Digital Commons Network^™

From Best Fit Technologies To Best Fit Scaling: Incorporating And Evaluating Factors Affecting The Adoption Of Grain Legumes In Sub-Saharan Africa, Andrew Farrow, Esther Ronner, Greta J. Van Den Brand, Stephen K. Boahen, Wilson Leonardo, Endalkachew Wolde-Meskel, Samuel Adjei-Nsiah, Regis Chikowo, Fredrick Baijukya, Peter Ebanyat, Emmanuel A. Sangodele, Jean Marie Sanginga, Speciose Kantengwa, Lloyd Phiphira, Paul Woomer, Theresa Ampadu-Boakye, Edward Baars, Fred Kanampiu, Bernard Vanlauwe, Kenneth E. Giller

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The success of scaling out depends on a clear understanding of the factors that affect adoption of grain legumes and account for the dynamism of those factors across heterogeneous contexts of sub-Saharan Africa. We reviewed literature on adoption of grain legumes and other technologies in sub-Saharan Africa and other developing countries. Our review enabled us to define broad factors affecting different components of the scaling out programme of N2Africa and the scales at which those factors were important. We identified three strategies for managing those factors in the N2Africa scaling out programme: (i) testing different technologies and practices; (ii) evaluating …

Unexpected Diversity Of Wolbachia Associated With Bactrocera Dorsalis (Diptera: Tephritidae) In Africa, Joseph Gichuhi, Fathiya M. Khamis, Johnnie Van Den Berg, Sunday Ekesi, Jeremy K. Herren

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) is an important pest of fruit-bearing plants in many countries worldwide. In Africa, this pest has spread rapidly and has become widely established since the first invasion report in 2003. Wolbachia is a vertically transmitted endosymbiont that can significantly influence aspects of the biology and, in particular, the reproduction of its host. In this study, we screened B. dorsalis specimens collected from several locations in Africa between 2005 and 2017 for Wolbachia using a PCR-based assay to target the Wolbachia surface protein wsp. Of the 357 individuals tested, 10 were positive for Wolbachia using the wsp assay. …

School Constituents’ Ratings Of The Leadership Dimensions Of High-Performing Principals Based On School Regions, Disraeli M. Hutton

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

The study seeks to determine school constituents’ ratings of the leadership dimensions of high-performing principals based on the regional location of schools. The application, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), generated four dimensions or factors based eight categories of performance: Personal Philosophies and Abilities, Leadership and Management, Student Support Systems, and School-Community Support and Relationship. The one way ANOVA between groups test showed that there were differences between the six regions on all four dimensions but they were very weak, thus suggesting a tendency towards similarities in the ratings of four performance areas of related to high-performing principals on a regional basis

Strategies And Challenges For Marketing Electronic Resources: A Cross-Sectional Study Of The Mwalimu Nyerere Memorial Academy, Christian Mubofu

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study examined the strategies and challenges for marketing electronic resources at the Mwalimu Nyerere Memorial Academy. It was conducted at Kivukoni Campus in Dar es Salaam region. Data were collected from 60 students and MNMA library staff using self-administered questionnaires and in depth interviews. The study established that the strategies used for marketing electronic resources were: notice boards, librarians, instructional website, orientation to new users, library home page, institutional newsletters, text messages, social networks, Current Awareness Services and Selective Dissemination of Information as well as posters and brochures while the challenges for marketing of electronic resources to the library …

Awareness, Accessibility And Factors Hindering Utilization E-Journals At The Institute Of Finance Management, Tanzania, Christian Michael Mubofu

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study focused on the awareness, accessibility and factors hindering the utilization of e-journals at the Institute of Finance Management. Specifically the study sought to identify the level of awareness, accessibility and factors affecting students and academic staff in utilizing the e-journals. To achieve these objectives the study employed mixed method research designs in which in-depth interviews and questionnaire were used to collect data from a sample of 141respondents i.e. 100 students and 41 academic staff. The surveyed data has been analysed by using SPSS (20.0) and content analysis for quantitative and qualitative data has been undertaken respectively. Table presentations …

Trends In Collection & Collection Development Practices In University Libraries With A Particular Reference To India And Other Developing Countries: A Review Of Literature, Sumaira Jan, Shabir Ahmad Ganiae

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Abstract

Purpose – The paper intends to investigate and ascertain the contributions to the literature available about trends Collection & Collection Development Practices in University libraries.

Design/methodology/approach – A deep scan of literature was conducted to find substantial works that have been published regarding various facets related to Collection Development Practices in University libraries. In this regard diverse search terms like “Collection”, “Collection Development”, “Collection Management”, “Collection Development in University Libraries”, “Collection Development Polices”, “User need Assessment”, “Selection of information resources”, “Evaluation of collection” etc. were used for retrieving the literature from a variety of sources viz; books, print journals, …

Use Of Electronic Resources By Science Faculty And Researchers In Selected North Indian Universities, Anil Kumar Siwach, Satish Kumar Malik

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study investigates the use of electronic resources by the science faculty and research scholars in five universities of North India. Survey method was employed and the data was collected using a comprehensive questionnaire. The results obtained from 668 respondents indicated that the usage was highest for e-journals in comparison to other e-resources. Preference is given to search engines in finding information which is chiefly used for research and related purposes. The use of advanced search strategies like Boolean, proximity, wildcards and truncation was found to be low. Science Direct, Springer Link, Taylor & Francis and Wiley Blackwell were the …

Percieved Impact Of Newspaper Usage On Academic Performance Of Students Of Federal University Of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benedict Okike, Esther W. Oyeniyi

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This paper examines the perceived impact of newspaper usage among University of Agriculture, Makurdi students and its impact on their academic performance. The overall objective is to assess the level of newspaper usage and students’ perception on the availability and accessibility of newspaper in the library. This study also highlights some of the challenges students face in using newspapers and proffer workable solutions. The population was made up of 150 students of University of Agriculture, Makurdi, comprising of undergraduates and postgraduates. The survey research method was adopted. The respondents were selected through random sampling of registered users the library at …

Perceptions And Experiences Of Skilled Birth Attendants On Using A Newly Developed Strap-On Electronic Fetal Heart Rate Monitor In Tanzania, Sara Rivenes Lafontan, Hussein Kidanto, Hege L. Ersdal, Columba Mbekenga, Johanne Sundby

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Background: Regular fetal heart rate monitoring during labor can drastically reduce fresh stillbirths and neonatal mortality through early detection and management of fetal distress. Fetal monitoring in low-resource settings is often inadequate. An electronic strap-on fetal heart rate monitor called Moyo was introduced in Tanzania to improve intrapartum fetal heart rate monitoring. There is limited knowledge about how skilled birth attendants in low-resource settings perceive using new technology in routine labor care. This study aimed to explore the attitude and perceptions of skilled birth attendants using Moyo in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Methods: A qualitative design was used to collect …

Magnitude Of Screening For Gestational Diabetes Mellitus In An Urban Setting In Tanzania, Akampa Mukuve

Master of Medicine in Family Medicine

Background: Medical screening detects risk factors for disease or presence of disease in otherwise well persons in order to intervene early and reduce morbidity and mortality. During pregnancy it is important to detect conditions which may harm the mother and fetus during antenatal care (ANC). Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is one such condition which causes adverse effects during pregnancy, acutely and in the long term. There is lack of consensus on uniform screening and diagnostic guidelines for GDM both internationally and locally. Furthermore, there is evidence that recommendations in antenatal care guidelines are not routinely performed by health care providers …

Complementary Feeding Practices And Their Determinants In Infants And Young Children On Follow Up At A Private Tertiary Hospital In Nairobi, Catherine Muthoni

Master of Medicine in Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: More than a third of all deaths in children under five years of age worldwide, are linked to maternal and child under-nutrition. Appropriate complementary feeding is one of the interventions with the greatest potential for reduction of nutrition-related diseases and mortalities, yet uptake of the recommended World Health Organisation (WHO) infant and young child feeding practices in Kenya remains low. Despite provision of nutrition education at Aga Khan University Hospital- Nairobi (AKUH-N), both growth faltering and over-weight trends have been observed, pointing to both under- and over-nutrition. Objectives: This study investigated caregivers' knowledge , attitude and practice (KAP) of …

Data Visualization Of Treatment Outcomes For Tuberculosis Patients, Joy Jenkins

Industrial Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease, and different treatments have been discovered over the years. However, patients may develop various drug resistance levels that affect the likelihood of becoming cured or dying. In this study, we sought to employ data visualization to explore the relationship between treatment trajectory, as indicated by smear and culture results in the follow-up tests and patient outcomes. A large sample of patients have been broken down by demographics including age, gender, and drug resistance status. Sankey diagrams were used to visualize the pathway progression of the patients over time split between two time periods- months 0-6 …

Mobile Money And Socioeconomic Development: A Cross-Country Investigation In Sub-Saharan Africa, Wenxiu Vince Nan

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Over the past decade, mobile money, as a disruptive financial services innovation, has been widely adopted in Sub-Saharan Africa where the majority of population was financially excluded. Despite the transformative role of mobile money, the macro-level socioeconomic implications have been weakly examined so far. To fill the research gap, this paper explores the theoretical and empirical links between mobile money and socioeconomic development. Drawing on the theory of technology affordances and the emerging mobile money literature, this paper argues that mobile money, when adopted on a massive scale, has the potential to lead to socioeconomic development at the societal level. …

Reprocessing Protocol Validation For Medical Devices Used In Low-Resource Settings, Sarah Zemitis

All Theses

The World Health Organization acknowledges that single-use medical devices (SUDs) are commonly reprocessed and reused beyond their intended life to deliver patient care in low-resource settings. SUDs originally intended for use on one patient for one procedure are “reprocessed” in such cases, which involves cleaning, disinfection or sterilization, and functional testing before they are reused in hospitals. Studies have shown that reuse of SUDs in countries where reprocessing is unregulated can be safe if stringent standard operating procedures are followed.

The broad objective of this thesis was to validate a reprocessing protocol for the bag-valve-mask (BVM), a single-use device commonly …

The Migration Of Indians To Eastern Africa: A Case Study Of The Ismaili Community, 1866-1966, Azizeddin Tejpar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Much of the Ismaili settlement in Eastern Africa, together with several other immigrant communities of Indian origin, took place in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth centuries. This thesis argues that the primary mover of the migration were the edicts, or Farmans, of the Ismaili spiritual leader. They were instrumental in motivating Ismailis to go to East Africa. Although there were other Indian groups from the general geographical area of Western Indian and Gujarat who also migrated to East Africa, the crucial factor in the migration of Ismailis were the edicts or Farmans of the Imams. My thesis argues …

Modeling Driver-Pedestrian-Infrastructure Interactions At Signalized Midblock Crosswalks, Boniphace Kutela

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Cities and metropolitan areas are increasingly facilitating pedestrians’ movement by the provision of pedestrian walking facilities. As pedestrian traffic increases, the risk of crash involvement increases, especially at midblock locations, where pedestrians are exposed to unsafe interactions with vehicular traffic. To improve pedestrians’ safety at midblock locations, various countermeasures are provided, which include signalized crosswalks. Several studies have analyzed driver-pedestrian interactions, as well as pedestrian-infrastructure interactions at signalized midblock crosswalks. However, more in-depth studies are necessary, due to shortfalls of study assumptions, which have led to the application of improper statistical models, as seen in the literature. Improved models are …

Wes Jackson And The Land Institute: Relevancy Within Sustainable Agriculture, Darren Knapp

Proceedings of GREAT Day

For the past 10,000 years agriculture has allowed the human population to grow, expand, and create civilizations that historians look back upon with awe. However, the recent industrialization of agriculture has had severe effects on nature, our society, and the farmer himself. Wes Jackson and his fellow researchers at the Land Institute in Salina, Kansas have been developing for the past 30 years a form of sustainable agriculture that they hope will revolutionize the way humans produce food. Through the cultivation and harvesting of perennial polycultures, this form of food production allows humans to work with nature as opposed to …

Native Americans And The Environment: From Stereotypes To Renewable Energy, Jonathan Hoose

Proceedings of GREAT Day

I have looked at stereotypes regarding Native Americans and the environment and how those stereotypes can prove detrimental to Native Americans. One of the main reasons for this is because it removes the focus from many of the serious environmental problems that Native Americans have dealt with and continue to deal with in the United States and Canada. I have focused my research on environmental problems that many Native American communities have dealt with and are dealing with, such as uranium mining and pollution concerns. I have also researched green and renewable energy creation projects that are occurring on Native …

Immanuel Kant, John Hick, And The “Soul-Making”Theodicy, Gian Martinelli

Proceedings of GREAT Day

In his “Lectures on the Philosophical Doctrine of Religion,” Immanuel Kant considers and attempts to solve the problem of evil by combining several of the traditional theodicies. He focuses particularly on adherence to the moral law in order to work toward being worthy of happiness. For Kant, the fact that happiness becomes a labor toward peacefulness becomes a sort of indicator of God’s goodness. This strongly resembles John Hick’s “soul- making” theodicy. Hick claims that humans must deal with evil in this world in order to become stronger and more suitable for a union with God in the afterlife. In …

Black Slave Gender Roles: How They Were Changed By Emancipation, Caile Morris

Proceedings of GREAT Day

Slavery created a unique situation for those who were bound under it; the lives of African Americans were vastly different from those of their white counterparts. This situation created the opportunity for slave women to be equal if not superior in status to slave men. While all slaves worked in the fields during the day, women were also held to certain domestic responsibilities by night which gave them a wider base of experience than the men possessed. This idea that the slave community on Southern plantations may have been either gender neutral or matriarchal is very intriguing and points to …

Post-Conflict Democritization: Rwanda’S Illiberal Democracy, Alexander Berberich

Proceedings of GREAT Day

In a post-civil war setting, those in power often argue there is a choice between liberal democracy and stability. Does this trade-off actually exist? Should democratic elections be the priority for a state recovering from a civil war, or does running elections carry the risk of revived political violence? If liberalization takes a back seat to stability, how long can a ruling party continue to maintain a closed system before outsiders become radicalized, once again putting stability at risk? Should development organizations view elections as the primary feature of democracy, or is there a broader notion of democracy that must …

A French Film Study: Les Parapluies De Cherbourg, Hannah Huhr

Proceedings of GREAT Day

The presentation will detail several aspects of the French film, including the biography of the film director, the plot of the film, historical context, and personal analysis

My Husband Will Love Me More If I Give Birth To More Children: Rural Women’S Perceptions And Beliefs On Family Planning Services Utilization In A Low Resource Setting, Agnes Msoka, Eunice Pallangyo, Sharon Brownie, Eleanor Holroyd

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Introduction: Responsibility for family planning in low resource settings is almost solely delegated to women, with very low male involvement. This study investigated rural Tanzanian women’s perceptions and cultural beliefs of the barriers to family planning services utilization.

Methods: This study used a qualitative descriptive approach drawing on four group discussions with 20 purposively selected married women with two or more children. The study followed COREQ guidelines for reporting qualitative studies. Data were collected from participants at four health facilities in Bagamoyo and Kisarawe districts in Pwani, Tanzania.

Results: Participants’ occupations included housewives, small-scale farmers, and entrepreneurs. Most women were …

Maternal Health In Eastern Tanzania: Antenatal, Delivery And Postnatal Care, Christina Sego

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The purpose of this study is to evaluate maternal health conditions in eastern Tanzania and identify areas and conditions for improvement of healthcare. Tanzania is ranked 27th highest country in maternal mortality in the world (The World Factbook: Tanzania, 2018). Maternal health is an ongoing challenge Tanzania is facing as a country. This experiment was designed to identity areas of service in the district hospital setting that could advance quality of care. This study was conducted in Sinza Palestina Hospital, a district hospital on the outskirts of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Data was collected in the form of observation, interviews …

Evaluating The Impact Of Feed Supplementation On Productive And Reproductive Efficiency In Smallholder Dairy Cattle In Arusha, Tanzania, Hayley Hall

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study was performed to determine if supplementing concentrates and/or minerals significantly affect productive and reproductive efficiency in smallholder dairy cattle in Arusha, Tanzania. The goal was to estimate the necessity and effectiveness of supplementing a forage diet on production and reproduction. Data was collected through interviews of small scale dairy cattle owners in nine regions within and around Arusha. Productive efficiency was measured by milk yield per cow per day. Reproductive efficiency was evaluated by the amount of time to heat resumption after calving and reproductive disease status. This was studied because determining the factors that improve the efficiency …

Understanding Sub-Saharan African Learners Informal Learning Using Mobile Devices: A Case Of Tanzania, Laban Bagui, Samwel Dick Mwapwele

The African Journal of Information Systems

In this era of pervasive computing and the Internet, learners everywhere connect and reconnect to knowledge away from classrooms, via mobile devices and their Mobile Instant Messaging platforms (MIMs). Still, many sub-Saharan African educators continue to confine these platforms to recreational activities. There is lack therefore of knowledge about how learners from sub-Saharan Africa perform such informal and experiential learning. This paper presents a case study of Tanzanian learners learning in informal settings using their mobile devices and MIMs. It deploys the rhizomatic learning theory with the aim of understanding how such learning occurs. Findings suggest that learners use mobile …

Contextual Design Choices And Partnerships For Scaling Early Child Development Programmes, Kate M. Milner, Raquel Bernal Salazar, Sunil Bhopal, Alexandra Brentani, Pia Rebello Britto, Tarun Dua, Melissa Gladstone, Esther Goh, Jena Hamadani, Muneera Rasheed

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Translating the Nurturing Care Framework and unprecedented global policy support for early child development (ECD) into action requires evidence-informed guidance about how to implement ECD programmes at national and regional scale. We completed a literature review and participatory mixed-method evaluation of projects in Saving Brains®, Grand Challenges Canada® funded ECD portfolio across 23 low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Using an adapted programme cycle, findings from evaluation related to partnerships and leadership, situational analyses, and design for scaling ECD were considered. 39 projects (5 'Transition to Scale' and 34 'Seed') were evaluated. 63% were delivered through health and 84% focused on …

A Key Note On Performance Of Smoothing Parameterizations In Kernel Density Estimation, Israel U. Siloko, Osayomore Ikpotokin, Edith A. Siloko

Tanzania Journal of Science

The univariate kernel density estimator requires one smoothing parameter while the bivariate and other higher dimensional kernel density estimatorsdemand more than one smoothing parameter depending on the form of smoothing parameterizations used. The smoothing parameters of the higher dimensional kernels are presented in a matrix form called the smoothing matrix. The two forms of parameterizations frequently used in higher dimensional kernel estimators are diagonal or constrained parameterization and full or unconstrained parameterization. While thefull parameterization has no restrictions, the diagonal hassome form of restrictions.Thestudyinvestigates the performance of smoothing parameterizations of bivariate kernel estimator using asymptotic mean integrated squared error aserror …

Agro-Morphological Characterization Of The Wild Rice (Oryza Longistaminata) Populations From Selected Areas Of Tanzania, Hashim M. Mangosongo, Herbert V. Lyaruu, Emmarold E. Mneney

Tanzania Journal of Science

The study assessed the variations in ten agro-morphological characters among and within the wild rice (O. longistaminata) populations from four selected areas, namely Bagamoyo, Kibaha, Kilombero and Mbarali in Tanzania. The study was carried out through measurement of ten quantitative agro-morphological characters, based on morphological descriptors for wild and cultivated rice species developed by Bioversity International and International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). Measurement of morphological characters of O. longistaminata plants was done soon after heading. One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the variations in quantitative characters between O. longistaminata populations from the four study areas. The results …

Determination Of Radiation Doses To Patients Undergoing Fluoroscopically Guided Orthopaedic Procedures At Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute In Tanzania, Jacob Busumabu, Ismael N. Makundi, Justin E. Ngaile

Tanzania Journal of Science

The aim of the present study was to determine the magnitude of radiation doses delivered to patients undergoing Fluoroscopically Guided Orthopaedic Procedures (FGOP’s) in Tanzania. The air Kerma Area Product (KAP), fluoroscopy time, organ dose and effective dose to patients undergoing FGOP’s were obtained from Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute. A total of 72 adult patients from selected three FGOPs namely Lumbar Spine (LS), Dynamic Hip Screw (DHS) and Thoracic Spine (TS) procedures were investigated using C-arm fluoroscopy machine. The knowledge of patient demographic data, radiographic data, KAP and Monte Carlo-based PCXMC software were used to obtain the magnitude of organ doses …