Anaemia and especially iron deficiency anaemia remain one of the most significant nutritional deficiency in the world affecting approximately 30% of the population. This is more so in countries like Kenya being developing countries. Women of child bearing age and adolescents bear the largest burden. Previous studies have identified inadequate dietary intake and poor absorption of iron as the main causes of anaemia. The study evaluated the effect of consuming cooked vegetables enriched with baobab powder, on haemoglobin status of anaemic adolescent girls in Kilifi, Kenya. A rapid assessment was conducted to determine knowledge attitude and prevalence of anaemia in Kilifi County through four key informant interviews. A structure questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic and socio-economic data, morbidity data and food consumption habits of adolescent girls. Analyses were carried out to determine the iron content of the vegetables Amaranth and Solanum nigram and the vitamin C content of the baobab grown at the study site. The iron content of raw Solanum nigrum was 5.5mg/100g and of amaranths at 4.4mg/100g. However, the iron content of cooked vegetables in the serving of 225g was 6.2mg and 4.5mg respectively. The vitamin C content of baobab powder was 106mg/100g. Each serving of the mixed vegetable (225g) was enriched with 10g of baobab powder containing 10.6mg of vitamin C. Systematic random sampling was used to select 112 adolescent girls from the entire school population using the class registers. From the sampled girls 101 were screened for haemoglobin level, after obtaining parental consent during the baseline testing. Reagent less method using a HemoCue machine was used to assess the haemoglobin level of each of the girls. 32 out of the 101 girls had a haemoglobin of < 11.9 g/dl and hence were recruited into the feeding trial. During the intervention, the 32 anaemic adolescent girls were allocated into two feeding groups consisting of 16 girls in each group. One group was served with mixed vegetables enriched with 10g of baobab powder in each serving of (225g) and the other group with vegetables without baobab powder (placebo) during the scheduled school lunch. The feeding xiiperiod lasted 30days, after which 31 adolescent girls who completed the feeding trial were reevaluated for haemoglobin level. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 23. Descriptive statistics (frequencies, mean and percentile) were used to describe the study population. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression were used to determine associated factors (diet consumption habits, age of participant with the haemoglobin level) and T-test was used to compare means of the two feeding groups. The result show that the prevalence of anaemia among the sampled population at baseline was 31.7%, out of which 9.4% had severe anaemia (<8.0g/dl), 40.6% had moderate anaemia (8.0-10.9g/dl) and 50% mild anaemia (11.0-11.9g/dl). A comparison between the two feeding groups indicated the mean baseline haemoglobin were lower in the intervention group (10.5g/dl) compared to the control group (11.2g/dl). Although the difference was not significant (P=0.052). After the 30 days of feeding trial 14 girls representing 45.2% of the adolescent girls achieved normal Hb (>11.9g/dl). The mean final haemoglobin concentration for the intervention group was 11.6g/dl and for control at 11.8g/dl with a mean change of 1.1g/dl and 0.6g/dl respectively. This was significant at (P=0.045). In conclusion, indigenous green leafy vegetables are a good source of iron and are availability all year round in the study area. Baobab being a rich source of vitamin C with a shelf life of up to 3 months can be used concurrently with the vegetables to enhance the absorption of iron and hence improve anaemia significantly. Almost half of the adolescent girls who completed the feeding trial 14 out of the 31 achieved normal Hb of >11.9 with an average rate of increase of 1.0g/dl mostly from the intervention group, thus can be concluded that cooked vegetables enriched with baobab powder can effectively improve haemoglobin level of anaemic adolescent girls

Flipped learning is a learner-centred instructional approach whereby pupils are predeposed to new materials and content outside of the classroom and apply them in the next classroom meeting with the teacher playing the role of a facilitator. The pupils are expected to do their research at home and while in the classroom, actively engage in brainstorming, collaborating and reflecting on the concepts with guidance of the teacher. The primary aim of flipped learning is to increase pupils’ achievement through enhancements to homework, to bolster the attitudes surrounding homework, to increase the proportion of pupils submitting quality homework and to foster independent learning. The purpose of this study was to establish the effect of flipped learning facets on class seven pupils’ academic in science in Abothuguchi Central Division, Meru County. The study sought to address the following objectives; establish whether there is a significant difference in the science subject mean scores of pupils taught using educational videos and traditional methods; examine whether there is a significant difference in the science subject mean scores of pupils taught using out-of-class text reading and traditional methods; evaluate whether there is a significant difference in the science subject mean scores of pupils taught using video and out-of-class text reading and traditional methods; determine whether there is a significant difference in the science subject mean scores of pupils taught using blended learning and traditional methods. The objectives were formulated into four hypotheses. The sample consisted of 4 teachers, 4 head teachers and 103 class seven pupils from the 4 primary schools sampled for the study. The instruments used to collect data were: questionnaires for science teachers and pupils, interviews for the head teachers, observation schedule and pre and post achievement test. The objectives were analysed via inferential and descriptive statistics and presented via frequencies and percentages while the hypotheses were analysed through use of a computer program, SPSS version 23 and Microsoft Excel 2010. An independent-samples ttest was conducted to determine whether there was a statistically significant difference between the means in the control and the experimental groups. It is expected that the outcome of the study will be beneficial to both stakeholders and policy makers in matters of education. One of the key findings of the study was that flipped learning improved academic achievement in science. The key recommendation of the study is that the Government through the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Education should allocate adequate funds for acquisition of IT resources in school.

Kenya is currently rolling out the competency-based curriculum at primary school level. The purpose of this study was to investigate teacher related factors that influence implementation of competency-based curriculum at the lower primary school level in Luanda sub-county, Vihiga County Kenya. Four objectives guided the study. They were: to determine how teachers’ professional qualifications, pedagogical content knowledge, technological skills, and perceptions’ influence implementation of CBC at the lower primary school level. The study used descriptive survey design. The study targeted 50 head teachers, 620 lower primary school teachers and 900 Grade 3 pupils. All the respondents were sampled using simple random sampling technique. A sample of 15 head teachers, 186 teachers and 90 pupils was selected for the study. Data were collected using questionnaires for teachers, interview guides for headteachers and focus group discussion guides for the pupils. Data were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The study findings showed that teachers and headteachers agreed that teachers’ qualifications influence implementation of competency based curriculum (teachers: M = 2.86; headteachers: M = 2.98). Majority of the teachers (87.1%) rated themselves as having sufficient content knowledge to implement competency based curriculum and a similar percentage (87.1%) were of the opinion that content knowledge influences how teachers engage with learners, influences what they learn and how well teachers can use instructional materials; thereby curriculum implementation. Teachers (80.71%) were of the view that they were well equipped with pedagogical skills required to facilitate implementation of competency based curriculum and they could use different teaching and learning methods. Headteachers equally agreed and said that how teachers handle content inside of a classroom is key to implementation of competency-based curriculum. From the findings, only a small percentage of teachers (8.0%) said they had limited exposure to ICT tools and knowledge of using them. The teachers rated their perceived ICT knowledge and skill as moderate, M = 3.18; SD =1.14. Overall, it was clear that teachers perceived ICT efficacy was low (M = 2.98; SD 1.63). Most teachers were not using technology to deliver content most of the time (M =2.21; SD = 1.55). However, an overwhelming majority (84.69%) was of the opinion that ICT influences implementation of competency based curriculum positively since the curriculum is digitally-based. The findings revealed that almost all (98.6%) of the teachers held positive perceptions towards implementation of the curriculum. It was concluded that teacher related factors influence implementation of competency-based curriculum. The researcher recommended that the Ministry of Education in conjunction with the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development and Teachers Service Commission should continue training teachers on ICT knowledge and skills that are very critical to implementation of the new curriculum.

Understanding of how firms can attain improved organization performance has been empirically researched but has not yet to be settled. While strategy is seen to influence performance, other factors seem to influence this relationship which could have either a direct or indirect influence. Empirical research indicates that organizations exist in a dynamic environment. Another factor which has received little attention is corporate image. Many firms today spend large amounts of significant resources in an endeavor to create a good image. Firm’s stakeholders are sensitive to corporate image and they are the ones that influence performance. Literature is not clear on corporate image influence to the performance of firms. This study sought to determine the influence of competitive strategies, business environment, and corporate image on the performance of large manufacturing firms in Kenya. The study used Porter’s (1980) competitive strategies framework and was founded on Dynamic Capability, Stakeholders theories and goal setting theory. The study used positivist philosophy while adopting a cross-sectional descriptive survey. The population of the study was all the large manufacturing in Kenya. Sample selection was through simple random sampling from each stratum of the manufacturing sector. Collection of data was done through a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics was done through the use of percentages, mean scores and standard deviations. Through regression analysis results indicated that manufacturing firms in Kenya adopted competitive strategies in response to business environment, cost strategy particularly had a higher influence on the performance of manufacturing firms in Kenya. These strategies significantly improved the performance of large manufacturing firms in Kenya. Additionally, results indicated that manufacturing firms have been trying to maintain a good corporate image leading to reinforcement of the view of dynamic capability theory stakeholder’s theory and goal setting theory that firms should set goals, and then build a good corporate image as a firm’s intangible resource toward the stakeholders, which can lead to improved performance. The findings for competitive strategies had a significant influence in predicting performance of the firms. The moderating role of both corporate image and business environment on the relationship between competitive strategies and performance of the firms was found to be statistically significant. Additionally, the joint influence of competitive strategies, business environment and corporate image on the performance of firms was significant. Corporate Image is a function of organization signal which determines perception of the stakeholders especially the key stakeholders who are the customers. The proximate basis for differences in firms’ performance is mostly found within the capabilities and resources of the firm. Each firm can endeavor to set challenging goals to differentiate from rivals by creating value profitably in the eyes of the stakeholders to gain support. Large manufacturing firms in Kenya should emphasize cost leadership strategies especially consistently seeking to lower the costs of production, cutting down operating costs and putting more emphasis on tight control on expenses. This can enable the firms achieve a sustained performance. The study recommends further that manufacturing firms should craft competitive strategies to mitigate the influence of business environment as firms enhance corporate image. The study recommends that firms have a strategic view of corporate image since it can significantly influence performance of firms. The study recommends inclusion of other sectors like service industry and medium and small firms in future research to be able to further generalize the findings.

Death is ofttimes ignored in lost to follow up studies yet it is a competing event in such cases as it is informative of its probability.A couple of studies have been done on incidence and determinants of lost to follow up however solid estimates may be found if death as a competing event is taken into account rather than censoring. The goal of the study seeks to find out the incidence and determinants of lost to follow up with and without death as a competing event. Cox proportional hazards model and Fine-Gray’s subdistribution hazards model were employed to model the outcome of the determinants on lost to follow up. Kaplan-Meier graph was done to describe the probability of lost to follow up in the cox proportional hazards model while cumulative incidence function was done to describe the incidence of lost to follow up while taking death as competing event into account.Each variable was tested for the assumption of proportional hazards before inclusion in the final model using Schoenfeld residuals. 1047 patients (≥ 15 years) were included in the study. The overall lost to follow up rate was 14% with 2.4 per 100-person years incidence rate. Being male, having CD4 count of< 200 mm3 and a younger age (15-30 years) were significant determinants of lost to follow up, hence there is need to give extra attention to these groups of people in order to improve HIV care service delivery

Recent news coverage in both print and electronic media clearly indicates that cyberattacks are increasingly on the rise. As compared to large enterprises, SMEs are highly vulnerable to cyberattacks for they lack adequate cybersecurity controls in place to cope up with evolving cyber threats. According to reports from the industry, humans are regarded as the root cause of many cybersecurity incidents in organizations. This study, thus, purposed to examine the key human factors that impact on favourable cybersecurity culture in Kenyan SMEs premised in Nairobi City County and that provides enterprise wide Information Systems(IS) solutions. Primary data was collected through mail survey method from 34 SMEs that were selected from the official 2019 yellow pages Kenya online directory. The data collection tool was a structured questionnaire. To achieve this, quantitative research inform of descriptive research design was conducted. Judgmental sampling technique was used to choose respondents believed to have the required information relating to the objective of the study. As such, the respondents for the study consisted of senior personnel responsible for cybersecurity issues, the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) head, technical ICT staff and a general user of ICTs in each of the selected SME. Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 23(SPSS) was used for data analysis. Descriptive analysis findings established perceptions regarding the current cybersecurity practices in the SMEs studied. The regression analysis results of all the independents variable against the dependent variable jointly accounted for 54.4% (R-square equals to 0.544) of variation in the dependent variable (favourable cybersecurity culture). 45.6% of variation in favourable cybersecurity culture was therefore unexplained for, and this are covered by other factors not considered in the study. The P-value of 0.000(<0.05) implied that the model used to predict the effect of key human factors on favourable cybersecurity culture among SMEs providing enterprise wide IS solutions was statistically significant at the 5% significance level. Further, it was established that top management support and involvement together with reward and deterrence measures are positive and significant predictors of favourable cybersecurity culture among SMEs providing enterprise wide IS solutions and thus form important strategies for instilling favourable cybersecurity culture in SMEs providing enterprise wide IS solutions in Nairobi city county. Other strategies that need to be developed by these SMEs are cybersecurity policy, cybersecurity change management, cybersecurity training and awareness programs, cybersecurity monitoring and audit for they were also found to have a positive effect on favourable cybersecurity culture. The study concludes by emphasizing the need for adequate and consistent top management support and involvement in cybersecurity issues. It recommends that the top management need to strongly recognise their critical role in ensuring favourable culture of cybersecurity in organizations. Similar to road maps that clearly show direction and distance, the roadmap developed from this study can be used by cybersecurity practitioners to benchmark cybersecurity practices and processes in efforts to promote favourable cybersecurity culture in their organizations Keywords: Cyberattacks, enterprise wide IS solutions, human Factors, organizational security culture, cybersecurity roadmap, Small and Medium Enterprises(SMEs)

This short chapter is the introduction to all the chapters in the e-University Compendium. Key sections include an overview of the theory of virtual universities and e-universities and a “helicopter view” (or World Tour) of the world of e-universities, followed by a thematic approach to the material. The final key section gives an overview of the everlastingly popular topic of Critical Success Factors for e-universities and foreshadows the benchmarking e-learning work in the 2004-12 era. The chapter is based on work that the author carried out over the 2000–01 period , but reaches back to work at the Open University from 1995 and in fact lays the foundation for a whole range of studies to date including Re.ViCa, VISCED, POERUP, SharedOER, ADOERUP and a growing body of market research. competitor research and country report work for commercial, university and (inter)governmental clients.

The adoption of IFRS around the world is occurring rapidly to bring about accounting quality improvement through a uniform set of standards for financial reporting. But recent accounting literature provides the evidence that at least part of the observed quality improvements around voluntary adoption is driven by the changing incentives rather than the standards per se. This article is an effort to review the research on the consequences of changing accounting standards and to portray the determinants financial reporting outcomes following IFRS adoption. We argued that, financial reporting outcomes depends on a variety of factors that influence those outcomes and accounting quality does not depend only on accounting standards but also on the firm’s overall institutional setting, including the legal and political system of the country in which the firm resides. Thus other factors like incentives, enforcement mechanism, ownership structure, capital structure, market and legal forces and cost benefit trade off deserves equal importance as adoption of IFRS. IFRS has an effect on accounting quality but adoption of IFRS is actually a manifestation of other underlying factors. We also highlighted the issues that are hindering contribution of IFRS adoption as a determinant of financial reporting outcomes in Bangladesh.

Dog bite is a prevalent but, underreported problem in the developing world. It’s almost always associated with rabies. Rabies, a disease of ancient times, continues to cause untold suffering and death in most of the developing world. Control efforts of the disease have largely been unsuccessful. Part of the reason for control failure is lack of data to inform policy on control. The objectives of the present study were to 1) Estimate human cases of dog bites and and 2) Assess the public health burden of dog bites in Homa Bay County, Kenya. The study was a survey of randomly selected households in three sub-counties of Homa Bay County. Within each selected sub-county, two wards were randomly selected. A transect walk was done within each ward and every 4th household selected until the required sample size was achieved. Two sets of data were collected:- retrospective study of hospital records from 2016 to 2018 and Survey (prospective study) of households in Homa Bay County in 2018. The latter method employed simple and systematic random sampling and data collected through questionnaires administered via personal interviews. There were 291 dogs found in the 198 households visited converting to 1.5 dogs per household. The dog population in the county was large and estimated at 192,000 dogs. The dog to person ratio was 1:6. Dog ownership in the county was common with 71% of the surveyed households owning dogs. The dog population in the county was inadequately protected from rabies through vaccination – only 27% of survey dogs were reportedly vaccinated against rabies. The annual animal bites of humans were 1,571/100,000 population i.e. 1.57% of the population. A large proportion (82%) of bites were inflicted in the lower extremities (feet and legs). Children especially those under 15 years of age, were the most affected. Compliance with the recommended five-dose vaccination regimen in humans was low. Only four of the 28 human bite cases reportedly completed the five doses of anti-rabies vaccinations. Reasons for non-compliance included, the prohibitive cost of antirabies vaccines, its non-availability at time of visit and the transport cost to health facility by the victim. The average cost of post exposure prophylaxis (vaccination) was estimated at KES. 3,450 with a range of KES 1200 to 6000. Further, transport cost to hospital was between KES60 and 500 with an average of KES 300. With the requirement of five hospital visits, the cost of transportation alone was approximated at KES 1500. In conclusion, this study has shown that dog bites had an incidence of 1.57%, and is a major public health problem in Homa Bay County. Control of rabies in dogs has not been adequate as shown by the low vaccination levels of dogs in the county which was only 27% as revealed by the study. There is a need to scale up rabies control efforts in the county with public participation being a major component of those efforts. These efforts are essential if the ancient and terrible disease - rabies- is to be controlled and eradicated

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), corticosteroids, and opioids are used in the management of inflammation and pain. However, the use of these drugs is limited by cost, adverse effects, and the reappearance of symptoms after discontinuation. Given these limitations, the search for alternatives may be necessary. The roots of Maerua triphylla are used by Maasai and Kikuyu communities for the management of headaches, stomachaches, migraines, and rheumatism. However, data on the safety and efficacy of this plant is not available to support its use. The aim of this study was to investigate the safety (LD50), phytochemical constituents, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory properties of root extracts of M. triphylla. Cold maceration was used to prepare methanol and aqueous root extracts of M. triphylla. The safety of these extracts was evaluated in Wistar rats using the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD 425) guidelines. Phytochemical composition of the extracts was determined by standard qualitative methods. The acetic acid-induced writhing procedure was used to evaluate the analgesic activity of the extracts in Swiss albino mice. The anti-inflammatory activity of the extracts was determined in Wistar rats using the acetic acid-induced paw oedema method. The percentage yield from the aqueous extraction was 12.4% whereas the percentage yield from the methanol extraction was 6.2%. All the studied plant extracts had LD50 > 2000mg/kg bw and were classified as nontoxic according to the OECD 425 guidelines. Qualitative phytochemical screening revealed the presence of flavonoids, phenols, cardiac glycosides and alkaloids in both extracts. However, saponins were only present in the methanol extract. In the analgesic study, mice that received 100 mg/kg bw and 500 mg/kg bw of aqueous root extract of M. triphylla had significantly lower acetic acid-induced writhing in comparison to mice that received 75 mg/kg bw acetylsalicylic acid (reference drug) (p< 0.05). Additionally, mice that received 500 mg/kg bw of methanol root extract of M. triphylla had significantly lower acetic acid-induced writhing in comparison to mice that received 75 mg/kg bw acetylsalicylic acid (p< 0.05). In the anti-inflammatory study, there was no significant difference (p>0.05) between the inhibitory activity of different doses of the aqueous root extract of M. triphylla and a 50 mg/kg dose of diclofenac sodium (reference drug) on acetic acid-induced paw edema in rats. Moreover, there was no significant difference in the inhibitory activity of 100 mg/kg bw and 500 mg/kg bw doses of the methanol root extract of M. triphylla and a 50 mg/kg dose of diclofenac sodium (p>0.05). These findings suggest that the roots of M. triphylla may be useful in the mitigation of pain and inflammation and therefore support their ethnomedicinal use in the management of inflammation and pain. Further isolation, characterization and quantification of the specific phytochemical constituents in the root extracts of M. triphylla with anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity is recommended. Furthermore, the specific mode(s) through which these extracts exert their reported pharmacological activities should be established. Further toxicological studies on the plant extracts are recommended to fully determine their safety.