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Effect of different dietary protein sources on fingerling production in Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)
No full textInternational Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Studies, 2019; 7(2): 1-5Availability of quality and reliable feeds is one of the main challenges facing aquaculture development. A 12 week experiment was set where, broodstock of Nile tilapia were fed various diets with different plant protein sources for 8 weeks. The produced fingerlings were fed a common diet thereafter for 4 weeks. The diets contained Fish meal, maize meal and minerals; Moringa leaf meal, maize meal and minerals; Sunflower seedcake, maize meal and minerals; Moringa leaf meal, sunflower seedcake, maize meal and minerals. All other factors including water quality parameters were constant in all experimental units. It was noticed that, fish brood stock fed diets 1 and 2 produced highest numbers of fish fingerlings, but fish fingerlings produced by brood stock fed diet 2 showed the greatest growth and survival. This study therefore recommends diet 2 (Moringa leaf meal, maize meal and minerals) for broodstock feeding. The ingredients are readily available for use in aquaculture production
Anatomy of the Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens)
No full textJournal of Biology and Life Science, 2019:10(1);13-21The red panda (Ailurus fulgens) is an endangered species primarily distributed in the southern China and Himalayas. It lives in mountain forests with bamboo understory. This review outlines the normal anatomy of the red panda in terms of its musculoskeletal system, respiratory system, circulatory system, digestive system and urogenital system. Knowledge of the normal anatomy of individual animal species is important for species identification and accurate interpretation and diagnosis of diseases
Assessment of implementation of gender mainstreaming in the workplace of Non Governmental Organisations in Llala Municipality, Tanzania
No full textM. A. DissertationGender mainstreaming was endorsed as a global strategy for promoting gender equality in
the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in 1995. Although the government of
Tanzania has taken measures to mainstream gender in government institutions, such
mainstreaming is little investigated in the workplaces of NGOs. This study was conducted
in Ilala Municipality in Tanzania to assess implementation of gender mainstreaming in
the workplace of NGOs. Cross-sectional research design was applied and data were
collected through survey using a questionnaire from a sample of 60 staff of 30 NGOs.
Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) was also conducted. Descriptive statistics and Content
Analysis (CA) were used for data analysis. The study findings revealed average (64.7%)
availability of organizational policies and procedures for gender mainstreaming.
Moreover, (86.7%) of respondents reported that their organizations had neither a gender
focal points nor a gender department/unit and about (96.7%) of respondents reported that
their organizations did not allocate funds for gender mainstreaming. Personnel were
recognized to have positive attitudes on organizational culture towards gender
mainstreaming. Sex disproportions was found in the organizational structures whereby the
total number of male staff were 200 (54.5%) compared to 167 (45.5%) of female staff
and the ratio of male and female constitute organizations‘ board of directors which make
top decisions of the organizations were 104 (54.2%) for male compared to 88 (45.8%) of
female. Generally, average level (63.9%) of implementation of gender mainstreaming in
the workplace of NGOs was found to be a good progress though continuous efforts for
effective implementation of gender mainstreaming are inevitable. Assessment of the
effectiveness of Tanzania national policy on women development and gender is suggested
to be conducted. The future study will provide empirical findings on reliability and
validity of the policy and if it is needed to be re-examined
Enhancing pollination is more effective than increased conventional agriculture inputs for improving watermelon yields
No full textEcology and Evolution, 2020;00:1–11.Agricultural practices to improve yields in small-scale farms in Africa usually focus on improving growing conditions for the crops by applying fertilizers, irrigation, and/or pesticides.This may, however, have limited effect on yield if the availability of effec-soil fertility, soil moisture, and/or pollination was limiting watermelon (Citrullus lana-
tus) yields in Northern Tanzania. We subjected the experimental field to common
farming practices while we treated selected plants with extrafertilizer applications,
increased irrigation and/or extra pollination in a three-way factorial experiment. One
week before harvest, we assessed yield from each plant, quantified as the number
of mature fruits and their weights. We also assessed fruit shape since this may af-
fect the market price. For the first fruit ripening on each plant, we also assessed
sugar content (brix) and flesh color as measures of fruit quality for human consump-
tion. Extra pollination significantly increased the probability of a plant producing a
second fruit of a size the farmer could sell at the market, and also the fruit sugar
content, whereas additional fertilizer applications or increased irrigation did not im-
prove yields. In addition, we did not find significant effects of increased fertilizer or
watering on fruit sugar, weight, or color. We concluded that, insufficient pollination
is limiting watermelon yields in our experiment and we suggest that this may be a
common situation in sub-Saharan Africa. It is therefore critically important that small-
scale farmers understand the role of pollinators and understand their importance for
agricultural production. Agricultural policies to improve yields in developing coun-
tries should therefore also include measures to improve pollination services by giving
education and advisory services to farmers on how to develop pollinator-friendly
habitats in agricultural landscapes
Contribution of law enforcement institutions in protecting street children’s rights in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
No full textArticle on Archives of Current Research International 17(1): 1-10, 2019; Article no.ACRI.41733Tanzania is one of the countries which have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
which means they are committed to protecting the rights of all children. Moreover, over 50% of the
population of Tanzania is aged 18 years and under, the need to invest in the development and
protection of children becomes more important. There is an increasing number of street children in
many cities in Tanzania. The reasons for causing street children are widely known. There are law
enforcement institutions for protecting children. However, it is not widely known on the contribution
of these institutions in protecting street children rights. The study determined the contribution of law
enforcement institutions in protecting Street children's rights. Specific objectives of the research
were to examine the roles of law enforcement institutions in protecting children's rights at various
levels of the society and determine the community's attitude towards violation of children’s rights.
The study was conducted in Temeke and Ilala municipalities in Dar es Salaam city. A crosssectional
research design was adopted. A representative sample of 120 street children was used.
Both primary and secondary data were collected. A questionnaire survey, focus group discussion, key informant interview and personal observation methods were used to collect the primary data.
The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) for Windows Version 12.0 was used for data
analysis. Results of this study revealed that some of the street children's rights for protection were
being violated by various law enforcement institutions. From the perspective of communities, many
of them regarded the street children as criminals. The study concludes that many street children to
get the rights for protection. From the findings, it is recommended that law enforcement institutions
should not always use forces due to the notion that street children are criminals
Effects of sweet potato leaves, roselle calyces and beetroot on body weight, selected hematological and biochemical parameters in broiler chicken
No full textJournal of Biology and Life Science, Vol. 10, No. 2, pp.133-146The study was conducted to assess the effects of sweet potato leaves, roselle calyces and
beetroot tubers on body weight, selected hematological and biochemical parameters in broiler
chickens. Eighty four (84) broiler chickens aged four weeks were randomly assigned into six
groups of 14 chickens each. The first group (G0) remained as untreated control while the
other groups were the treated groups which received 25% of ground sweet potato leaves (G1),
rosella calyces (G2), beetroot tubers (G3) and their mixtures (G4 and G5) for 28 days.
Following inclusion of these different vegetables, blood samples were collected and analyzed
for selected hematological and biochemical parameters on day 0, 7, 14, 21 and 28. Results
showed that consumption of the three vegetables caused significant decreases (p < 0.05) in
body weight, serum glucose and cholesterol. On the other hand, hemoglobin concentration,
packed cell volume (PCV) and total white blood cell (WBC) counts were shown to increase
significantly (p < 0.05) compared to the control group. It is concluded that the hypoglycemic
and hypocholesteremic effects in chickens following consumption of the three vegetables
together with their positive effects on PCV and WBC counts are important qualities which
can be utilized in the management of conditions such as obesity, diabetes mellitus,
hyperlipidemia and cardiovascular diseases (atherosclerosis and coronary disease) in humans.
Further studies in other animals are recommended
Impact of habitat degradation on the assemblage of riparian ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in the Morogoro Municipality, Tanzania
No full textConference paperThis study assessed the impact of habitat degradation on the assemblage of riparian ground beetles in the
Morogoro Municipality, Tanzania. The beetles were collected from three degraded (Ngerengere,
Morogoro and Kikundi) and three relatively pristine streams (Bigwa, Vituli and Lukuyu) during the rainy
season between January and April 2013. The beetles were collected by active searching on the ground, in
leaf litters, under logs and stones. The abundance, species richness and diversity of the beetles were
analyzed using Diversity and Richness ver. 2.65, PRIMER ver. 6.1 and SYSTAT ver. 10. The abundance of
beetles was significantly high in relatively pristine streams (n=143) compared to the degraded streams
(n=75; 34.4%) (Mann-Whitney U=4396.500; p<0.05). Metagonum sp.2, Peryphus sp.3, Boeomimetes
ephippium, Abacetus sp.2 were the most abundant in relatively pristine streams while Diatypus
uluguruanus, Metagonum mboko, Peryphus sp.3 were the most abundant in degraded streams. The highest
species richness (S=21) was recorded in relatively pristine streams (s=21) while the lowest species
richness (S=13) was recorded in the degraded streams. Furthermore, relatively pristine streams showed
the highest average diversity (H′ = 2.5359) compared to the degraded streams (H′ = 2.0662). Based on the
findings, ground beetles are good indicators of habitat quality. These results call for strengthened
measures to control degradation of the riparian areas in the Morogoro municipality
The influence of awareness, knowledge and practices of communities on childhood dietary exposure to aflatoxins in Central Regions of Tanzania
No full textA Thesis 2019Complementary foods in Tanzania are heavily contaminated with aflatoxin (AFs), a group
of highly toxic metabolites produced by the fungi Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus
parasiticus. Many people and especially children largely depend on consumption of
cereal-based diets as complementary foods. Unfortunately, cereals and nuts have been
associated with aflatoxin contamination where conditions favour growth and proliferation
of the causative moulds. This study was conducted with an overall objective to examine
the influence of awareness, knowledge and actions of communities on childhood dietary
exposure to aflatoxins in Dodoma and Singida regions. The specific objectives were: (i) to
assess communities’ level of awareness, knowledge, attitude and perceptions of aflatoxins,
(ii) to identify practices that contribute to levels of contamination of aflatoxins in these
areas (iii) to identify local barriers and practices associated with reducing aflatoxins
contamination in complementary foods in the community (iv) to determine
complementary feeding practices among infants aged between 6-23 months and (v) to
determine the level of aflatoxins in ready-to-cook foods used in complementary feeding. A
descriptive study of the awareness, attitude, perception and actions of communities
towards aflatoxin contamination in complementary foods and its health risks was
conducted in Bahi and Chamwino districts in Dodoma Region; and Manyoni and Ikungi
districts in Singida Region, central Tanzania. The districts were chosen as they represented
the semi-arid condition which is characterized by high temperature during the day up to
35°C and cool to 10°C during the night. Both temperature and humidity favour growth of
fungi which indicate possibility of aflatoxin production. The respondent’s level of
awareness of aflatoxin contamination in crops used in preparation of complementary
foods, and health risks associated with its ingestion was assessed. A suitable scale was
developed used to measure awareness of aflatoxins contamination in complementary foods and its health effects in the community of the children aged 6-23 months, and Likert-type
scale was used to rate respondent’s attitude and perceptions towards aflatoxin
contamination in complementary foods and its managements. Health Belief Model (HBM)
was used to determine parents’ perception and attitude towards aflatoxins contamination
and control. Exploratory Factor Analysis identified the underlying constructs of the Health
Belief Model (HBM). Data were collected using an interview schedule which was
administered to 364 randomly selected respondents and 228 ready-to-cook complementary
foods samples collected with parents/caregivers of children aged between 6-23 months
from households, and focus group discussions (FGDs) with 121 (105 females and 16
males) participants to obtain personal experiences about aflatoxin contaminations in
complementary foods and its health effects on the community. The mean age of
respondents was of 30 ± 8.3 years and the majority (73.1%) was married. Among 364
respondents, 87.6% were farmers and 70.3% earned less than or equal to US$ 22.8 per
month. The majority of respondents (56%) had primary school education while 0.8% were
university graduates. About 81.9% respondents were not aware of aflatoxin contamination
and associated health effects, and half of parents who were responsible for preparation of
complementary foods had low perception and attitude of harmful effects of aflatoxins
contamination to human and animals in general. Fifty seven samples were collected from
each of the four studied districts of Dodoma and Singida regions and used to determine
aflatoxin (AF) contamination of ready-to-cook complementary foods of the children aged
between 6-23 months. Contamination was correlated with levels of awareness, perception
and actions of parents towards contamination and control. The Romar’s all-purpose
method was used for the extraction of total aflatoxins for analysis by HPLC. The total
aflatoxins contamination in 228 the ready-to-cook complementary food samples had level
up to 60.3μg/kg. About 53% samples were contaminated by aflatoxins and 24.1% of the
samples exceeding the maximum permissible levels of 10μg/kg. Samples with aflatoxin B 1 had level up to 38.2 μg/kg and 15.4% of all samples were contaminated. Samples that
were contaminated, (45.7%) had levels above 5μg/kg which is the recommended limit.
Manyoni and Chamwino had equal proportions of complementary food samples with
aflatoxins B 1 contamination of 19.3%. Ikungi district had the least prevalence of aflatoxins
B 1 (7%). The results of the Univariate analysis showed that, awareness, knowledge,
perception, attitude and dehulling were all significantly associated with aflatoxins (AFB 1 )
contamination levels (p<0.05). The multiple logistic regression model of awareness of
aflatoxins B 1 and the chance of having food with aflatoxins B 1 was significantly higher
among respondents not aware of aflatoxins contamination (OR=2.929, p=0.015). People
with no knowledge of aflatoxins (OR =2.739, p=0.019) had significantly greater odds of
having food contaminated with aflatoxins B 1 in comparison to people with knowledge of
aflatoxins. The odds of having food with aflatoxins B 1 contamination for individual with
less than 22.23 perception score was almost 3 times that of people with at least 22.23
perception score (OR =3.101, p=0.022).Those respondents with less than 22.23 perception
score toward aflatoxins contamination were significantly more likely to have food with
aflatoxins B 1 contamination. The risk of having ready-to-cook complementary foods
contaminated with aflatoxins B 1 were also found to be
significantly higher among
respondents not dehulling the crops used to make children's food than those who de-
hulled grains (OR= 2.763, p=0.028). It might be concluded that considerable differences in
contamination level were observed among the four districts. Parents in the four districts
practiced similar post harvest actions though with varying degrees. Most processing
activities like dehulling, milling, drying, and storage showed significant association with
aflatoxins contamination of complementary foods. Due to food shortage and low
knowledge or awareness on fungal and aflatoxins contamination in the study areas, the
respondents sometimes ate undehulled, unsorted and mouldy crops without washing or
winnowing them, hence exposing themselves to high health risks of aflatoxin contamination in their diet. Thus, it is recommended that an aggressive campaign on the
use of best agricultural practices in pre- and post-harvest activities at the household level
should be emphasized. There is an urgent need to raise awareness and educate
parents/caregivers on aflatoxin health risks associated with complementary foods and the
appropriate strategies to minimize contamination. In addition, research on climatic change
and mycotoxin production during pre and post harvest practices such as tillage, breeding
varieties resistance to mycotoxin, harvesting time, drying, storage, and dehulling practices
of crops in Tanzanian is needed in order to improve food safety
The contribution of women to household food and nutrition security in Chamwino District, Dodoma, Tanzania
No full textMasters DissertationDespite economic growth and improvements in living standards, food and nutrition
security are still major socio-economic problems in Tanzania. In Tanzania, food and
nutrition security are achieved through agricultural production where women are main
participants. However, their contribution is underestimated due to social barriers and
gender biases. This study was conducted to assess the contribution of women to
household food and nutrition security in Chamwino District, Dodoma region. Cross
sectional research design was used. Primary data was collected using a semi-structured
questionnaire. Multistage sampling technique was used to select the study area and simple
random sampling was used to select the respondents. Data was analyzed using descriptive
statistics, food consumption score (FCS-N) and linear regression. The major findings
were the women‘s awareness of food security was limited to only one dimension of food
security being food availability. Nevertheless, the women understood household nutrition
security as the consumption of enough food regardless of the food nutrient adequacy. The
food consumption score for the households surveyed was 16.1 indicating poor diet
consumption. The FCS-N showed that most household‘s consumption patterns and
dietary diversity relied on single food groups such as staples, pulses and fruits, which
does not constitute a balanced diet. Results further show that age, education, income,
household size and economic activities significantly influenced women‘s contribution to
household food and nutrition security. Therefore, the study recommends on the
importance of improving food supply chains in the study area so as to enhance nutritious
food accessibility. The women‘s awareness of the concepts should be advanced through
conducting trainings. Other household members should be educated on the importance of
food and nutrition security so as to consider consumption of balanced diet. The women
should also be trained on modern techniques to improve performance of their food roles
thus prevention of nutrient loss
Molecular detection of human malaria parasites using high resolution melting analysis in Morogoro municipality, Tanzania
No full textMasters Dissertation 2019Microscopy and rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) are common tools for diagnosing
malaria, but are deficient in detecting low Plasmodium parasitaemia and mixed
infections. Molecular detection has overcome the limitations by providing greater
sensitivity and specificity in Plasmodium species detection. This study was
conducted in Morogoro region employing a new molecular diagnostic tool that
combines the high sensitivity and specificity of nested PCR (nPCR) and high
resolution melting analysis (HRMA). Samples were collected from 301 malaria
suspected patients from SUA Health Centre between August-October, 2018 and
Sabasaba Health Centre between October-December, 2018. Samples were screened
for malaria parasites by microscopy at SUA and mRDTs at Sabasaba, and later
analysed by nPCR-HRMA for P. falciparum, P. malariae and P. ovale. Data was
analysed using EPI info version 7 and IBM SPSS version 20 software. Sensitivity
and specificity of the three diagnostic methods were assessed, variables calculated
with 95% confidence interval (CI). Microscopy had a lower sensitivity in diagnosing
malaria compared to nPCR-HRMA (p ≤ 0.0361). Among all samples which tested
malaria positive by microscopy, only 68.75% were positive by nPCR-HRMA and the
rest negative. Similarly, 6.45% samples which were initially found to be malaria
negative by microscopy were positive by nPCR-HRMA. Most of the results from
mRDTs were in agreement with nPCR-HRMA results (p ≤ 0.2987). Among the
samples which tested positive by mRDT, 83% were also positive by nPCR-HRMA
while only 1.9% of the samples which had tested negative by mRDT were positive
by nPCR-HRMA. In addition nPCR-HRMA provided accurate diagnosis of infecting single or mixed Plasmodium species in samples that were missed by mRDT and
microscopy. Deployment of improved malaria diagnostic methods like the nPCR-
HRMA might help in improvement and better understanding of the epidemiology of
Plasmodium species, with a particular focus on identifying asymptomatic carriers
and for designing appropriate treatment