77 research outputs found
Figures 17–20 in Somalibuthus sabae sp. n., a new buthid scorpion from Kenya (Scorpiones: Buthidae)
No full textFigures 17–20: Somalibuthus sabae sp. n., carapace and tergites (17, 19) and coxosternal area and sternites (18, 20), under UV fluorescence. Figures 17–18. Paratype male. Figures 19–20. Paratype female. Scale bar: 2 mm (17–18, 19–20).Published as part of Kovařík, František & Njoroge, Laban, 2021, Somalibuthus sabae sp. n., a new buthid scorpion from Kenya (Scorpiones: Buthidae), pp. 1-19 in Euscorpius 332 on page 6, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.574206
Figures 49–60 in Somalibuthus sabae sp. n., a new buthid scorpion from Kenya (Scorpiones: Buthidae)
No full textFigures 49–60: Somalibuthus sabae sp. n., paratype male, right pedipalp under UV fluorescence. Figures 49–52. Chela in dorsal (49), external (50), ventral (51) and internal (52) views. Figures 53–56. Patella in dorsal (53), external (54), ventral (55) and internal (56) views. Figures 57–60. Femur and trochanter in dorsal (57), external (58), ventral (59) and internal (60) views. Scale bar: 2 mm.Published as part of Kovařík, František & Njoroge, Laban, 2021, Somalibuthus sabae sp. n., a new buthid scorpion from Kenya (Scorpiones: Buthidae), pp. 1-19 in Euscorpius 332 on page 9, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.574206
Figures 111–115 in Somalibuthus sabae sp. n., a new buthid scorpion from Kenya (Scorpiones: Buthidae)
No full textFigures 111–115: Lanzatus somalilandus Kovařík, Lowe & Šťáhlavský, 2016, right hemispermatophore. Figures 111–113. Capsule in posterior (111), convex (112) and anterior (113) views. Figure 114. Capsule in convex view, compressed to show form of sperm hemiduct lobes. Figure 115. Whole hemispermatophore, convex view. Scale bars: 200 μm (111–113), 500 μm (115).Published as part of Kovařík, František & Njoroge, Laban, 2021, Somalibuthus sabae sp. n., a new buthid scorpion from Kenya (Scorpiones: Buthidae), pp. 1-19 in Euscorpius 332 on page 16, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.574206
Evaluation of the role of plant-derived chemicals in mosquito ecology and control
No full textAlthough blood-feeding behavior in female mosquitoes, required both for reproduction and transmission of disease pathogens, has been extensively studied, plant-feeding is an essential element in the life histories of most mosquito species. For these species, adults of both sexes seek out and depend on floral nectar. Moreover, the larvae of the majority of mosquito species consume dead decaying plant material as a principal source of nutrition. Thus, throughout their lives, mosquitoes encounter phytochemicals. The ecological and physiological impacts of these phytochemicals are thus consequential but are poorly understood. In this dissertation, I conducted laboratory bioassays to evaluate the role of plant-derived chemicals on mosquito ecology and control. Chapter 1 provides background information about mosquito and plant interactions, outlining the ecological significance of nectar phytochemicals on foraging pollinators, pointing out the knowledge gap for mosquitoes, and the potential of plant-derived products including plant oils as promising safe and sustainable tools for mosquito control. In Chapter 2, I conducted laboratory assays to investigate the lethality and repellency of edible plant oils against the container-dwelling mosquito, Aedes aegypti. I demonstrated their lethal potential against the larvae, the role of the oils in delaying larval development, and interference with oviposition site selection by gravid females. Moreover, I showed that the linoleic acid component of the oils contributes to their insecticidal activity. In Chapter 3, I performed laboratory assays to assess the effect of the nectar phytochemicals, caffeine, p-coumaric acid and quercetin on sugar-feeding behavior, La Crosse virus (LACV) infection, and key life-history traits such as longevity and fecundity of the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus. Dietary p-coumaric acid, and quercetin resulted in extended female Ae. albopictus lifespan. Caffeine ingestions led to reduced sugar consumption and enhanced fecundity of the female mosquitoes. Additionally, caffeine consumption resulted in reduced LACV susceptibility in female mosquito midguts (Appendix B). In Chapter 4, I used RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis to characterize the transcriptional profile of female Ae. albopictus adults consuming sucrose diets containing p-coumaric acid or quercetin. These findings revealed that, as antioxidants, p-coumaric acid and quercetin affect gene expression in mosquitoes, with the former showing a stronger effect; as well their lifespan extending-capacity is related to regulation of expression of genes related to xenobiotic metabolism and longevity. Collectively, these studies demonstrate that phytochemicals affect key ecological and behavioral processes in Aedes mosquitoes and offer promising leads for novel approaches to sustainable management of these medically important insect pests.Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'Closed Access', the embargo will last until 2022-08-01The student, Teresia Njoroge, accepted the attached license on 2020-07-14 at 23:48.The student, Teresia Njoroge, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2020-07-14 at 23:51.This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2020-07-15 at 13:54.DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #15626 on 2020-10-02 at 15:50:49Made available in DSpace on 2020-10-07T22:49:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 3
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\u3cem\u3eSomalibuthus sabae\u3c/em\u3e sp. n., a new buthid scorpion from Kenya (Scorpiones: Buthidae)
No full textThe poorly known buthid genus Somalibuthus Kovařík, 1998, is recorded for the first time from Kenya, with the description of a new species, S. sabae sp. n., from Kiwayu Island in the Kiunga Marine National Reserve. Based on a detailed study of the new materials, a revised diagnosis is given for the genus. Several generic characters suggest affinities with three other genera of small buthids found in the Horn of Africa: Neobuthus Hirst, 1911, Gint Kovařík, Lowe, Plíšková et Šťáhlavský, 2013, and Lanzatus Kovařík, 1998
A new record of Zoraptera (Insecta) from Kenya, with remarks on their habitat
No full textWe hereby record a zorapteran insect from Kenya. The species is easily distinguishable from other described African species of Zoraptera because of its distinct sexual dimorphism and male characteristics. Males have a hairy patch on the head and an asymmetric hairy patch with different types of setae on the last sternite, whereas females have no hairy patch. These conspicuous characteristics have not been described for any known African species described to date. The African fauna of Zoraptera were investigated until the 1970s and have not been thoroughly studied since that time. To accumulate knowledge on this enigmatic order and stimulate more research in Africa, we describe the habitat where we found this species in Kenya.Keywords: Angel insects; field work; ground lice; Kakamega National Park; sexual dimorphis
Mobile based application for sharing building and construction information: a case of Nairobi County
No full textThesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Mobile Telecommunication and Innovation at (MSc.MTI) at Strathmore UniversityOwning a dream home is one of the key achievements every person wishes to meet in their lifetime. However, this desire faces a lot of challenges as the house prices rise steeply locking out the middle income earners in the country. This results in many people preferring to build their own houses at their own pace due to budget constraints rather than buying a complete built house. Generally, there is a housing deficit in the urban areas due to the increase in the population and urbanization growth rates. Due to the housing deficit, a lot of house contractors have emerged and some unprofessional contractors are exploiting the prospective house owners by offering poor services at high prices. There is lack of information on the available credible contractors who are near the location of the client thus unsuspecting clients engage some rogue and incompetent contractors who build substandard houses which leads to consequential failures such as collapse of the building, loss of resource and lives. This study aimed at creating a mobile application which offers location aware services by displaying a pool of experienced and genuine contractors and informal builders on a Google map. The clients are able to locate these service providers closer to their location and the application facilitates the interaction. The application also provides information on the various approved Appropriate Building Materials and Technologies (ABMT) which help the client to make an informed choice during a house construction. The study adopted the evolutionary prototyping methodology to create the mobile application. This allowed the system to be developed in increments that were readily modifiable according to the user feedback. Later, the study engaged in system testing and validation to ensure the application was working according to the set requirements. Among the tests carried out were: Acceptance, Usability, Speed tests, Functional, Load and Integration tests
Towards Insect Digital Collections and Data Publishing: A journey for the GBIF-funded African Insect Atlas Collaborative Project
No full textMuseums from six African countries (Botswana, Kenya, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Madagascar, Mozambique), with support from the California Academy of Sciences, are currently collaborating on the GBIF funded project: African Insect Atlas: unleashing the potential of insects in conservation and sustainability research in Africa (BID-AF2015-0134-REG). This project was initiated to move biodiversity knowledge out of insect collections into the hands of a new generation of global biodiversity researchers interested in direct outcomes. The project acknowledges that insects are the glue that hold ecosystems together, and are ideal organisms for climate change biology, conservation planning, mapping local and regional patterns of diversity, and monitoring threats to ecosystem services and natural capital, thereby addressing the Sustainable Development Goal #15, 'Life on Land (http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-goals.html). The consortium partners have, since June 2016, embarked on a journey to learn digitization techniques and have successfully digitized 50% of the project goals. The targeted insect orders include Coleoptera, Odonata, Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera and Hymenoptera. The data being mobilized includes specimen and species data, habitat information as well as identification of possible threats such as deforestation. These are being captured into a standardized platform using Darwin Core. Elaborate data cleaning is being carried out using tools in OPEN Refine (http://openrefine.org) and Microsoft Excel 2010. The captured data is also being geo-referenced using appropriate software such as GEOLocate (http://www.museum.tulane.edu/geolocate) and GEO-Calculator (http://manisnet.org/gci2.html). The specimen occurrence records will be made available on the GBIF platform and will continuously be updated as more information becomes available. Any specimen images taken will also be linked to the database (SPECIFY and Microsoft Excel). Assessments will be carried out to establish which species are native and endemic as well as to establish their conservation status. Simplified image catalogues, checklists, distribution and habitat maps in suitable formats will also be produced to help scientists and other users to identify these species during their research and in the field
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