Analysing Access to Information by Users of Institutional Repositories at the National Museums of Kenya

The National Museums of Kenya was created to facilitate the generation, preservation and dissemination of information on historical, cultural and natural heritage of the country. National Museums of Kenya and external researchers have over the years continued to generate information in print, audio-visual and electronic formats. However, due to the proliferation of information, and haphazard management, accessing this vast reservoir of data has become a major challenge. This study aimed to analyse the status of access to information by users using institutional repositories at the National Museums of Kenya and to suggest ways in which it can be enhanced.  Objectives of this study were: to identify institutional-generated information available; to find out how the institutional-generated information was organised and accessed; to examine how researchers access the institutional-generated information; to determine challenges inhibiting access of institutional-generated information; and to suggest strategies that would enhance access to institutional-generated information by research staff of the National Museums of Kenya. The researcher used a case study research design. The researcher employed both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Rogers’s Diffusion of Innovations Theory informed the study. The study population was 600 people, which comprised of researchers, management staff and external users. The study sample size involved 226 employees of the National Museums of Kenya. Non-probability sampling method and purposive sampling techniques were used. Data collection methods relied upon were administration of questionnaires and interviews. Data collection instruments included questionnaires and interview schedules. The key findings in relation to access of information were lack of policy on institutional repositories, inadequate ICT infrastructure, inadequate funds and inadequate trained personnel due to inability of information workers to manage institutional repositories. The researcher concluded that access to information can only be enhanced by addressing these existing challenges. The study recommends the need for policy formulation on institutional repositories, improved ICT infrastructure, allocation of enough funds, and training of staff on institutional repositories. Keywords: Institutional-generated information, institutional repositories, National museums of Keny

Effect of Electronic Fiscal Devices on VAT Collection in Tanzania: A Case of Tanzania Revenue Authority

The study sought to assess the effect of implementing Electronic Fiscal Devices in VAT collection in Tanzania. The study analysed the importance of Electronic Fiscal Devices to TRA, taxpayers and other stakeholders with the aim of determining the impact of Compliance Checks using Electronic Fiscal Devices on VAT collection in Tanzania, to establish the effect of Roll Out of Electronic Fiscal Devices on VAT collection in Tanzania and to evaluate the effectiveness of Enforcement of Electronic Fiscal Devices on VAT collection in Tanzania. The study utilized secondary data obtained from 391 traders registered at TRA and utilizing Electronic Fiscal Devices. The study adopted a descriptive research design. Preliminary data analysis was conducted as a pre requisite to running regression analysis. The data collected was computed using STATA SE 12.1 and the output presented in form of tables.  To answer the research objectives and hypotheses regression analysis was utilized where variables of the study were only able to explain 62.18% of the change in VAT collection and a 37.82% of the change being explained by other factors. The regression coefficients were negative for Compliance (-2.045778), positive for Roll out (2.040379) and positive for Enforcement (19.11515). Our variables of interest, that is, Roll out was statistically significant with a p-value of 0.038 while Compliance and Enforcement are statistically insignificant with the p-values of 0.055 and 0.188 respectively which are greater than a significant level of 0.05. The study found out that there is statistically significant relationship between Roll out and VAT collection. However, enforcement of EFDs and compliance check were found not to be significant related with VAT collection at 5% level of significance. The study recommends further longitudinal studies on the effects of roll outs, compliance checks, and implementation of Electronic Fiscal Devices on VAT collection in Tanzania. Key Words: Electronic Tax Register, Electronic Fiscal devices, Expert Software, VAT Collection, Tax Compliance

Preferred Types of Academic Websites Accessed and Used by Students at Maasai Mara University During 2012/2013 Academic Year

Advancement in technologies has led to the migration of print information to web in universities. Maasai Mara University (MMU) is investing highly on web-based information resource to meet the growing needs of their users and supplement their limited library print collection. Despite this effort, there has been low usage of academic websites by students. This paper seeks to determine range and form of academic websites accessed and used by MMU students.  The paper used the survey research design to collect the views and opinions of respondents. The target population was 4,947 students in which a sample of 362 students participated in the study. Data was collected using questionnaires and participant-observation and analyzed using descriptive and hierarchical linear methods for quantitative and qualitative data respectively. Presentation of data used descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages. The findings revealed that although the students visited varied academic websites including institutional, scholarly, research, educational and academic library websites, majority preferred scholarly websites. Study and learning, assignments and research were cited as main reasons for using academic websites. The findings established that relevancy of a site is the major determinant preference Maasai Mara University students choose when they access and use academic websites. The study concluded that Maasai Mara University students demonstrated a reasonably high level of awareness and use of academic websites. From the findings the study recommended that MMU library develops comprehensive continuous training programs that address information retrieval and literacy skills for its patrons on effective identification, selection, access and use of academic websites and that the university invest in more computer laboratories and high-speed internet bandwidth to ease access and use to academic websites. Keywords: Academic websites, websites, web-based information resources, librar

Low-Cost Sensors and Multitemporal Remote Sensing for Operational Turbidity Monitoring in an East African Wetland Environment

Many wetlands in East Africa are farmed and wetland reservoirs are used for irrigation, livestock, and fishing. Water quality and agriculture have a mutual influence on each other. Turbidity is a principal indicator of water quality and can be used for, otherwise, unmonitored water sources. Low-cost turbidity sensors improve in situ coverage and enable community engagement. The availability of high spatial resolution satellite images from the Sentinel-2 multispectral instrument and of bio-optical models, such as the Case 2 Regional CoastColor (C2RCC) processor, has fostered turbidity modeling. However, these models need local adjustment, and the quality of low-cost sensor measurements is debated. We tested the combination of both technologies to monitor turbidity in small wetland reservoirs in Kenya. We sampled ten reservoirs with low-cost sensors and a turbidimeter during five Sentinel-2 overpasses. Low-cost sensor calibration resulted in an R 2 of 0.71. The models using the C2RCC C2X-COMPLEX (C2XC) neural nets with turbidimeter measurements (R 2 = 0.83) and with low-cost measurements (R 2 = 0.62) performed better than the turbidimeter-based C2X model. The C2XC models showed similar patterns for a one-year time series, particularly around the turbidity limit set by Kenyan authorities. This shows that both the data from the commercial turbidimeter and the low-cost sensor setup, despite sensor uncertainties, could be used to validate the applicability of C2RCC in the study area, select the better-performing neural nets, and adapt the model to the study site. We conclude that combined monitoring with low-cost sensors and remote sensing can support wetland and water management while strengthening community-centered approaches.</p

Detection of Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes by molecular surveillance, Kenya

The Anopheles stephensi mosquito is an invasive malaria vector recently reported in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, Nigeria, and Ghana. The World Health Organization has called on countries in Africa to increase surveillance efforts to detect and report this vector and institute appropriate and effective control mechanisms. In Kenya, the Division of National Malaria Program conducted entomological surveillance in counties at risk for An. stephensi mosquito invasion. In addition, the Kenya Medical Research Institute conducted molecular surveillance of all sampled Anopheles mosquitoes from other studies to identify An. stephensi mosquitoes. We report the detection and confirmation of An. stephensi mosquitoes in Marsabit and Turkana Counties by using endpoint PCR and morphological and sequence identification. We demonstrate the urgent need for intensified entomological surveillance in all areas at risk for An. stephensi mosquito invasion, to clarify its occurrence and distribution and develop tailored approaches to prevent further spread

Effect of Bamlanivimab vs Placebo on Incidence of COVID-19 Among Residents and Staff of Skilled Nursing and Assisted Living Facilities: A Randomized Clinical Trial

IMPORTANCE Preventive interventions are needed to protect residents and staff of skilled nursing and assisted living facilities from COVID-19 during outbreaks in their facilities. Bamlanivimab, a neutralizing monoclonal antibody against SARS-CoV-2, may confer rapid protection from SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19. OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of bamlanivimab on the incidence of COVID-19 among residents and staff of skilled nursing and assisted living facilities. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Randomized, double-blind, single-dose, phase 3 trial that enrolled residents and staff of 74 skilled nursing and assisted living facilities in the United States with at least 1 confirmed SARS-CoV-2 index case. A total of 1175 participants enrolled in the study from August 2 to November 20, 2020. Database lock was triggered on January 13, 2021, when all participants reached study day 57. INTERVENTIONS Participants were randomized to receive a single intravenous infusion of bamlanivimab, 4200mg (n = 588), or placebo (n = 587). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcomewas incidence of COVID-19, defined as the detection of SARS-CoV-2 by reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction and mild or worse disease severity within 21 days of detection, within 8 weeks of randomization. Key secondary outcomes included incidence of moderate or worse COVID-19 severity and incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection. RESULTS The prevention population comprised a total of 966 participants (666 staff and 300 residents) who were negative at baseline for SARS-CoV-2 infection and serology (mean age, 53.0 [range, 18-104] years; 722 [74.7%] women). Bamlanivimab significantly reduced the incidence of COVID-19 in the prevention population compared with placebo (8.5%vs 15.2%; odds ratio, 0.43 [95%CI, 0.28-0.68]; P < .001; absolute risk difference, −6.6 [95%CI, −10.7 to −2.6] percentage points). Five deaths attributed to COVID-19 were reported by day 57; all occurred in the placebo group. Among 1175 participants who received study product (safety population), the rate of participants with adverse events was 20.1% in the bamlanivimab group and 18.9% in the placebo group. The most common adverse events were urinary tract infection (reported by 12 participants [2%] who received bamlanivimab and 14 [2.4%] who received placebo) and hypertension (reported by 7 participants [1.2%] who received bamlanivimab and 10 [1.7%] who received placebo). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Among residents and staff in skilled nursing and assisted living facilities, treatment during August-November 2020 with bamlanivimab monotherapy reduced the incidence of COVID-19 infection. Further research is needed to assess preventive efficacy with current patterns of viral strains with combination monoclonal antibody therapy

Phase 2 Study of the Safety and Tolerability of Maraviroc-Containing Regimens to Prevent HIV Infection in Men Who Have Sex With Men (HPTN 069/ACTG A5305)

Maraviroc (MVC) is a candidate for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pre-exposure prophylaxis

Identical Genotype B3 Sequences from Measles Patients in 4 Countries, 2005

Surveillance of measles virus detected an epidemiologic link between a refugee from Kenya and a Dutch tourist in New Jersey, USA. Identical genotype B3 sequences from patients with contemporaneous cases in the United States, Canada, and Mexico in November and December 2005 indicate that Kenya was likely to have been the common source of virus

Challenges to operationalizing sustainable diets: Perspectives from Kenya and Vietnam

Despite the urgent need for comprehensive food systems strategies, the challenge lies in defining feasible, evidence-based intervention points. Too little is known about issues food systems decision-makers and other change agents are running up against, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where food systems are the most vulnerable to a growing number of intertwined crises. We look at this question through the lens of sustainable diets, a growing area of research and a concept that is the basis of over 30 sets of national guidelines that aim to simultaneously address health, economic and environmental dimensions of food systems. Based on 114 interviews carried out in Kenya and Vietnam, we examine the extent to which food systems researchers, business and project managers and policy actors are attempting to intervene in food systems in ways that mirror the concept of sustainable diets. We also consider how they are managing two key ingredients that are critical to systems-change—interdisciplinary data and cross-sector collaboration. Most stakeholders we interviewed were carrying out systems-based projects, oriented—even if not explicitly—around many of the sustainable diets domains: agriculture, livelihoods, food security/access/nutrition and/or environment. The majority faced formidable challenges with both data and collaborations, however, showing why it can be so difficult to move from normative ideals like “sustainable diets” to practical realities, regardless of the context. To support more comprehensive food systems policies and interventions, our findings suggest the need for strategies that can improve the collection and accessibility of actionable, cross-sector data, and mechanisms to overcome institutional barriers that limit collaboration

Factors affecting the outputs and costs of community-based distribution of family planning services in Tanzania

This study assesses the cost-effectiveness of reimbursement schemes for community-based distribution (CBD) programs in Tanzania, and answers whether agents who receive monetary incentives perform better and are more cost-effective than those that receive nonmonetary incentives. Fieldwork was undertaken in April and May 1997, and data forming the basis of the analysis was collected from four CBD programs. These programs vary in their remuneration schemes and status of their CBD agents, size, and geographical coverage; the range of activities undertaken by the agents; and supervision and management structures. As noted in this report, CBD agents who receive monetary remuneration see more clients and generate more Couple Years of Protection than those provided with nonmonetary incentives. The program relying on part-time volunteer agents who receive nonmonetary remuneration is the most cost-effective. There are a number of programmatic factors that account for variances in program-output performance and cost-effectiveness. Understanding these factors is important in guiding decision-making about future planning, resource allocation, and technical assistance for CBD programs in Tanzania. These factors and their programmatic recommendations are provided in this report