East African Journal Of Science, Technology and Innovation
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Exploring current and future trends of predictive maintenance 4.0 in Tanzania: A systematic literature review
Get PDFManufacturing industry systems necessitates a good engineering strategy, improved maintenance and optimal operations that are necessary to keep the systems in its ideal condition. Industry 4.0 predictive maintenance (PdM 4.0) centers on the planning of maintenance tasks in accordance with the system real condition of health, targeting at providing an exact signal of when to do maintenance and whenever necessary. PdM 4.0 is employed by means of integration of several industry 4.0 pillars that incorporate models to attain diagnostics and prognostics activities. As far as industry 4.0 concern, Tanzania manufacturing industries (TMI) they hardly manage to fulfill all requirements for PdM 4.0. It is uncommon to find research works that have addressed on PdM 4.0 maturity levels, factors that influences its adoption and approaches or tools to overcome complexity of PdM 4.0 adoption by considering the advantages and disadvantages of each approaches and addressing the best of them. Decision support tools for PdM 4.0 adoption have not yet extensively addressed by previous review studies in manufacturing industries. Besides, the abundance of maintenance decision support tools but the ones for PdM 4.0 adoption remains unexplored; this provides opportunities for architecting PdM 4.0 in manufacturing systems. This systematic literature review aims at presenting the current and future trends of PdM 4.0 in TMIs through giving special attention to decision support tools for its adoption and summarizing the current and future trends for TMIs in transitio
Effect of fruit acidulants and storage conditions on the physicochemical, microbiological and sensory characteristics of paneer
Get PDFPaneer is an unripened soft cheese mainly used by Indians and Pakistans, and it does not require the rennet enzyme. It is prepared by coagulating heated milk with acid. However, fresh paneer has a short shelf life of up to 2 days at ambient temperature. In this study, paneer was prepared from lemon and amla fruit acidulants and stored at room and refrigeration temperatures. Then, the paneer samples were analysed for their physicochemical properties, texture profile, microbiological counts and sensory attributes during storage at room and refrigeration temperatures. The type of acidulant, storage temperature and time significantly affected the paneer\u27s physicochemical properties (p<0.05). However, the changes were rapid in samples stored at room temperature. Moreover, paneer coagulated using fruit acidulants had a higher shelf life and retention of functional properties. Furthermore, the paneer from fruit acidulants had high acceptability, comparable to the control, usually made from citric acid. Therefore, preparing paneer from fruit acidulants with improved functionality, shelf life, and acceptability is possible. Thus, adapting the technology of making paneer with acidulant fruits would reduce milk and fruit postharvest loss, promote a sustainable diet and create market potential for the novel milk product in India and the world at large
Assessment of consumer’s knowledge and practices on pesticide residues reduction in tomatoes in Mvomero, Morogoro region, Tanzania
Get PDFPesticides are important components of agricultural production but the consumption of crops treated with pesticides, even in small quantities, can accumulate in the human body and cause health problems. Therefore, consumers’ knowledge and practices on reduction of these residues is essential however, there is scant of information on consumers’ knowledge and practices on pesticide residues reduction in tomatoes in Tanzania. A cross-sectional study was conducted at Mvomero District in Morogoro region among 280 randomly selected consumers. Questionnaires were administered through face-to-face interviews to assess knowledge and practices on the reduction of pesticide residues in tomatoes before consumption. Data were analyzed using SPSSTM version 20 to obtain descriptive and inferential statistics. Results showed that 64.6% of respondents know that pesticides can cause health effects of which, 41% are not sure of the specific health problem with few mentioning cancers. About 80% of respondents know that tomatoes sold in the market have pesticide residues. Majority of respondents (78.9%) believe that the pesticide residues in tomatoes disappear after cooking. Seventy-five percent of respondents reported that they know methods for reducing pesticide residues of which 66.8% reported to be reducing pesticide residues by washing with water. Generally, consumer’s knowledge on health effects and practices on reduction of pesticide residues before consumption was relatively poor. Hence, there is a need for improving knowledge on reducing pesticide residues in tomatoes using cost-effective methods that are applicable at the household level. Knowledge on the health effects of pesticide residues was significantly associated with having a mobile phone, reading newspapers, and attending training on pesticides and associated health effects. Therefore, phones, radio, and newspapers may be used as effective methods for communicating health information to the public
Knowledge and Perceptions on Overweight and Obesity among Adults in Same District, Tanzania
Get PDFOverweight and obesity are nutritional problems requiring great attention in both developed and developing countries where nutrition knowledge is confined to few people allied with health sectors. A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess knowledge and perception about overweight and obesity among 362 adults aged 25-55 years in Same District, Kilimanjaro Region. This age group comprises active people at higher risk of non-communicable diseases, and much of the effects may not be due to aging. A structured questionnaire was administered through a face-to-face interview to obtain demographic characteristics, nutrition knowledge and perception about overweight and obesity. Standard WHO Anthropometric procedure of weight and height measurement was used to obtain Body Mass Index (BMI) which was categorized as normal (18.5-24.9kg/m2), overweight (25-29.9kg/m2) and obesity (≥30 kg/m2). A high prevalence of overweight (23%) and obesity (17%) was observed among adults. Women were more overweight (28%) and obese (23%) as compared to men (14%) and (6%) respectively. About 80% perceived their body weight as being normal but in reality, only 51% were confirmed to be normal. Also, 22% of overweight respondents perceived their body weight as normal and 10.5% of obese people perceived their BMI as being overweight. Nevertheless, 60% perceived an obese person as healthy and rich and 26% perceived a thin person as poor and unhealthy because they associated thinness with illness such as HIV/AIDS. Obesity was significantly related to income, sex, parity of the mother, education levels, perception and employment status at P<0.005. The high prevalence of overweight and obesity, lack of nutrition knowledge and poor perception about body weight may increase the risks of developing non-communicable diseases. Hence, these findings will assist health-related stakeholders to design appropriate interventions to reduce the problems
Efficiency of place-based innovated briquettes making technologies for sustainable cooking energy in Tanzania
Get PDFGlobally, more than 2.8 billion people don’t have access to electricity. Whereas about 550 million of them live in Africa. Hence, they opt to go for cheaply available sources like charcoal and firewood for their cooking and heating purposes in their daily domestic and industrial applications. More than 80% of sub-Saharan Africans and 90% of East Africans rely on biomass energy for their domestic and industrial heating purposes. In Tanzania, more than 85% of the population depends on wood-based energy for cooking. This dependency is directly linked to climate change as it promotes deforestation and has the potential to lead to desertification. Currently, a focus is on the use of renewable energies, especially recycled bio-waste (bio-briquettes) as an alternative to charcoal and firewood. Both government and private institutions have initiated and taken the lead in making sure that the effort is of high value; however, the available briquette-making machines are expensive, complex to use, and demand electricity which adds more costs to production, hence making the briquette production a non-economic business adventure within Tanzania. In addressing the problems, this study aimed at conducting an inventory study in order to come up with place-based briquette technologies suiting youth and female unemployed groups. A human-centered design concept was used in inventing two briquetting machines. One uses screw pressing mode (Peyam Screw Press), while the other one uses a hydraulic jerk system (the Briquetter). The machines were tested for; Type Test (compression method), user friendliness (gender sensitiveness approach), and acceptability (market validation method). Results revealed that the machines produce briquettes of high quality that passed both the Impact Resistance Index (IRI) and Water Absorption Resistance (WAR) tests at a threshold of >50%. Moreover, they offer reliable production and have passed social acceptability tests, hence they should be considered for adaptation
Screening for resistance of the common bean genotypes to common bacterial blight, and bean common mosaic virus
Get PDFCommon bacterial blight (CBB), and bean common mosaic (BCMV) limit common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) production worldwide. This study was carried out to perform phenotypic screening and asses the leaf reaction of a resistant line to CBB and BCMV. The experiment was conducted using a Completely Randomized design with three replications under screen-house conditions. Four improved bean genotypes for bruchid resistance were collected from bean improvement projects at the Sokoine University of Agriculture and one commonly cultivated susceptible cultivar was collected from a local market. Bean seeds were sown in a pot with sterilized soil and Xap inoculated by spraying with a bacterial suspension at 18 days after planting, while mechanical inoculation was performed for BCMV on 10 days old leaves. Disease severity of CBB was assessed three times at 14, 21, and 35 days after inoculation using a 1-9 CIAT scale, while for BCMV, symptoms were assessed at 15 days after inoculation. Results show significant differences (p≤0.001) on resistance to both diseases among the common beans genotypes tested. 13A/59-98-3x3-3A (scored 1.3 for CBB; no infected plant with BCMV), AO 29-3-3A (scored 2.0 for CBB; no infected plant with BCMV) and KT020 (scored 1.3 for CBB; only 1 plant was infected with BCMV) had resistance to both diseases while BR59-63-10 was resistant to BCMV and intermediate resistance (scored 3.5) to CBB. Kablanketi was susceptible to both diseases (scored 8 for CBB; 2 plants infected with BCMV). This study verified the resistance against CBB and BCMV in three lines obtained from SUA used for breeding multiple disease resistant cultivars
Large-scale Agricultural Investments and their Implications on Water Access and Quality for Local Communities in northern Uganda
Get PDFWater is a critical factor of production in agriculture and a highly sought-after resource by large-scale agricultural investors. However, it is rarely included in many land acquisition contracts that downplay the user rights of the adjacent communities. This study investigated the implications of LSAI on local communities’ access to water and effects of human activities around LSAI on water quality. Data were collected from 388 respondents using a structured questionnaire and eight key informants were interviewed with the help of a question check list. Water samples were taken from five points located 200 meters apart along a 1,000 m transect on River Nyamukino. The samples were analysed in Public Health and Environmental Engineering Laboratory at Makerere University using the American Public Health Association protocols. Data were subjected to chi-square test and one-way ANOVA. Results revealed that activities on LSAI farms slightly affected water quality. Watering of livestock, lack of pit latrines and application of agro-chemicals on the LSAI farms further polluted water. Although water quality slightly declined, results of the laboratory tests revealed that the water quality parameters in the wet and dry seasons were within the limits of potable water in Uganda. The relationship between distance and walking time to water source was statistically significant (F=3.34; p=0.0332). There was a claim that a skin disease incidence was due to use of water polluted with agrochemicals. In this regard, it is recommended that activities of LSAI need to be regulated in conformity with the provisions of the Uganda National Environment Act 2019. Furthermore, studies are needed to establish the cause-effect relationship between agro-chemical pollution of water sources and the skin disease to guide future LSAI on-farm application of agro-chemicals
Effect of nitrogen fertilizer on nitrogen use efficiency and yield of selected sorghum genotypes in semi-arid regions of Kenya: n/a
Get PDFSorghum production in semi-arid lands is constrained by inadequate soil moisture and low nitrogen. Research was carried out between 2018-2020 to determine the effect of nitrogen fertilizer on nitrogen use efficiency, yield on selected sorghum genotypes and genotypes suitable for low soil fertility in semi-arid lands. The experiment was a randomized complete block design in a split-plot arrangement with 11 sorghum genotypes in the main plot and nitrogen (0, 6.5 and 32.5 kgha-1) as the sub-plots in three replicates. Nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and its indices agronomic efficiency (AE), nitrogen internal utilization (IE), physiological efficiency (PE), nitrogen recovery efficiency, nitrogen harvest index (NHI) and partial factor productivity (PFP) were obtained from sorghum yield data and nitrogen uptake. The results showed that nitrogen application at 6.5 kgha-1 and 32.5 kgha-1 significantly increased grain yield, stover weight and total dry matter (TDM) by 43% and 116%, 39% and 85% and 42% and 57% respectively. Sorghum genotypes TTKKIAMA6, KTIRASTAMMA4, SNYAKTOSA5, and MKNKKIRWMA2 had significantly higher grain yield and low N uptake implying they are N-efficient. NUE of sorghum decreased with increasing N application. Nitrogen internal utilization efficiency (IE) was significantly higher at zero N application rate implying better N assimilation by sorghum genotypes at low N. AE, PE, RE and PFP were all significantly higher at 6.5 kg N ha-1. All tested genotypes had significantly high NUE (90 to 1148 kgkg-1, RE (27 to 94 kgkg-1), AE (41 to 139 kgkg-1), PE (27 to 84 kgkg-1) and IE (41 to 139 kgkg-1) than the check (Gadam). It was concluded that sorghum genotypes yield parameters were increased by nitrogen application, NUE was highest at low N levels and its indices were significantly higher at 6.5 kg Nha-1. Four genotypes were found to be highly N-efficient and are recommended for sorghum improvement
Accessibility Analysis of Childbirth Service Centers Using Geospatial Techniques in Rural Magadi, Kenya
Get PDFAccessibility to childbirth services is a necessity despite geographic, demographic and socio-economic origin. The distribution pattern between health facilities and households in rural areas is not as extensively researched as those of urban areas, especially pastoral communities. Challenges in accessing social amenities including childbirth service centres are dominant. This study aims to assess the spatial accessibility between the location of households and the location of the childbirth health facility in Magadi Ward. The study employed geospatial techniques to visualize the spatial distribution of households and health facilities; and the road connectivity between them. To represent the variation, accessibility zones were modelled using the Euclidean distance tool. Buffer analysis was also conducted to indicate the relationship between the served and unserved areas in regard to the five kilometres Ministry of Health recommended radius. Coordinates of 246 households were randomly picked from the eight community unit clusters in the Magadi ward. The findings revealed the number of women who delivered at health facilities to be 38.2%, while those who delivered at home were 61.8% contrary to the majority being within the service area of the buffer. The most accessible zones were located in the central and upper western parts of Magadi Ward. The utilization of antenatal and postnatal care services and health facilities for the place of delivery differed significantly. The results indicate the poor use of health facilities as a place of delivery for women who utilized childbirth services in the last year, prior to data collection. This provides valuable information and location-based evidence of low access to health facilities for childbirth services, and therefore, offers guidance on sound decision making and strategies to improve on the accessibility of childbirth services.
Seroprevalence and Molecular detection of Toxoplasma gondii Infections in Rodents and Cats in Mbeya District, Tanzania.
Get PDFToxoplasmosis is a zoonotic disease that is increasingly becoming an important but neglected disease of global concern. Cats and other feline species are the definitive host while rodents are the reservoirs of Toxoplasma gondii the causative agent of the disease. The study aimed to establish both Toxoplasma infection and exposure status in rodents and cats in Mbeya District, Tanzania. A cross-sectional study was employed where a total of 300 rodents and 52 cats were obtained from purposively selected wards in Mbeya district. To establish the infection statutes the serum and brain tissue in rodents and cats were collected for laboratory analysis. Indirect ELISA (ID.vet Innovative Diagnostics-France) was employed to determine T. gondiiinfection status in sera where seropositive samples and some of cat seronegative sample were subjected to conventional PCR analysis targeting GRA 6 gene for confirmation of the infection. Serological assay detected exposure status in 8.7 % (95% CI=0.057-0.124) of the rodent’s serum samples and none in cats. PCR assay confirmed the infection in five of the rodent seropositive samples and one seronegative cat sample. Most of the seropositive samples belonged to Rattus rattus the most abundant (57%) rodent species captured in households and storage facilities. No significant variations in seroprevalence were found between locations, sex, species, or habitats. It is concluded that the study established the exposure status and actual infection of T.gondii in rodents in the study area and that R. rattus were the most exposed and infected. This highlights the risk of transmission of the infection to humans given the possible interaction with rodents in houses and stores where they were commonly trapped. The community health education on aspects of disease transmission, clinical signs and disease management is recommended. Furthermore, a regular animal and human screening for the disease to reveal its epidemiological patterns is also recommended