

Spatial distribution and co-infection with urogenital and intestinal schistosomiasis among primary school children in Migori County, Kenya

Background: Schistosomiasis is the most prevalent helminthic infection in sub-Saharan Africa. School age children have the highest burden. Chronic schistosome infections in children can have irreversible effects lasting throughout adulthood.Objective: To determine the prevalence, intensity and distribution of urogenital and intestinal schistosomiasis among primary school children in Migori County, Kenya.Design: Descriptive cross-sectional study.Setting: Primary schools in Migori County, Kenya.Subjects: Children aged seven to fourteen years.Results: We enrolled 1,784 children with the ratio of female to males being 1:1. Their mean age was 11.4 years (standard deviation ± 1.6). The overall prevalence of infection was 26%, with urogenital and intestinal schistosomiasis being found in 9% and 20% of children, respectively. A trend of increasing prevalence with increasing age of children was observed. Boys had a 50% higher risk of being infected with schistosomiasis when compared to girls (adjusted odds ratio 1.5, 95% confidence interval 1.2-1.9). Intensities of schistosome infections did not vary significantly across gender and age. Nyatike Constituency had the highest prevalence of schistosomiasis (54%).Prevalence in schools ranged from 1.7 to 89%. Seven schools (23%) had a schistosomiasis prevalence of at least 50% while 12 (39%) schools had schistosomiasis prevalence of between 10 and 50%.Conclusion: Our study showed that schistosomiasis is endemic in the study area and represents a significant public health problem among school children. The area should be prioritised for interventions including mass deworming, public health education and sanitation improvement

New imino-pyridyl nickel (II) complexes: synthesis, molecular structures and application as Heck coupling catalysts

Reactions of imino-pyridyl ligands, (2-pyridyl-2-thiophenemethyl)imine (L1) and (2-pyridyl-2-thiopheneethyl)imine (L2) with NiBr2(DME) gave the corresponding complexes [Ni(L1)Br2] (1) and [Ni(L2)Br2] (2) in good yields. Treatment of 1 and 2 with one equivalent of 2-hydroxythiophenol resulted in the displacement of the bromide ligands to form the nickel(II) thiolato complexes 3 and 4. Molecular structure of 3 confirmed that L1 and L2 bind to the nickel atom in a bidentate fashion. Complexes 1-4 catalyzed the Heck coupling reaction of iodobenzene and bromobenzene with methyl acrylate.Web of Scienc