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Ethnobiological survey to determine the link between health benefits and qualities of Maasai traditional food system in Monduli, Arusha, Tanzania
Get PDFThis research article was submitted in Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems Volume 47, 2023Although Maasai’s traditional food system (TFS) is claimed to keep a low prevalence of metabolic diseases (MD), the link between its qualities and health benefits is not well established. An ethnobotanical survey was conducted to determine the link between health benefits and qualities of the Maasai TFS in Monduli, Arusha, Tanzania. The survey involved 21 Maasai TFS practitioners (MTPs) and revealed that the TFS has varieties of 19 dishes and a diversity of 78 flora species. The diversity of dishes and species had various potential health benefits: nutrition like Fe and vitamin A; therapeutic and protective effects against ailments including MD like gout, pressure, indigestion, and kidney disorders. Some food processing technologies (FPT) like nixtamalization, and meat roasting had potential protective effects against the MD. Cultural preferences and restrictions (CPR) for the food selection insured individual nutritional and health needs are met, and reinforcement of Maasai socio-structure and cohesion. Integrated protection and promotion measures are required to prevent unplanned nutritional transitions away from the TFS. Further research on the nutritional and medicinal roles of some FPT and the frequently used species could facilitate the protection and use of the TFS for the health benefits of especially marginalized people
Local and wide-scale livestock movement networks inform disease control strategies in East Africa
Get PDFThis research article was published by Springer Nature Limited in 2023Livestock mobility exacerbates infectious disease risks across sub-Saharan Africa, but enables critical access to grazing and water resources, and trade. Identifying locations of high livestock traffic offers opportunities for targeted control. We focus on Tanzanian agropastoral and pastoral communities that account respectively for over 75% and 15% of livestock husbandry in eastern Africa. We construct networks of livestock connectivity based on participatory mapping data on herd movements reported by village livestock keepers as well as data from trading points to understand how seasonal availability of resources, land-use and trade influence the movements of livestock. In communities that practise agropastoralism, inter- and intra-village connectivity through communal livestock resources (e.g. pasture and water) was 1.9 times higher in the dry compared to the wet season suggesting greater livestock traffic and increased contact probability. In contrast, livestock from pastoral communities were 1.6 times more connected at communal locations during the wet season when they also tended to move farther (by 3 km compared to the dry season). Trade-linked movements were twice more likely from rural to urban locations. Urban locations were central to all networks, particularly those with potentially high onward movements, for example to abattoirs, livestock holding grounds, or other markets, including beyond national boundaries. We demonstrate how livestock movement information can be used to devise strategic interventions that target critical livestock aggregation points (i.e. locations of high centrality values) and times (i.e. prior to and after the wet season in pastoral and agropastoral areas, respectively). Such targeted interventions are a cost-effective approach to limit infection without restricting livestock mobility critical to sustainable livelihoods
Potential of underutilized Dolichos lablab (lablab purpures) seeds in improving nutritional quality and livelihood in Tanzania
Get PDFA Thesis Submitted in Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Life Sciences of the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and TechnologyLablab is a climate-smart legume that is underutilized despite its potential for food, and income.
Less research attention is linked to its underutilization limiting its contribution to achieving
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 1, 2 and 3. This calls to search for synergies to the further
improve Lablab utilization in Tanzania. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were employed.
A total of 344 Lablab farmers and 40 traders were interviewed to collect information on
knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAPs), Lablab value chain and dietary diversity from the
selected districts in Morogoro, Manyara, Arusha and Kilimanjaro regions of Tanzania. A total of
30 accessions were collected from the local farmers and NM-AIST Genebank. The accession
collected were evaluated for nutritional quality using standard methods. The best nutrient dense
four accessions (D-394, ELD K2, HA-4 and D-96) were further used to formulate Lablab cookies.
The study revealed that KAPs vary among farmers in Babati (39.6%) and Arumeru (27.3%).
Arumeru had a positive attitude toward black accessions (80.2%) for marketing, whereas non black accessions were less well-known. Farmers were the primary actors, contributing for 70% of
the natural assets for livelihood. Accession D-422 ranked higher in protein content by 28.3%.
Sprouting significantly (p<0.001) reduced phytic acid in D-360 (64.6%), tannins in HA-4 (94.8%),
and trypsin inhibitors (TIs). Fermentation significantly (p<0.001) decreases phytic acid by 75% in
HA-4 and D-96, and tannin by 61% in HA-4 as well as trypsin TIs in ELD-K2, HA-4, and D-96
by over 90%. Furthermore, sprouted seeds had higher mineral concentrations in D-96 and HA-4,
such as Mg (0.11-0.25%), (0.09-0.20%), and Zn (0.03-0.34%) and (0.23-0.32%), respectively,
whereas fermented seeds increased Mg concentration in HA-4 from 0.09 to 0.23% and Zn content
(0.23-0.35%). Lablab cookies made from HA-4 and D-96 fermented flours were highly preferred.
HA-4 cookies scored the highest (> 8) similar to control. On the other hand, black Lablab's revenue
contributed less to dietary diversity than nonfood commodities as per the Principal Component
Analysis. Farmers' diets were over 90% cereal-based, with less Lablab-eating foods. The study
concluded that wise income allocation is essential for both non-food items and nutritive food.
Furthermore, the best accessions represent a diverse supply of high-quality food that, when
fermented, greatly reduces anti-nutrients, yielding healthier and convenient nutritious foods. As a
result, among the recommendations, value-addition and promotion of underutilized seeds could
increase consumption and revenue, particularly for smallholder farmers in Tanzania
Establishing the optimal condition for nutrient recovery from domestic wastewater using the freeze concentration method
Get PDFThis research articles was published in Journals Water Practice & Technology Volume 18 No 8 2023The freezing concentration method is one of the potential techniques for recovering nutrients from wastewater. In this study,
the method of freeze concentration was studied to establish its optimal conditions in recovering nitrate-nitrogen and phosphate
nutrients from domestic wastewater. Water in the form of an ice crystal block is produced and leaves behind a solution with a
higher concentration. The effects of coolant temperature from 10 to 80 °C, freezing time from 1 to 8 h, and energy consump-
tion on nutrient recovery were investigated. The optimal conditions were found at a coolant temperature of 20 °C, freezing
time of 7 h, and energy consumption of 0.197 kWh/L that resulted in the highest nitrate-nitrogen and phosphate nutrient recovery
values of 1.114 and 4.667, respectively, at the inlet of anaerobic digester 1; 1.325 and 4.975, respectively, at the outlet of anaero-
bic digester 1; 1.099 and 4.859, respectively, at the inlet of anaerobic digester 2; 1.132 and 4.755, respectively, at the outlet of
anaerobic digester 2; and for gravel filter at the outlet the values were 1.111 and 4.861, respectively. The recovered nutrients
can be used as biofertilize
Prevalence and risk factors of brain atrophy and associated confusion state among adults from three hospitals in northern Tanzania
Get PDFResearch Article was submitted in Pan Afr Med J. 2023; volume 45.Introduction: brain atrophy is the reduction of brain volume often accompanied with cognitive changes.Despite the availability of computerized- tomography (CT) scanners in Tanzania, little is known about the magnitude of brain atrophy, its associated on fusion state and the risk factors in adults. This study aimed to fill those knowledge gaps. Methods: a retrospective cross-sectional
hospital-based survey was conducted in northern Tanzania using a sample size of 384 CT images of adults who underwent brain CT scans in three referral hospitals. CT images were evaluated using a diagonal brain fraction (DBF) method to determine the presence of brain atrophy. Data for other covariates were also collected. Results: we report a prevalence of 60.67% for brain atrophy and 35% for the associated confusion state. Association between confusion state and brain atrophy was statistically significant (χ² = 21.954, p<0.001). Brain atrophy was prognosticated by: age (adjusted OR: 1.11; 95% CI [1.05, 1.20], p<0.001), smoking (adjusted OR: 6.97; 95% CI [2.12, 26.19], p<0.001), alcohol-consumption (adjusted OR: 11.87; 95% CI[3.44, 40.81], p<0.001), hypertension (adjusted OR: 61.21; 95 CI [15.20, 349.43], p<0.001), type-2 diabetes mellitus (adjusted OR: 15.67; 95% CI [5.32, 52.77], p<0.001) and white matter demyelination (adjusted OR: 13.45; 95% CI [4.66, 44.25], p<0.001).
Conclusion: there is high prevalence of brain atrophy and associated confusion state among hospitalized adults in northern Tanzania. Reported prognostic factors for brain atrophy such as age, smoking, alcohol consumption, hypertension, type-
2 diabetes mellitus and white matter demyelination could help focus interventions in this area
Biopesticide efficacy of four plant essential oils against papaya mealybug, Paracoccus marginatus Williams and Granara de Willink (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae)
Get PDFThis research article was published by Heliyon in 2023Worldwide, P. marginatus causes 75% of estimated economic loss in papaya farming, with an
increase in production costs. The extract of plant essential oils (PEO) has the potential to control
P. marginatus by degrading its wax coatings to death; however, it is less studied in the East African
agroecosystem. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of four PEO from
(neem, citrus, garlic, and castor) against P. marginatus at different concentrations (0.5%, 1%, and
1.5%) with and without 0.2% adjuvants separately as a biopesticide. The experiment was con ducted in a completely randomized design with four replications per treatment concentration.
The papaya seeds (Carina variety) were used in the experiment. After 3 weeks from transplanting,
50 P. marginatus specimens were inoculated in each plant. Before treatment application, insect
abundance, leaf curling, yellowing, and soot mold were assessed. Then, 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h after
biopesticide application, insect mortality was assessed. The results showed a significant difference
(p = 0.001) for all assessment intervals in PEOs. However, for the PEOs in combination with the
adjuvants, the results were significantly different (p = 0.001) only at 24 h. It was found that
among the biopesticides, neem oil (1.5%) + isopropyl alcohol was highly effective (95.5%) after
72 h followed by (Imidacloprid (91%), citrus oil 1.5% (90.7%) and neem oil (1.5%) + paraffin oil
(81.0%). But also, there were significant differences among treatments on leaf curling, yellowing,
and soot mold reduction in papaya plants 21 days after spray. We conclude that neem oil (1.5%)
+ 0.2% isopropyl alcohol, neem oil (1.5%) + paraffin oil, and citrus oil (1.5%) significantly
controlled P. marginatus. Thus, we recommend adopting these formulations for papaya farmers to
control P. marginatus in their farms; however, simple formulations which can be easily accessed
by smallholder farmers are essential
A Deep Learning Model for Predicting Stock Prices in Tanzania
Get PDFThis research article was published by Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research in Volume: 13 | Issue: 2 | Pages: 10517-10522 | April 2023 |Stock price prediction models help traders to reduce investment risk and choose the most profitable stocks.
Machine learning and deep learning techniques have been applied to develop various models. As there is a
lack of literature on efforts to utilize such techniques to predict stock prices in Tanzania, this study
attempted to fill this gap. This study selected active stocks from the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange and
developed LSTM and GRU deep learning models to predict the next-day closing prices. The results showed
that LSTM had the highest prediction accuracy with an RMSE of 4.7524 and an MAE of 2.4377. This
study also aimed to examine whether it is significant to account for the outstanding shares of each stock
when developing a joint model for predicting the closing prices of multiple stocks. Experimental results
with both models revealed that prediction accuracy improved significantly when the number of
outstanding shares of each stock was taken into account. The LSTM model achieved an RMSE of 10.4734
when the outstanding shares were not taken into account and 4.7524 when they were taken into account,
showing an improvement of 54.62%. However, GRU achieved an RMSE of 12.4583 when outstanding
shares were not taken into account and 8.7162 when they were taken into account, showing an
improvement of 30.04%. The best model was implemented in a web-based prototype to make it accessible
to stockbrokers and investment advisors
Functional impacts of polyaniline in composite matrix of photocatalysts: an instrumental overview
Get PDFThis research article was published by Royal Society of Chemistry in 2023The challenges associated with photocatalysts including their agglomeration, electron–hole recombination and limited optoelectronic reactivity to visible light during the photocatalysis of dye-laden effluent make it necessary to fabricate versatile polymeric composite photocatalysts, and in this case the incredibly reactive conducting polyaniline can be employed. The selection of polyaniline among the conducting polymers is based on its proficient functional impacts in composite blends and proficient synergism with other nanomaterials, especially semiconductor catalysts, resulting in a high photocatalytic performance for the degradation of dyes. However, the impacts of PANI in the composite matrix, which result in the desired photocatalytic activities, can only be assessed using multiple characterization techniques, involving both microscopic and spectroscopic assessment. The characterization results play a significant role in the detection of possible points of agglomeration, surface tunability and improved reactivity during the fabrication of composites, which are necessary to improve their performance in the photocatalysis of dyes. Accordingly, studies revealed the functional impacts of polyaniline in composites including morphological transformation, improved surface functionality, reduction in agglomeration and lowered bandgap potential employing different characterization techniques. In this review, we present the most proficient fabrication techniques based on the in situ approach to achieve improved functional and reactive features and efficiencies of 93, 95, 96, 98.6 and 99% for composites in dye photocatalysis
Performance evaluation of in situ Fenton-mediated photocatalysis of industrial dye effluent with enhanced TiO2 nanoparticle
Get PDFEffluents resulting from the frequent use of industrial azo dyes in textile operations have posed great toxicological impacts on man and the
environment. The limitations of conventional treatment infrastructure necessitate the use of rapid Fenton-mediated catalytic systematic pro cess to tackle the attendant treatment limitations. The study applied in situ Fenton-mediation process with constructed low power UV-LED
reactor for rapid catalytic treatment of dye-laden effluent using enhanced acid and alkali TiO2-nanoparticles (Nps) (1–5%, i.e. 1–5 M) at definite
experimental conditions, respectively. A comprehensive instrumental study was done to access the morphological, functional and elemental
constituents of these nanocatalysts. The performance of the respective catalyst was evaluated using methylene blue (MB) dye at definite
experimental conditions of pH, dosage, concentration and irradiation time. The results revealed a mesoporous structural nanocatalyst
with increasing surface area after enhanced modification. The optimal experimental conditions of pH and concentration were recorded as
5 and 10 mg/L, respectively; while the most efficient nanocatalyst was 3 wt% alkali-modified TiO2 (3% Ak-TiO2) having a degradation efficiency
of 89.15% at 90 min of irradiation using 50 mg dosage in contrast to higher irradiation time and catalyst dosage for other catalysts.This research article was published by IWA Publishing in 202
Seroprevalence of bovine brucellosis and associated risk factors among smallholder dairy cattle farmers in Hai and Meru District Councils Northern Tanzania.
Get PDFThis research article was published by SVU- International Journal of Veterinary Sciences Volume 6, December 2023Brucellosis is an endemic zoonotic disease caused by a facultative intracellular gram-negative bacterium of the genus Brucella. This study was carried out to establish the current status of brucellosis and possible associated risk factors in the smallholder dairy cattle in Hai and Meru District. A cross-sectional study was conducted between January and June 2022 to investigate the current seroprevalence of bovine brucellosis and possible associated risk factors in small dairy farms in the study areas. A total of 400 cattle was sampled with blood collected from 10 villages in each district. Blood samples were analyzed for Brucella circulating antibodies using the Rose Bengal Plate Test and c-ELISA. A structured questionnaire was administered to 200 smallholder dairy cattle farmers to determine the potential risk factors associated with brucellosis among dairy cattle in the study areas. The overall seroprevalence of bovine brucellosis in the study area was 0.50% and 0% for the Hai and Meru districts, respectively. Analysis of knowledge and management practices of brucellosis in the study area showed that the majority of farmers 74.5%, (149/200) were knowledgeable about the name of the disease; though, the majority 87.9%, (131/149) did not know the clinical signs. Most likely, awareness and biosecurity based on the nature of the farming system (zero grazing) contributed to the low seroprevalence; thus, none of the risk factors were associated with the disease. Therefore, under the smallholder dairy farming system, a four-stage roadmap for progressive control of brucellosis in animals and humans as recommended by FAO could be implemented with farming system modifications to eradicate the disease