Exploring the Impact of Targeted Distribution of Free Bed Nets on Households Bed Net Ownership, Socio-Economic Disparities and Childhood Malaria Infection Rates: Analysis of National Malaria Survey Data from three Sub-Saharan Africa countries.

The last decade has witnessed increased funding for malaria control. Malaria experts have used the opportunity to advocate for rollout of such interventions as free bed nets. A free bed net distribution strategy is seen as the quickest way to improve coverage of effective malaria control tools especially among poorest communities. Evidence to support this claim is however, sparse. This study explored the effectiveness of targeted free bed net distribution strategy in achieving equity in terms of ownership and use of bed nets and also reduction of malaria prevalence among children under-five years of age. National malaria indicator survey (MIS) data from Angola, Tanzania and Uganda was used in the analysis. Hierarchical multilevel logistic regression models were used to analyse the relationship between variables of interest. Outcome variables were defined as: childhood test-confirmed malaria infections, household ownership of any mosquito net and children's use of any mosquito nets. Marginal effects of having free bed net distribution on households with different wealth status were calculated. Angolan children from wealthier households were 6.4 percentage points less likely to be parasitaemic than those in poorest households, whereas those from Tanzania and Uganda were less likely to test malaria positive by 7 and 11.6 percentage points respectively (p < 0.001). The study estimates and present results on the marginal effects based on the impact of free bed net distribution on children's malaria status given their socio-economic background. Poorest households were less likely to own a net by 21.4% in Tanzania, and 2.8% in Uganda, whereas both poorer and wealthier Angolan households almost achieved parity in bed net ownership (p < 0.001). Wealthier households had a higher margin of using nets than poorest people in both Tanzania and Uganda by 11.4% and 3.9% respectively. However, the poorest household in Angola had a 6.1% net use advantage over children in wealthier households (p < 0.001). This is the first study to use nationally representative data to explore inequalities in bed net ownership and related consequences on childhood malaria infection rates across different countries. While targeted distribution of free bed nets improved overall bed net ownership, it did not overcome ownership inequalities as measured by household socioeconomic status. Use of bed nets was disproportionately lower among poorest children, except for Angola where bed net use was higher among poorest households when compared to children in wealthier households. The study highlights the need for malaria control world governing bodies and policy makers to continue working on finding appropriate strategies to improve access to effective malaria control tools especially by the poorest who often times bears the brunt of malaria burden than their wealthier counterparts

Women Microfinance Services Uptake and Patriarchal Setbacks: Lessons from Kalali Savings and Credit Co-operative Society in Hai District, Tanzania

This study determined the influence of socio-demographic characteristics on women microfinance services uptake and establish whether women access to microfinance services has challenged the prevailing patriarchal system in Hai District, Kilimanjaro region. The study used a cross-sectional research design involving 111 respondents drawn at random from the study population. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analysed. Content analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data whereby Atlas.ti computer software was used to organise and analyse some data. Ordered probit regression model was used to analyse the influence of some socio-demographic characteristics on women microfinance services uptake. The findings show that marital status and education level attained tend to influence women microfinance services uptake and some level of social and economic empowerment. Moreover, microfinance uptake among women beneficiaries has not challenged the current patriarchal system in the study area. The study concludes that while socio-economic empowerment was realised among some microfinance beneficiaries, microfinance services uptake among women has not yet succeeded to influence the prevailing patriarchal system. It is advised that women and other key stakeholders, should engage in serious training and sensitisation practices to actively influence meaningful change in the current patriarchal system

Improved Income Through Papaya Production among Youth Tourists Porters and Guides in Moshi District, Kilimanjaro Region.

This report presents information on participatory assessment research conducted in Moshi Municipal Council in Kilimanjaro region targeting youth tourists crews (guides and porters). This enabled the establishment of a project that provided youth with an alternative income generating activity (IGA) after the collapse of tourism opportunities due to global COVID-19 pandemic. The CNA objectives aimed at establishing actual youth tourist crews needs. Specifically, the CNA identified the major community needs of youth tourist crews, assess community alternative income generating opportunities and obstacles and identifying possible interventions for the identified community needs. Participatory methodology mainly pairwise ranking matrix was used. The findings showed that the community has many problems, but the main one was low youth income. As a result youth identified engaging in papaya production project as alternative IGA. The project was identified through community needs prioritisation exercise involving pair wise ranking matrix technique in ranking and picking youth desired project. The project managed to mobilise 22 youth to engage in papaya farming. It also mobilised youth engagement in the project and increased youth income from nil to at least TZS 2000 per day. It is concluded that youth are ready to venture into alternative IGA once are capacitated to do so. It is recommended that more efforts are needed by various stakeholders to facilitate youth establish productive linkages, adaptive and switching mechanisms between sectors. Key words: Income, Papaya Production, Youth, Tourists

Studies of the genetics of inheritance of stem rust resistance in bread wheat

Pgt race TTKSK (Ug99) has a wide virulence range with respect to currently grown wheat cultivars worldwide. Aspects of migration, mutation, recombination and selection in the pathogen have led to previously deployed stem rust resistance genes being ineffective. Race TTKSK has further evolved to acquire virulence for resistance genes such as Sr24 (race Ug99 + Sr24) and Sr36 (Ug99 + Sr36). Five resistant wheat lines (KSL-2, KSL-3, KSL-5, KSL-12 and KSL-19) which were resistant in tests during 2008, 2009 and 2010 were used as parents in crosses with stem rust susceptible line CACUKE to develop genetic populations for determining the inheritance of resistance to stem rust. F3 populations were evaluated at KARI Njoro in the 2012 off season and 2012 to 2013 main season. The adult plant stem rust responses were scored using the modified Cobb’s scale. The F2:3 lines of population(s) exhibiting qualitative variation were grouped as homozygous resistant (HR), segregating (Seg) and homozygous susceptible (HS). Heavy disease pressure was present during the cropping seasons with the check CACUKE displaying 90% susceptibility. Chi square analysis revealed that the segregation data in the parent KSL-2 did not deviate significantly from the single gene model (1:2:1) suggesting that the resistance to stem rust is conditioned by a single dominant gene. The Chi square test also revealed that the stem rust resistance in the parents KSL-3, KSL-5, KSL-12 and KSL-19 was conditioned by two genes. The families from the KSL-2 and KSL-3 crosses also segregated for the presence of the pseudo black chaff implying that the Sr2 gene could be present in the background of these wheat parents. The superior transgressive segregants identified in these crosses will be used in breeding.Keywords: Genetic, wheat, gene, resistanceAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(21), pp. 3153-315

Wastewater Treatment for Pollution Control

Performance of a Dynamic Roughing Filter (DRF) coupled with a Horizontal Subsurface Flow Constructed Wetland (HSSFCW) in the treatment of a wastewater was studied in tropical conditions. The results show that in HSSFCW planted with Cyperus papyrus and Phragmites mauritianus in series, the removal rates of TDS, TSS, COD and BOD5 were 72.07%, 80.01%, 81.22% and 78.37%, respectively, while in the second HSSFCW planted with Cyperus papyrus only, the removal rates were 71.00%, 79.00%, 73.76 and 75.78%, respectively. HSSFCW planted with mixed macrophytes, performed better than a HSSFCW planted with single macrophyte. This was attributed to synergetic effects of Cyperus horizontal roots and Phragmites vertical plant roots weaved and entangled in cell 1 providing a good filter mat and a better bacterial attachment. Thus the use of two macrophytes planted in series was recognized to be responsible for better performance of HSSFCW cell 1 in pollutants removal from wastewater

Striding towards self sustainability using Aluminium from Tanzanian kaolin for combination Tanning system

Content: Sustainability is a key factor which control future leather manufacture. Developing several new technologies is one of the primary agenda for sustainability. However, developing countries are facing several challenges which not only limited to best practice technologies but also finding self sustainability in maximizing the available resources. In the present study, an attempt has been made to explore the potential resource of aluminium from kaolin of Pugu hills, Tanzania for combination tanning. Though, extraction of aluminium from several resources are available, there is limited literature pertaining to Tanzania resources. Moreover, the extracted aluminium is basified and studied for its tanning efficiency. Diffraction and vibrational spectroscopic studies were carried out to assess the confirmation of extracted aluminium. Combination tanning has been carried out with vegetable tannins and dialdehyde starch tanning chemicals, which are from natural resources. Leathers tanned with aluminum and wattle resulted with a shrinkage temperature of 118ºC as compared to Al-Dialdehyde starch leathers showed around 90-100ºC. Physical strength characteristics such as tensile, tear and grain crack strength met the standard norms. Grain surface of leathers are found to be smooth which has been confirmed through microscopic studies. The study provides a new insight on accomplishing self sustainability through available resources and manufacture of eco-friendly system. Take-Away: 1. Tanzania is endowed with massive kaolin rich in aluminium, which is potential for application in leather industry for sustainable development of leather industry 2. The combination tanning system using aluminium from Tanzania kaolin with wattle tannins or Dialdehyde starch imparts leather with both physical and organoleptic properties that meet the stipulated norms 3. This new tanning system provides new insight on ecofriendly tanning system for the sustainability of leather industry

Lifetime improved WSN using enhanced-LEACH and angle sector-based energy-aware TDMA scheduling

This research article published by Cogent Engineering, 2020Network lifetime remains as a significant requirement in Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) exploited to prolong network processing. Deployment of low power sensor nodes in WSN is essential to utilize the energy efficiently. Clustering and sleep scheduling are the two major processes involved in improving network lifetime. However, abrupt and energy unaware selection of cluster head (CH) is nonoptimal in WSN which reflects in the drop of energy among sensor nodes. This paper addresses the twofold as utilization of sensor nodes to prolong the node’s energy and network lifetime by LEACH-based cluster formation and Time Division Multiple Access scheduling (TDMA). Clusters are constructed by the design of an EnhancedLow-Energy adaptive Clustering Hierarchy protocol (E-LEACH) that uses parallel operating optimization (Grey Wolf Optimization (GWO) and Discrete Particle Swarm Optimization (D-PSO)) for selecting an optimal CH and helper CH. The fitness values estimation from GWO and D-PSO is concatenated to prefer the best optimal CH. E-LEACH also manages the cluster size which is one of the conventional disadvantages in LEACH. CHs are responsible to perform energy-aware TDMA scheduling which segregates the coverage area into 24 sectors. Alternate sectors are assigne