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The Role of Bee Pollinators in Improving Berry Weight and Coffee Cup Quality
(Maxwell Scientific Publication Corp, 2013-07-25) Karanja, Rebecca H.N; Njoroge, Grace N; Kihoro, John M; Gikungu, Mary W; Newton, L.E
: The study was conducted at Kiambu County in Kenya. The aim of this study was to investigate whether
pollination improves the coffee yield and quality of processed coffee in terms of taste and aroma. Among the
parameters evaluated when grading coffee for sale in world market are berry weight and cup quality. No previous
work in Kenya describes the role of bee pollinators in enhancement of coffee yields and quality. Data on berry
weights and the resulting processed coffee quality from different pollination levels in organically grown coffee were
analyzed. Results from this study indicate that coffee benefits immensely from pollinators. The highest berry weight
and coffee cup quality were recorded in open pollinated and cross pollinated coffee. There were significant
differences in weight and cup quality (p<0.001) between open pollinated coffee and wind pollination, self
pollination and autogamy. The study concludes that pollination not only improves the coffee yields but also enhance
the coffee cup taste and aroma. High quality coffee fetches higher prices in the world coffee market.
Recreating Discourse and Performance in Kenyan Urban Space Through Mũgithi, Hip Hop And Gĩcandĩ
(Routelodge, 2008-06-01) Githiora, Christopher k
This paper examines the one-man guitar Mu˜githi music dance and performance popular inurban Kenyan urban space together with localized Kenyan Hip Hop. The music genres areseen as cultural practices that perform global socio-cultural discourses, and which can alsobe read for the ways in which they both indicate and formulate contexts. A closeexamination of the two popular genres shows how they continue to borrow from a varietyof cultures and poetic forms. Both Mu˜githi and Kenyan Hip Hop music also embody suchforms as Gı˜ku˜yu˜ poetic tradition known as Gı˜candı˜. The male-dominated tradition issomewhat comparable to such well known traditions as West African praise-singers andImbongi male Zulu biographers in terms of their praise-singing performances and poetry.Consequently the borrowing and fusion between Gı˜candı˜ on the one hand and Mu˜githi andHip Hop traditions on the other, help to display dynamic stylistic variations along withcreative dialogic inter-textuality (Bakhtin 1981). This paper suggests that, given thecreative and popular nature of the two musical genres, and the often controversialsociocultural discourses they embody, both Mu˜githi and Kenyan Hip Hop music enjoywide acclaim and ‘covert prestige’ (Trudgill 1972), irrespective of the perceptions that theyare both transgressive and subversive sociocultural and political representations of ‘thewretched of the earth’ (Fanon 1967).
Modelling and Optimization of Microgrid with Combined Genetic Algorithm and Model Predictive Control of PV/Wind/FC/Battery Energy Systems
(Researchgate, 2024-12) Agoundedemba, Maklewa; Kim, Chang Ki; Kim, Hyun-Goo; Nyenge, Raphael; Musila, Nicholas
storage devices to supply power to certain load demands. However, technical issues and fewer benefits can occur
due to their intermittent nature and the high investment costs associated. So, an accurate model, sizing, and
management approach are required to maximize the operational benefits of the microgrid with battery energy
storage systems and fuel cells. This study used the combined genetic algorithm (GA) and model predictive control
(MPC) to size and optimize the hybrid renewable energy PV/Wind/FC/Battery subject to certain constraints on
the power flow and battery state of charge. The data used to validate the model of the system was from the
University of California San Diago of 13.5 GWh a year. The main objective was to minimize the cost of energy
(COE), power supply probability (LPSP) and the net present cost, by GA. Another goal was to minimize the cost of
power imported from the main grid over the time horizon. This was done using MPC based on forecasted data.
The results showed a total energy generation of 17.29 GWh in a year. A microgrid produced a cheap cost of
energy of $0.19/kWh. A LPSP was 0 % indicating that technically the system is viable. The optimized power flow
maintained the battery’s state of charge within the safe range of 20–95 %, significantly enhancing battery
longevity by reducing degradation from frequent charging cycles. The total proposed system relies on the main
grid only 5.80 % compared to the current real installed where 15 % relies on the main grid. Additionally, the
proposed system resulted in a carbon dioxide reduction of 4412.108 tCO₂ annually, demonstrating the envi ronmental benefits of the optimized microgrid
Evaluating the Madrasa Preschool Programme in East Africa: A Quasi-Experimental Study
(Routledge, 2008-10-03) Mwauraa ,Peter A.M; Sylvab ,Kathy Sylvab; Malmberg, Lars-Erik
This study investigated the effect of preschool experience (two types of preschool:
Madrasa and non-Madrasa) on the cognitive development of children in East Africa. In
the three countries studied (Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania/Zanzibar) preschool education
is burgeoning and government standards are being set. This quasi experimental
evaluation used four subscales (block building, verbal comprehension, early number
concept, picture similarities) adapted from the British Ability Scale II (BAS II; discussed
by Elliot, Smith and McCulloch in 1996), and three (verbal meaning, exclusion, closure)
from the African Child Intelligence Test (ACIT; discussed by Drenth and colleagues in
1980). The development of 423 children was studied at pre-test (entry to preschool) and
at post-test 18 months later. Hierarchical regression showed that children with both types
of preschool experience performed better than the home (comparison) group; however,
children attending Madrasa Resource Centre preschools achieved significantly higher scores overall.
Using Swahili and English to Test Explanations of Agrammatism
(Psychology press, 2011-05-25) Abuom, Tom O; Obler, Loraine K; Bastiaanse, Roelien
Background: This study is on time reference through verbs in two Swahili-English bilingual agrammatic speakers. Recent studies in several languages have shown that time
reference through verb inflection, and more specifically through tense, is impaired in
agrammatic speakers. Consequently, several theories have been proposed to account for
this phenomenon. We explore three kinds of theories of agrammatism that are eligible
to account for these data: (1) a deficit in Tense; (2) a deficit in Discourse Linking; (3) a
Morphological-System deficit.
Aims: The study investigated the patterns and degree of severity of time reference impairments in bilingual agrammatic speakers of Swahili and English. Production of past and
future verb forms was examined in both languages to determine which of the explanations for verb inflection errors holds in bilingual agrammatic speakers.
Methods & Procedures: A sentence completion test was developed in two languages to
elicit sentence constructions that refer to the past and the future. This test was administered to two bilingual agrammatic speakers of Swahili and English and three age- and
education-matched control participants.
Outcomes & Results: The performance of the control participants on the two tests was
perfect in both languages. Similarly, the two agrammatic speakers’ performance in Swahili
as well as future tense in English was at ceiling. However, both agrammatic speakers had
selective deficits in the production of English past tense.
Conclusions: The discrepancy between the English and Swahili data cannot be explained
by a syntactic or discourse linking theory. Only a morphological deficit in terms of
number of possible candidates for a particular inflectional form fits with the data.