Tanzania Journal of Science最新文献

{"title":"Spatial Analysis of Groundwater Potential: A first hand Approach towards Groundwater Development in Moroto District, Uganda","authors":"Musa W. Lowot, A. Alexander","doi":"10.4314/tjs.v48i4.21","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/tjs.v48i4.21","url":null,"abstract":"Groundwater is a vital resource that helps mankind and development. However, in Moroto District challenges of groundwater development has increased arising from changes in rainfall patterns coupled with high abstraction from population increase. In this study, the spatial variability of groundwater potential was assessed to develop a tool that will aid decision on groundwater potential sites selection for groundwater development/exploration. The study utilized an integrated technique and tools such as Remote Sensing (RS), Geographic Information System (GIS) and Multi Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) in analysis and delineation of potential areas for successful groundwater development. The generated map through weighted overlay of thematic layers (slope, soil, lithology, rainfall, land use and land cover) produced five categories of potential zones indicating 90% (i.e., 35% very high, 40% high and 15% moderate) of the study area to be suitable for groundwater development and only 10% (i.e., 2% poor and 8% very poor) exists as poor groundwater potential zones. Maps produced from this study can hence be used to identify appropriate sites for groundwater development, and therefore minimizing unsuccessful boreholes development. \u0000Keywords:    GIS; Groundwater Development; Groundwater Potential; MCDA; Spatial Analysis.","PeriodicalId":22207,"journal":{"name":"Tanzania Journal of Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"74206547","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of Long Acting Oxytetracycline on Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia Experimentally Infected Cattle","authors":"Beatrice Otina, P. Kitala, L. Bebora, M. Olum, A. Kipronoh, Lizzie Chesang, K. Stuke, H. Wesonga","doi":"10.4314/tjs.v48i4.20","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/tjs.v48i4.20","url":null,"abstract":"Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia is an important disease of cattle. Many strategies employed for its eradication and control have had shortcomings. This study was conducted to determine the effects of long acting Oxytetracycline on its course. The study involved 30 indigenous zebu cattle sourced from an area free of the disease, infected by contact transmission and randomly allocated to Oxytetracycline or saline treatment groups. Clinical observations were recorded on the two groups concurrently. Cattle were tested for the disease using complement fixation test. The mean clinical scores of the groups for each observation was compared post treatment on GENSTAT using unpaired t-test for single sample in groups. Full post-mortem was conducted on the cattle and samples collected for Mmm SC isolation. The clinical scores were worse in the control treatment group; there was no fever in the Oxytetracycline-treated group post treatment. Lesions were observed in 93% of the control and 27% of the Oxytetracycline-treated group. In this study, as in others, Oxytetracycline was shown to lower the severity of the clinical signs of the disease. This is important at slaughter houses meat inspection where decision on whether to pass or condemn the animal is based on the clinical signs and post-mortem findings. \u0000Keywords:  Contagious bovine Pleuropneumonia, Oxytetracycline, Bovine respiratory distress, Trans- boundary diseases","PeriodicalId":22207,"journal":{"name":"Tanzania Journal of Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85900160","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Phytochemical and Antibacterial Evaluations of Chloroform Extract of Mondia whitei (Hook F) skeels","authors":"A. Shehu, Ojochide Inikpi Egwemi, O. Ajayi, Abdul Hamid","doi":"10.4314/tjs.v48i4.2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/tjs.v48i4.2","url":null,"abstract":"Mondia whitei, also known as Mondia, is an aromatic plant of Apocynaceae family. It is used as aphrodisiac, antidepressant, fertility medication and to improve appetite. The present study aimed to evaluate the phytochemical and antibacterial properties of the plant. The chloroform extract of M. whitei was screened for its antibacterial effects using agar diffusion method against five bacterial strains (Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Salmonella typhi). The extract was active against S. typhi, K. pneumoniae and S. aureus at 400, 400 and 200 mg/mL, respectively. The antibacterial activity of the extract was observed in a dose-dependent manner and was compared with standard antibiotic, ciprofloxacin. The phytochemical screening of the extract revealed the presence of flavonoids, terpenoids, cardiac glycosides, steroids, phlobatannins and phytosterols. The GC-MS analysis of the extract afforded seventeen (17) compounds with major components being n-hexadecanoic acid (23.80%). The exhibited antibacterial activities justify the ethnomedicinal uses of M. whitei root. \u0000Keywords: Mondia whitei, GC-MS, Antibacterial activity, Phytochemical","PeriodicalId":22207,"journal":{"name":"Tanzania Journal of Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"89381233","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices on Urinary Schistosomiasis-Related Morbidity among Communities in Itilima District, Tanzania","authors":"C. Yohana, S. Kinung’hi, B. Nyundo, P. Rambau, J. Bakuza","doi":"10.4314/tjs.v48i4.14","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/tjs.v48i4.14","url":null,"abstract":"Long-term infections by urinary schistosomiasis can result in urinary tract morbidities and increase the threats to public health. Information on the community’s knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) on various aspects of urinary schistosomiasis, caused by Schistosoma haematobium has been lacking in Itilima District, which is likely to perpetuate the transmission of the disease and its negative health consequences. This study assessed knowledge, attitudes and practices on schistosomiasis-related morbidities in Itilima District from February to June 2021. A cross-sectional survey using a structured questionnaire was used, and a total of 657 participants were involved in the study. A total of 575 participants (87.5%) had awareness on schistosomiasis compared to 82 (12.5%) who were not aware of the disease, and this variation was statistically significant (x² = 369.938, DF = 1, p < 0.001). The relationship between urinary schistosomiasis and its related morbidities was known by 111 (16.9%) respondents, while 546 (83.1%) knew nothing about it, and this variation was also statistically significant (c2 = 388.166, DF = 1, p < 0.001). It can be concluded that knowledge of urinary schistosomiasis and its related morbidities among the communities was limited. This is possibly because knowledge of infection stages of S. haematobium that causes the morbidity requires an understanding of disease etiology. Therefore, this study recommends that interventions to impart knowledge on schistosomiasis and the associated morbidities should be implemented in Itilima District. \u0000Keywords:     Schistosomiasis, Urinary tract morbidity, Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices, Itilima District","PeriodicalId":22207,"journal":{"name":"Tanzania Journal of Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"73242146","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Quantifying the Effects of Guessing, Position Bias and Prior Knowledge in Multiple Choice Exams","authors":"Almasi S. Maguya","doi":"10.4314/tjs.v48i4.4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/tjs.v48i4.4","url":null,"abstract":"“Can an examinee pass a multiple-choice (MC) exam by chance?” Many studies have tried to address this question. However, these studies ignore different types of position bias associated with picking an item from a list. Despite the presence of considerable evidence on the existence of position bias in guessing answers in MC exams, these studies assume an examinee chooses answers with equal probability. This paper seeks to fill this gap by quantifying the chance of success in MC exams due to guessing when different types of position bias and prior knowledge are taken into consideration. The paper proposes a probabilistic model for position bias and uses it to conduct a series of computer simulations for quantifying the chance of passing an MC exam. Results show that the chance of passing an MC exam by pure random guessing is generally negligible even for a poorly set MC exam. Furthermore, resultsshow that chances for an examinee with a fair amount of prior knowledge passing an MC exam of acceptable standard are between very high and perfect. Since a typical examinee is expected to possess some amount of prior knowledge, these results imply that despite their popularity, MCexams should be avoided particularly in high-stake exams where they can lead to false positives. \u0000Keywords:     Multiple-choice exams; multiple-choice questions; position bias; computer simulation.","PeriodicalId":22207,"journal":{"name":"Tanzania Journal of Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79794288","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Antibacterial Potency of Allium sativum, Psidium guajava, Zingiber officinale Roots against the Food Poisoning Strains (Escherichia coli 0157:H7 and Staphylococcus aureus)","authors":"G. Mauti","doi":"10.4314/tjs.v48i4.11","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/tjs.v48i4.11","url":null,"abstract":"Escherichia coli 0157:H7 and Staphylococcus aureus are notorious food poisoning bacteria of great effect on human health. This study determined the phytochemical constituents of ethanolic, vacuum liquid chromatography (VLC) filtrates of Allium sativum (garlic), Psidium guajava (guava), Zingiber officinale (ginger) and their antibacterial activities on E. coli 0157:H7 and S. aureus. In a laboratory-based controlled experiment, the antibacterial and inhibitory activities of the VLC filtrates in doses of 0.01, 0.02, 0.04, and 0.08g/mL were investigated on E. coli 0157:H7 and S. aureus using the agar well diffusion method and compared with a standard antibiotic. The indices of the zone of inhibition on the agar plates were subjected to analysis of variance (p = 0.01). Phytochemical analysis revealed a high concentration of glycosides, steroids, tannins, terpenoids, and the absence of flavonoids in A. sativum. P. guajava root contained a high concentration of glycosides, steroids, tannins, and terpenoids. Z. officinale possessed a high concentration of alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids, steroids, and terpenoids. Statistically, 0.02 g/mL of Z. officinale (12.0 mm) showed a significant result to 0.04g/mL of A. sativum (14mm) at p = 0.0049 and a higher inhibition index to 0.08g/mL of P. guajava. Inhibition by 0.02g/mL of P. guajava (8.8mm) was advanced than 0.04g/mL of A. sativum (6.3 mm) on S. aureus. Recommendable inhibition of 29.3 mm and 24.0 mm on E. coli 0157:H7 and S. aureus, respectively, were expressed by 0.08 g/mL Z. officinale, which was significant to the standard 0.04 g/mL of Neomycin (Positive control) at p = 0.0067. This study indicated a reliable antibacterial activity by Z. officinale than A. sativum and P. guajava, which might have been due to the high concentration of alkaloids and flavonoids. Nevertheless, A. sativum, P. guajava, and Z. officinale are normally used as fruit and food additives in the human diet, thus can be combined to prevent food poisoning by E. coli 0157:H7 and S. aureus and their exotoxins. \u0000Keywords:    Allium sativum, Antibacterial activity, Escherichia coli 0157:H7, Psidium guajava, Staphylococcus aureus, Zingiber officinale","PeriodicalId":22207,"journal":{"name":"Tanzania Journal of Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90180306","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spatiotemporal Variability of Drought and its Relationships to ENSO and IOD Indices in Somaliland","authors":"Mohamed S. Bile, P. Limbu","doi":"10.4314/tjs.v48i4.9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/tjs.v48i4.9","url":null,"abstract":"Drought is one of Somaliland’s most prevalent natural hazards, causing serious socioeconomic and environmental harm. This study investigated the spatial and temporal variability of drought and its relationships with El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) indices using the Standardized Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) from 1981 to 2020. The Mann-Kendall trend test and Sen's slope estimator were used to assess the trends of annual and seasonal SPEI time series. The Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) was employed to examine the dominant modes of the SPEI series, and Pearson and partial correlation analyses were performed to investigate the associations between significant modes of drought variability and ENSO and IOD indices. The results demonstrated a statistically significant downward trend of SPEI (increasing drought) at 99% confidence level. The EOF analysis indicated two spatially distinct zones of drought variability in the west and east of the country. Drought variability had a statistically significant negative correlation with ENSO in the summer and winter seasons, and with IOD in the winter season and annual time series. The findings of this study will provide important information for drought risk assessment, mitigation, and predictability in Somaliland. \u0000Keywords: Drought, Standardized Precipitation Index, ENSO, IOD, Somaliland","PeriodicalId":22207,"journal":{"name":"Tanzania Journal of Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85848411","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impacts of Climate Change on Small Pelagic Fish Catches in the Coastal Artisanal Fishers Communities of Tanzania","authors":"L. Kapapa, P. Onyango, Nibedita Mukherjee, Prosper L Mfilinge","doi":"10.4314/tjs.v48i4.3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/tjs.v48i4.3","url":null,"abstract":"Climate-related effects occur across all regions in Tanzania, affecting primary sectors such as agriculture and fishing. This study investigated the impacts of climatic change on small pelagic catches in fishers in Kilindoni, Kipumbwi and Kilwa Kivinje villages along the Tanzanian coast. We studied how changes in rainfall, sea surface temperature, wind speed and chlorophyll a affect small pelagic fisheries using primary and secondary data. Qualitative and quantitative methods were applied. Primary data collection involved questionnaires, focus group discussions and key informant interviews. Secondary data was obtained from Tanzania Meteorological Agency and remote sensing from Modi's sensor. Results showed an increase in sea surface temperature (tau = 0.0151, 0.0121, 0.0238 for Kilindoni, Kilwa Kivinje and Kipumbwi, respectively) and unpredictable changes in rainfall patterns which affected small pelagic fisheries. The average rainfall was 284.6, 97.5 and 56.4 mm in Kilindoni, Kilwa Kivinje and Kipumbwi, respectively. In recent years, rain has been unreliable compared to the past 20 years. Unpredictable rainfall, increased sea surface temperature, wind speed and chlorophyll a had negatively impacted the small pelagic fishery. There was a strong relationship between the decline of small pelagic catches and climatic variables. The findings of this study have implications for coastal fisher's livelihood, income and food security. \u0000Keywords:  Coastal communities; small pelagic fishery; climate change; fisheries; livelihood","PeriodicalId":22207,"journal":{"name":"Tanzania Journal of Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87954956","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Chemical Analysis, Antibacterial Activities and Uses of Leaves and Calyces of Hibiscus sabdariffa Grown in Dodoma, Tanzania","authors":"S. Begum, Derick R. Mwakimbwala, Gideon Sangiwa, V. Ndesendo","doi":"10.4314/tjs.v48i4.6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/tjs.v48i4.6","url":null,"abstract":"Preliminary phytochemical screening of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Hibiscus sabdariffa grown in Tanzania revealed the presence of secondary metabolites like steroids, tannins, saponins, glycosides, terpenoids, flavonoids along with L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and iron(II). Furthermore, both leaves and calyces showed antibacterial activities (agar well diffusion method) against selected bacterial species (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi and Shigella sonnei), but calyces possessed potent antibacterial activities compared to leaves. The results also supported the claimed traditional uses of this plant. When interrogated during the cross-sectional study in Dodoma region, 54% of the respondents claimed the plant is used to treat anaemia (supposedly as it increases haemoglobin levels), 23% claimed it is used in the preparation of local wine and the remaining respondents stated use in both areas. Furthermore, the intake of H. sabdariffa leaves and calyces on regular basis can boost the immunity system and helps in preventing bacterial and viral infections as the plant is loaded with flavonoids and vitamin C. Thus, the results observed for the plant H. sabdariffa that is grown in Dodoma in small scale for traditional uses, paves a way for consideration of future large scale production of pharmaceutical and neutraceutical products in Tanzania. \u0000Keywords: Phytochemical screening, Hibiscus sabdariffa, antibacterial activity, L-ascorbic acid and iron(II)","PeriodicalId":22207,"journal":{"name":"Tanzania Journal of Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79286681","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Oral Impacts on Daily Performances among People Living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus on HAART Era Attending Care and Treatment Clinics in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania","authors":"Leonard Evarist, I. Minja","doi":"10.4314/tjs.v48i4.10","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/tjs.v48i4.10","url":null,"abstract":"Oral disease/conditions are reported to have negative effects on the quality of life of People Living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (PLWHIV/AIDS). This study aimed to assess the prevalence and causes of oral impacts on daily performances (OIDP) and its associated factors among PLWHIV/AIDS. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 218 PLWHIV/AIDS attending two HIV Care and Treatment Centres (CTCs) in Dar es Salaam. The study utilized a structured interview schedule containing questions on socio-demography and a single item of global oral health measure on the perception of current oral health status (OHS). A Swahili version of an OIDP inventory was used to assess the impacts of oral conditions on participants’ daily performances. Frequency distribution, chi-square, and logistic regression analyses were conducted (p < 0.05). Participants’ age ranged from 20 to 70 years, mean of 41.15 SD 10.7. About 70% (n = 154) of the participants perceived their oral health status (OHS) as good. The prevalence of OIDP (³ 1) was 26.1% (n = 57). The most affected performances reported were eating and chewing food followed by maintaining the usual emotional state without being irritable. Toothache was the main cause of impacts on all daily performances except ‘speaking and pronouncing clearly’ which was caused by oral ulcer. Age (p = 0.025) and perceived oral health status (p = 0.000) were significantly associated with OIDP. More studies on biological and behavioural factors are recommended to support inclusion of oral health in CTCs. \u0000Keywords: Care and Treatment Centres; HAART; HIV; Oral health; Quality of life","PeriodicalId":22207,"journal":{"name":"Tanzania Journal of Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85496492","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}