Hypoglycaemia in neonates is defined as blood glucose concentration below 1.1mmol/l for term neonates. A common abnormality in neonates, it is associated, with neurological damage and death when it occurs in the first few days of life. This is more pronounced in rural set-ups without the knowledge, detection and management facilities. When promptly diagnosed and managed, its effects can be prevented or minimized. Studies at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) show that 59.8% of all neonates ...
Bagasse, a fibrous residue from Sugar mills, is not easily biodegradable posing disposal challenges. Given its abundance in the sugar producing regions of Kenya, there is continued need to find other alternative uses. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential use of sugarcane bagasse-based adsorbents for removing Cd2+, Pb2+, methylene blue and turbidity from water spiked with the contaminants. Four bagasse-based adsorbents were prepared and used in batch experiments. Sugarc...
Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) is referred to as the golden crop of the future. There is a concern in Kenya on its production due to the fact that the country remains a net importer of this vital food to the tune of 100,000 tons annually yet the country has the potential to produce that capacity locally. The major impediments in local production are singled out as: Expensive farm inputs in form of fertilizers and use of inferior soybean varieties in terms of effective nodulation. The nodu...
Zinc is an essential micronutrient for human health. Its numerous structural and biochemical functions at the cellular and sub cellular level makes it very important during pregnancy. Maternal serum Zn levels at the time of conception and in pregnancy plays a major role in maternal and child health. It is an important determinant of foetal growth and development. Despite availability of data to demonstrate widespread micronutrient deficiency in pregnancy, minimal studies have examined the sta...
Watermelons belong to the family cucurbitaceous, they are fruits like cantaloupe, pumpkin and similar to plants that grow on vines on the ground. There are over 1,200 varieties of watermelons in the world, several of these varieties have been recommended for Kenya range of climate, however only three varieties are commercially grown in Kenya namely; the Charleston Grey (Sugar F1), Crimson sweet (Zebra) and Sugar baby. Watermelon has four distinct parts; the seeds, the pink flesh, the white fl...
The geology of Magaoni area is associated with the presence of heavy minerals. Magaoni neighbours Maumba and Nguluku where ilmenite was discovered by Tiomin Resource Inc. in1996, using drilling and chemical analysis. Ilmenite mineral is known to be magnetically weak, but provides observable magnetic response. In this study, ground magnetic survey method was carried out to map magnetic anomalies of established stations, associated with ilmenite bearing formations. Energy Dispersive X-R...
Density functional theory has been used to study mechanisms of the reactions involving [1,7]-sigmatropic hydrogen shift in Z,Z-1,3,5-heptatriene systems, esterification of acetyl chloride with methanol and acid-catalyzed esterification of carboxylic acids with methanol. The calculations employed the B3LYP functional, with 6-31+G(d) basis sets. Mechanism routes were computed, with complete optimization of all intermediates and transition states. The effect of electron-donating and electron...
Fisher-folk depend for a major part of their livelihood on natural resources whose distribution and productivity are known to be influenced by climate dynamics. Research has shown that small-scale fisher-folk in the developing countries are more vulnerable to climate variability due to their high reliance on fisheries and poor adaptive capacity. However most studies so far have concentrated on climate-driven changes in ocean productivity and its impact on fish distribution and production part...
In this study, the tectonic lineaments and permeability around Homa Hills geothermal prospect, Nyanzian rift were investigated in order to explore its geothermal potential using ground magnetic method. A proton-precession magnetometer model G-856 of accuracy of ±0.1nT was used to take total magnetic field intensity of the earth at every station. A total of 86 magnetic stations were established over an area of about 76km2. The magnetic data at each station was corrected for both diurnal varia...
Peri-urban agriculture of food crops is practiced in many cities in developing countries, often involving the use of contaminated water and soils, thereby posing health risks for the consumers. Chemical pollutants such as metals present in minute quantities become part of the food chain through occupational exposure in industrial activities, biomagnification and bioaccumulation. In Nairobi City, peri-urban agriculture is practiced in many slum areas, including Kibra slum. Kibra slum, is a de...
Natural radioactivity levels and radiation risks due to construction sand mined from Tharaka region of Tharaka-Nithi County in Kenya has been measured. The region is mostly rocky with majority of rocks being volcanic rocks and sedimentary rocks of volcanic origin; the area is occupationally characterized by sand mining for construction purposes within the County and also in some parts of the neibouring Meru and Embu Counties. The sand is mined along the river banks and also gullies that carry...
Adolescent overweight and obesity have been observed as one of serious public health challenges of the 21st century by the World Health Organization (WHO). Over the past few decades adolescent food consumption has undergone a great deal of transition from the starchy carbohydrates from roots and tubers to the highly refined cereals and sugary beverages. The highly refined cereals consumption contributes in no small measure to body adiposity. Physical inactivity further aggravates the calorie...
The present study was undertaken with the aim of producing Diammonium Phosphate (DAP) using air as a source of nitrogen and bones a source of phosphoric acid. Oxygen was removed from air by passing air over heated copper granules in the temperature range of 300oC – 500oC. Copper granules were heated using charcoal packed in a ceramic charcoal stove. The nitrogen was reacted with lithium to form lithium nitride which was hydrolysed to produce ammonia. The phosphoric acid extracted by boiling...
Kenya is the eighth highest producer of common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) worldwide with a production of 529,265 tons annually. Climbing beans are highly productive, and can produce yields 2 to 3 times higher than bush beans and is therefore a promising option to increase bean yields in Kenya. However, climbing bean production is greatly affected by the decline in soil fertility, particularly low nitrogen levels in the soil. Replenishment of soil nitrogen using effective rhizobia inoculant...
Mixing water is very vital for development of concrete and /or mortar. It can also be a source of aggressive ions in the cured concrete/ mortar. This study investigated the effect of mixing water on performance of cement mortar made from selected Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and Portland pozzolana cement (PPC). Test cements were sampled from three local cement manufacturing plants while mixing water was randomly sampled from different construction sites in Kajiado, Machakos and Nairobi coun...