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This study introduces a inflated multi-layered clustering protocol for ad hoc wireless sensor networks (WSNs), where the size of clusters is variable. So that the closer clusters to the base station (BS) have a smaller size than farther ones. Moreover, in each cluster, using some intelligent fuzzy rules and in a decentralized way, a novel sub tree strategy is determined. In this way, some parent nodes are chosen that are responsible for collecting and aggregating data from their adjacent or dinary nodes and sending them to its cluster head, directly or via other parent nodes, which substantially decreases intra-cluster communication energy costs. Furthermore, these two compatible techniques can fairly mitigate the hot spot problem resulting from multi-hop communication with the BS. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed protocol outperforms two energy-efficient protocols named DSBCA and LEACH in terms of functional network longevity for both small-scale and large-scale sensor networks.

Soil microinvertebrates are important agents of soil functioning through their bioturbation effects. Termites are found to be distributed with high species diversity in tropical ecosystem. They perform several activities that qualify them as soil engineers. Termite involves in mound building, subterranean tunneling and soil feeding thereby improving soil quality and nutrient fluxes. Subterranean termites Odontotermes obesus and Trinervieus trinervoides modify their environment, increasing the clay and organic matter content ensuring the soil fertility. Free living N2 fixers are found to be associated in termite mound materials. The TMM can be used as biofertilizers and it can improve maize production and economic yield.

There is increased international competition between destinations and hotels and it is apparent that Kenya?s tourism competitive strategies need to be adjusted in order for the nation to be able to successfully compete both locally and internationally. Kenya is a renowned tourist destination competing with countries such as Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, South Africa, Seychelles and Tanzania. This competition calls for hotels in Kenya to adopt strategies that would give the country advantages over its competitors. To survive, the hotels must be agile enough to respond to the pressures to compete on levels unrivalled in the past. Focus has now shifted to internal processes in order to offer the hotel the best opportunity to take on the unique challenges facing it today. In order for the sector to know if it is competitive in the industry with a lot of competition, implementation of effective competitive strategies is important. The general objective of this study was to assess the influence of competitive strategies on organizational performance of classified hotels in Mombasa County registered under the Kenya Association of Hotel Keepers and Caterers. Specifically, the study sought to determine the influence of competitive strategies on organization?s performance; to assess the influence of market focus strategy on organizational performance and to examine the influence of cost leadership strategy on organizational performance. The study captured the theoretical background on competitive strategies in an attempt to provide basis for appropriate conceptual and theoretical framework for the current study.

The purpose of the study was to investigate teachers’ readiness on the implementation of the competency-based curriculum in private pre-schools in Keiyo North Sub-County, Nairobi City County. The study objective was to establish teachers’ readiness on the implementation of the competence-based curriculum in public pre-schools. The study adopted curriculum implementation theory and descriptive survey design. The target population was 38 public pre-schools, 38 head teachers and 320 pre-school teachers. Simple random sampling was used to select the sample which comprised 108 respondents, 96 pre-school teachers and 12 head teachers. Data was collected using questionnaires. The quantitative data was processed and analysed with the help of the SPSS software programme using Pearson product moment correlation. There was a positive influence of teacher readiness (r = .431) on implementation of competency-based curriculum. This implies that as the teacher readiness improved the on implementation of competency-based curriculum increased. Teachers’ should be adequately prepared in readiness for implementation of a new curriculum through in-service training, seminars and workshops for effective implementation of the curriculum.

The field experiment on the influence of three legumes (groundnut, cowpea and soybean) on the agricultural yield and monetary income of an association of six crops (cassava, plantain, sweet potato, maize, rice and/or groundnut, cowpea, soybean), was conducted during two successive cropping seasons in a forest region of the DRC (Bengamisa). The results show that: - The crop association with cowpea numerically improved the agricultural yield of the components, the overall agricultural yield of the association and induced a better overall LER compared to the association with groundnut and soybean. - The crop association with groundnut, on the other hand, yielded a much higher gross margin of $2645.4/Ha, compared to the gross margin achieved by the association with cowpea ($1872.4/Ha) and that with soybean ($1847.6/Ha). - In the crop associations in this environment, cowpea is considered to be a factor in improving crop yields, while groundnuts are considered to be a factor in improving cash income.

The global financial meltdown has propelled the leading Indian IT giants towardsinnovative management strategies. This paper examines the way Infosys Technologies Ltd. is able to withstand impact of GFM by adopting innovative management practices. The paper makes an attempt to enumerate some of the best management practices do adopted by Indian IT giant. The continuous downward moving  bottom-line of IT companies has made most of them to initiate various measures which mainly comprises of uncalled for measures such as lay off, reduced pay package, etc. Such undesirable measures could be detrimental to the employees, corporate image, productivity and efficiency and society at large. The innovative practicesadopted by Infosys Technologies Ltd are tabulated under different areas of decision making which comprises of Pricing, Human Resource Management, Customer Services, Marketing, Innovation & Transformation, Cost Cutting, etc. The above said practices can be a ways to beat economic downturn and may be of tremendous help in enhancing and building business competencies for future growth. The study is descriptive in nature, which fundamentally aims at studying innovative management practices adopted by Infosys Technologies Ltd, and to draw conclusion aboutinnovative management practices. Based on conclusion drawn suggestions have been made.

This work focused onan integrated approach of solutions to improve the combustion of Jatropha oil in an indirect injection Diesel engine (Lister type). The improvements were assessed using combustion parameters, especially cyclic dispersion.The Jatropha oil was preheated to 100°C and the Diesel engine has receivedchanges in fuel injection timing and injection pressure variation. The overall engine performance (specific fuel consumption, thermal efficiency and exhaust gas temperatures), cyclic dispersion, ignition delays obtained with Jatropha oil and Diesel fuel were compared. The results show that for the performance, the injection timing of 20 Crank Angle (CA) Before Top Dead Center (BTDC) and the injection pressure of 170 bars are the settings adapted for both fuels to the different engine loads. The results also show that cyclic dispersion could be used as a very good tool for assessment of adequateoperating conditions of this type of engine, even at low loads. The cyclic dispersion is low with coefficients of variation of the indicated mean effective pressure (COVIMEP) whose values are less than 10%. The lowest values of the COVIMEP are obtained when the injection settings are 20 CA BTDC and 170 bars.

Digital elevation model (DEM) is used to determine the drainage networks involving the size, length, slope and similar features of the basin and sub basin features related to the water resource. Most importantly the hydrological analysis to be effective if the slope, area, direction, flow length, runoff length could be better reached through DEM. Scattered hydrological models clearly suggest the spatial variability of the physical properties of the basins. In this study, the characteristics of the Kottakarai Aru water shed located in Ramanathapuram district nearer to the Bay of Bengal are explained through the digital elevation model (DEM)for a detailed study of the drainage networks.

The present paper pinpoints on not-so-very-important activity in today’s competitive era i.e. free play. There is a tremendous amount of change seen in today’s child in comparison to children almost a decade ago. Most importantly, the population for whom the paper is emphasized is children, which are particularly invaluable as they transit from one stage to another and that too so swiftly that their play time has declined, and how this lack of play affects their cognitive, physical and emotional development, eventually leading to rise of anxiety, depression and problems of attention and self control. Hence, there is a need for parents, child psychologists, paediatrics as well as school management to play a pro-active role in extending the time spend on play i.e. simply free play in order to produce effects such as cohesion, harmony and well-being among children.

Glomus tumors are rare benign tumors, they represent 1 to 4.5% of hand tumors developing from Masson's glomus, a neuromyo-vascular structure of the body that participates in thermal regulation. Delay in diagnosis is frequent, because this tumor can’t give an elementary lesion, and only manifest itself by a throbbing paroxysmal pain, which misleads the practitioners, thus referring the patients in psychiatry The definitive diagnosis is based on the pathological examination. The aim of our retrospective study was to assess the value of MRI in the diagnostic management of digital glomus tumors.