ABSTRACT An infant’s anthropometry (weight and length) at birth are important public health indicators for its survival and later development. Low birth weight (LBW) and stunting at birth are among the major causes of infant mortality which is still a worldwide problem. Despite the government’s effort to improve healthcare services, LBW is still a problem at the Provincial General Hospital (PGH) maternity, Nakuru. The main objective of this study was therefore to determine the relationshi...
ABSTRACT The United Nations Population Division publishes fertility projections for all countries in the World Population Prospects (WPP). These are the most widely used projections for planning and policy implementation. Despite a substantial body of literature that suggests education has a significant impact on fertility, these projections do not incorporate changes in the composition of the population by level of education. We therefore propose and implement a method that incorporates edu...
ABSTRACT Raw camel milk production and marketing chain in Kenya was investigated for microbial infections and implications. Milk samples were taken using simple random sampling method in a clustered sampling plan. There were three cluster levels, the production, processing and market levels. Analysis of samples in the laboratory for enumeration and characterization was by standard methods as described in the methodology. Data analysis was done by Pearson correlation coefficient and chi-squar...
ABSTRACT In sub-Saharan Africa, the high infant mortality is mainly due to diarrhoea, respiratory infections, typhoid and measles. The control of these diseases relies heavily on the use of synthetic drugs. However, due to the high cost of these drugs and increased bacterial resistance to available anti-biotics, their use is increasingly becoming unpopular. Plant– derived herbal medicines are feasible alternatives that can be used to reduce incidence of these diseases. Since they are readi...
ABSTRACT The wide range of applications, the industrial processing techniques and storage of collagenous materials expose them to a variety of environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity and solar ultraviolet (UV) radiations. In this study, a freshly flayed hide from a mature Boran bovine was prepared to pickling stage using conventional tanning processes. The hide was then cut into two halves along the backbone. One half was left at pickled stage while the other half was tanned us...
ABSTRACT Head smut caused by Tolyposporium penicillariae Bref, is a devastating fungal disease that cause up to 30% yield losses in pearl millet Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R.Br.). Pearl millet is the most drought tolerant cereal grown mainly by small scale farmers who cannot afford fungicides. Development of resistant genotypes offers the most economical means of head smut control however this depends primarily on the availability of sources of resistance. The study evaluated host plant resistan...
ABSTRACT Agricultural productivity in Kenya, as in many developing countries, is significantly affected by rainfall variability. The reliability of the rain for agricultural purposes has reduced in the recent years due to climate variability. In the study area, there is a continued trend of more frequent and intense climate related disasters which is expected to have significant impacts on the livelihood activities. Most studies on the impact of climate variability on farming practices and th...
Abstract Due to the 2008 financial crisis, investors have become more risk averse in investing in equities and have increased their holdings in bonds as they are believed to be less risky. However, South African interest rates have been volatile over the past decade due to changes in the inflation rate. This has caused the returns of bond portfolios to be uncertain since bond prices are inversely related to interest rates. It is thus imperative to manage the interest rate risk inherent in bo...
ABSTRACT Mango production in Kenya has been on the rise. In 2013 about 581,290 MT were produced of which 40% were lost due to lack of proper postharvest management practices. The greatest loss was through pest and microbial spoilage and chemical deterioration of nutrients. The study aimed at developing methods to preserve the nutritional quality and reduce post-harvest losses in the mango value chain. Using a structured questionnaire, randomly administered to 40 mango farmers, post handling p...
Abstract One of the central goals of plant ecology is to understand the factors that control the local distribution of plant species and thus the composition of communities. The aim of this study is to determine plant functional traits that can be associated with drought tolerance/avoidance and to test whether wood density is a good indicator of drought tolerance. The study was carried out in Kruger National Park in the month of June. A number of plant traits including wood density, leaf thic...
ABSTRACT Polyphenols are the primary compounds responsible for the health benefits of tea, including its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Caffeine contributes to tea’s stimulant properties, while gallic acid and polyphenols contributes to its antioxidant properties. Most of the High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) methods used for the determination of tea biochemicals include gradient elution systems which involve expensive instrumentation. The aim of this study was t...
ABSTRACT Karate and Pyagro are insecticides currently registered and used in Kenya for control of several insect and mite pests in diverse crops. They are emulsifiable concentrate formulations of the active ingredients lambda-cyhalothrin (Karate) and Pyrethrins (Pyagro). This study established residue levels for lambda-cyhalothrin and Pyrethrins in fresh tea leaves, black tea and brewed tea. The study evaluated the effect of tea preparation procedures on pesticide residue levels in tea and mo...
ABSTRACT Banana is a popular and important crop among many communities in East Africa. It is used both as a subsistence and cash crop. Bananas provide a major source of carbohydrates for over 400 million people in tropical countries, about 25% of these being in Africa. In Uganda, Burundi, and Rwanda, banana consumption ranges from 250 to 400 kg per person per year. In Kenya, production stands at around 210,000 metric tonnes annually. However, banana production is threatened by a number of vir...
ABSTRACT Radon gas is the most important source of natural radiation. Indoor radon concentration is the main path of human exposure to high radon concentration. Radon contribution from concrete block walls of typical Nigerian dwellings has been estimated from gamma ray spectroscopy measurements of radium concentration using generic equation. The radon concentrations varied from 11.27 Bq m-3 for a dwelling of dimensions 4.8 m × 4.8 m and 18.52 Bq m-3 for a dwelling of 3.6 m × 3.6 m. The eff...
ABSTRACT Particulate emissions and organic volatiles produced by incomplete combustion processes have attracted the attention of many environmental experts. Consequently, increasing concern has been directed towards the study of human health problems caused by carcinogenic and mutagenic soot components such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polyenes from various combustion systems. Soot from many combustion systems are well-known precursors for numerous toxicological impacts in t...