Life sciences and Bio-engineering
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Life Sciences are among the most exciting areas of biological research, comprising all fields of science that involve the study of living organisms: plants, animals, human beings and microorganisms. Biology, plant and animal ecology, agriculture and medicine are the main centerpieces of the life sciences. Modern research employing molecular biology and biotechnology has extended the life sciences to diverse specializations, with real-life applications in health, agriculture, ecology as well as in bio-industries.
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Epidemiology of Q-fever in domestic ruminants and humans in Africa. A systematic review
(CABI One Health, 2022-11-17)Q-fever is a zoonotic infectious disease caused by the gram-negative, intracellular, spore-forming bacterium Coxiella burnetii . Infected ruminants (cattle, sheep, and goats) are the reservoirs of the pathogen and thus ... -
Seroprevalence and Risk Factors for Q fever (Coxiella burnetii) Exposure in Smallholder Dairy Cattle in Tanzania
(MDPI, 2022-11-28)Q fever is a zoonotic disease, resulting from infection with Coxiella burnetii. Infection in cattle can cause abortion and infertility, however, there is little epidemiological information regarding the disease in dairy ... -
Impact of N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) on Tuberculosis (TB) Patients—A Systematic Review
(MDPI, 2022-11-21)Sustained TB infection overproduces reactive oxygen species (ROS) as a host defense mechanism. Research shows ROS is destructive to lung tissue. Glutathione (GSH) neutralizes ROS, although it is consumed. NAC is a precursor ... -
Performance of Tuberculosis Molecular Bacterial Load Assay Compared to Alere TB-LAM in Urine of Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients with HIV Co-Infections
(MDPI, 2023-02-23)Alternative tools are needed to improve the detection of M. tuberculosis (M. tb) in HIV co-infections. We evaluated the utility of Tuberculosis Molecular Bacterial Load Assay (TB-MBLA) compared to lipoarabinomannan (LAM) ... -
Cultivation of Tomato under Dehydration and Salinity Stress: Unravelling the Physiology and Alternative Tolerance Options
(IntechOpen, 2022-07-21)Tomato is an important fruit vegetable in the world, as a nutritional source and an income option for a majority of resource constrained households. However, tomato supply in developing countries is often fluctuating, with ... -
Characterization of Secondary Metabolites Responsible for the Resistance of Local Tomato Accessions to Whitefly (Bemisia tabaci, Gennadius 1889) Hemiptera in Tanzania
(MDPI, 2022-11-15)Plants have developed mechanisms to cope with stresses in their environments as they grow in diverse settings. Such means include releasing plant defense compounds upon attacks by pests or other stressors. Plants with these ... -
Identifying the right plants for diverse biocontrol agents in tropical smallholder bean farming systems
(African Journals OnLine (AJOL), 2022-10-20)Biocontrol agents such as predators, parasitoids and pathogens potentially regulate crop pests populations. The agents feed directly on the pests, oviposit in the pest body or cause disease in the pest. While biocontrol ... -
Comparative Assessment of UAV and Sentinel-2 NDVI and GNDVI for Preliminary Diagnosis of Habitat Conditions in Burunge Wildlife Management Area, Tanzania
(MDPI, 2022-06-28)Habitat condition is a vital ecological attribute in wildlife conservation and management in protected areas, including the Burunge wildlife management areas in Tanzania. Traditional techniques, including satellite remote ... -
Plant-Rich Field Margins Influence Natural Predators of Aphids More Than Intercropping in Common Bean
(MDPI, 2022-06-23)Field margins support important ecosystem services including natural pest regulation. We investigated the influence of field margins on the spatial and temporal distribution of natural enemies (NEs) of bean pests in ... -
Characterization of Farmer’s knowledge and management practices of papaya mealybug Paracoccus magnatus (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) in Tanzania
(Elsevier, 2022-02-22)Papaya mealybug (PMB) is a serious insect pest for papaya production in Sub-Saharan Africa, limiting production potential in farming communities. We did a household survey to evaluate the Characteristics of farmers' ... -
Soybean-Nodulating Rhizobia: Ecology, Characterization, Diversity, and Growth Promoting Functions
(Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 2022-04-14)The worldwide increase in population continues to threaten the sustainability of agricultural systems since agricultural output must be optimized to meet the global rise in food demand. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is among ... -
Towards sustainability: Threat of water quality degradation and eutrophication in Usangu agro-ecosystem Tanzania
(Elsevier, 2022-08-01)The agrochemicals and nutrient losses from farming areas such as paddy farming significantly dictate quality and eutrophication of the freshwater resource. However, how farming and land use pattern affect water qualities ... -
Building sustainable societies through vertical soilless farming: A cost-effectiveness analysis on a small-scale non-greenhouse hydroponic system
(Elsevier, 2022-08)The growing rate of population and urbanization among African cities versus the reducing arable land has roused curiosity in soilless farming as an urban farming method to enhance food security and urban sustainability. ... -
Field Margin Plants Support Natural Enemies in Sub-Saharan Africa Smallholder Common Bean Farming Systems
(MDPI, 2022-03-28)Flower-rich field margins provide habitats and food resources for natural enemies of pests (NEs), but their potential, particularly in the tropics and on smallholder farms, is poorly understood. We surveyed field margins ... -
The diversity of aphid parasitoids in East Africa and implications for biological control
(Wiley Online Library, 2021-11-18)BACKGROUND Hymenopteran parasitoids provide key natural pest regulation services and are reared commercially as biological control agents. Therefore, understanding parasitoid community composition in natural populations ... -
Antifungal Activities of Some Medicinal Plants Against Colletotrichum lindemuthianum, the Causal Pathogen of Bean Anthracnose, and their Effect on Seed Germination and Seedling Performance
(Centre for Advancement of Applied Sciences, 2022-12-12)This study evaluated the in vitro potency of Plectranthus barbatus, Vernonia amygdalina, Conyza bonariensis, Leonotis nepetifolia, and Lantana camara extracts against Colletotrichum lindemuthianum, the causal pathogen of ... -
A simplified non-greenhouse hydroponic system for small-scale soilless urban vegetable farming
(Elsevier, 2022-10-09)Majority of under-developed countries continue to face a challenge of food insecurity around urban areas resulting from factors such as; limited access to arable land. This study aimed at developing a simplified low-tech ... -
Farmers’ Participatory Plant Selection of Lablab (Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet) in Tanzania
(Frontiers in Plant Science, 2022-06-23)Farmer-participatory breeding approach is an important component in the crop improvement of lablab (Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet). The study was carried out to obtain the knowledge, practices and preferences of lablab ... -
Can soilless farming feed urban East Africa? An assessment of the benefits and challenges of hydroponics in Uganda and Tanzania
(Elsevier, 2022-01)East Africa has the potential to boost its urban food production through adoption of soilless farming techniques. The case study assessed the benefits and drawbacks allied with hydroponic vegetable farming among urban and ... -
Biopesticide efficacy of four plant essential oils against papaya mealybug, Paracoccus marginatus Williams and Granara de Willink (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae)
(Heliyon, 2023-03-01)Worldwide, P. marginatus causes 75% of estimated economic loss in papaya farming, with an increase in production costs. The extract of plant essential oils (PEO) has the potential to control P. marginatus by degrading ...
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