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Item EFFECT OF TOP MANAGEMENT SUPPORT ON OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE OF COMMERCIAL BANKS IN NANDI COUNTY, KENYA(European Journal of Management and Marketing Studies, 2009) Praxidis Jemutai Sirma1, Meshack Misoi2, Francis Omillo2This paper looks at the effect of top management commitment and support on operational performance of commercial banks in the County of Nandi, Kenya. Commercial banks’ operational performance is pegged on reliability of services, dependability of services and also speed to which critical operations are performed for improving customer satisfaction. However, over the years the Kenya’s banking industry has consistently been characterized by persistent operational inefficiency and customer problems due to poor services. The study adopted ex-post facto research approach strategy. The target population consisted of 177 commercial bank employees in Nandi County. A simple random sampling technique was used to select a sample of 123 employees. The study used questionnaire as instrument for data collection. The study found out that top management support was a regular QMS practice evidenced in Nandi County commercial banks. Through top-down approach, regular top down communication thrived well and the top management regularly reviewed organizations’ QMS at planned intervals to ensure effectiveness and continuity. Correlation statistics computed showed that there existed significant positive effect (p <0.05) of top management support on commercial banks operational performance. The study recommends that: there is need for creation and sustenance of shared values and fairness for all employees working in the bank without discrimination.Item BIOENERGETICS OF THE FRESH WATER FISH Clarias batrachus EXPOSED TO TREATED SAGO EFFLUENT(Baraton Interdisciplinary Research Journal, 2011) Ramesh Francis, K. Nagarajan, and A. Gracelyn PortiaBioenergetics of the fresh water fish Clarias batrachus was studied after exposure to sub-lethal concentrations of treated sago effluent. The concentration chosen were 25%, 50% and 75%. Estimation of growth was calculated by weighing the fish at 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th days of the experiments. The growth rate, conversion rate and conversion efficiency were reduced with increasing concentrations of sago effluent. The study reveals that there are more physiological stresses to the fish exposed in higher concentrations of treated sago effluent than the lower concentrations. Key Words: Clarias batrachus, Sago effluent, bioenergetics.Item Comparative Account of Untreated and Treated Sago Effluent Analysis by Investigating Different Physical and Chemical Parameters(International Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences and Technology, 2013) F. Ramesh; K. Nagarajan; A. Gracelyn PortiaWith the rapid growth of industries, pollution in natural waters by industrial wastes has increased tremendously. Due to lack of treatment and improper modes of disposal of wastes, the water bodies are polluted and they carry deadly substances. The present work aims at studying the nature of untreated and treated sago effluent to make a comparison of the quality of effluent water that are discharged into the water system. The untreated and treated sago effluent samples were collected from the factory and the physico chemical parameters were analyzed. The results were compared with ISI standard. The results are tabulated and conclusions are drawn.Item Influence of Sago Effluent on the Levels of the Enzyme Cholinesterase in the Brain Tissue of the Fresh Water Fish Clarias Batrachus(Advances in Bioscience and Bioengineering, 2013) Ramesh. F1; Nagarajan. K2Monitoring of Cholinesterase activity has been widely used in aquatic and terrestrial systems as an indicator of pollutant exposure. The reports regarding impact of sago industry effluent on the level of ChE activity are very scanty. In this paper, an attempt has been made to investigate the in vitro impact of sago industry effluent upon the levels of ChE activity in the brain tissues of the fresh water fish, Clarias batrachus. The concentration chosen were 25%, 50% and 75% of treated sago effluent. The levels of ChE were decreased with increase in concentrations of the effluent. The control group recorded 268 u/l whereas the experimental groups such as 25%, 50% and 75% treated sago effluent showed 199u/l, 132u/l and 117u/l respectively.Item QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF PHYTOCONSTITUENTS IN TRAGIA BREVIPES PLANT(International Journal of Pharmaceutical Research & Analysis, 2013) T Anthoney Swamy1; Ngule Chrispus Mutuku; Makau Elijah Ngule; Ramesh FrancisThe study was conducted to analyze the phytoconstituents of Tragia brevipes plant leaves. The plant samples were extracted using methanol and water in the ratio 9:1. The phytoconstituents study was done using standard procedures [18, 19 and 20]. From the study Tragia brevipes was found to contain tannins, saponins, terpenoids, flavonoids, cardiac glycoside, phenols, steroidal nucleus and steroidal ring, but alkaloids and steroids were found to be absent in the plant extract.Item Influence of Sago Effluent on the Levels of the Enzyme Lactate Dehydrogenase in the Liver of the Fresh Water Fish Clarias batrachus(International Journal of Advances in Science and Technology,, 2013) Ramesh F.; K.NagarajanThe levels of the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase has been observed in the liver of fresh water fish Clarias batrachus exposed to different concentrations of treated sago effluent. . The concentration chosen were 25%, 50% and 75% of treated sago effluent. The levels of LDH were increased with increase in concentrations of the effluent. The control group recorded 20u/l whereas the experimental groups such as 25%, 50% and 75% treated sago effluent showed 54.2u/l, 82.9u/l and 104.4u/l respectively.Item Histopathological changes in the retina of the fish Clarias batrachus exposed to untreated and treated sago effluent(International Journal of Development and Sustainability, 2013) F. Ramesh; K. NagarajanThe histopathological changes are observed in the retina of the fresh water fish Clarias batrachus exposed to different concentrations of untreated and treated sago effluent. The concentration chosen for untreated effluent and treated effluent were 50% and 100%. The histology of retina showed various degrees of deterioration when compared to control. The deterioration was very much reduced in the treated sago effluent when compared to the untreated sago effluent.Item Histopathological Changes in the Muscle Tissue of the Fish Clarias batrachus Exposed to Untreated and Treated Sago Effluent(Advances in Bioscience and Bioengineering, 2013) Ramesh. F; K. NagarajanThe histopathological changes are observed in the muscle tissue of the fresh water fish Clarias batrachus exposed to different concentrations of untreated and treated sago effluent. The concentration chosen for untreated effluent and treated effluent were 50% and 100%. The histology of muscle tissue showed various degrees of deterioration when compared to control. The deterioration was very much reduced in the treated sago effluent when compared to the untreated sago effluent.Item PRELIMINARY PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING OF PLECTRANTHUS ARGENTATUS PLANT IN KENYA(International Journal of Medicinal Chemistry & Analysis, 2013) T Anthoney Swamy1 , Ngule Chrispus Mutuku1, and Makau Elijah Ngule3The study was conducted to analyze the phytoconstituents of Plectranthus argentatus plant. The plant sample was extracted using methanol and water in the ratio 9:1. The phytoconstituents study was done using standard procedures [18, 19, and 20]. From the study Plectranthus argentatus was found to contain tannins. saponins, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, phenols, alkaloids and steroidal rings, but terpenoids, steroids and steroidal nucleus were found to be absent in the plant extract.Item IMPACT OF SAGO EFFLUENT ON THE LEVELS OF ACID PHOSPHATASE ACTIVITY IN THE LIVER TISSUE OF THE FRESH WATER FISH CLARIAS BATRACHUS(International Journal of Bioassays, 2013-08) Ramesh F; Gracelyn Portia AThe aim of the study was to determine the effect of Sago effluent on the activity of Acid phosphatase in the liver tissue of the fresh water fish Clarias batrachus. The fish were exposed to control and different concentrations of treated sago effluents. The concentrations chosen were 25%, 50% and 75% of treated sago effluent. The levels of the enzyme acid phosphatase decreased significantly in the liver tissue of the experimental fish Clarias batrachus, when compared with that of controls.Item In Vitro control of selected pathogenic organisms by Vernonia adoensis roots(INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACY & LIFE SCIENCES, 2013-08-01) T. Anthoney Swamy; Obey Jackie; Ngule Chrispus MutukuThe main aim of conducting this study was to evaluate antibacterial activity of methanol–water extract of Vernonia adoensis roots against Salmonella typi, Klebsiella sp, Bacillus cereus, Streptococcus pyogenes, E. coli, Proteus vulgaris and Enterobacter aerogenes.The roots powder of the plant were extracted with methanol and water in the ratio 9:1. The antibacterial activity of the extract was determined by agar well diffusion method. Vernonia adeonsis roots extract was found to control the growth of only B. cereus, S. pyogenes and Proteus vulgaris at zone of inhibition of 10.50 ± 0.563, 15.67 ± 0.422 and 11.00 ± 0.577 respectively. From the study methanol- water extract can be used to control B. cereus, S. pyogenes and Proteus vulgaris. More research needs to be done to identify the specific bioactive compounds, their structural formulas, their mode of action and toxicity in vivo conditions.Item Prevalence of Gender-Based Violence among Pregnant Women attending Antenatal Care at a Tertiary Health Institution in Benin City, Nigeria(Texila International Journal of Public Health, 2013-08-03) Musa Adah Giftson; Jackie K. Obey; Poornima Ramasamy; James A. OsaikhuwuomwanObjective: The aim of the study was to determine the socioeconomic/demography and prevalence of gender-based violence among pregnant women attending antenatal care clinic (ANCC) at University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Benin City, Nigeria. Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out to study the socioeconomic/demography and prevalence of gender-based violence among pregnant women attending antenatal care clinic at UBTH. To achieve this, questionnaire method was used to collect the necessary data. A self administered questionnaire with closed ended questions were implored. Study Limitation: In this study, one of the major constraints is that respondents were only women attending antenatal clinic at University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Benin City, Nigeria. This means that the respondents might not represent the entire Nigerian population of pregnant women and what others might be experiencing in other parts of Nigeria. Results: It was quite evident that the age range of the respondents was 15-54 years while 25-34 years were the majority of the respondents; age range of 45-54 years were the least. The prevalence of emotional abuse in the study was 22.0%, that of physical abuse was 22.9%, the prevalence of respondents being hit, slapped, kicked or hurt physically during pregnancy was 7.3%. The prevalence of respondents being forced to have sexual activities in the last 12 months was 2.8%. The prevalence of respondents scared of anyone was 2.3%. Conclusion: The study established the different forms of GBV to include emotional violence, physical violence and sexual violence, amongst others.Item PRELIMINARY PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING OF METHANOLIC–AQUA EXTRACT OF ACANTHOSPERMUM AUSTRALE LEAVES(2013-09-11) AUSTRALE LEAVES Anthoney Swamy Thangiah; Mutuku Chrispus Ngule; Obey Jackie KThe study was carried to analyze the phytochemical constituents of the Acanthospermum australe. The plant samples were extracted using methanol and water in the ratio of 9:1. From the study the extract of Acanthospermum australe was found to contain tannins, saponins, terpenoids, phenols, alkaloids, steroidal rings but steroids and flavonoids were found to be absent. The presence of these important phytochemicals in the plant roots is a scientific justification of the plant use in the traditional treatment against various diseases affecting humans and animals. However, more research needs to be done to identify the specific compounds, their structural formulas and contribution towards medicinal values of the plant.Item IN VITRO ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF METHANOLIC – AQUA EXTRACT OF PLECTRANTHUS ARGENTATUS LEAVES(World Journal of Pharmaceutical research, 2013-11-23) Anthoney Swamy T; Jackie Obey K; Ngule Chrispus MutukuThe study was conducted to analyze the antibacterial activity of Plectranthus argentatus plant leaves. The plant sample was extracted using methanol and water in the ratio 9:1. From the study the plant Plectranthus argentatus was found to inhibit the growth of Escherichia coli with a zone of inhibition of 11.67 ± 0.882, Serratia liquefaciens zone of inhibition of 12.67 ± 0.667, Bacillus cereus 28.00 ± 1.154 and Proteus vulgaris 11.00 ± 0.577. The bacteria which had a zone of inhibition of less than 8 mm were termed to be unsusceptible. The data collected and documented in this paper is a scientific justification that the plant Plectranthus argentatus can be used to treat against various diseases caused by E.coli, S. liquefaciens, Bacillus cereus and Proteus vulgaris. However, more scientific data needs to be provided to indicate the mode action of the plant active compounds against the pathogens.Item ESTIMATION OF FLORAL DIVERSITY AND POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF INTRODUCED SPECIES AT THE NATURE PRESERVE, UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN AFRICA, BARATONL KENYA(International*Journal*of*Bioassays, 2013-12-13) Ramesh F; Kirui JBiological!diversity!(Biodiversity)!is!the!variety!of!life!on!earth.!Measurement!of!biodiversity!is!one!of!the! greatest!scientific!challenges!of!our!time.!It!is!also!one!of!the!most!urgent!because,!we!must!address!the!problem! soon!or!we!will!lose!the!chance!forever!since!many!species!are!becoming!extinct!without!trace.!Introduced!species! is!among!the!factors!that!cause!native!species!to!go!extinct.!Biodiversity!is!normally!considered!at!the!species!level,! and!that!the!species!diversity!of!an!area!is!a!measure!of!both!the!number!of!species!present!and!their!relative! abundance.!In!this!study!trees!and!shrubs!were!only!considered.!The!objectives!of!the!study!was!to!determine!the! number!of!species!of!trees!and!shrubs!and!to!compare!the!relative!abundance!of!introduced!species!with!the!total! floral!biodiversity!at!the!University!of!Eastern!Africa,!Baraton!(UEAB)!nature!preserve.!The!purpose!was!to!develop! an!inventory!of!trees!and!shrubs!and!to!create!a!case!for!the!potential!effect!of!introduced!species!to!native!species! and!eventual!loss!of!biodiversity.!The!study!was!conducted!over!a!period!of!five!weeks!with!sampling!done!twice! every! week.!Data!was!collected!by!the!Belt!transect!method!and!analyzed!by!descriptive!statistics.!The!results! indicated! that! nature! preserve!is! rich! in! species! diversity! and! native!species!diversity! is! lower!compared!to!the! relative!abundance!of!introduced!species.!Item Chemical Constituents Screening and in Vitro Antibacterial Assessment of Prunus Africana Bark Hydromethanolic Extract(Journal of Natural Sciences Research, 2014) Mutuku Chrispus Ngule; Mueni H. Ndiku; F. RameshWorldwide many people use plants as a source of medicine in the treatment of various diseases. Plants have been used since the origin of man in the treatment of diseases even before the invention of allopathic drugs. Plants’ originating drugs are believed to be safe, readily available and affordable especially to people living in developing countries. The current study was done to analyze the antibacterial activity and perform phytochemical screening of the plant Prunus africana bark. The plant samples were extracted using methanol and water in the ratio 9:1. The antibacterial activity was done using well diffusion method and the chemical constituents screening was done using standard procedures. From the results the plant was found to contain all the phytochemicals tested except steroids. The plant inhibited the growth of all the microorganisms tested. Salmonella typhi had the highest zone of inhibition of 17.33±0.882, then Proteus vulgaris with a zone of inhibition of 16.67±0.333, Serratia marscecens 16.67±0.333, Escherichia coli 12.33±0.333 and Bacillus cereus 11.67±0.333 zone of inhibition. Penicillin which was used as the positive control inhibited the growth of all the microorganisms tested while the negative control did not inhibit any of the microorganisms. The inhibition of the plant against all the microorganisms is a clear indication that if further study is done the plant can be used in treatment against infections caused by the microorganisms tested. Further research needs to be done to isolate the active compounds and analyze their structural composition, their mode of action and their effect in the in vivo environment.Item Histopathological Changes in the Gill Tissue of the Fish Catla catla Exposed to Untreated and Treated Sago Effluent(International Journal of Environmental Sciences, 2014) Ramesh. F; K. NagarajanPollution of the aquatic environment is a serious and growing problem. Increasing number and amount of industrial, agricultural and commercial chemicals discharged in to the aquatic environment having led to various deleterious effects on the aquatic organisms. Aquatic organisms, including fish, accumulate pollutants directly from contaminate water and indirectly via the food chain. The study of histopathological effects of pollutants on the different organs of the fishes is an important basic effort leading to our understanding of true impact of pollutants on that ecosystem because the fresh water fish show dissimilar pattern of response when exposed to toxicants. In the present study the histopathological changes are observed in the gill tissue of the fresh water fish Catla catla exposed to 50% and 100% concentrations of untreated and 100% treated sago effluent. The histology of gill tissue showed various degrees of deterioration when compared to control. The deterioration was very much reduced in the treated sago effluent when compared to the untreated sago effluent.Item Preliminary phytochemical and in vitro control of selected pathogenic organisms by ethanolic extract of Garcinia kola seeds(Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci, 2014) Obey Jackie; T.Anthoney Swamy; Ngule Chrispus MutukuGarcinia kola is cultivated for its economic importance. The plant is mainly used as a medicinal herb in West Africa. Although it is bitter the plant is used as a snack and a stimulant due to the high content of caffeine in the seeds of the plant. The current study was done to investigate the antibacterial activity of the plant seeds and to analyse the presence of important pharmaceutical compounds. From the study the plant seeds were found to contain tannins, saponins, flavonoids, terpenoids, glycosides and alkaloids but phenols and steroids were found to be absent in the plant seeds. Among all the organisms tested with the ethanol extract of G. kola, only B. cereus with an inhibition zone of 10.17±0.477 and E. coli with an inhibition zone of 12.83±0.833 were inhibited. All other organisms were not inhibited. The penicillin control showed large zones of inhibition and DMSO did not show any zones of inhibition. The data obtained in this research is a scientific justification of the plants traditional use in the treatment of various stomach problems. From this research it is worthy to recommend the plant seeds for the treatment of diarrhea caused by E.coli and all the ailments caused by B. cereus, however further research needs to be done to isolate the pharmaceutical compounds, investigate their mode of action and the effect of the same in the in vivo environment.Item Antibacterial activity of Methanolic extracts of Cola nitida Seeds on Selected Pathogenic Organisms(International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences (IJCMAS), 2014) Jackie K. Obey; T.Anthoney SwamyCola nitida has been used in folk medicine and is a member of the family Steculicca. The aim of the current study was to investigate the antibacterial activity of Cola nitida. Antibacterial screening was done using agar well diffusion method against Bacillus cereus, Serratia marcescens, Staphyloccus epidermidis, Proteus vulgaris and Salmonella typhi. The results of antibacterial activity of red Cola nitida showed a zone of inhibition of 23.67±0.882 on Bacillus cereus, 22.67±1.452 on Serratia marcescens, 24.33±0.667 on Staphyloccus epidermidis and 13.00±0.577 on Proteus vulgaris. The penicillin control showed large zones of inhibition except for B. cereus and DMSO did not show any zones of inhibition. The antibacterial property shown by the plant extracts is an evidence of the ethnomedicinal uses of the plants. Incorporation of active compounds isolated from the methanol extract of Cola nitida into conventional drug preparations can also tackle the challenges posed by drug resistant microorganisms.Item IN VITRO CONTROL OF SELECTED PATHOGENIC ORGANISMS BY METHANOLIC-AQUA EXTRACT OF ACANTHOSPERMUM AUSTRALE LEAVES(International Journal of Pharmaceutical Research & Analysis, 2014) Ngule Chrispus Mutuku; Jackie K Obey; Anthoney Swamy TThe current study was done to analyse the antibacterial activity of the methanolic- aqua extract of Acanthospermum australe. From the study, the plant was found to inhibit only Bacillus cereus (20.00± 0.000) among all the other organisms the plant was tested against. Penicillin inhibited the growth of all the organisms while dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) did not show any zones of inhibition. The study shows that the plant can be used to treat against infections caused by Bacillus cereus, however; more research needs to be done to isolate the active compounds, determine their structural composition and their mode action in inhibiting the bacteria.