Practical activities are extremely important in teaching sciences as they aid the students in comprehending scientific concepts through participatory learning. However, most Kenyan public schools lack well equipped laboratories. Additionally, the diminishing resources resulting from post-COVID effects offer no beam of hope. Disruption from COVID also poses critical challenges of handling physical devices in times of such pandemics. To address this, the Integration of Virtual Labs to Enhance STEM Education for Girls (IVLESTEG) project was conceptualized to enhance girl’s access to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematic (STEM) subjects in Kenyan secondary schools. The aim of this research study was to critically appraise the current technology models in relation to girls’ access to STEM education with the overall objective of exploring the potential of e-learning in promoting participation of female students in STEM subjects in Kenya. Upon development and implementation of learning in the V-labs, quasi experiments were conducted to determine the effectiveness of use of V-Labs in enhancing the participation of female students in STEM disciplines in secondary schools. Schools were randomly chosen and classified as either experimental or control sites. This method allowed for comparison of performance in STEM subjects of the female learners who were exposed to learning in the V-labs and those not. The findings will contribute to the development of a framework for appraising models for ICT use in STEM teaching and learning processes for girls that can inform practice, policy and research.
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of metabolic abnormalities. Prevalence of MetS is documented at 50% and 87.5% in Africa and Kenya respectively. It is managed by combining lifestyle modification and pharmacotherapy. Although Camellia sinensis TRFK306 has been proven to induce weight loss in mice and humans, its effect on metabolic syndrome is yet to be investigated. This study aimed to investigate the effect of Camellia sinensis TRFK306 extract on MetS induced Sprague Dawley male rats. A total of thirty-five, six-weeks-old rats were acclimatized for one (1) week and randomized into 5 groups (n=7). Metabolic syndrome was induced using high- fat fructose diet for eight (8) weeks. Post-hoc statistical analysis using Tukey’s multiple comparison test was used to analyze the effect of freeze-dried extracts of Camellia Sinensis TRFK306 on various markers of metabolic syndrome. Random blood sugar levels revealed significant differences (p = <0.0001), for experimental animals. Oral glucose tolerance results were significant (p = <0.0001). Total serum triglyceride levels was significant (p = <0.0001). Mean serum HDL-C levels revealed significant differences between the normal control and negative control (p = 0.0009), the negative control and low dose test (p = 0.0023), the negative control and high dose test (p = 0.0025) and the negative control and positive control (p = 0.0014). The mean serum LDL-C levels revealed significant difference (p= <0.0001). Camellia Sinensis TRFK306 possessed significant beneficial effects on various markers of metabolic syndrome.
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