Abstract/Overview In this study, the fingerprint of the acid concentration during the hydrolysis process on the optical band gap of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) has been systematically studied. The CNCs have been prepared using hydrochloric acid at a hydrolysis temperature of 50°C and at a constant hydrolysis time of 4 hours but with varying hydrochloric acid concentrations of 5%, 10% and 15%. The crystalline structure and phase identification of the CNCs have been studied using XRD tec...
Abstract/Overview This study aimed at generating knowledge on the nutritional composition and sensory evaluation of biscuits fortified with sorghum flour and cricket powder. Four biscuits samples were formulated by substituting wheat flour with sorghum flour and cricket powder at 0, 20, 40, and 60%. The results showed that, the fortification improved some nutrient contents of biscuits significantly (p
Abstract/Overview In this study we developed a soliton model of an arterial pulse. The Korteweg-de Vries wave equation is our model of interest. It incorporates the aspect of modeling an arterial pulse which can potentially lead to development of better estimators of cardiac output. Accurate and continuous measurements of cardiac output are needed for severely ill COVID-19 patients but are often done using invasive methods. Another clinical importance is that the solitonic parameters infe...
Abstract/Overview The motivation of consuming edible insects, particularly lake flies, has the potential of improving the problem that results from the inability to sustainably meet the rising demand for animal-based protein as a result of increased population growth and urbanization. The aim of this study was to identify the selected socio-economic factors influencing consumption of lake flies and how they individually and collectively affect the consumption. A sample size of 385 respond...
Abstract/Overview Fall armyworm (FAW) is a new invasive pest that causes economic damage to a wide variety of crops. This pest is estimated to reduce maize yields by about 60%. FAW could cause crop losses of up to US$13 billion annually across sub- Saharan Africa, threatening the livelihoods of millions of resource-poor farmers worldwide. Governments have warned against the indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides that could undermine pest control strategies for smallholder farmers who r...
Abstract/Overview Global food demand is expected to rise due to the population increase estimated to reach 9.5 billion by the year 2050. As a result, the available natural resources such as water sources and land will become scarce and overused. Indisputably, other sustainable food resources need to be identified and practised to solve the problem of food inadequacy. The world population will be encouraged to eat less consumed food resources. Edible insects have been identified as sustain...
Abstract/Overview Malaria continues to place a disease burden on millions of people throughout the tropics, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Although efforts to control mosquito populations and reduce human-vector contact, such as long-lasting insecticidal nets and indoor residual spraying, have led to significant decreases in malaria incidence, further progress is now threatened by the widespread development of physiological and behavioural insecticide-resistance as well as changes in t...
Abstract/Overview Background: Everyday hundreds of people, mainly men, set out to take part in a vibrant artisanal capture fshing (ACF) industry on Lake Victoria. It is not known whether actions of artisanal fshers, in their unrelenting quest for exist ence, surpass ecosystems’ sustainability thresholds with potentially negative repercussions on human health with respect to malaria transmission potential. This article sought to fll this information gap. Methods: This study used an ecosy...
Abstract Paenibacillus larvae is a spore-forming bacterium causing American foulbrood (AFB) in honey bee larvae. The remains of a diseased larva contains billions of extremely resilient P. larvae spores viable for decades. Burning clinically symptomatic colonies is widely considered the only workable strategy to prevent further spread of the disease, and the management practices used for decontamination requires high concentrations of chemicals or special equipment. The aim of this study was...
Abstract/Overview We identified 672, 374, and 379 CYPs proteins encoded by the CYPs genes in Gossypium hirsutum, Gossypium raimondii, and Gossypium arboreum, respectively. The genes were found to be distributed in all 26 chromosomes of the tetraploid cotton, with chrA05, chrA12, and their homeolog chromosomes harboring the highest number of genes. The physiochemical properties of the proteins encoded by the CYP450 genes varied in terms of their protein lengths, molecular weight, isoelectr...
Abstract/Overview Approximations of fixed points have been done in different space and classes. However, characterizations in norm attainable classes remain interesting. This paper discusses approximation of nonexpansive operators in Hilbert spaces in terms of fixed points. In particular, we prove that for an invariant subspace H0 of a complex Hilbert space H; there exists a unique nonexpansive retraction R of H0 onto _(Q) and x 2 H0 such that the sequence f_ng generated by _n =_nf(_n)+(1...
Abstract/Overview Long-term Earth observation based vegetation index records have been used extensively by researchers to assess vegetation response to global climate variability and change. However, the records exhibit multiple temporal gaps due to spectral and radiometric inconsistencies that inhibit accurate assessment of land surface vegetation dynamics. Here, we propose a new reconstruction procedure that approximates Bayesian time series model by using integrated nested Laplace appr...
Abstract/Overview Fall armyworm (FAW) Spodoptera frugiperda is a devastating pest of over 350 plant species especially the cereal crops such as, maize, sorghum and rice. The pest is currently posing threats to food security in Africa. FAW could be potential animal feed that can supplement chicken feed. However, there is little information on its nutritional profile as poultry feed. The aim of the study was to compare the nutrient content of FAW larvae to other chicken feeds. Proximate ana...
Abstract/Overview Technical efficiency measures the effectiveness of an enterprise given the available resources at disposal and how well it transforms these resources to get maximum output. This study therefore investigated the technical efficiency of cricket, A. domesticus and G. bimaculatus, production at JOOUST cricket farm using parametric approach. Stochastic frontier analysis was used to analyze the data collected from the farm between 2015-2017. Maximum likelihood estimates result...
Abstract/Overview Agricultural production in Kenya has stagnated since 1980s resulting in malnutrition in over 89% of Kenya’s population. Food insecurity has been identified as the prime cause of malnutrition. Low agricultural productivity due to declining soil fertile from poor cropping systems and use of non adapted exotic crop species has worsened this situation. Intercropping offers advantages if well planned including improved soil fertility and yields. Bambara groundnuts have show...