ABSTRACT Throughout their lives, human beings are continually exposed to radiation from terrestrial radionuclides particularly 40K, 238U, 232Th and their decay products. The radiation, usually in the form of gamma rays and alpha particles, is largely attributed to building materials for instance rock and concrete mainly used in developed countries and cities around the world, or soil which is principally used in most parts of rural Africa. Radiation exposure from terrestrial sources may be m...
ABSTRACT Scientific evidence on infant and young child feeding practices from developing countries show that progress is possible when effective strategies and sufficient resources are applied. However, significant gaps in complementary feeding continue to undermine child health. There is limited scientific data on complementary feeding practices and its relation to nutritional status of children aged 6-23 months old in Kenya’s urban slums. The study therefore investigated complementary fe...
ABSTRACT The low levels of thiocyanate (SCN) normally present in body fluids increase with chronic exposure to cyanide. Cyanide (CN- ) is a fast-acting, potentially deadly chemical which prevents or inhibits cellular respiration and inactivation of cytochrome oxidase killing the cell. Humans are exposed to cyanide from dietary, industrial, environmental and other sources. Tobacco smoking is an important source of cyanide exposure. After absorption, cyanides are readily distributed in the bod...
ABSTRACT Tick-borne infections of livestock are wide-spread in Africa and present a great constraint to livestock development, particularly in the improvement of local breeds. This problem is compounded by the high susceptibility of foreign breeds of livestock being used to improve livestock productivity in many African countries. Brown Ear tick, Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, is the most economically important of the 40-70 African tick species. This is due to the fact that it is a highly eff...
ABSTRACT Obesity are on the increase and is a major public health concern globally. Currently, there is a surge in overweight and obesity among the HIV-positive population in Africa. Overweight and obesity are associated with increased rates of chronic diseases globally. However, the identification and understanding of factors associated with overweight and obesity among persons living with HIV (PLHIV) remain uninvestigated in Kenya. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of overweight ...
ABSTRACT Plant-parasitic nematodes, in particular Meloidogyne spp., cause significant yield reduction in commercial pineapple (Ananas comosus) worldwide. In Kenya limited studies have been conducted on nematodes in pineapple although the main commercial producer in Kenya has sole mandate to use Telone II (1, 3-Dichloropropene) indicating the seriousness of the problem. The current study was conducted to provide an update on the occurrence of plant-parasitic nematodes in commercial pineapple f...
ABSTRACT In this study the effects of applying variable pressure gradient to a MHD fluid flowing between two plates in an inclined magnetic field was carried out. It involved an unsteady hydromagnetic fluid flowing through two plates where the upper plate was porous and moving with a constant velocity in a direction that is contrary to fluid flow direction. The lower plate was non-porous and stationary. In the past years, research studies relating to MHD fluid flow through plates have been do...
ABSTRACT Malaria remains the most important public health problem in the tropics. Each year, about 500,000,000 and 2,700,000 malaria cases and related deaths, respectively, are reported globally with Africa accounting for 90%. In Kenya, more than 4 million people are infected annually, the majority being children under five years and pregnant women. The disease is caused by parasites in the genus Plasmodium and is transmitted through bites of infected female anopheline mosquito. It is the mo...
ABSTRACT Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) is currently second, after cancer, as the most frequent cause of death among HIV-positive subjects in areas of the world where Highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) is widely available. Dyslipidemia is an important adaptable cardiovascular risk factor that is a widespread clinical feature of HIV-infected patients in the present era of HAART. Peanuts are a rich source of magnesium, folate, fibre, α- tocopherol, copper, arginine and resveratrol. ...
ABSTRACT Phlebotomine sand flies are the vectors of Leishmania species, the causative agents of leishmaniases that are a global health problem and are usually endemic in developing countries affecting predominantly the poor in society. Complementally control measures through use of biodegradable, safe and species selective natural compounds are urgently needed. Plant based compounds are safe in most biosystems. Some synthetic chemical insecticides are toxic, expensive and discriminate use may...
ABSTRACT A triple system is an absolutely fascinating concept in projective geometry. This project is an extension of previously done work on triple systems, specifically the triples that fit into a Fano plane and the (i, j, k) triples of the quaternion group. Here, we have explored and determined the existence of triple systems in Z ∗ n for n = p, n = pq, n = 2mp and n = pqr with m ∈ N, p, q, r ∈ P, and p > q > r. A triple system in Z ∗ n has been denoted by (k1, k2, k3) where there...
ABSTRACT Avocado Persea americana Mill is an important fruit in Kenya. It is a source of vitamins, oil and income to farmers. However, its optimal production is dependent on insect pollinators. This study was undertaken to determine diversity and abundance of insects visiting avocado flowers, their diurnal visitation counts, the crop floral calendar and the effect of pollination deficit of avocado at Kandara, Murang’a County. The study was carried out in farmers’ fields in upper midland ...
ABSTRACT Mosquitoes are of high public health concern since they are significant disease vectors of different tropical and subtropical life-threatening diseases like malaria, dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya, zika virus and encephalitis. Use of synthetic insecticides for control of mosquitoes causes development of resistance in vector species and have negative effects to the environment and human. This study aimed to find alternative, effective tools against these vectors from plant essenti...
ABSTRACT Maize is ranked the third most important cereal under global cultivation after wheat and rice. It is valued for food, fiber, feed and for bio fuel production. However the gap between maize demand and regional supply is increasing as small-holder farmers grapple with many challenges, key among them drought. Thus, research in identifying maize lines that are tolerant to water deficit and that are amenable to A. tumefaciens-mediated transformation is a step towards enhancing food secur...
ABSTRACT Maize farming, though successful in some parts of Africa is greatly hampered by the post harvest handling procedures. Resource farmers in developing countries like Kenya use different plant materials to protect stored grains against pest infestation by mixing grains with protectants made up of plant products. Dry ground plant material, were tested for their activity against the maize weevil; Sitophilus zeamais; (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). All showed no reasonable protectant ability...