Numerical simulation of baseflow modification due to effects of sediment yield

Alluvial rivers re-shape their own geometry by depositing sediments or eroding the channel when their dynamic equilibrium is disturbed. Such adjustments may induce river-bed and water-level profiles that have significant effects on the interaction of streams and aquifers that are connected hydraulically. Physically-based mathematical modelling affords the opportunity to look at this kind of interaction, which should be simulated by deterministic responses of both water and fluvial processes. In addition to simulating the streamflow and groundwater dynamics, the model should also be capable of tracking down the level of the coupling interface boundary. A procedure for modelling alluvial stream-aquifer interaction - MASAI - has been developed to enable the coupling of unstable alluvial stream-aquifer interacting systems. Application of MASAI to hypothetical alluvial stream-aquifer systems reveals the complex relationships between individual elements of the systems, and highlights the influence of sediment yield on baseflow. WaterSA Vol.27(2) 2001: 205-21

Unknown Exception Handling Tool Using Humans as Agents

In a typical workflow process, exceptions are the norm. Exceptions are defined as deviations from the normal sequence of activities and events. Exceptions can be divided into two broad categories: known exceptions (i.e., expected and predefined deviations) and unknown exceptions (i.e., unexpected and undefined deviations). Business Process Execution Language (BPEL) has become the de facto standard for executing business workflows with the use of web services. BPEL includes exception handling methods that are sufficient for known exception scenarios. Depending on the exception and the specifics of the exception handling tools, processes may either halt or move to completion. Instances of processes that are halted or left incomplete due to unhandled exceptions affect the performance of the workflow process, as they increase resource utilization and process completion time. However, designing efficient process handlers to avoid the issue of unhandled exceptions is not a simple task. This thesis provides a tool that handles unknown exceptions using provisions for exception handling with the involvement of human activities by using the BPEL4PEOPLE specification. BPEL4PEOPLE, an extension of BPEL, offers the ability to specify human activities within BPEL processes. The approach considered in this thesis involves humans in exception handling tools by providing an alternate sub process within a given business process. A prototype application has been developed implementing the tool that handles unknown exceptions. The prototype application monitors the progress of an automated workflow process and permits human involvement to reroute the course of a workflow process when an unknown exception occurs. The utility of the prototype and the tool using the Scenario Walkthrough and Inspection Methods (SWIMs) are demonstrated. We demonstrate the utility of the tool through loan application process scenarios, and offer a walkthrough of the system by using examples of instances with examples of known and unknown exceptions, as well as a claims analysis of process instances results

Agricultural improvement? Persistence and change in agricultural development ideas and farmers' responses in Kilombero Valley, Tanzania (1900-2015)

The Kilombero valley in south-central Tanzania has undergone a series of agricultural development experiments since German colonialism. These experiments have largely failed to meet their goals of increasing production and quality of agricultural products. However, experiments similar to earlier ventures are still being implemented in the valley today under the auspices of the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT). This raises one central question: why, despite the failures of earlier strategies, have similar recipes for agricultural development persisted in the valley? I approach this question by analyzing the discourses and practices of agricultural development in the valley since the German colonial time. Following the footsteps of post-developmentalists like Ferguson (1990) and Li (2005) I ask what these agricultural development strategies have done in the valley such that they are replicated over time. A focus on discourses and policies allows conceiving agricultural development projects as having certain effects, which give their strategies persistence. I furthermore investigate how the recipients of the agricultural development projects in the valley perceive such initiatives and how they respond to them. Previous research in the valley (e.g. Monson, 1995) and research elsewhere on development topics (see for instance Li, 2005; Venkatesan and Yarrow, 2014) have shown that people either resist or comply with such initiatives. However, it is necessary to examine the nature and effects of such responses as well. For if recipients “resist” a development project, what is the nature of such resistance? Does it lead to modifying the development strategy? Does it intensify it, or lead to a complete overhaul? And if recipients comply, how does compliance affect policy and practice? I, therefore, analyze the history of agricultural development in the valley, considering colonial and post-colonial policies and the diverse actors that attempted to improve its agricultural production. In so doing, I examine the consequences of these policies and the outcomes of different actions in shaping the agricultural development landscape in the valley. However, considering the state of agriculture in the valley, this book can be read in two ways: on the one hand, as an exploration of the history of agricultural development in Kilombero Valley and on the other, as a critique of the development experiments that continue to reappear in new forms

Ethical Issues in Translational Research: From the Bench to Theatre

No Abstrac

Environmental Scanning in Teacher Education: The Practice in Higher Education in Kenya

Strategic teacher education is a crucial factor of development today that needs diverse initiatives to sustain it. This owes to the fact that education serves a dynamic society, hence the need to keep up with the changing realities to meet the changing needs of society. Educational institutions therefore need to respond appropriately to changes in their environment if they are to remain relevant, viable and valuable entities. This underscores the need for environmental scanning, a process through which educational institutions identify the needs, changes, and challenges characteristic of the environment in which the graduate teacher will work and understand how the impact of these affects an institution’s teacher preparation strategies.  This enables an institution to develop contingency plans and actions which reduce the response time needed to address an environmental opportunity or threat. However, a study carried out in selected Kenyan universities engaged in teacher education points at failure by these institutions to carry out clear process of environmental scanning. This paper presents the findings of a study investigating the practice of environmental scanning as an element of responsiveness in teacher education in higher education.  The objectives of the study were to: determine the pattern of flow of information from selected stakeholders to teacher education universities; determine the extent of flow of information from selected stakeholders to teacher education universities; establish the factors influencing the flow of information from selected stakeholders to teacher education universities; establish the key elements teacher education universities focus on while carrying out environmental scanning, and identify the challenges teacher education universities face in carrying out environmental scanning. Upon presenting the findings which point at lack of clear policy in environmental scanning by Kenyan universities, this paper makes recommendations both at research-specific action and future research orientation.  This is done with a view to making teacher education more effective by establishing synergy among stakeholders at local, regional, and global levels. Key words:  teacher education, responsiveness, feedback, feed forward and environmental scannin

Responsible conduct of research: enhancing local opportunities

Introduction: Research integrity is the foundation of credible research and a pre-requisite for a successful academic research environment. Lately, a lot of revelations of fraud and other unacceptable behaviour in research have been highly publicized in scientific journals and mass media. Whereas institutions in developed countries have developed guidelines and regulations to ensure responsible conduct of research and appropriately deal with cases of research misconduct, low- and middle-income countries seem to be lagging behind. In Uganda, there seems to be lack of coordinated efforts to address the problem of research misconduct both at the national and institutional level.Objective: To propose a framework for fostering scientific integrity and deterring misconduct in research in Ugandan research and academic institutions.Methods: A review of literature on scientific integrity, scientific misconduct, responsible conduct of research, and international ethical guidelines was done.Results: Basing on the 2012 Inter-Academy Council policy report, initiatives to promote responsible conduct of research in Ugandan research and academic institutions are proposed.Conclusion: With the proposed framework, an honest and trustworthy research enterprise in Uganda based on principles of scientific integrity is envisioned.Keywords: Research misconduct, scientific integrity, responsible conduct of researc

A protection motivation theory approach to improving compliance with password guidelines

Usernames and passwords form the most widely used method of user authentication on the Internet. Yet, users still find compliance with password guidelines difficult. The primary objective of this research was to investigate how compliance with password guidelines and password quality can be improved. This study investigated how user perceptions of passwords and security threats affect compliance with password guidelines and explored if altering these perceptions would improve compliance. This research also examined if compliance with password guidelines can be sustained over time. This study focuses on personal security, particularly factors that influence compliance when using personal online accounts. The proposed research model is based on the Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) (Rogers, 1975, 1983), a model widely used in information systems security research. As studies have failed to consistently confirm the association between perceived vulnerability and information security practices, the model was extended to include exposure to hacking as a predictor of perceived vulnerability. Experimental research was used to test the model from two groups of Internet users, one of which received PMT based fear appeals in the form of a password security information and training exercise. To examine if password strength was improved by the fear appeals, passwords were collected. A password strength analysis tool was developed using Shannon’s (2001) formula for calculating entropy and coded in Visual Basic. Structural equation modeling was used to test the model. The proposed model explains compliance intentions moderately well, with 54% of the variance explained by the treatment model and 43% explained by the control group model. Overall, the results indicate that efficacy perceptions are a stronger predictor of compliance intentions than threat perceptions. This study identifies three variables that predict user intentions to comply with password guidelines as particularly important. These are perceived threat, perceived password effectiveness and password self-efficacy. The results show no association between perceived vulnerability to a security attack and a user’s decision to comply. The results also showed that those who are provided with password information and training are significantly more likely to comply, and create significantly stronger passwords. However, the fear appeals used in this study had no long-term effects on compliance intentions. The results on the long-term effects of password training on the participants’ ability to remember passwords were however promising. The group that received password training with a mnemonic training component was twice as likely to remember their passwords over time. The results of this research have practical implications for organizations. They highlight the need to raise the levels of concern for information systems security threats through training in order to improve compliance with security guidelines. Communicating to users what security responses are available is important; however, whether they implement them is dependent on how effective they feel the security responses are in preventing an attack. Regarding passwords, the single most important consideration by a user is whether they have the ability to create strong, memorable passwords. At the very least, users should be trained on how to create strong passwords, with emphasis on memorization strategies. This research found mnemonic password training to have some long-term effects on users’ ability to remember passwords, which is arguably one of the most vexing challenges associated with passwords. Future research should explore the extent to which the effects of PMT based information systems security communication can be maintained over time

Calceoneal Osteosarcoma: A case report

Osteosarcoma of the foot is not common. A case of osteosarcoma of the calcaneum is presented where a patient had a four months history of  progressive painful swelling of the right hind foot which was initially diagnosed as Madura foot (mycetoma). However after trying both medical and traditional remedies in his rural home town without any significant improvement he decided to go to hospital. Investigations showed that he had osteosarcoma of the right calcaneum. This case illustrates the importance of proper patient investigation

An Investigation of Public Perceptions of Youth Crime and Juvenile Delinquency in Embakasi Sub-county in Nairobi County, Kenya

Youth crime and juvenile delinquency have continued to elicit concerns among stakeholders. This paper reports findings of a study to investigate public perceptions of youth crime and juvenile delinquency in public primary schools in Embakasi West Constituency, Nairobi County.  A survey design was adopted and the sample drawn using systematic random method to select participants. The questionnaire was the key research instrument. Validity was ascertained by ensuring that the items were aligned to the construct in question. The study found that the public perceives youth crime and juvenile delinquency to be increasing dramatically, as is the seriousness of the crimes committed. The media, urbanization, family, economic factors, school and peer influences were found to be determinants that shape public perceptions of youth crime and juvenile delinquency. The study recommends continuous and extensive research on youth crime and juvenile delinquency with a view to informing policy to respond appropriately to youth crime. Keywords: Juvenile delinquency, youth crime, perceptions, deviant behaviour, students, children, adolescents, parents, school, neighbor hoo