ABSTRACT Measurement of efficiency levels of transport helps in identifying opportunities that enhance the public transport performance. This will facilitate effective and efficient management of fleets that provide public road transport and planning for interventions incase the sector needs improvement. Public transport sector is a key social facility that aims at improving the welfare of regions inhabitants. Across developing countries provision of efficient, fair and impartial road transp...
ABSTRACT This study focuses on the utilisation of dramatic elements in the delineation of human interaction in six plays of Francis Imbuga and John Ruganda. The study is motivated by the perceived lacuna in the body of knowledge on the utilization of dramatic elements in the rendering of this thematic concern in the selected plays of Imbuga and Ruganda. The study seeks to investigate the intersection between dramatic elements and the way relationships in the society are presented in the six s...
This paper examines issues in principles and practices of democratic consolidation in Zimbabwe. The political system in Zimbabwe theoretically upheld a multiparty system and has held periodic elections since 1980 but undermined reforms that could have put democracy and politics on a progressive trajectory. This is not peculiar to Zimbabwe alone but is a general political culture on the continent. Gleaning on evidence from diverse sources, the paper finds that the separation of powers in Zimba...
ABSTRACT Internet is a huge technology that has brought life to computer and its applications. Most forms of information management and data sharing are done using the internet. The World Wide Web has made this possible. With a browser running on your PC, you can get connected to the entire world. The Internet has been used in different aspects of life most especially in the area of education. Web portal is that area in which the huge resources available on the Internet are being tapped. A we...
Abstract: The Western Cape is a unique area to undertake research, due to the varying oceanographic conditions along the coast. These diverse environments create a hotspot for cetacean presence and diversity. This study aimed to collate and map distribution information of local whale and dolphin species in the Western Cape using citizen science. The first data chapter focused on obtaining opportunistic sightings from water users from scientific, platform of opportunity and sporadic sighting ...
Abstract: Background: Zoophilic mosquitoes play an important role in the transmission of arboviruses of medical importance at human-wildlife interfaces, yet arbovirus surveillance efforts have been focused mostly on anthropophilic mosquitoes. Understanding the diversity of zoophilic mosquitoes and their associated feeding patterns and arboviruses can inform better vector control strategies. Materials and Methods: We morphologically identified mosquitoes collected from two game reserves in Ke...
Abstract: African trypanosomiasis (AT) is a neglected disease of both humans and animals caused by Trypanosoma parasites, which are transmitted by obligate hematophagous tsetse flies (Glossina spp.). Knowledge on tsetse fly vertebrate hosts and the influence of tsetse endosymbionts on trypanosome presence, especially in wildlife-human-livestock interfaces, is limited. We identified tsetse species, their blood-meal sources, and correlations between endosymbionts and trypanosome presence in ts...
Abstract: The role of questing ticks in the epidemiology of tick-borne diseases in Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve (MMNR), an ecosystem with intensified human-wildlife-livestock interactions, remains poorly understood. We surveyed the diversity of questing ticks, their blood-meal hosts, and tick-borne pathogens to understand potential effects on human and livestock health. By flagging and hand-picking from vegetation in 25 localities, we collected 1,465 host-seeking ticks, mostly Rhip...
Abstract: Bean common mosaic virus (BCMV), bean common mosaic necrosis virus (BCMNV), and cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) cause serious epidemics in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), a vital food security crop in many low-to-medium income countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. Aphids transmit these viruses “non-persistently,” i.e., virions attach loosely to the insects' stylets. Viruses may manipulate aphid-host interactions to enhance transmission. We used direct observation and ele...
Abstract: Studies were conducted to determine the contribution of diverse larval habitats to adult Anopheles arabiensis Patton and Culex quinquefasciatus Say production in a rice land agro-ecosystem in Mwea, Kenya. Two sizes of cages were placed in different habitat types to investigate the influence of non-mosquito invertebrates on larval mortalities and the contribution of each habitat type to mosquito productivities, respectively. These emergence traps had fine netting material covers to ...
Abstract: Endophytic fungi are important in diverse plant functions but knowledge of the factors that shape assemblages of these symbionts is lacking. Here, using a culture-dependent approach, we report 4,178 endophytic fungal isolates representing 16 orders isolated from stems, roots and leaves of three cruciferous plant species, Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa L.), radish (Raphanus sativus L.) and white cabbage (B. olerocea L.), collected from 21 focal fields with different landscape contex...
Abstract: The yield performance of sorghum cultivars is highly influenced by environmental factors and genotype x environment interaction; therefore interaction is the major concern to plant breeders to develop improved cultivars. Field experiment was conducted to evaluate striga resistant sorghum genotypes during the 2014 cropping season at Fedis,Meiso, Kobo,Pawi and Humera. The materials used in the study consisted of eight striga resistant sorghum genotypes representing the types widely g...
X-rays play a vital role in medical diagnosis and therapy. Exposure to radiation can however cause a variety of biological mutations. The effects of exposure to radiation could be as severe as leading to rapid death when the whole body is irradiated with large doses. They could also be so minimal and almost negligible for a variable period of time after low doses until delayed effects of radiation manifests in a group of the exposed individuals. As a result, x-rays pose a threat to the safety...
Abstract Aims: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of different watering regimes on selected coffee genotypes and to evaluate drought tolerance among selected coffee genotypes. The study also aimed at determining the optimum watering interval for these genotypes under high temperature conditions. Study Design: Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with 3 replications. Place and Duration of Study: The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse at Coffee Research Station in Ruiru, Ken...
Abstract: Diversification of livelihood strategies pursue by rural household is a common strategy to increase households’ income portfolio and reduces vulnerability. Due to sever land scarcity, high population pressure and recurrent drought, farm households in the study area widely engage in and pursue diverse activities as livelihood strategies. Therefore, in this study determinant of rural households' decision to diversify livelihood strategies in Mesela Woreda, Eastern Ethiopia was iden...