The impact of Iso 9000 certification on TQM implementation process: in the case of Bedele Brewery

Total Quality Management (TQM) is one of the popular modern management concepts with emphasis on quality in the entire organization and extends from supplier to customer. The main purpose of this study is to assess the adoption of TQM elements in 180 9000 certified company in case of Bedele Brewery. In this study Bedele brewery was selected as it has been certified in ISO 9000 Quality management system since 2007. Out of 345 employees' 181 were selected using stratified random sampling and five department heads were included. A total of 143 usable questionnaires were received and the overall response rate was 79 percent. The result of the study shows that the company practiced TQM at a moderate level. Among the elements of TQM; process management, customer focus and supplier relationship implement at a high level. Leadership, employees' participation, education and training, and reward and recognition are implemented at moderate level. However, continuous improvement is practiced at low level. The result indicated that ISO 9000 implementation contributes towards the adoption of Total Quality Management. Even though the company is moderate in practice of TQM activities, it should be do more to implement them at their full extent.Jimma Universit

The Effectiveness of Small and Micro Enterprises Government Support Programs in Case of East Gojjam zone, Ethiopia

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of small and micro enterprises government support programs. Government support program includes loan provision (youth revolving fund), market access, capacity building (training and technical assistance) and working premises. The research method was mainly explanatory. To collect primary data a self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 385 SMEs owner-mangers to examine the effectiveness of support services given by the government. 321 questionnaires properly filled and returned with 83% response rate. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistical tools. The result show that even if the government invested a huge amount of resources on support services/programs it did not achieve intended outcome because of bureaucracy;(a) to get youth revolving fund corruption and collateral requirement are an obstacle (b) working premises(lack of infrastructure: power, road and water, and location is not ease market accesses), incompetency (trainings are not fit with local and sectoral context). Keywords: Small and Micro Enterprise, business development support, effectiveness DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/12-22-04 Publication date:August 31st 202

Developing ultrasensitive and CMOS compatible ISFETs in the BEOL of industrial UTBB FDSOI transistors

Le marché des capteurs a récemment connu une croissance spectaculaire alimentée par l'application remarquable de capteurs dans l'électronique de consommation, l'industrie de l'automatisation, les appareils portables, le secteur automobile et l'internet des objets de plus en plus adopté. La technologie avancée des complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), les technologies de nano et de micro-fabrication et les plateformes de synthèse de matériaux innovantes sont également des moteurs du développement incroyable de l'industrie des capteurs. Ces progrès ont permis la réalisation de capteurs dotés de nombreuses caractéristiques telles que la précision accrue, les dimensions miniaturisées, l’intégrabilité, la production de masse, le coût très réduit et le temps de réponse rapide. Les ion-sensitive field-effect transistors (ISFETs) sont des capteurs à l'état solide (bio) chimiques, destinés à la détection des ions H+ (pH), Na+ et K+. Malgré cela, la commercialisation des ISFETs est encore à ses balbutiements, après près de cinq décennies de recherche et développement. Cela est dû principalement à la sensibilité limitée, à la controverse sur l'utilisation de l'électrode de référence pour le fonctionnement des ISFETs et à des problèmes de stabilité. Dans cette thèse, les ISFETs ultrasensibles et compatibles CMOS sont intégrés dans le BEOL des transistors UTBB FDSOI standard. Un circuit diviseur capacitif est utilisé pour polariser la grille d’avant afin d'assurer des performances stables du capteur. En exploitant la fonction d’amplification intrinsèque fournie par les transistors UTBB FDSOI, nous avons présenté des ISFET ultra sensibles. L'amplification découle du fort couplage électrostatique entre la grille avant et la grille arrière du FDSOI et des capacités asymétriques des deux grilles. Un changement de tension au niveau de la grille avant apparaît sur la grille arrière sous la forme d'un décalage amplifié de la tension. L'amplification, représentée par le facteur de couplage (γ), est égale au rapport de la capacité de l'oxyde de grille et de la capacité de le buried oxide (BOX). Par conséquent, en fonctionnalisant la détection du pH sur la grille avant pour les dispositifs FDSOI, la modification du potentiel de surface sur la grille avant est détectée par la grille arrière et amplifiée du facteur de couplage (γ), donnant lieu à un capteur chimique à l'état solide à sensibilité ultra-élevée. L'intégration de la fonctionnalité de détection a été réalisée en back end of line (BEOL), ce qui offre les avantages d'une fiabilité et d'une durée de vie accrues du capteur, d'une compatibilité avec le processus CMOS standard et d'une possibilité d'intégration d'un circuit diviseur capacitif. Le fonctionnement des MOSFETs, sans une polarisation appropriée de la grille avant, les rend vulnérables aux effets de grilles flottantes indésirables. Le circuit diviseur capacitif résout ce problème en polarisant la grille avant tout enmaintenant la fonctionnalité de détection sur la même grille par un couplage capacitif au métal commun du BEOL. Par conséquent, le potentiel au niveau du métal BEOL est une somme pondérée du potentiel de surface au niveau de la grille de détection et de la polarisation appliquée au niveau de la grille de contrôle. Le capteur proposé est modélisé et simulé à l'aide de TCAD-Sentaurus. Un modèle mathématique complet a été développé. Il fournit la réponse du capteur en fonction du pH de la solution (entrée du capteur) et des paramètres de conception du circuit diviseur capacitif et du transistor UTBB FDSOI. Dans ce cas, des résultats cohérents ont été obtenus des travaux de modélisation et de simulation, avec une sensibilité attendue de 780 mV / pH correspondant à un film de détection ayant une réponse de Nernst. La modélisation et la simulation du capteur proposé ont également été validées par une fabrication et une caractérisation du capteur de pH à grille étendue avec validation de son concept. Ces capteurs ont été développés par un traitement séparé du composant de détection de pH, qui est connecté électriquement au transistor uniquement lors de la caractérisation du capteur. Ceci permet une réalisation plus rapide et plus simple du capteur sans avoir besoin de masques et de motifs par lithographie. Les capteurs à grille étendue ont présenté une sensibilité de 475 mV/pH, ce qui est supérieur aux ISFET de faible puissance de l'état de l’art. Enfin, l’intégration de la fonctionnalité de détection directement dans le BEOL des dispositifs FDSOI UTBB a été poursuivie. Une sensibilité expérimentale de 730 mV/pH a été obtenue, ce qui confirme le modèle mathématique et la réponse simulée. Cette valeur est 12 fois supérieure à la limite de Nernst et supérieure aux capteurs de l'état de l’art. Les capteurs sont également évalués pour la stabilité, la résolution, l'hystérésis et la dérive dans lesquels d'excellentes performances sont démontrées. Une nouvelle architecture de détection du pH est également démontrée avec succès, dans laquelle la détection est fonctionnalisée au niveau de la diode de protection de la grille plutôt que de la grille avant des dispositifs UTBB FDSOI. La commutation de courant abrupte, aussi basse que 9 mV/decade, pourrait potentiellement augmenter la sensibilité de polarisation fixée à 6,6 decade/pH. Nous avons démontré expérimentalement une sensibilité de 1,25 decade/pH supérieure à la sensibilité reportée à l’état de l’art.Abstract: The sensor market has recently seen a dramatic growth fueled by the remarkable application of sensors in the consumer electronics, automation industry, wearable devices, the automotive sector, and in the increasingly adopted internet of things (IoT). The advanced complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology, the nano and micro fabrication technologies, and the innovative material synthesis platforms are also driving forces for the incredible development of the sensor industry. These technological advancements have enabled realization of sensors with characteristic features of increased accuracy, miniaturized dimension, integrability, volume production, highly reduced cost, and fast response time. Ion-sensitive field-effect transistors (ISFETs) are solid state (bio)chemical sensors, for pH (H+), Na+, K+ ion detection, that are equipped with the promise of the highly aspired features of CMOS devices. Despite this, the commercialization of ISFETs is still at the stage of infancy after nearly five decades of research and development. This is due mainly to the limited sensitivity, the controversy over the use of the reference electrode for ISFET operation, and because of stability issues. In this thesis, ultrasensitive and CMOS compatible ISFETs are integrated in the back end of line (BEOL) of standard UTBB FDSOI transistors. A capacitive divider circuit is employed for biasing the front gate for stable performance of the sensor. Exploiting the intrinsic amplification feature provided by UTBB FDSOI transistors, we demonstrated ultrahigh sensitive ISFETs. The amplification arises from the strong electrostatic coupling between the front gate and the back gate of the FDSOI, and the asymmetric capacitances of the two gates. A change in voltage at the front gate appears at the back gate as an amplified shift in voltage. The amplification, referred to as the coupling factor (γ), is equal to the ratio of the gate oxide capacitance and the buried oxide (BOX) capacitance. Therefore, functionalizing the pH sensing at the front gate of FDSOI devices, the change in surface potential at the front gate is detected at the back gate amplified by the coupling factor (γ), giving rise to an ultrahigh-sensitive solid state chemical sensor. Integration of the sensing functionality was made in the BEOL which gives the benefits of increased reliability and life time of the sensor, compatibility with the standard CMOS process, and possibility for embedding a capacitive divider circuit. Operation of the MOSFETs without a proper front gate bias makes them vulnerable for undesired floating body effects. The capacitive divider circuit addresses these issues by biasing the front gate simultaneously with the sensing functionality at the same gate through capacitive coupling to a common BEOL metal. Therefore, the potential at the BEOL metal would be a weighted sum of the surface potential at the sensing gate and the applied bias at the control gate. The proposed sensor is modeled and simulated using TCAD-Sentaurus. A complete mathematical model is developed which provides the output of the sensor as a function of the solution pH (input to the sensor), and the design parameters of the capacitive divider circuit and the UTBB FDSOI transistor. In that case, consistent results have been obtained from the modeling and simulation works, with an expected sensitivity of 780 mV/pH corresponding to a sensing film having Nernst response. The modeling and simulation of the proposed sensor was further validated by a proof of concept extended gate pH sensor fabrication and characterization. These sensors were developed by a separated processing of just the pH sensing component, which is electrically connected to the transistor only during characterization of the sensor. This provides faster and simpler realization of the sensor without the need for masks and patterning by lithography. The extended gate sensors showed 475 mV/pH sensitivity which is superior to state of the art low power ISFETs. Finally, integration of the sensing functionality directly in the BEOL of the UTBB FDSOI devices was pursued. An experimental sensitivity of 730 mV/pH is obtained which is consistent with the mathematical model and the simulated response. This is more than 12-times higher than the Nernst limit, and superior to state of the art sensors. Sensors are also evaluated for stability, resolution, hysteresis, and drift in which excellent performances are demonstrated. A novel pH sensing architecture is also successfully demonstrated in which the detection is functionalized at the gate protection diode rather than the front gate of UTBB FDSOI devices. The abrupt current switching, as low as 9 mV/decade, has the potential to increase the fixed bias sensitivity to 6.6 decade/pH. We experimentally demonstrated a sensitivity of 1.25 decade/pH which is superior to the state of the art sensitivity

Variations in rainfall and extreme event indices in The wettest part of Ethiopia

Changes in daily rainfall indices in the wettest (south-western) part of Ethiopia, commonly referred to as ‘year-round’ rainfall region were examined, by using records from nine stations over the period 1978–2007. Sixteen rainfall and dry spell related indices were defined and analyzed for trends; least squares regression was used to quantify trend and Kendall’s tau test was used to test statistical significance of trend. A complex picture of rainfall variability emerges from the analysis. Only one station (Gore) shows a statistically significant decline. The same station (Gore) shows significant decreasing trends in very wet day (R95p) and extremely wet day (R99p) amounts, whereas another station (Jimma) shows significant increasing trends in these parameters (total rainfall, very wet day and extremely wet day amounts); the other stations show no significant trends in these indices. Two of the stations (Asendabo and Sokoru) show statistically significant increasing trends in the maximum number of consecutive dry days. The results generally support previous studies in Ethiopia that there are no consistent patterns or trends in daily rainfall characteristics or seasonal rainfalls with the additional finding that choice of study stations strongly influences results of trend analysis. This suggests that regional scale conclusions may not be provided by analysis of few selected stations, given the high level of spatial variability at sub-regional scales in Ethiopia

Mathematics teacher educators’ and pre-service teachers’ beliefs about the use of technology in teaching in an African university

This study examines beliefs held by mathematics teacher educators and pre‐service teachers about the usefulness and teacher educators’ belief on ease of use of computers in teaching in an Ethiopian teacher education University. It also identifies teacher educators’ actual practices in using computers in teaching. The study used questionnaires and semi‐structured interviews to collect data from 15 mathematics teacher educators and 42 pre‐service mathematics teachers. The data was subsequently analyzed through the lens of Davis’ (1989) modified Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The TAM approach focuses on how the external domain, such as professional development (PD), and accessibility of technology, influences participants’ beliefs about the usefulness, and ease of use of technology, which in turn impacts their actual use in teaching. The results of this study found that although the participant teacher educators and pre‐service teachers held positive beliefs about the use of computers in teaching, these beliefs were not positively related to the teacher educators’ actual practices. The teacher educators did not often use technology in their teaching. The study identified a number of external factors which may have impeded the teachers’ use of technology, including accessibility and professional development on integrating technology in the classroom

Design-based research in doctoral studies: adding a new dimension to doctoral research

Aim/Purpose We show a new dimension to the process of using design-based research approach in doctoral dissertations. Background Design-based research is a long-term and concentrated approach to educational inquiry. It is often a recommendation that doctoral students should not attempt to adopt this approach for their doctoral dissertations. In this paper, we document two doctoral dissertations that used a design-based research approach in two different contexts. Methodology The study draws on a qualitative analysis of the methodological approaches of two doctoral dissertations through the lenses of Herrington, McKenney, Reeves and Oliver principles of design-based research approach. Contribution The findings of this study add a new dimension to using design-based research approach in doctoral dissertations in shorter-term and less intensive contexts. Findings The results of this study indicate that design-based research is not only an effective methodological approach in doctoral dissertations, but it also has the potential to guide future research direction beyond examination. Recommendations The findings of this study demonstrate that the design-based research approach could bring researchers and practitioners together regarding a common purpose to design context-based solutions to educational problems. for Practitioners. Impact on Society We show an alternative view and application of design-based research in doctoral dissertations. Also, we identify the benefits of this type of research for doctoral students after completing their dissertations

Practices and challenges of activities for successful practical lab work in chemistry at Debre Markos Preparatory School, East Gojjam, Ethiopia

Chemistry is a field of study in which a lot of experimentation is involving. An experiment is a test carried out under controlled conditions to demonstrate a known truth, to examine validity of a hypothesis and to determine the efficacy of something new. Laboratory experience also gives students an opportunity to observe chemical systems and to gather data useful for the development of principles subsequently discussed in the textbook and in class. However, experimental work is a fundamental part of any science course and this is especially true for chemistry courses. It is vital to know that any one in chemistry should be able to conduct practical work effectively. This paper seeks to offer an overview of the current situation in higher education, and explores what might be the aims for today. It also argues that laboratory work in higher education cannot be seen in isolation. For most students it follows school laboratory experiences which are rapidly changing, and has to relate to material taught in lectures and tutorials. But, learning chemistry by doing practical work at Debre Markos higher education preparatory secondary school is not organized in such a way. So, the researcher needs to conduct this study to explore all things that are happening there. The study employed in both qualitative and quantitative research approaches. The researcher used descriptive research strategy and data were collected by using questionnaire, interview, document analysis, FGD and observation. The sample size of this study is 221; 212 students and 8 teachers, the school administrator and the delegated lab technician were also considered. It was analyzed by percentage, mean value, t-test and one-way ANOVA by SPSS program version 20. The main challenges of DMHEPSS practical works were lack of teachers’ interest and carelessness, lack of wise school administrator, lack of professional lab technician, lack of conducive lab environment were the main challenges that the researcher was discovered. Therefore; motivating and encouraging teachers, training teachers, creating awareness of students on practical works, employing professional lab technician and improving the attitudes of school administrator were solutions to be taken there

CLIENTS’ SATISFACTION WITH ANTI RETROVIRAL THERAPY SERVICES AT JIMMA UNIVERSITY SPECIALIZED HOSPITAL

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Measuring mathematics teacher educators' knowledge of technology integrated teaching: instrument development

This study describes the contruction of a questionaire instrument to measure mathematics teacher educators' knowledge for technology intregrated mathematics teaching. The study was founded on a reconceptualisation of the generic Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge framework in the specific context of mathematics teaching. Steps in the development of the questionaire were; consideration of the context in which the questionaire would be used, comparison of proposed items with an existing instrument, expert review, and pilot testing. The process described provides a model for other researchers interested in adapting generic tools for mathematics specific use

Prevalence of Shigella, Salmonella and Cmpylobacter Species and Their Susceptibility Patters Among Under Five Children With Diarrhea in Hawassa Town, South Ethiopia

Background: Diarrhea is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in under-five children in developing countries including Ethiopia. Therefore, up-to-date data on etiologic agent and susceptibility pattern are important for the management of bacterial diarrhea in under-five children, which was the main objective of this study.Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Hawassa Adare Hospital and Millennium Health Center from June 6 to October 28, 2011. A total of 158 under-five children with diarrhea were selected using convenient sampling technique. Demographic and clinical data were collected using questionnaire. Fecal samples were collected and processed for bacterial isolation, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing following standard bacteriological techniques.Results: A total of 158 fecal samples were collected from 81(51.3%) males and 77(48.7%) females of underfive children with diarrhea. Of the 158 fecal samples, 35(22.2%) bacterial pathogens were isolated. The isolated bacteria were Campylobacter species, 20 (12.7%), Shigella species, 11 (7.0%), and Salmonella species, 4 (2.5%). The majority of the isolates were sensitive to Chloramphenicol, Ciprofloxacin, Nalidixic acid and Cotrimoxazol and high rate of drug resistance was observed against Erythromycin and Amoxicillin.Conclusions: The finding of this study indicates that Campylobacter species were the predominant etiologies and the presence of bacterial isolates resistant to the commonly prescribed drugs for treating diarrhea in children. Therefore, periodic monitoring of etiologic agent with their drug resistant pattern is essential in the management of diarrhea in children.Keywords: Diarrhea, Bacterial pathogen, Antimicrobial drugs, Under-five children, Hawassa, Ethiopi