Cattle vector-borne disease occurrence and management and climate change experiences in pastoral communities in Northern Tanzania

The livestock sector is vital to Tanzanian economy, and pastoralists largely depend on livestock production for their livelihood. The Vector-Borne Diseases (VBDs) of cattle, East Coast fever (ECF) and African animal trypanosomosis (AAT), whose occurrence are known to be influenced by climatic conditions, cause substantial cattle production losses in pastoralist communities that may be heightened with climate change. However, little is documented on pastoralists’ experiences and observations on climate change and ECF and AAT occurrence. Further, information on management practices for ECF and AAT is outdated following privatisation of veterinary services in Tanzania. This research employed 10 randomly selected villages of Monduli District in Northern Tanzania in 2014-2015. The study explored pastoralist indigenous knowledge of the relationship between climate parameters (temperature and rainfall) and ECF and AAT using participatory epidemiology approaches. The study also quantified the seasonal prevalence of Theileria parva and trypanosome infection in 960 cattle during the wet and dry seasons. Entomological surveys for brown ear ticks (Rhipicephalus appendiculatus) and tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) were also carried out. Assessment of management practices for ECF and AAT, seasonal movements and wildlife interactions in Maasai ecosystem were investigated. This research was the first to explore pastoralists’ understanding, observation and experiences on climate parameters and ECF and AAT. The findings on seasonal prevalence of T. parva and trypanosome infection will help inform decision-making on current and future cattle VBD control strategies. In addition, the information gathered from this thesis will inform the design and implementation of active surveillance, better control and preventive strategies to manage vectors and cattle vector-borne diseases in a changing climate in pastoral communities

Morphological changes in the sperm storage tubules of the Japanese quail exposed to methy-2-benzimidazole carbamate

The current investigation was an attempt to establish the effect of various doses of methyl-2-benzimidazole carbamate (carbendazim®) on the morphology of the Sperm Storage Tubules (SST) in the Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica). Carbendazim® in sunflower oil base was administered orally at doses of 0mg/kg (control), 25mg/kg, 100mg/kg, 400mg/kg and 800mg/kg body weight. Tissue samples from Uterovaginal junction were processed for both light (LM) and Transmission electron (TEM) microscopic study following standard procedures. The result showed that, at LM level, no histopathological changes were observed at a dose of 25mg/kg b.w.t. A significant decrease in SST width and luminal diameters was observed at doses of 100mg/kg and 400mg/kg b.w.t (p < 0.05). In addition, doses of 400mg/kg and 800mg/kg b.w.t caused leukocytic infiltration and hyperaemia in the lamina propria-submucosa. At these doses SST were devoid of spermatozoa. TEM results showed pyknosis, swollen mitochondria, vacuolation and increased number of lysosomes in degenerating SST. The observed morphological changes indicate the ability of carbendazim to disrupt structural integrity of SST as well as its storage capacity. This poses a great threat to the fertility of exposed birds and thus care must be taken to reduce environmental contamination.Keywords: Carbendazim, histopathology, ultrastructure, Sperm storage tubules, Japanese quai

Time-course effects of carbendazim in the infundibulum of the Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica)

The present study was undertaken to establish the long-term effect of a single dose of carbendazim in the tubular region of the infundibulum of Japanese quail using scanning (SEM) and transmission (TEM) electron microscopy. At a dose of 400mg/kg bodyweight, carbendazim in sunflower oil base was administered orally to mature Japanese quails. The control group received the oil base only. The effects of carbendazim on ultrastructural features of infundibulum were examined in spatial temporal periods post-exposure. At SEM level, loos of cilia were observed from 5 days post-exposure. At TEM level, pyknosis, karyorrhexis, swollen mitochondria, dilated RER cisternae, increased number of lysosomes and vacuoles were observed from 24 hours post-exposure. Compound cilia and loos of striated rootlets were also observed. Thickening and duplication of the basal lamina were identified from 12 days postexposure. These results suggest oviductal regression due to carbendazim toxicity and signs of epithelial recovery at later stages post-exposure.Keywords: Carbendazim, infundibulum, degeneration, electron microscopy, Japanese quai

Exploring Ways in Which Teachers Use Low-Cost No-Cost Resources to Develop Learners’ English Language Skills in a Public Primary School in Ilala District in Dar es Salaam-An Action Research

The use of teaching and learning resources by teachers influences the development of the four English language skills. Literature has demonstrated the significance of resources in English classrooms, particularly for English language learners whose first language is not English. In Tanzania, the majority of learners attend public primary schools where the language of instruction is Kiswahili in all subjects except English, and thus the majority of them struggle to achieve the desired level of effective English development even as they progress to secondary school because of their poor English language background. Several factors, including a lack of use of English resources, contribute to learners\u27 low level of English competence. Despite the fact that textbooks are provided in schools, they are still insufficient, leading to poor performance. This study set out to explore ways in which teachers use low-cost no-cost resources to develop learners\u27 English language skills. This study adopted qualitative action research to gain an in-depth understanding of the study. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews, observation, document analysis, and post-lesson discussions. Participants engaged in reflection throughout the study. The study engaged one English teacher who taught year three in primary school, which had two streams with a student population of one hundred and ten in each class. The study established several findings with regards to teachers’ use of low-cost no-cost resources. The study\u27s findings showed that teachers\u27 use of low-cost no-cost resources allows learners to develop their language skills. Furthermore, the more learners interact with the resources while receiving teacher support, the more active and interested they become in learning English. As beneficial as teachers\u27 use of low-cost no-cost resources is in the classroom, there are drawbacks to their use. Thus, educational practitioners should address such challenges by adopting a design thinking culture to effectively set objectives, plan lessons, determine the items to be developed, design and re-de

INTERNATIONAL TRADE THEORY: TREATMENT OF DISTRIBUTION SERVICES

The traditional models in the pure theory of international trade, notably those of Ricardo, Graham, and Heckscher-and-ohlin formally abstract from the actual tasks of distributing economic goods and services from one country to another. This abstraction is generally concretized in the familiar assumptions of factor immobility and negligible transportation costs. Whatever may be the mythodological or analytical merits of such assumptions, it is common knowledge that the actual process of moving an economic good or service between two countries say entail the services of shippers, insurance agents, bankers, merchants, freight-forwarders, mail men, telephone operators, lawyers, commission aqents, etc. Such services-- henceforth referred to collectively as distribution services - put a claim on scarce economic resources and therefore deserve to be studied by the economist. Unfortunately, in the literature on international trade, theoretical or empirical studies on distribution services are rare

Exploring the influence of one-on-one peer support on academic performance and career pathway choice for students with visual impairment: a case of a selected Secondary School in Kilimanjaro Region

This study explored the influence of one-on-one peer support on the performance and career pathway choice of students with Visual Impairment (VI) in secondary school. The study adopted a qualitative research approach with a case study design. The sampling was purposive and the sample size comprises four teachers (One academic teacher, the head of the special need department, one teacher from STEM and one teacher from the social science department) and ten students (five pairs of one-on-one peer support from Form three class). The study employed an interview guide, focus group discussion guide and document analysis protocol as the instruments for data collection. Qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews which involved the teachers, focus group discussion with the students and document review and analysis. The data was transcribed verbatim, coded, and themes were generated through thematic analysis. The study findings revealed that one-on-one peer support was initiated by school management and teachers to enhance the performance of students with VI. It was noted that since the introduction of one-on-one peer support, the performance of students with VI has improved. However, the study found no formal document describing the structure, objective, monitoring and evaluation for oneon-one peer support. Additionally, it was observed that teachers hardly monitored effectively oneon-one peer support learning between students with VI and regular learners as there wasn’t a guideline on how to do it. Thus, one-on-one peer support is a remarkably powerful strategy for supporting students with VI, but it should be well structured for easy monitoring and evaluatio

Trends of Rainfall and Maize Productivity in Malawi

Daily rainfall data between 1966 and 2005 across all Agricultural Development Areas (ADDs) in Malawi was investigated to determine changes in selected rainfall characteristics and their impact on Maize productivity. Rainfall indices analyzed included rainfall amounts (annual and seasonal), onset, cessation, dry spells and length of rainy season. Man Kendal’s trend test was applied to the time series of these indices to detect any trends in the time series. WaterRequirement Satisfaction Index (WRSI) for maize crop was used to study the spatial-temporal variation of maize productivity and thus its linkage to rainfall. Definition of onset and cessation adopted from the Department of Meteorological Service (DMS) Malawi was used in demarcating seasons to extract seasonal rainfall amount, length and other parameters. The results of the study indicate that with the exception of Karonga ADD located at the Northern tip of the country there were no significant trends in all variables related to crop productivity including onset, cessation, rainfall amount and dry spells. The spatial and temporal variability of maize production in Malawi was captured quite well by the WRSI. The relationship between long-term average WRSI and maize yield (tonnes/ha) for different stations in Malawi had a correlation coefficient of 0.82 while the relationship of countrywide average WRSI and maize yield had a correlation coefficient of 0.75. Areas with low long term average WRSI like Shire valley also showed low productivity while those with higher WRSI like Mzimba and Salima ADD had a good yield. On average Malawi has sufficient rainfall to sustain rain-fed maize crop as most of the time (67%) rain-fall is enough to give an average yield. It was also foundout that Malawi experience droughts and hence food shortages when WRSI value is close to or below 60%

Adoption of Free Open Source Geographic Information System Solution for Health Sector in Zanzibar Tanzania

\ud The study aims at developing in-depth understanding on how Open Source Geographic Information System technology is used to provide solutions for data visualization in the health sector of Zanzibar, Tanzania. The study focuses on implementing the health visualization solutions for the purpose of bridging the gap during the transition period from proprietary software to the Free Open-Source Software using Key Indicator Data System. The developed tool facilitates data integration between the two District Health Information Software versions and hence served as a gateway solution during the transition process. Implementation challenges that include outdated spatial data and the reluctance of the key users in coping with the new Geographical Information System technologies were also identified. Participatory action research and interviews were used in understanding the requirements for the new tool to facilitate the smooth system development for better health service delivery.\u

Analysing the hindrance to the use of information and technology for improving efficiency of health care delivery system in Tanzania

Information Technologies (IT) have been described as offering tremendous opportunity to improve health services as well as in meeting broader developmental goals which have an impact on health. Through the use of IT, healthcare sectors can potentially plan, monitor and evaluate health services as well as communicate more effectively within and across organizational hierarchies. However, a number of studies suggest several hindrances where the use of IT to bring critical change in the health sector of Tanzania has been problematic. Despite the lack of appropriate use of the existing IT resources in the health sector, donors and government have continued helping the health sector to acquire up-to-date IT resources while however placing little emphasis on long term IT training, data management and effective utilization of information resulting into wasted of such resources hence little improvement in health services delivery. This study is based on the Health Information System Programme (HISP), an action research project aimed at improving health information system in developing countries with the use of IT and information for local action. Under the project, the district health information software which is customizable, open source and freely distributed has been implemented in five pilot districts in Tanzania. The lessons learned from HISP project and other levels of the health sector in general indicate the lack of skills for data interpretation and utilisation, policy guidelines on information and human capacity building as well as a lack of flexible system. Keywords: health, information technology, data management, Tanzania Tanzania Health Research Bulletin Vol. 7(3) 2005: 189-19