Drylands account for more than a third of the world's land area and are characterized by less than 250 mm of rainfall per year. In these regions, groundwater is a strategic resource and plays a key role in economic development, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where it is responsible for improving livelihoods. Lodwar town depends primarily on a poorly studied groundwater system for its municipal water supplies. The aim of this research was to establish the sustainability of this aquifer system through a comprehensive study of its hydrogeological characteristics, sensitivity to climate variability, and the influence of natural and anthropogenic processes, all of which are currently unknown yet critical for its sustainable management. The methods used were: detailed geological mapping and rock analysis (petrography and X-ray fluorescence); remote sensing (digital elevation models and vegetation cover maps) and drone mapping of Lodwar town for stream lineament analysis; evaluation of borehole drilling datasets including yields, static water levels, water rest levels, drawdowns, transmissivities, and borehole depth; geophysical surveys involving vertical electrical soundings for evaluation of the hydrogeological characteristics; aquifer hydrogeochemistry of surface (river, scoop holes, water pans) and groundwater, where field measurements included pH, Temp, and EC using hand-held Combo Tester HI98129 while, turbidity, total hardness, alkalinity, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na, K+, Fe2+, Mn2+, Cl-, F-, HCO3-, SO42- and CO32- NO3-, NO2- were measured at the Water Resources Central Laboratory based standard analytical procedures. Furthermore, stable isotopic analyses of oxygen-18, deuterium and tritium in water samples was done at Elemtex Lab, United Kingdom to establish the rainfall-surface water-groundwater interactions, groundwater age and recharge sources. The multifaceted dataset was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including principal component analysis (PCA), hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), the software PHREEQC for analysis of the water chemistry data, and all together, to develop the first conceptual aquifer model for this system. The findings of this research revealed that Lodwar and its surroundings are underpinned by three different and interconnected freshwater (<1000μS/cm) aquifers (shallow alluvial aquifer (SAA), the intermediate aquifer (IA) and the deep aquifer (DA)) that are collectively referred to as the Lodwar Alluvial Aquifer System (LAAS). The fourth, the Turkana Grit Shallow Aquifer (TGSA), is highly saline with electrical conductivity > 5000μS/cm and fluoride values between 2.20 to 18.74 mg/L. The dominant water types are: Ca-HCO3 (SAA and Turkwel river), Na-HCO3 (IA), Ca-HCO3 (Napuu Bh) and Na-HCO3 (DA) and NaCl (TGSA). The petrographical, geochemical, isotopic and inferential statistical analyses indicate that rock-water interaction, Turkwel river recharge, and oxidation reactions control the SAA chemistry, while dissolution and evaporation are key factors affecting TGSA. The dominant processes in the IA include dissolution, ion exchange, and dilution. Elevated concentrations of NO3- and SO42- in the wet as compared to the dry seasons, but still within WHO recommended limits, tritium values ranging from 1.10 to 2.24 in the SAA, IA and DA, and the isotopic values of surface water and groundwater, reflect strong links to modern rainfall and the Turkwel river, indicating that the LAAS is highly susceptibility to climate variability and pollution. The decreasing d-excess values from the SAA (2.18‰) to the intermediate aquifer (-6.81‰) and TGSA (-8.14‰) indicate that they are interlinked and isotope fractionation occurs during the lateral groundwater flow away from the Turkwel River. The study has attributed recharge of the LAAS to diffuse recharge by the Turkwel River and from the surface water of the Kawalase River during the wet season, as well as direct infiltration during rainfall events. This study provides comprehensive approaches for investigating the groundwater resources in data-scarce regions for their sustainable use and management.

Bovine mastitis is one of the most important global diseases of cattle in which it adversely affects animal and human health, quality and quantity of milk, and the economics of almost every country. Despite the global challenge of bovine mastitis, studies on prevalence, bacterial diversity of mastitis-causing pathogens, risk factors and antibiotic resistance profiles of the isolate in dairy cows in Kenya remain limited. This cross-sectional study was undertaken in Embu and Kajiado counties of Kenya with the following objectives; (1) To determine the prevalence of clinical and subclinical mastitis in dairy cows, (2) To isolate and characterize the bacterial communities from clinical and subclinical mastitic cow milk using culture and 16S rRNA metagenomics analysis, (3) To establish the phenotypic and genotypic antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of the isolates (4) To determine the risk factors associated with subclinical mastitis in dairy cows. The study was conducted among 395 randomly selected dairy cows from 154 smallholder farms. In each of the farms, a semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data on mastitis management practices and cow level risk factors associated with mastitis. A total of 1574 milk samples were aseptically collected from each mammary quarter of the 395 cows. Six quarters were blocked and hence did not produce any milk. The milk was initially checked for clinical mastitis and screened for subclinical mastitis using the California Mastitis Test (CMT) before being analyzed for bacterial infection using standard bacterial culture methods. Sixty-six (66) mastitic milk samples based on their culture results were selected and further analyzed using 16S rRNA metagenomics analysis to further understand their bacterial diversity. Additionally, phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility profiles for Staphylococcus species(n=183), Streptococcus species (n=22) Escherichia coli (n=12), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n=19) were determined against 10 antimicrobial drugs using the disc diffusion method. Investigation of seven resistance genes to the various antimicrobial drugs was further done on the 183 Staphylococcus isolates using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and partial sequencing. Overall, the farm-level, cow-level and quarter-level prevalence of mastitis were at 76.6% (118/154), 80.0% (316/395) and 67.8% (1068/1574) respectively. Of the mastitic cows, 8.5% (27/316) were clinical and 91.4% (289/316) had subclinical mastitis. On culture, eight genera of bacteria were identified where Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CNS) at 42.8% (435/1016) were the most prevalent bacteria. Twenty percent, (217/1068) of the mastitic milk samples yielded no bacterial growth on aerobic culture-based methods. Failure to milk mastitic cow last (p=0.04) and previous history of mastitis (p=0.03) were significantly associated with subclinical mastitis. Alpha and beta diversity comparison showed that there were no significant differences in bacterial number and diversities in mastitic milk from quarters based on the region, clinical/subclinical status and culture growth status. Genera level analysis using 16S rRNA metagenomics analysis revealed that 11 genera dominated by Pseudomonas (2.6%-83.8%) were shared among the three categories. An increased relative abundance of some phyla and genera which could not be identified using standard culture methods such as Chlamydiae, Mycoplasma and Solibacillus in culture-negative mastitic milk were also reported. Overall, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among the staphylococci ranged between 3.5% (8/183) for fluoroquinolones and 66.1% (121/183) for ampicillin. Strikingly, 25.0% (23/91) of S. aureus and 10.8% (10/92) of the Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CNS) isolates, were methicillinresistant staphylococci (MRS) phenotypically. Among the Streptococcus species AMR ranged between 31.8% (7/22) for ampicillin and zero for fluoroquinolones, E. coli showed the highest phenotypic resistance to ampicillin at 75.0% (9/12) while no resistance to fluoroquinolones. Pseudomonas aeruginosa showed the highest phenotypic resistance in cefaclor 89.5% (17/19) while lower resistance was reported in ciprofloxacin 5.3% (1/19). Unexpectedly 13.6% (3/22) vancomycin-resistant streptococci and 21.0% (4/19) carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa isolates were reported in this study. Higher multidrug resistance (MDR) was present in 66.0% (8/12), 78.9% (15/19) of the E. coli and P. aeruginosa isolates respectively. The most common antimicrobial resistant genes in S. aureus and CNS was blaZ at 44.3% (35/79) and 75.3% (55/73) respectively. This study shows a high prevalence of subclinical mastitis both at the farm and animal levels. Both the clinical and subclinical mastitis were predominantly associated with Coagulasenegative Staphylococcus and Pseudomonas species based on culture and 16S rRNA metagenomics analysis respectively. There was an increased relative abundance of some bacterial phyla and genera which could not be identified using standard culture-based methods in culture-negative mastitic milk implying the usefulness of using more sensitive techniques in the diagnosis of mastitis. There is a need to improve on management of the dairy farms through culling of cows with a previous history of mastitis, use of individual udder drying towels, and milking mastitic cows last as control measures for mastitis. The bacterial isolates revealed high resistance to betalactams with high blaZ genes being detected in staphylococci signifying a public health concern and a challenge to bovine mastitis therapy hence the need to prevent the emergence and control the spread of AMR in dairy farms. This is the first study to report on the presence, methicillin-resistant Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa and vancomycinresistant Streptococcus in cow mastitic milk from Kenyan dairy farms and therefore further monitoring is recommended.

While every organization has to set out a vision, they also have to come up with strategies that align with it with an aim of improving productivity and performance, increasing competitiveness, decreasing costs and improving quality. Strategic management techniques, in particular, have been described as critical for increased output and competitiveness because they boost productivity in terms of production and apportionment of goods and services within the enterprise. The banking industry has adopted insular processes of business process redesign, rebranding and transformation. To ensure both survival and success, banks should employ strategic management practices that strive to maintain a constant balance between the firm and the market environment. The study sought to establish the effects of strategic management practices on performance of banks in Kenya in reference to SBM Bank Kenya. The study focused on the effects of strategic intent, strategic planning, strategy evaluation, environmental scanning, and strategy control on the performance of banks. The study was anchored on dynamic capabilities theory and supported by the resource-based theory (RBV) and contingency theory. A case study design was adopted. The study used both primary and secondary data. Primary data was collected using interview guides. The research data and information was collected from the nine senior management at Kenya SBM Bank including the director of sales and marketing, director of operations, director of supply chains, director of information system, director of customer service, director of finance and director of human resources. A conceptual content analysis was employed. The interviewees' perspectives on the impact of strategic management practices on bank performance in Kenya, with a focus on SBM Bank Kenya, was analyzed using content analysis to extract common themes or data from the various responses received. The study found that the strategies used in the banks included commissioning right products to maximize stakeholders returns, crafting a holistic mission and vision statement that is shared to all staff compliment and clearly displayed to both internal and external prospects, and partnering with other bodies /corporates to support in strategy awareness. Also, the study found that the bank deals with unforeseen market economic changes that may distort the actualization of the plans by: continuing to survey the plans each quarter to make changes educated by market and working climate changes. The study also found the strategies have been greatly applied and achieved through profit margins to an extraordinary reach out in choppiness circumstances such as presently. The study also found that managers ensure that the strategy is consistent with conditions in the competitive environment through continuous measurement of strategy – performance and alignment of initiatives vs. strategic plan. The study also found that the bank enhances communication of information about organizational change before and after about organizational developments through active staff engagement using KIP sessions. The study concluded that strategic intent, strategic planning, strategy evaluation, environmental scanning, and strategy control affect the performance of banks. The study recommends that top management in banks to ensure that they support any implementation taking place in the organization. The study also recommends banks to embrace effective and efficient forms/channels of communication.

The current business environment is continuously changing, and corporations are operating in an era of risk and instability. Technological innovations, competition and globalization are examples of the factors many organizations have to contend with. Organizations, therefore, have to develop strategies that allow them to adapt and not only remain relevant but also maintain a competitive edge in the marketplace. The study examined the influence of an adaptive organization culture on the competitive advantage of an organization by conducting a case study of mobile telecommunication companies in Kenya. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was utilized in this investigation. Safaricom Limited, Airtel Kenya Limited, and Telkom Kenya Limited were the three telecommunications firms in Kenya that were the target respondents for the study. The study surveyed respondents from the three companies by selecting a total of 80 respondents working in the companies, across all hierarchical levels of the company. Primary data was utilized and was obtained using questionnaires. Mean, as a measure of central tendency, was used to identify and analyze the adaptiveness of the company’s culture and the competitive positioning of the companies. The standard deviation and average mean were used to determine the consistency with which an adaptive culture was implemented and the competitive advantage of the businesses analyzed. To investigate the strength of the connection between the research variables, correlation analysis, regression analysis, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests were employed. According to the findings of the research, all three businesses had organizational cultures that could be characterized as generally adaptive, with Safaricom Limited being rated as the most adaptive of the three companies. Safaricom Limited was found to be the most competitive in the Kenyan market, with Airtel Kenya Limited ranked second and Telkom Kenya Limited, third. It was established, by the study, that there is a statistically significant positive connection between an adaptive organizational culture and competitive advantage. The results indicated an adaptive culture was responsible for 68.7 % of the organizational competitive advantage in the three mobile telecommunication companies. The study recommended that mobile telecommunication operating companies as well as companies operating in the general business environment should implement policies and procedures that foster strong adaptive culture with behavioral examples modelled by the top management. Companies that are considered adaptive have a low power distance, are customer centric, are open to change and foster organizational learning.

Managers are nearly usually blamed and praised for a company's successes and failures. Executive managers encourage growth and management of complexities, while maintaining control of expenditures in a continuously fluctuating environment. Executive managers make critical strategic choices that determine whether or not a company will survive. Furthermore, their job is becoming increasingly focused on growth investment problems in order to start a profound organizational change and create value. As a result, executive directors' qualities, such as those of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), are important. The overall objective of the study was to establish effect of CEO quality on the value of firms listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange. It also aimed at reviewing the increasing body of theoretical and empirical studies that have endeavored to examine the range of magnitude and effects of CEO quality on firm value. The upper echelons, stakeholder, and agency theories guided the current study. The current study utilized the descriptive research design The target population was all the 64 listed firms at the Nairobi Securities Exchange. The study employed a census and it examined the whole population. The unit period of analysis was annual, and data was collected for the period from 2016 to 2020; the period comprised of five years. The study applied correlation analysis and multiple linear regression model with the technique of estimation being Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) so as to establish the relationship of CEO quality and firm value. The study findings were that that CEO education, CEO work experience, CEO tenure, and leverage do not have a significant correlation with firm value. Further study findings established that the model entailing; CEO quality aspects comprising of CEO education, CEO work experience, and CEO tenure, and also leverage explains firm value to a very least extent with a coefficient of determination value of 0.32%. Additional study findings were that that the model consisting of CEO quality aspects comprising of CEO education, CEO work experience, and CEO tenure, and also leverage does not significantly predict firm value (Prob>chi2=0.1800). Final study findings were that CEO education (p=0.753>0.05), CEO work experience (p=0.396>0.05), CEO tenure (p=0.080>0.05), and leverage (p=0.823>0.05) do not each individually have a significant relationship with firm value. Policy recommendations are made to the government officials and policy formulators in the financial sector, mainly the regulator, the Capital Markets Authority (CMA), and the Treasury, not to mainly focus on CEO qualities when endeavouring to boost firm value in order to spur the development of capital markets. Recommendations are also generated to the financial analysts not to estimate market capitalization, and by extension, securities value, by using CEO qualities, and in extension, leverage. To be able to predict bear and bull markets, they should mostly perform due diligence and background check on their investment targets. Finally, recommendations are made to consultants and listed firms practitioners should not mainly focus on CEO qualities to time strategies like securities exchange listings, rights issues, and dividend pay-outs.

The main objective of the study was to examine the role of non-motorized transport in promoting rural mobility in Laikipia County, Kenya. The specific objectives of the study were:- (a) To determine the relationship between socio- economic factors and NMT usage in Laikipia County; (b) To examine whether there is significant difference in travel distances by walking and cycling in Laikipia County; (c) To determine the extent to which availability of NMT has affected access to schools and market centers in Laikipia County; (d) To investigate whether there were existing cultural policies guiding gender promotion in usage of NMT in Laikipia County. Data was collected from both primary and secondary sources. Primary data was obtained from Laikipia County through interview schedule, observation and questionnaires. Secondary data was collected by thorough literature search and review of both published and unpublished research reports, journals and, books. The stakeholders that were interviewed include: Non-Motorized Transport Users, Key Informants, and Non-Motorized Transport Operators. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS). Descriptive statistics was used to analyze survey data related to non-motorized travel. Inferential statistics was used to determine whether the observed non motorized transport characteristics differ from the null hypothesis. The study had two hypotheses tested. The first hypothesis was: (a) there is no significant relationship between socio-economic factors and NMT usage in Laikipia County. This hypothesis was tested using multiple linear regressions. The socio-economic factors which were tested included: income, distance, age, marital status, education level, and occupation. The multiple correlations of income and distance variables revealed weak positive relationship of 0.205; income and age correlations also had a weak positive value of 0.260; while income and marital status correlations showed a weak positive value of 0.250. This implies that these variables were weak determinants of walking and cycling in Laikipia County. A correlation between respondents’ occupation and distance travelled showed a significant positive correlation of 0.492. This indicates that respondents’ occupation determines the distance travelled by walking and cycling in Laikipia County. It can also be interpreted that business location determines the distance travelled by the xvi respondents in Laikipia County. The study also revealed that there was a significant positive correlation between education level and distance travelled in Laikipia County. This means that the higher the level of education the greater the need of social interaction in search of business opportunities irrespective of the distance within the county. A multiple linear regression between walking and cycling showed a weak positive relationship which was denoted by R2 = 0.015. This was a weak positive correlation which implies that the relationship between walking and cycling was independent of the distance travelled. The low value of socio-economic factors of R square indicates that other factors than the measured socio-economic factors influenced the patterns of non-motorized transport used in Laikipia County. The second hypothesis was tested using Chi-square statistic (X2). The hypothesis tested was: (b) walking and cycling are independent of distance travelled in Laikipia County. The value of the calculated X2 at 2 degrees of freedom was 0.006 while the Critical X2 at 2 degrees of freedom at 0.05 significance level was 5.99. Therefore, the Calculated X2 was smaller than the Critical X2. Therefore, a conclusion was drawn that, there was no adequate evidence to reject the null hypothesis that, walking and cycling were independent of distance travelled in Laikipia County. Hence, the hypothesis was adopted. In other words, walking and cycling were not determined by the distance travelled in Laikipia. The study therefore, concluded that non motorized transport modes are not determined by spatial distance in Laikipia County. The study recommended that: (a) Interrogation of the non-motorized transport technologies adopted in Laikipia County should be done. (b) Lane segregation for both pedestrians and cyclists with physical partitions between motorized traffic and non motorized transport should be provided, and (e) Prices of spare-parts should be reduced by the government.

Successful companies recognize that improved career growth will maintain and boost their competitiveness. For all workers, promotion in one’s career is a necessary phase. Each employee of every company hopes to advance quickly in their careers because this allows them the opportunity to develop and motivates them to participate. The objective of this study was to establish the influence of career progression guidelines on employee performance in the Kenyan civil service: a case of State Department for Livestock. The study was anchored on the trait and factor theory and Vroom’s (1964) expectancy theory. This study was designed as a descriptive survey. In order to show a correct profile of people and situational events, a descriptive survey research design was used. The target population of this study was 531 employees of the State Department for Livestock. As the primary data collection tool, the researcher used a questionnaire. Drop-and-pick method was administered as it is cheap and allows respondents to complete the tool conveniently. The data collected was analyzed by quantitative methods of data analysis. The questionnaire data was encoded and logged onto the computer with the Statistical Social Science Package (SPSS version 25.0). So as to perform simple descriptive analyzes to obtain reports about data status, this involved code for open and closed data items. The analysis involved the use of descriptive statistical tools which included mean, standard deviation, frequencies and percentages. Simple linear regression analysis was conducted to establish the career progression guidelines influence on performance of employees. The study established that the educational level of an officer determines their entry grade in the career progression guideline. The study showed that proactive workers are much more likely to develop their careers because proactivity is considered to be a sign of leadership abilities. The study concluded that career progression guidelines (educational and professional experiences, personality of employees, job performance and evaluation of supervisor and recruitment and selection criteria) significantly influences employee performance in the State Department for Livestock. The study recommends that management staff at State Department for Livestock need to ensure that their employees have the required educational and professional experiences. The study recommends that State Department for Livestock encourage their employees to enroll in short courses offered by government or private institutions to enhance their education. The study recommends that there should be frequent evaluation of the performance of employees.

JavaScript Tips JavaScript is one of the most popular scripting or programming language. In 1995, Brendan Eich from Netscape designed and implemented a new language for the Netscape Navigator browser. It was initially named Mocha, then LiveScript, and finally JavaScript. JavaScript is everywhere. • More than 94% of websites use JavaScript. • JavaScript completes its ninth year in a row as the most commonly used programming language. (2021 StackOverflow developer survey) I have used the following two images in some code snippets with different meanings in different examples.

Abstract

C++ feels like a new language. That is, I can express my ideas more clearly, more simply, and more directly in C++11 than I could in C++98. Furthermore, the resulting programs are better checked by the compiler and run faster. In this book, I aim for completeness. I describe every language feature and standard-library component that a professional programmer is likely to need. For each, I provide: • Rationale: What kinds of problems is it designed to help solve? What principles underlie the design? What are the fundamental limitations? • Specification: What is its definition? The level of detail is chosen for the expert programmer; the aspiring language lawyer can follow the many references to the ISO standard. • Examples: How can it be used well by itself and in combination with other features? What are the key techniques and idioms? What are the implications for maintainability and performance? The use of C++ has changed dramatically over the years and so has the language itself. From the point of view of a programmer, most of the changes have been improvements. The current ISO standard C++ (ISO/IEC 14882-2011, usually called C++11) is simply a far better tool for writing quality software than were previous versions. How is it a better tool? What kinds of programming styles and techniques does modern C++ support? What language and standard-library features support those techniques? What are the basic building blocks of elegant, correct, maintainable, and efficient C++ code? Those are the key questions answered by this book. Many answers are not the same as you would find with 1985, 1995, or 2005 vintage C++: progress happens. C++ is a general-purpose programming language emphasizing the design and use of type-rich, lightweight abstractions. It is particularly suited for resource-constrained applications, such as those found in software infrastructures. C++ rewards the programmer who takes the time to master