SUAIRE (Sokoine Univ. of Agriculture)
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The Perceived Importance of Communication Skills Courses among University Students: the case of two universities in Tanzania
No full textInternational Journal of Education and Research 2015; 3 (2) : 497-508This article is about the perceived importance of communication skills courses among Tanzanian
university students. A total of 134 undergraduate students, randomly selected from two Tanzanian
universities, were involved in this study. The study adopted a case study design in order to have an
in-depth understanding of the phenomenon under investigation. The data were collected through
interview schedules and they were analysed using thematic content analysis in which they were
coded and classified according to themes generated from the responses. The findings revealed that
communication skills courses were perceived by the majority of the respondents as important
courses for the acquisition of communication skills needed in academic settings. It is recommended
that universities should strive to improve the delivery of the courses by ensuring that both human
and material resources are adequately available for the purpose of enabling students to benefit more
from the course
Assessment of maize (zea mays l.) damage and yield loss due to rodents in the field
No full textAssessment of damage and yield Joss due to rodents was carried out in maize fields in
Morogoro. Tanzania. The most abundant rodents in these fields were the multimammate
rats. Mastomys nalalensis. Spatial distribution of damage in maize fields was random for
experimental fields planted with maize, located between other maize fields owned by
farmers. Four sampling techniques viz: non stratified systematic row sampling, non
stratified systematic z-sampling. stratified random square sampling, and non stratified
simple random sampling for estimation of maize damage and yield losses due to rodents
were compared in terms of precision and accuracy, and time spent for damage and yield
loss estimations. The actual rodent damage in 15 maize fields was determined by
counting damaged and undamaged maize plants at seedling stage and the actual yield
loss was calculated. The actual damage varied from 17.3% to 82% during the period of
study. The results showed clearly that non-stratified systematic row sampling is the most
robust technique for assessing maize damage and yield loss due to rodents. A standard
curve for sampling using this technique is provided. The relationship between rodent
density and maize damage at seedling was determined. The best model for the data was
determined using Akaike Information Criterium. The best model for the relationship is
Sigmoid (r - 0.74; n = 44; p = 0.001). Variations occurred between the observed and
predicted line. Damage was low or high depending on the amount of rainfall after
planting. Maize seed planting followed by heavy rainfall suffered lower damage than
when rainfall was poor, due to inability by rodents to locate the planted seeds. Rodent
damage and the resultant yield loss are positively correlated, but only in years with well distributed rainfall. Results from model simulations showed that it is more profitable to control rodents in the fields in February and November or February and October than any other month combinations. This calendar approach for rodent control seems to be most appropriate for the Tanzanian maize growers.Sokoine University of Agriculture - Vlaamse Inteunivesitaire Raad Programme(SUA-VLI
Epidemiology and control of bovine fasciolosis and schistosomosis in the Southern highlands of Tanzania
No full textPhD ThesisThe main purpose of this study was to determine if anthelmintic treatment of early
patent primary fasciolosis and schistosomosis would prevent development of acute
disease and would improve productivity of calves which continue grazing high
potential natural transmission areas, without causing unwanted side effects or
interfering with the development of immunity. Aspects of transmission biology and
host parasite relationship were also investigated. Field studies, including cattle and
snails, were performed at Lulanzi dairy farm where the trematode infections were
highly prevalent. In addition experimental Schistosoma bovis infections were carried
out in confined calves. The results from snail studies showed that Bulinus natalensis
was the most abundant freshwater snail, which was responsible for the transmission
of Schistosoma bovis mainly towards the end ofthe rainy season. Results ofthe field
study, where cattle were naturally exposed, showed that acquisition of trematode
infections was gradual. It took five months for the peak egg excretion to be reached,
followed by a gradual decline to a very low level. Both triclabendazole and
praziquantel drugs were highly efficacious and reduced Fasciola and Schistosoma
worms by 100% and 95.6% respectively; while for S. bovis faecal and tissue eggs the
reduction was 98.9% and 79-96%, respectively. Treatment kept the faecal egg
excretion of both parasites species at a very low level for more than seven months
and did not affect the development of immunity. Deterioration of the body weights
pathological lesions, mainly fibrosis of the liver, were observed in the treated
experimentally infected animals than in the untreated ones. However, no clinical
and haematological parameters were only seen during the dry season and it was more
severe in the untreated compared to the treated, challenged calves. More severe
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signs were associated with such changes and there was a gradual resolution of the
pathological lesions. In the experimental S. bovis infections it was shown that, along
the small intestine, eggs were mainly deposited in the anterior part at week seven, in
the central part at week 18 and evenly distributed at week 32 post infection. The key
findings from the present study are that B. natalensis for the first time was proved to
transmit S. bovis and that such an infection occurred in the snails that had an existing
amphistome infection. The animal studies have demonstrated that natural Fasciola
and Schistososma infections in cattle are mainly sub-clinical and their impact is seen
mainly during the dry season when feed supply is limited. Although treatment of
early infections transiently causes additional liver fibrosis, treatment prevents
development of acute disease and does not interfere with the development of
immunity. Furthermore, treatment prevents further deterioration of the health of the
cattle during the dry period. In addition, the observed reduction in faecal egg
excretion has an epidemiological impact of reducing the transmission of these
infections. In general, the present findings raise the possibility of strategic use of
anthelmintics for preventing the development of acute trematode disease in young
ruminants, improving their productivity and reducing the transmission intensity in
endemic area