East African Journal Of Science, Technology and Innovation
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Perceptions, use, and impacts of Prosopis (Prosopis juliflora) alien plant in Taita Taveta County, Kenya
Full text linkThis study investigated the perceptions, uses, and impacts of mesquite (Prosopis juliflora) in Taveta Sub-County, Kenya. A total of 314 individuals were randomly selected from four wards, ensuring representation across age, gender, wealth, and occupation. Additionally, four focus group discussions were conducted with 78 participants (47 male and 31 female) were held in four locations within the pastoral and agropastoral communities. Data were collected through semi-structured questionnaires, focusing on community perceptions, impacts, and uses of Prosopis juliflora. The coverage of Prosopis was perceived to have increased by 98% of the respondents, with this high percentage indicating the spread was very fast in both the grazing areas and within homesteads over the last 5-10 years. Regarding the origin of Prosopis juliflora, 63% of the respondents indicated that it was introduced by colonial veterinary workers. The Prosopis plant was perceived by66% of the respondents to have reduced the availability of pastures. On the eradication of the plant, 79% of the respondents reported difficulty in eradication. The majority of the respondents (75%) indicated that the plant was harmful to both humans and livestock due to the poisonous thorns. Also, the majority of the respondents (54%) indicated that Prosopis juliflora reduces soil fertility. Among the three most common uses of Prosopis were as a source of firewood (64%), charcoal (24%), animal feed (23%), and as shade (13%). Poisonous thorns were cited as the major negative impact by 56% of the respondents. Despite these negative perceptions, the study suggests that Prosopis juliflora can be utilized to enhance livelihoods and food security in the region. Strategies for sustainable management and utilization of this invasive species should be explored to mitigate its negative impacts while maximizing its benefits
Students\u27 attitudes towards water and sanitation facilities in selected secondary schools in Kanungu and Wakiso Districts during post COVID-19 era in Uganda
Full text linkAttitudes influence a person’s behavior, decisions and interactions with others. In view of this, a study was undertaken to assess the attitudes of students towards utilization of the available water and sanitation facilities in selected secondary schools within Kanungu and Wakiso districts in Uganda. The study was underpinned by the theory of planned behavior change because attitude influences behavior and school environment can shape students\u27 attitudes towards use of water and sanitation facilities. The objectives were to document the water sources used by students at home, assess students’ attitudes and knowledge of water and sanitation facilities in secondary schools. This study adopted comparative research design with a mixed method approach. A structured questionnaire was administered to 153 students and key informant question guide was used to collect additional information from 10 key informants. Data were subjected to t- test and logistic regression analysis. Results revealed that students who felt comfortable using the schools’ toilets had positive attitudes towards water sources and sanitation facilities. There was significant difference in the attitudes of students’ Kanungu and Wakiso schools towards water and sanitation facilities, safety of tap water used for drinking and provision of soap and hand washing facilities. The main sources of water used in the homes of the students from Kanungu district are unprotected springs while piped water is used mainly by homes in Wakiso district. It is recommended that soap and hand washing facilities should be provided to shape the students’ attitudes and knowledge of water and sanitation facilities as a good hygiene practice
Retail Food Waste and Estimated Nutrient Losses in Urban Areas of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Full text linkFood waste is a global problem with social, nutritional and environmental implications affecting the sustainability of the food chain. In Tanzania, food waste coexists with food and nutrition insecurity, however, its extent and its nutritional impact remain unclear. This study sought to quantify food waste from selected fresh produce in Dar es Salaam\u27s retail markets and estimate the associated nutrient losses per-vendor per day. Data was collected from three districts namely: Kinondoni, Ubungo and Temeke. A total of 108 fresh food vendors collected their daily food waste of pre-selected fresh food produce items namely bananas, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, cabbage and amaranth for seven days. These waste samples were measured daily on a weighing scale and recorded. Measurement of 108 samples daily for 7 days resulted in a total of 756 sample recordings obtained. Data in mean kilograms of waste was then calculated using standardized conversion factors to nutrient compositions using Tanzania food composition tables to estimate nutrient losses embedded in wasted fresh food. The data was further presented as recommended intakes for additional context. Of the selected foods, bananas produced the highest amount of waste with a daily mean of 13.9 kg ± 13.1 (SD) per-vendor, tomatoes produced a daily mean of 10.1kg ± 6.9 (SD); potatoes 8.5kg ± 6.3 (SD); cabbage 4 kg ± 3.0 (SD); carrots 3.4 kg ± 1.6 (SD), while amaranth was the least wasted with a daily mean of 0.2kg ± 1.0 (SD) wasted. Food wasted at the retail level of the Dar es Salaam food supply contained 3,643 Kcal, 93.4 g protein, 147 g dietary fiber, 6,429 µg vitamin A, 1,371 µg folate, 66.3 mg iron and 20,936 mg potassium per-vendor per day indicating notable nutritional losses embedded in food wasted at the retail level of the Dar es Salaam food supply
Traditional practices of camel husbandry, their drivers and role in promoting camel health and productivity across five communities in northern Kenya
Full text linkCamel rearing is one of the most versatile livelihoods in northern Kenya because of its ability to sustain production in the often-dry pastoral rangelands. However, the capacity of pastoral households to adopt and expand camel herds is constrained by several factors. These include (i) a low knowledge of control of camel diseases that leads to high morbidities and mortalities, (ii) poor milking practices that predicate high competition for milk between calf and man leading to high camel-calf mortalities, (iii) inadequate herding labour that limits capacity to effectively exploit the expansive range ecosystem, and (iv) high prices and unwillingness to trade in female animals that reduces access to replacement stock. This study surveyed 340 camel keeping households from five communities in northern Kenya (viz. Borana, Gabbra, Rendille, Somali and Turkana) to assess their traditional practices of camel husbandry and the extent to which they mitigate these constraints. The study also sampled and examined 847 camels belonging to the households to evaluate the potential effect of the husbandry practices on production performance and health of camels. The results showed significant differences across the communities in traditional practices of camel husbandry including the selection of herd structures, herd dynamics practices, sourcing and utilisation of grazing labour, knowledge and control of camel diseases, milking practices and sharing of milk between camel-calf and man. Similarly, significant differences were observed in production performance and health of camels including herd-level disease prevalence, anaemia, body condition scores, calf mortalities, herd sizes, and milk production and sale. This study delineates the traditional practices of camel husbandry with potential to improve camel herd health and production performance. The study also identifies the herders’ socioeconomic circumstances that preclude implementation of the practices and suggests recommendations that may increase uptake of the good husbandry practices for increased uptake of camels
Comparative Performance Evaluation of Bioethanol Stove and Alternative Cooking Technologies in Domestic Setting: Implications on Cost, Time and User Perception
Full text linkMost households in Uganda use wood fuel for cooking and heating which poses numerous environmental and health hazards, hence leading to the desire for transition to alternative clean cooking solutions. Uganda Industrial Research Institute (UIRI) and Raising Gabdho Foundation (RGF) developed a bioethanol stove prototype for a typical household. Given the need for information on user perception and its comparison with other cooking alternatives for further improvement, this study presents a controlled cooking test which was conducted for performance evaluation of the prototype in terms of user perception, cost of cooking, and cooking time in comparison to Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG), Electric Pressure Cooker (EPC), briquettes, and charcoal while cooking beans and ‘posho’ for a family of four people by four cooks in triplicates. Controlled Cooking Test protocol from the Clean Cooking Alliance was adapted for the study, implemented, data collected and then analyzed using trimmed welch One-way ANOVA and Tukey HSD test in ASTATSA software. The cost of cooking using ethanol was significantly more than that for charcoal, EPC, and briquettes, but not significantly different from that for LPG. The time for cooking when using ethanol was not significantly different from that for EPC, LPG and charcoal, but it was significantly less than the one for briquettes. The bioethanol stove was easy to ignite, burnt with blue flame after regulation, cooked fast, and stable when mingling. However, it needed complete combustion at maximum stove power, reduction of ethanol fuel cost, elimination of sharp edges, and design modifications for grilling and to accommodate other saucepan sizes
Effect of acceptor on the electronic and optical properties of designed D-A-D molecules for organic solar cells by DFT and TD-DFT method
Full text linkSearching for new and efficient energy sources to satisfy global energy demand is one of the most inspiring and challenging areas in scientific study in order to replace fossil fuel which is regarded as unsustainable and harmful to the environment. Solar energy through different technologies including organic solar cells (OSCs) seems to be one of the favorable alternatives. However, the efficiency of this category of solar cells needs significant improvements to become one of the best candidates for use as the best alternative energy source in solar cell technology. In this study, four donor molecules (D-A-D) were successfully created using two strong different donor moieties linked together by four different acceptors to form four M1, M2, M3, and M4 molecules to be used in OSCs technology. The density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) methods coupled with B3LYP hybrid functional and 6-311G basis set was employed to assess the optoelectronic as well as photophysical properties of four D-A-D designed molecules. All the designed molecules display promising results to be satisfactorily used in organic solar cell applications. However, among the designed molecules, M2 performs better than others due to the lowest energy gap of 1.83 eV and 1.9 eV, open-circuit voltage (VOC) of 1.5151 and 1.4817 and large maximum absorption wavelength (λmax) of 784.96 nm and 821.18 nm in gas and solvent phases, respectively. As a result, the designed molecule is remarkable and highly recommended to researchers for the development of widely effective solar cell system for practical uses
Predictors of Birth Weight Among Infants in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya
Full text linkBirth weight is a predictor of survival rate among neonates and a marker of neonatal and maternal nutrition and health. Low birth weight is associated with both short-term and long-term consequences for neonates that include risk for chronic diseases later in life. This study determined the prevalence of low birth weight as well as factors associated with birth weight in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya. This was a retrospective study in which health records of 970 mothers who delivered at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kenya were evaluated. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and linear regression modelling. The mean birth weight (BW) was 3.0±0.6 kg and the prevalence of low birth weight was 13.5%. The mothers’ mean age (years) was 26.0±5.8 with a median of 25 (range:14-46) years. Factors associated with low birth weight were: employment status, marital status, sex of the child, gestation, presence of deformity and pregnancy outcome. In the final multivariate linear regression model, mean infant BW reduced by 15.1% when the mother was unemployed compared to 8.7% for those who were formally employed. Infants born via CS had 9.6% higher BW than those born vaginally. BW reduced by 15.5% when the infant was female compared with those who were male. There was an increase in the infant BW by 46.0% when infant had no deformity. The relationship between the gestation period at delivery and infant BW depended on the pregnancy outcome. Factors associated with low birth weight were employment status, marital status, sex of the child, gestation period, presence of deformity and pregnancy outcome. Interventions aiming at improving BW and reducing the prevalence of LBW should consider these factors
Status on use and delivery of foot and mouth and newcastle vaccines in Kenya
Full text linkThe contribution of the livestock sector to food and nutritional security is challenged by high prevalence of diseases that limit productivity, trade and profitability within various livestock value chains in Kenya. Climate change has contributed to increased stress for the animals, higher disease prevalence, misuse of antibiotics and consequent antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Mass vaccination has been recommended by the Kenya AMR Policy and action plan 2017 as a sustainable disease control option to counter development of AMR. However, challenges in accessing quality vaccines constrain vaccination programs for important livestock diseases. A cross-sectional study was undertaken in Uasin Gishu and Nyandarua Counties to appraise use of New Castle disease (NCD) and Foot and Mouth disease (FMD) vaccines that are widely used in indigenous poultry and dairy value chains respectively and suggest improvements in delivery. Seventy-one (71%) of respondents reported to have experienced FMD outbreak in the recent past in both counties. Whereas up to 74% and 92% of farmers used NCD and FMD vaccines respectively, the schedule used did not lead to effective control of both diseases. Agro veterinary shops were the leading source of vaccines at 94% with the rest sourced from the manufacturers, distributors, county government, NGOs and extension service providers. Challenges hindering effective vaccine use included large pack size beyond the needs for small scale farmers (50%), unreliable supply (47%) and presumed presence of counterfeit products (15%) among others. The vaccines delivery infrastructure was found inadequate to authenticate vaccines at point of use and also in terms of compliance with cold chain requirements. The study recommends innovative vaccine delivery processes including product authentication and traceability along the supply chain.
Screening of the secondary metabolites of the crude extracts of an antiviral herbal formulation using gc-ms/ms and lc-ms/ms
Full text linkThis study describes the screening of secondary metabolites of the n-hexane, methanol, and ethanol extracts and the ethyl acetate layer of the medicinal herb formulation, coded BHA using GC-MS/MS. The formulation was and is still used in the treatment of COVID-19 and other viral respiratory infectious diseases. Additionally, the methanol extract was also analysed using LC-MS/MS. Given its effectiveness and favourable results for COVID-19 patients, BHA has remained one of the most widely used herbal antiviral formulations. The choice of the herbal formulation was due to its effectiveness against COVID-19 and the fact that its constituents were listed on the container. The screening results revealed the presence of a wide range of natural products with different structural features in the herbal formulation extracts, most of which have been reported to possess significant biological and pharmacological qualities, such as anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, immunomodulatory, antifibrotic, and vasorelaxation effects. A total of 75 compounds were identified, most of which resulted from the GC-MS/MS analyses, whereas the LC-MS/MS detected only 8 compounds. These included flavonoids, coumarins, alkaloids, fatty acids, terpenoids, and many other phenolic compounds. With exception of few compounds, the results revealed some discrepancies from the chemical composition reported for each individual species. These constituents exhibit antioxidant and anti-fibrotic properties, in respiratory ailments, ability to suppress lung inflammation and fibrosis, regulate blood lipid levels, and improve blood flow. The synergistic effects among the constituents of the herbal formulation may account for its efficacy. The screening results corroborate the usefulness and efficacy of the formulation and provide guidance for the safe application of the herbal antiviral formulation as well as the advancement of antiviral drugs that are successful in treating infectious respiratory diseases. Furthermore, the results confirm that herbal medicines with therapeutic capabilities can be used in the treatment of many disorders, including COVID-19
Enhanced coconut shell-based activated carbon for water desalination using an adsorption-capacitive deionization hybrid system
Full text linkFreshwater scarcity is a global issue, and most water purification technologies are energy-intensive, making them unaffordable for low-income societies. Adsorption-capacitive deionization (ACDI) offers a low-energy solution, making it a potential solution for these societies. This study utilized coconut shells to prepare pristine activated carbon (PAC) electrodes for ACDI by KOH activation at temperatures 700 and 800 ˚C. To enhance the performance of coconut shell-activated carbon electrodes, Tetramethylammonium bromide ((CH3)4N+ Br-) which is a cationic surfactant was used to create positive charges on the surface of PAC to make enhanced activated carbon (EAC) for an ACDI hybrid system application. The surface functional groups were identified by using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and pore size distribution and surface area (SA) were identified by the Barret-Joyner-Halenda (BJH) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method under N2 adsorption/desorption isotherm respectively. The PAC and EAC attained maximum specific SA of 175.03 and 751.43 m2/g respectively. The electrochemical properties of PAC electrodes such as specific capacitance (SC) and electrical conductivity were examined using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in 6 M of KOH electrolyte using a CS 350 electrochemical cell. The SC of PAC from activated carbon was 376.29 F/g while EAC increased to 628.20 F/g. The salt adsorption capacity of PAC and EAC were 2.78 and 10.96 mg/g respectively. It can be seen that enhancing the AC led to the improvement of specific SA, SC, and salt removal capacity of AC during the desalination experiment