ABSTRACT Fish farming has been practised all over the world for centuries. Throughout history, humans have used fish as a supplementary source of proteins and as a source of income. Fish performs all their body functions in water and therefore the quality of water is very important to their livelihood. Farmers have suffered losses due to the death and stunted growth of fish as a result of bacterial infections and diseases among other causes. The presence of these bacteria in fish pond water...
Persons living with HIV may succumb to acquired immunodefiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), which renders them susceptible to opportunistic infections. Several antibiotics are recommended for prophylaxis and treatment of the infections. These usage of antibiotics has lead to the development of multi drug resistant strains of Escherichia coli isolated from the gut of persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Such resistance is of great concern as the organisms may become infectious and also serve as ...
In the water distribution industry, meter reading is an important activity as source of revenue to the water utility company and at the same time it is meant to ensure accurate recording of consumption. Manual water meter reading is still being done in many countries in the world where employees of water companies take the readings from residential and business premises. Water bills are then prepared based on this data. This process is inefficient and costly in terms of man-hours, especi...
ABSTRACT The levels of inorganic anions, nitrate (NO3 - ), chloride (Cl- ), sulphate (SO4 2- ), phosphate (PO4 3- ), fluoride (F- ) and iodide (I - ), in amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus and Amaranthus cruentus) leaves at different stages of maturity (25 days, 50 days and 75 days), grains and soil from four regions (Kenyatta University (KU), Bureti, Kisii and Elgon) of Kenya were quantitatively determined. The levels were determined using spectrophotometric, potentiometric and titrimetri...
The indiscriminate use of A. sativum L. in treatment of various diseases can pose a great danger to various body functions. It results to toxicity within the body system e.g. in both dogs and cats, A. sativum L. has been associated with oxidative hemolysis and Heinz body formation leading to anemia and methemoglobinemia. Therefore, assessment of hematological and biochemical parameters of this plant extract can be used to determine its safety and toxic margins. Just like other terrestria...
The present management regime of snake bites requires the use of antivenom immunoglobulins. However, these antivenoms have the limitations of being expensive, requiring cold storage facilities and have problems of hypersensitivity reactions in some individuals. A. spinosus, C. articulatus, C. spinarum, C. molle and R. usambarensis have been used traditionally in the management of snake bites in Turkana and Uasin-Gishu Counties, Kenya. However, their efficacy and safety have not been scie...
Various kinds of photovoltaic (PV) modules have been developed and practically deployed as PV systems over time. The performance of PV modules found in the Kenyan market has not been documented and therefore their reliability and stability in providing an alternative source of energy has not been sufficiently established. In this study the I-V data of Silicon-based mono crystalline, poly crystalline and amorphous modules was collected. The choice of the modules was done randomly dependin...
Tomato is a popular vegetable in Kenya and is extensively grown by small-scale farmers. In spite of the economic benefits to the farmers, insect pests remain one of the most significant constraints to tomato production. Current insect pests control measures rely on pesticides despite the known hazards to human health and the environment. Repeated use of pesticides has also led to the development of resistance by pests. Therefore, it is important to evaluate other pest control strategies ...
Industrial effluents, agricultural chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides and residential wastes are the major sources of heavy metals in drinking water. Presence of heavy metals in drinking water is the cause of many diseases in human beings. Worldwide over six million people lack access to clean drink water. In Kenya it has been reported that sources of drinking water such as rivers, boreholes and wells are having heavy metals. In Bungoma Central Sub County, residents depend on River...
ABSTRACT Inadequate piped water supplies in urban centres is a growing problem; making communities resort to buying vended water. In recent years, vended water has become a major source of drinking water in most of the urban areas in the world. This study assessed the quality of vended water and its implications on price and health risks to households in Msimbazi sub catchment Dar es salaam, Tanzania. It involved assessing the physical, chemical and micro-biological quality of the vended wat...
ABSTRACT Recycled Low Density Polyethylene waste pollutes the environment since it is nonbiodegradable. This work investigates the enhancement of disposal of these wastes without compromising their tensile strength and permeability by blending Recycled Low Density Polyethylene with Cellulose. Injection molded blends of Recycled Low Density Polyethylene and Cellulose were prepared in percentage ratios of 100:0, 95:5, 90:10, 85:15 and 80:20. Dynamic mechanical analysis, creep, diffusion, therm...
ABSTRACT Globally in 2010, about 800 women died daily due to complications of pregnancy and child birth (WHO, 2010). Out of the 800 deaths, 440 deaths occurred in sub-Saharan Africa, 230 in Southern Asia and only five in high-income countries. In Kenya, maternal death is the leading cause of death amongst women of child bearing age, overall maternal mortality ratio in Kenya remain high at 488/100,000 and could even be higher in rural sub-counties. In response to the rising burden of MMR, the...
ABSTRACT Agroforestry presents opportunities for adaptation to the impacts of climate change and variability in food security and livelihood development systems.According to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Kenya is experiencing climate change and projections suggest that there would be more extreme weather conditions by the year 2030 and beyond. This would worsen the food insecurity and poverty situation currently observed in arid and semi-arid districts such as Machakos County. ...
ABSTRACT It is increasingly difficult to ignore the role of soil water management practices in watershed conservations. Watershed degradation has been a major intimidating problem in many catchments of developing countries, Tanzania inclusive. The general objective of this study was to analyze the limiting factors in soil water management practices of small holder farmers in Magamba sub-catchment of Lushoto District, Tanzania. Primary data was covered by use of structured questionnaire (for...
ABSTRACT Water hyacinth (Eichhornia Crassipes) invasion in Lake Victoria has become a matter of concern over the last two decades. There has been suggestion on the possibility of producing compost from water hyacinth as a way of managing the weed cover in the lake and at the same time help local farmers in the region boost their agricultural production by supplementing the use of commercial chemical fertilizers. However, the safety of using water hyacinth’s compost has to be investigated a...