Phytochemical Screening and Antimicrobial Properties of Allium sativum Against Lactobacillus

The objectives of this study were to extract phytochemical components of Allium sativum and screen the phytochemical composition of allium extracts for bioactivity against Lactobacillus. The methanol extract of Allium sativum was obtained from a dried sample of garlic, was screened for phytochemical composition and tested for antimicrobial properties against probiotic bacteria lactobacillus. Antimicrobial analysis was done using agar well diffusion method where different concentration of garlic extract were tested against lactobacillus. The experiment was arranged in 3 replicates according to 4 treatments of different extract concentrations and in the control experiment the bacterial were grown without extract. The result of the phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, saponins, cardiac glycosides, steroids, and flavonoids in garlic, but tannins were absent. The antibacterial activity of the extracts against the test lactobacillus showed inhibitory effect where different concentrations showed different inhibitory activities. This review goes over some relevant research that has already been done in this area where garlic has been tested for antimicrobial activities against numerous human pathogens. It therefore lays a ground for new research in testing allium varieties for antimicrobial activities against human resident microbes like lactobacillus that may be subject to susceptibility on these antimicrobial natural products

Powering production. The case of the sisal fibre production in the Tanga region, Tanzania

Energy plays a crucial role in economic development. The article presents a framework for the analysis of alternative energy technology mixes in agricultural production and applies it in the context of sisal production in the Tanga region, Tanzania. Through scenario analysis, the paper presents both case-specific and generalizable insights. Case-specific insights show the key role that modern uses of energy and modern agricultural technologies could play in increasing productivity and revenues, in minimizing environmental degradation, and in promoting local development. Generalizable insights demonstrate the value of using sector-specific micro-structural frameworks and scenario analysis for assessing different technologies mixes in the energy and agriculture planning process

Two-Stage Fungal Pre-Treatment for Improved Biogas Production from Sisal Leaf Decortication Residues

Sisal leaf decortications residue (SLDR) is amongst the most abundant agro-industrial residues in Tanzania and is a good feedstock for biogas production. Pre-treatment of the residue prior to its anaerobic digestion (AD) was investigated using a two-stage pre-treatment approach with two fungal strains, CCHT-1 and Trichoderma reesei in succession in anaerobic batch bioreactors. AD of the pre-treated residue with CCTH-1 at 10% (wet weight inoculum/SLDR) inoculum concentration incubated for four days followed by incubation for eight days with 25% (wet weight inoculum/SLDR) of T. reesei gave a methane yield of 0.292 ± 0.04 m3 CH4/kg volatile solids (VS)added. On reversing the pre-treatment succession of the fungal inocula using the same parameters followed by AD, methane yield decreased by about 55%. Generally, an increment in the range of 30–101% in methane yield in comparison to the un-treated SLDR was obtained. The results confirmed the potential of CCHT-1 followed by Trichoderma reesei fungi pre-treatment prior to AD to achieve significant improvement in biogas production from SLDR

Two-Stage Fungal Pre-Treatment for Improved Biogas Production from Sisal Leaf Decortication Residues

Sisal leaf decortications residue (SLDR) is amongst the most abundant agroindustrial residues in Tanzania and is a good feedstock for biogas production. Pretreatment of the residue prior to its anaerobic digestion (AD) was investigated using a twostage pre-treatment approach with two fungal strains, CCHT-1 and Trichoderma reesei in succession in anaerobic batch bioreactors. AD of the pre-treated residue with CCTH-1 at 10% (wet weight inoculum/SLDR) inoculum concentration incubated for four days followed by incubation for eight days with 25% (wet weight inoculum/SLDR) of T. reesei gave a methane yield of 0.292 ± 0.04 m3 CH4/kg volatile solids (VS)added. On reversing the pre-treatment succession of the fungal inocula using the same parameters followed by AD, methane yield decreased by about 55%. Generally, an increment in the range of 30–101% in methane yield in comparison to the un-treated SLDR was obtained. The results confirmed the potential of CCHT-1 followed by Trichoderma reesei fungi pre-treatment prior to AD to achieve significant improvement in biogas production from SLDR

An m-education prototype for data collection : a case of Teachers Service Commission - Kenya

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Information Technology (MSc.IT)Technology provides technical support to organizations by automating business processes in-turn enhancing productivity and service delivery. Management Information System (MIS) are one such technology whose integration with mobile phone technologies has aided business process optimization. The integration of mobile phone data collection applications with management information systems has enabled data driven decision making and bridging of information gaps by providing decisions makers, planners, managers and other stake holders with relevant, reliable, comprehensive, unambiguous and timely information, Data collection in government sponsored schools in Kenya through existing Education Management Information Systems is still largely paper based as data is collected through Data Return Forms similar to questionnaires and later keyed into systems for analysis and reporting. This process takes time and eventually creates an information gap within the Education sector. This research aimed at realizing the use of mobile phone applications to collect and present real time data on the actual state of respective government sponsored schools and learning institution in Kenya. It involved a review existing data collection techniques and open source mobile phone application frameworks that informed the development of the M-Education application prototype

An Analysis of the Management Challenges Facing Free Primary Education in Masinga District

Free Primary Education (FPE) in Kenya has been faced with numerous challenges since its inception in 2003. The introduction of FPE resulted into an increase in pupil enrolment in schools of upto 104% which put pressure on the available resources. The allocation of resources appeared to be ineffective due to the increased expenditure on education which has raised many questions concerning the sustainability of FPE. The sustainability of the programme has been brought to spotlight due to the fact that cost of providing FPE is beyond the scope of the ordinary education budget, economic performance has not been strong and donor fmance is often temporary. The study sought to analyze the management challenges facing management of free primary education in Masinga District. The objectives of the study were to determine the challenges facing educational directing on the management of FPE in Masinga District, determine the challenges in staffmg of teachers on the management of FPE in Masinga District, analyse the challenges of educational planning in the management of FPE in Masinga District, outline the challenges facing educational organization on the management of FPE in Masinga District and to find out the challenges facing educational coordination on the management of FPE in Masinga District. The study adopted a descriptive research design in which all the 131 public primary schools in Masinga District were targeted. The study used simple random sampling to select 23 primary schools in the district. Simple random sampling was also used to select 2 teachers from each of the sampled schools. All the head teachers from the selected schools participated in the study. Descriptive statistics such as percentages and frequency distribution were used to analyse the data. The study established that the implementation of FPE has encountered numerous challenges which have affected the quality learning processes. The study established that the schools have adverse teacher shortages, poor payment and lack of teacher motivation, rising pupil populations, inadequate and unfinished infrastructures and insufficient learning materials. The government according to the study was the major source of funds for the implementation of FPE in the schools. The reduction, delay or lack of funding resulted into poor delivery of quality learning standards hence performances were moderately realized at the final examinations in schools. The study recommended that the budget buying learning materials and building infrastructure should be doubled. The study further recommended an increased in teacher to motivate them for effective implementation of FPE

To Profile Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor Drug-Resistance and Susceptibility Patterns of Naive HIV Positive Patients from Machakos Level 5 Hospital

This study focused on Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase drug-resistance profiling and the susceptibility patterns for the plasma samples obtained from HIV-positive naïve patients enrolled at Machakos Level 5 Hospital. The research's specific objectives were to profile resistance to Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor drugs and then identify the markers for resistance to Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor. This study used an experimental research design; DNA was extracted from the plasma samples, and PCR was amplified using polymerase-gene specific primers and later Gel electrophoresis. Then finally, cycle sequencing of the polymerase (pol) gen. The amplified products were sequenced, and drug-resistant mutations were determined using Los Alamos HIV DR database. All amplified samples from the PCR had the gel cut/excised and cleaned using the QIA quick gel extraction kit protocol. Sequences with high relatedness were fetched in a FASTA format and aligned using the Mega Evolutionary Genetic Analysis (MEGA) software version 10 using the Neighbor Joining (NJ) algorithm and the 1000 Bootstrap resampling algorithm. The main HIV strain detected in this study was the HIV A1 subtype, the major sub-subtype in Kenya. No other subtypes were noted in the study. Regarding NRTIs, the major mutation noted was D67E which indicated inadequate level, zidovudine resistance, and drug susceptibility to abacavir, emtricitabine, lamivudine, and tenofovir noted with no resistance to NNRTIs. However, there were minor mutations noted. Drug resistance mutations were found in high numbers associated with viral load and treatment time. Importantly, patients with triple and dual-class drug resistance should immediately alter ART regimens to alter the possibility of transmitting multi-drug-resistant HIV-1 strains

Intimate Partner Violence and the Influence of the Faith Factor

The research article is based on a broader research project that set out to investigate the influence of Christian teachings and biblical texts on Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) among the Christian Women of Kilifi County of Kenya. Its specific focus is on how faith became a key coping strategy for women swimming in the troubled waters of IPV. Methodologically, it relied on oral interviews that were conducted among 30 women, 10 pastors, and 12 community leaders in Kilifi County. Overall, the research article argues that faith, in the larger realm of religion, is not only used to normalize IPV, but also utilized as a coping tool by victims. This further fuels a vice that is rooted in Judeo-African patriarchal ideals. Yet it has also established that some women adopted alternative strategies, outside the religious realm, so as to cope with the harsh reality surrounding them. The latter lost faith in religious approaches, and eventually adopted non-religious strategies in their endeavor to manage their circumstances. The need to revisit the idea of ‘separation’ and/or divorce, as a pragmatic approach for Christian women facing IPV, has been suggested as a workable strategy where need arises.</jats:p