Crime, social control and social organisation : a historically oriented analysis of crime and social control with special reference to Kenya

This thesis, taking Kenya as a specific example is an attempt to look at crime and social control in its historical specificity. The thesis takes social control as the point of departure in its explanation of crime. Underlying the analysis offered here is the contention that any meaningful explanation of crime must start with an appreciation of the relationship between crime and social con¬ trol, especially the role law in general and criminal law in particular plays in the creation and development of specific social structures and its consequences for the general social fabric

The Impact of Community Health Volunteers’ Service Delivery on Nutrition Outcomes of Households with Children 6-59 Months in Alego Usonga, Siaya County, Kenya

Community Health Volunteers (CHVs) are used in nutrition service delivery and realizing Universal Health Coverage. Nevertheless, poor nutrition outcomes still exist in households under the care of CHVs, resulting in high rates of malnutrition and deaths. Guided by the Health Belief Model (HBM) the researcher established the relationship between the service delivery of CHVs and the nutrition outcomes of households with children aged 6-59 months in Alego Usonga Sub-County, Siaya County, Kenya. A cross-sectional study design was used.  The sample size was determined using Krejcie and Morgan's formula to arrive at 353 participants. The researcher then used purposive, multi-stage, and systematic sampling strategies to reach the participants. Data was collected using structured questionnaires. The target population was households with children 6-59 months in Alego Usonga, Siaya County. SPSS software was used to analyze data, after that, the relationships were tested using Fisher’s Exact Test. Results: significant association between frequency of household visitation by CHVs and MDD, growth monitoring and promotion clinic attendance, deworming in the past six months, and availability of kitchen gardens in the households (p-values<0.05, FET); significant association between referral for immunization and FIC at 11 months (p-value 0.022, FET), referral for growth monitoring and promotion, and the number of children attending growth monitoring and promotion clinics (p-value 0.002, FET); significant association between counseling on complementary feeding and other foods consumed by children 6-23 months other than breast milk (p-value 0.047, FET), counseling on complementary feeding and MDD and MMF (p-values 0.014 & 0.003, respectively, FET), counseling on growth monitoring and promotion and attendance of growth monitoring and promotion clinics (p-value 0.001, FET), and counseling on the importance of kitchen garden and availability of kitchen gardens in the households (p-value 0.000, FET). Therefore, a significant relationship exists between household visitations, referrals, follow-ups, and counseling services conducted by CHVs, and the nutrition outcomes of households with children aged 6-59 months. Following these findings, the researcher recommends that the government continue supporting the CHVs by providing timely motivation and adequate resources. However, other experimental study designs with stronger statistical significance should be deployed to directly evaluate the CHVs’ service delivery and nutrition outcomes at the household level.

Drying characteristics and energy requirement of drying cowpea leaves and jute mallow vegetables

Thin layer drying of cowpea leaves (Vigna unguiculata) and jute mallow (Corchurus olitorious L) (African leafy vegetables) was studied at different temperatures (40oC -100oC) in a convective laboratory dryer. The study determined the drying characteristics of the vegetables, the maximum drying temperature and the drying energy requirements. Moisture content of the African leafy vegetables was determined on dry basis and the data were used to calculate moisture ratios and drying curves were plotted. The drying occurred in the falling rate period. The experimental data were fitted to fourteen thin layer drying models and the most appropriate drying model determined using correlation coefficient, mean square error and standard error of estimate. The model developed by Page showed good agreement with the data obtained from the experiments of this study because it consistently returned the required attributes from statistical analysis and its simplicity. The energy requirement of drying vegetables at the different temperatures was calculated. Cowpea leaves had a longer drying time of 304 min and a higher specific energy requirement of between 168 J/g at 100oC and 11.2 J/g at 40oC while jute mallow had a drying time of 256 min and an energy requirement of 155.3 J/g at 100oC and 10.6 J/g at 40oC respectively. <w:LsdException Locked="false" P

Mothers’ Knowledge and Practices of Steps to Successful Breastfeeding at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital, Kenya

The ten steps to successful breastfeeding have been reported to be effective in enhancing mothers’ knowledge and practices of breastfeeding in various contexts. However, within the Kenyan context, there is limited literature on mothers’ knowledge and practices regarding these steps despite high breastfeeding-related child morbidity and mortality rates. This study aimed to evaluate mothers’ knowledge, confirm practices of the steps to successful breastfeeding, and establish the relationship between mothers’ knowledge and corresponding practices of these steps. The study site was Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital, Kenya. A cross-sectional study design was used, and 79 breastfeeding mothers were systematically sampled. Data were collected through a researcher-administered questionnaire and an observation checklist. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics; frequencies and percentages to show mothers’ knowledge and practice distribution. Binary logistic regression was performed to establish a relationship between the two variables. Results were presented in tables. Mothers’ knowledge of steps 3, 6, 7, 8, and 9 met the global criteria for successful breastfeeding; however, only practices of steps 6, 7, 8, and 9 met these criteria. There was no significant relationship between mothers’ knowledge and corresponding practices of all the steps (P>0.05). Skill-based training may be necessary to improve successful breastfeeding practices

Selecting a Sampling Plan for Reinforcement Bars

In this study we employ modern statistical methods to the sampling problem. The application of statistics by engineers dates back a long while in solving industrial, management, and research problems. Quality and reliability engineers, technicians and laboratory analysts, inspectors, operators, opinion pollsters and other scholars are known users of sampling methods. Sampling techniques save time and cost and obtain relevant data that is representative. The methods described here are viable alternatives to the sampling problem. Ultimately the cost factor comes out as the loudest voice in the debate on best choice of sampling plan for reinforcement bars in Kenya. Keywords: normal distribution, standard deviation, variance, opinion poll, random sampling, confidence level, acceptable error, representative sample, population size, sample size, accidental sampling

Determination of resonant frequency of a piezoelectric ring for generation of ultrasonic waves

Ultrasound technology has become an important aspect in material handling and machining. Standing and traveling ultrasonic waves have been applied in powder transportation, feeding, dosing and supply of small amounts of powder with high quantitative accuracy and precision. Piezoelectric actuators are the most commonly used to generate the ultrasonic waves in various devices. Hence, these devices have presented a unique, economic and simple means of accurate handling of powder. This paper describes the determination of the resonant frequency of a piezoelectric ring that can be applied for generation of the ultrasonic waves. The resonant frequency is important in determining the highest amplitude of the vibration of the ring

Optimal placement of a piezoelectric ring in an ultrasonic powder transport system

The transport of powder materials is an important aspect of process engineering. Various industries such as the food, chemical, pharmaceutical, coating, information and telecommunication industries have set a high demand on the performances of existing plants, which are mainly for bulk powder transfer. Modern systems demand powder transport systems which have a high quantitative accuracy. Therefore, the ultrasonic material transport process technology has in the last few years developed into an attractive alternative compared to the classical technologies. This technology involves transfer of powder through a pipe in which the ultrasonic waves are transmitted. However, this technology is not refined. In this paper, the optimal placement of the piezoelectric transducer on the pipe in order to produce traveling ultrasonic waves is investigated. A given length of the pipe is considered for transmission of the ultrasonic waves

Consumer intentions to buy nutrient-rich precooked bean snacks: does sensory evaluation matter?

Precooked bean products have the potential of bridging the common bean demand and consumption gap in Kenya. However, sensory evaluation of novel precooked processed products has been inadequate in determining acceptability. This study assessed the sensory evaluation of precooked bean snacks by 269 rural consumers in Machakos County of Kenya. Descriptive results indicated that less than one-quarter (22%) of the consumers were aware of the precooked bean products. The low awareness is a disconnect from the expectations that farming households were probably going to be aware of processed bean products because of their participation in bean value chain. Sensory evaluation showed that 75% of the consumers evaluated the freshness of the bean snacks positively, with about 90% and 63% of them positively assessing the taste of the precooked bean snacks branded Keroma Delicious and Keroma Fruity, respectively. The taste evaluation of Keroma Fruity brand significantly differed depending on age and level of education of the consumer. Similarly, the taste of Keroma Delicious brand also significantly differed by age and educational attainment of consumers. Furthermore, while consumers liked the taste parameters of the products, less than half of them liked the beany flavour of the two products. Results from the binary logit regression model indicated that freshness, sourness, and flavour positively and significantly predicted the probability of future purchases of Keroma Fruity bean snack brands. Consumer intentions to buy Keroma Delicious brand were positively predicted by flavour and marginally by sweetness. To accelerate the consumption of precooked bean products, product development and marketing strategies should recognise the role of sensory attributes in driving acceptability of the bean snacks, deploy processing technologies that retain and enhance sensory attributes, create awareness of the products, and segment the market from a gender lens in order to satisfy the diverse consumer needs and preferences

Effect of Covi-soup on Random Blood Sugar and Blood Pressure among Patients with Type II Diabetes and Hypertension in Kenya

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are posing a serious global challenge due to the high impact on health and mortality. These diseases are becoming more prevalent in low and middle-income countries. Therefore, this study aimed to test the effect of Covi-soup on random blood sugar (RBS) and blood pressure among patients with type II diabetes mellitus and hypertension. This was a pilot study conducted in Kakamega County, Kenya. Simple systematic sampling was used in identifying respondents and allocating them to the groups. A total of 64 respondents were involved in this study, with 34 and 30 assigned to the treatment and control groups. The treatment group received Covi-soup, containing butternut squash, ginger, garlic, sunflower pepper, chia seeds, and turmeric, while the control consumed a rice soup. There was no significant difference in baseline RBS and systolic pressure levels in the treatment and control with (P =0.909) and (P =0.218), respectively. There was no positive change in RBS, but a positive change was reported in systolic and diastolic blood pressures (P ≤0.187), (P ≤0.012), and (P ≤0.001) after an intervention. Furthermore, there was a significant difference in RBS, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure values of the treatment and non-treatment. The consumption of Covi-soup by patients with type II diabetes mellitus and hypertension for 3 months resulted in reduced blood pressure and random blood sugar levels

Strengthening capacity of extension officers in gender-responsive bean research, digital extension and agribusiness in Laikipia and Nyeri Counties, Kenya

Although seed is an integral part of the agri-food system, it is often unavailable and unaffordable to smallholder farmers in rural areas, especially women and vulnerable groups. In addition, the poor extension system of getting seeds and information to farmers remains a drawback to adoption and increased productivity. Further, increased climate variability exposes these vulnerable groups to risks like pests and diseases. This calls for more concerted and focused strategies by researchers and development actors to mitigate these challenges through robust partnerships and training. The Kenya Agricultural Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) and the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, The Alliancethrough the Seed Equal Initiative, the Gender Equality Initiative, the Ukama Ustawi (UU): Diversification for Resilient Agri-food in East and Southern Africa organized a two-day training of extension officers from Laikipia and Nyeri counties in Kenya in gender-responsive seed systems, digitalised agribusiness and agronomy. The training was attended by 16 officers (5 men and 11 women)