Peter Kariuki - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Peter Kariuki

Content: Different tanning materials endow leather with varying colors observable in undyed leath... more Content: Different tanning materials endow leather with varying colors observable in undyed leathers. Periodateoxidized starch tanned leathers have a yellow tinge or light brown color and get darker with age. The color change in situ is ascribable to iodate ions that are byproducts of periodate oxidation. Iodate ions undergo reduction to form iodine molecules that are yellow or brown in low or at higher concentrations. This study focuses on the removal of iodate ions from Dialdehyde Tapioca Starch (DTS) using a simple precipitation method. Preparation of DTS is by periodate oxidation and precipitation of iodate ions using an inorganic precipitant. The experiments for manufacturing wet-white leathers used pickled goatskins and DTS (unmodified and modified) tanning agents at various percentages based on pelt weight. Glutaraldehyde (GTA) tanning was the control. The percentage removal of iodate ions in modified DTS was 98%. Both unmodified and modified DTS had an aldehyde content of 70...

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 2021

PurposeTechnology development quality in architectural design is affected by the quality of the p... more PurposeTechnology development quality in architectural design is affected by the quality of the process and factors used to develop it. The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors for effective enhancement (EE) of technologies in design process improvement (DPI).Design/methodology/approachMajor databases have been explored to identify a list of factors affecting technology development in DPI because of the main elements of architecture design education. Then, a survey-based empirical study has been done in two high-rank architecture schools (one in a developing country and one in a developed country), during the years 2015–2018. Data have been collected from analyzing the design process, design reviews, design team viewpoints, researchers' observations and organizations' features about the development of production, conceptualization and communication technologies in DPI initiatives. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches have been utilized to provide deep ...

Advanced Healthcare Materials, 2020

Rational design of nanosystems that target tumor microenvironment have attracted widespread atten... more Rational design of nanosystems that target tumor microenvironment have attracted widespread attention. However, it is still a great challenge to make a multifunctional nanoplatform that actively and selectively interacts with tumor microenvironment, without causing toxicity to surrounding normal tissues. Herein, the biodegradable Fe-doped MoOx (FMO) nanowires are designed as an anti-tumor nanoreagent that possesses great photothermal conversion ability (48.5%) and magnetic properties for T1 weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Also, FMO can be used as a chemodynamic therapy (CDT) reagent to effectively catalyze the decomposition of H2 O2 and produce hydroxyl radical (·OH). At the same time, the consumption of glutathione will also enhance the CDT effect. More importantly, FMO presents pH-dependent degradation behavior: rapid degradation at physiological pH, but relatively stable at acidic pH. In vivo anti-tumor experiment demonstrates that the FMO is able to effectively inhibit the tumor growth with minimal side effects. Generally speaking, these results indicate that the FMO has huge potential for MRI image-guided cancer therapy and promotes the clinical translation of nanodrugs.

Taylor & Francis, Feb 1, 2016

The objective of this study was to analyze characteristics of microfinance banking services and f... more The objective of this study was to analyze characteristics of microfinance banking services and financial inclusion in Kenya. The research sought to explore two specific objectives which included; to determine how accessibility of microfinance banking services influences financial inclusion in Kenya and to establish how affordability of microfinance banking services influences financial inclusion in Kenya. The study was guided by 3 theories namely; Technology Acceptance Model, Financial Intermediation Theory and Agency Theory. To achieve the main objective of the study, the researcher used descriptive statistics. The target population will comprise of 59 MFIs who are listed as members of AMFI Kenya. The respondents were C.E.Os or general managers of the organizations. Due to the size of the population, a census survey was carried out. Primary data was collected through the use of questionnaires. The study used SPSS to aid in data analysis. The study revealed the microfinance banking...

International Journal of Biological Macromolecules

Journal of Physics Communications

In this study, we apply relativistic effects to excitation of the lowest lying resonance states o... more In this study, we apply relativistic effects to excitation of the lowest lying resonance states of argon gas with inclusion of absorption, polarization and exchange effects to the electrostatic distortion potential to form an overall complex distortion potential. The atomic wave functions are constructed in the multi-configuration Dirac Fork approach by modifying the general-purpose relativistic atomic structure code GRASP for numerical procedures, while differential cross sections (DCS) and integral cross sections (ICS) have been obtained using our new code RDWBA1. Our results are compared with available experimental and theoretical results in literature. Present results from this study predict that use of a complex distortion potential in the relativistic approach to excitation of argon generally lowers integral and differential cross sections as impact energies of the incident electron increases, specifically beyond 50 eV, and that the energy dependent polarization potential adop...

This study evaluated the diversity, distribution and abundance of grasshoppers and locusts in thr... more This study evaluated the diversity, distribution and abundance of grasshoppers and locusts in three ecological zones of Nakuru County, Kenya. A total of 456 individuals belonging to Acrididae family (93.4% with 16 species) and Pyrgomorphidae family (6.6% with 2 species) were recorded. Ailopus thalassinus was the most abundant (27.4%) and distributed species. There were 5 dominant and 3 rare species (in zone II only). Abundance was highest in zone II (47%) and lowest in zone IV (24.3%) but was not significantly different (p> 0.05) among the zones. Species diversity and abundance were highly correlated (r = 0.99, d.f. = 2, p<0.05). Zone II and III, and Zone II and IV had highest species similarity (Jaccard and Sørensens similarity indices), while zone III and IV had the lowest. Zone II had the highest diversity (2.45), while zone III and IV had the lowest (1.37 and 1.30, respectively) at t=0.04 (Shannon-Wiener indices). Species were distributed more equitably (evenness) in zone ...

European Online Journal of Natural and Social Sciences, 2020

The main objective of the study was to establish whether the banks in Kenya were involved in fina... more The main objective of the study was to establish whether the banks in Kenya were involved in financial statement manipulations. The study involved all the banks registered and operating in Kenya and whose financial statements are published for public consumption. Beneish five-variable model was first used to categorize the banks as likely non-manipulators and likely manipulators. The probit regression model was used to determine non-manipulators and manipulators based on the averages derived from non-manipulators using Beneish five-variable model. The results obtained showed that 78.8% of all banks were not involved in financial statement manipulations while 21.2% were involved in financial statement manipulations. The study concluded that some banks that were involved in financial statement manipulations. The study recommended that both internal and control auditors should compute individual indices to determine whether the preparers of financial statements were involved in manipul...

The purpose of this study was to examine whether farmers' perceptions, attitudes and behaviou... more The purpose of this study was to examine whether farmers' perceptions, attitudes and behaviour with respect to handling pesticides in Sagana Nyeri district Kenya predisposed them and their environment to pesticide-related hazards. The objectives of the study were: a) to determine the farmer's attitudes, perceptions and behaviour towards pesticides at Sagana, b) to assess the potential occupational safety hazards associated with such attitudes, perceptions and behaviour, and c) to determine the potential hazards to the environment resulting from observed farmer-pesticide interactions at farm level. The study adopted a Life Cycle Approach where hazards to human health and the environment were evaluated at all stages of pesticide handling including purchasing phase, transportation, storage, mixture preparation, application and disposal. Data were both qualitative and quantitative in nature and were collected using questionnaire surveys, interview schedules, participatory rural ...

Research Journal of Finance and Accounting, 2016

Research on the relationship between diversification into nontraditional income streams and firm ... more Research on the relationship between diversification into nontraditional income streams and firm efficiency is scanty. The study seeks to fill the gap by evaluating the relationship between diversification into non interest income and intermediation efficiency of Deposit Taking Sacco Societies (DTSs) in Kenya using a two staged methodology. In the first stage, efficiency scores are generated using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), corrected for bias using bootstrapping and used as dependent variable in the fixed effect regression model estimated in the second stage. A balanced panel data of 103 DTSs for a period 2011-2014 was used in the study. The results showed that there exists an inverse relationship between the ratio of noninterest income to total assets and intermediation efficiency. This implied that diversification hurts efficiency. Keywords: Data Envelopment Analysis, Deposit Taking Sacco, Diversification, Intermediation Efficiency, Noninterest income.

The effect of current Land Use Types (LUTs) and soil depth on distribution and diversity of soil ... more The effect of current Land Use Types (LUTs) and soil depth on distribution and diversity of soil Fusarium species was carried out in Taita Taveta district, Kenya. Sixty sampling points were chosen along a land use gradient to represent six different LUTs: maize, horticulture, napier, fallow/shrub farmlands, planted and indigenous forests. Soil samples were collected at the depths of 0 to 10 and 10 to 20 cm. Fusarium species were isolated from soil samples by dilution plate technique using Fusarium-selective media (PPA). A total of 1865 isolates were recovered which resulted into 26 Fusarium species. Fusarium oxysporum, F. solani and F. sporotrichioides were the dominant species in this study area. Fusarium oxysporum and F. solani isolates were recovered from all LUTs. Fusarium compactum had the lowest frequency of isolation with its isolates recovered from fallow/shrub LUT only. The study also revealed that there was significant difference in Fusarium species abundance and richness ...

Strategic Journal of Business & Change Management, 2018

The purposive of this study was to identify the extent of the effect of investment criteria adopt... more The purposive of this study was to identify the extent of the effect of investment criteria adopted by different Private-Equity firms in Kenya on their financial performance. The research employed a descriptive research design and census was applied whereby all the 62 private equity firms were selected. Primary data was collected using structured questionnaires which contained both open and closed ended questions and an interview guide. Pilot study was utilized for the purposes of ensuring that the data was both valid and reliable as well as eliminate any challenges in the data collection instrument that could hinder successful undertaking of the research. The primary data was analyzed for broader interpretations using descriptive statistical analysis and inferential data analysis. The regression analysis results indicated that 81.9% variability on financial performance of private equity firms could be accounted for by the target firm’s team characteristics, target firm’s market cha...

Strategic Journal of Business & Change Management, 2019

The study sought to establish to establish the effects of financial structure on firm value of no... more The study sought to establish to establish the effects of financial structure on firm value of non-financial firms listed in Nairobi Securities Exchange. The research concentrated on long term debt, current liabilities, share capital and retained earnings as independent variables and firm value as the dependent variable. Tobin’s Q was used to indicate firm value while Pearson correlation and regression analysis were adopted to analyze the panel data collected from 36 firms sampled out of all the 50 listed non-financial firms in Kenya. Secondary panel data was collected from audited and published financial reports for the period from 2012-2016. STATA was used for regression analysis. Panel data diagnostic test was carried out to determine the nature of the panel data and best model for analysis. The findings indicated that current liabilities and retained earnings have significant positive effect on firm value while long term debt and share capital were found to have an insignifican...

Journal of Physics Communications, 2021

International Journal of Research and Development in Pharmacy and Life Sciences, 2015

The present study was conducted to develop efficient sterilization and callus induction protocols... more The present study was conducted to develop efficient sterilization and callus induction protocols of Anchote leaf explants. Anchote (Coccinia abyssinica) roots were collected from West Ethiopia transported to Kenya where they were grown in the net greenhouse in Juja. Leaves explants were harvested from the seedlings and used for both sterilization and callus induction protocols. Young leaf explants were selected from healthy plants and subjected sterilization using 5 and 10 % commercial bleach of( NaOCl (3.85%) /(JIK®) )at 5 ,10 and 15 minutes intervals. Maximum clean survival explants were obtained (82.5±0.5) at 5%NaOC with 10Minutes) . Best maximum callus induction(80±2) was achieved from the combination of 5µm(BAP+2,4-D).