Determination of Effectiveness of combined Biological and Physicochemical Treatment of Vinasse

Combined biological and Physicochemical treatment method was used to treat vinasse using microorganisms (Aspergillus niger (fungi) and Bacillus subtilis (bacteria)), coagulants (aluminium sulphate (Al2(SO4)3) and iron III chlorides (FeCl3)) and followed by filtration. Three factors; coagulant type, type of microorganism and coagulant concentration was analysed using full factorial design (2n) with replication, on their percentage removal of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Total Suspended Solids (TSS) and turbidity. Pareto chart and regression analysis with a 95% confidence interval (5% significant level) were used to analyse the results using MINITAB 22 (current version). Initially, the vinasse had (COD), (BOD), (TSS), and turbidity of 10240 mg/ℓ, 5340 mg/ℓ, 400 mg/ℓ, and 1980 NTU, respectively, and a pH of 5.68. COD, BOD, TSS, and turbidity were reduced by 99.5%, 99.7%, 99.7%, and 93.7%, respectively, after the treatment, while pH was raised to 7.5, which is neutral. Using Bacillus subtilis and aluminium sulphate, the combined biological and physicochemical process produced good results for the treatment of vinasse

The Contribution of Diaspora on Household Poverty Alleviation: Zanzibar Urban West Region

The main objective of this study was to examine the contributions of Diaspora on household poverty alleviation in Unguja Urban West Region Zanzibar. The results indicate that the people living in Diaspora contribute greatly to their household members in terms of improving their income. The Diaspora brought to the home population between TZS 1, 000,000 up to TZS 5,000,000 which mark 64% of the income. About 44% of the total income brought by Diaspora is coming in the holy month of Ramadan. While 33.3% of the income is coming in the holydays and only 23% of the funds are coming in other months when needed by household members. Furthermore, the results show the positive effect on the contribution of Diaspora on supporting social services to the household members. Whereas 59% of the income brought for social services from the Diaspora is being used for education development,  26% is being used for the development of health and15% is for other services like paying for electricity and water bills. Zanzibaris in Diaspora are increasingly making contributions to the establishment of investments. The statistics on investment by Diaspora show that investment in car ranks top (28.2% ) followed by investment in running shops (18%) building schools (15.3%), establishing stationary, (15.3%)  opening dispensary (13%) and 10.2% are invested in other areas. General findings reveal that members living in Diaspora established Information Technology Centre and Education Centres in Unguja Ukuu which help the member of households and other people in the society in Unguja. The study conclude that Diaspora is important in the poverty reduction to the extent that their contribution in improving peoples income, provision of social services like education and health services are the major indicators in the improvement of living standards to the people. It is recommended therefore that the Zanzibar government should increasingly recognize the contribution they make in poverty alleviation and economic development of their home country and has to take some positive steps to engage in Diaspora. Also the government is recommended to know where Diaspora lives, their numbers, level of education and their occupation the case that will be easily to utilize them in their country of origi

Group-Based Data Offloading Techniques Assisted by D2D Communication in 5G Mobile Network

Machine type communication devices proposed as one of the substantial data collections in the 5G of wireless networks. However, the existing mobile communication network is not designed to handle massive access from the MTC devices instead of human type communication. In this context, we propose the device-to-device communication assisted a mobile terminal (smartphone) on data computing, focusing on data generated from a correlated source of machine type communication devices. We consider the scenario that the MTC devices after collecting the data will transmit to a smartphone for computing. With the limitation of computing resources at the smartphone, some data are offloaded to the nearby mobile edge-computing server. By adopting the sensing capability on MTC devices, we use a power exponential function to compute a correlation coefficient existing between the devices. Then we propose two grouping techniques K-Means and hierarchical clustering to combine only the MTC devices, which are spatially correlated. Based on this framework, we compare the energy consumption when all data processed locally at a smartphone or remotely at mobile edge computing server with optimal solution obtained by exhaustive search method. The results illustrated that; the proposed grouping technique reduce the energy consumption at a smartphone while satisfying a required completion time.&nbsp

Assessing the Contribution of Inflow of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the Creation of Employment Opportunities to the People in Zanzibar: A Case of Tourism Sector

The main objective of this study is assessing the contribution of inflow of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the creation of employment opportunities to the people in Zanzibar: Tourism sector being a case study. The methods used in the study was descriptive case study design, where by questionnaires were distributed to the 50 respondents, among them were people at Nungwi village, officials from Zanzibar Investment Promotion Agency (ZIPA) and managers from hotels in Zanzibar, also documentation and observation methods were used in the collection of data. The results show that 62% were benefited being employed in the tourism sector and their income have up for 60%, whereby before employment their income were lower for 80%. The report concludes that FDI inflow especially in the tourism sector has brought much positive impact in the creation of employment opportunities to the people in Zanzibar. In that case it is recommended that Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar should improve and promote policies guiding tourism sector investment in the country so as fully provide more employment opportunities and improve the countries’ economic development for the purposes of poverty reduction.

Factors Affecting Performance of Dar Es Salaam Bus Rapid Transit Project in Tanzania.

The study aimed to assess factors affecting performance of Dar Es Salaam Bus Rapid Transit Project in Tanzania. The study was conducted in DSM city along its DBRT corridor in five (5) terminals which include Kimara, Gerezani, Morocco, Muhimbili, and Kivukoni terminal. The research applied a descriptive design. The study used simple and purposive sampling technique to select respondents from the population and a sample size of 96 participants from passengers of the DBRT. The researcheranalysed quantitative data using descriptive and thematic methods. Findings reveal that the DBRT system offers faster travelling speed compared to daladala, and waiting time at the stop is short. Also, findings imply that there is some delay in getting DBRT services as there is no a sufficient number of buses and routes in the daily operation. Moreover, findings reveal that the rate of accidents and fatalities has reduced and most respondents are comfortable with safety in the bus. Although DBRT buses have enough space, findings also show that the DBRT buses are overcrowded. Furthermore, findings reveal that the transport fare is not affordable as most respondents indicated that the DBRT did not help to reduce travelling costs compared to other means of transport. Therefore, the study concludes that reliability, travel time savings, capacity, safety and security, and cost-effectiveness of the transport services are very significant factors for the performance of the DBRT system. The research suggests that Land Transport Regulatory Authority (LATRA)and other government institutions should be fully involved in identifying and selecting new bus operators, increase the number of buses, and standardize transport fares. Keywords: Performance, system terminals and transport

Blockchain in Supply Chain Trading

© 2018 IEEE. The emergence of blockchain technology has created a frenzy and a mind shift for organizations and industries. Governments and international bodies are increasingly discussing the potential implications of blockchain\u27s distributed ledgers on business, governments and the economy. The intended purpose of the blockchain technology is to connect business network members in a decentralized way. The technology enables exchange and sharing of information without the involvement of intermediaries acting as arbitrators. Powered by its decentralized nature, the network will not have any single point of failure and will not rely on any single entity. Hence, blockchain eliminates the risks of centralization. This paper discusses a scenario of a blockchain technology in distributed ledgers to manage a well function and secure supply chain

Population dynamics and management of scalloped spiny lobster Panulirus homarus in Oman coastal waters

Spiny lobster (Panulirus homarus) population, one of the most valuable fishery resources in Oman, is assessed based on the length frequency data collected from the Arabian Sea during the lobster fishing season. The assessment was carried out using 6,498 lobsters covering a length range of 37- 134 mm carapace length (CL), sampled in Arabian Sea coastal waters during March and April, 2011 and 2012. By applying the Y/R analysis on the pseudo-cohort of 2011-2012 using VIT program, it is noticed that this stock is heavily exploited, being the fishery operating below the optimal yield level since the current Y/R is greatly lower than the maximum. Results suggest a decreasing trend in the average fishing mortality along the studied period by about 40-60%. The effects of different management scenarios including present strategy on the short-term yield of the stock were explored and some addition management measures were proposed. Keywords: Oman, Arabian Sea, Panulirus homarus, population dynamics, stock assessment, management

Understanding constraints to the development of the agricultural sector in Oman: an application of the theory of planned behaviour

Oman's agriculture sector currently plays a small role in Oman's economy, accounting for around 3% of GDP and 6% of labour force, and comprising in the main farmers with very small landholdings. Yet though it has a relatively small share of GDP, the agricultural sector is an important element of government policy, particularly with respect to increasing food production as part of the government's overarching strategy to transform the national economy away from its single sector dependence on oil. The Government's vision for agriculture includes increased land and water productivity, reduced costs or production, increasing employment opportunities, improving agricultural trade balance, and protecting the environment. Increased production is seen as an important part of increasing self–sufficiency in domestic food production in Oman. For while Oman is a net exporter of fishery products, it is currently a net importer of agricultural products, with own-production accounting for around 36% for poultry, 31% milk, 21% meat, 57% vegetables, 68% fruit and 45% eggs, promoted mainly through relatively low customs tariffs. To improve agricultural productivity, the government has focused on a number of areas, from improved seed, the use of inorganic fertiliser, modern irrigation, greater agricultural mechanization, and greater use of greenhouse production. In addition, agricultural cooperatives have for many decades been an important element of the government's agriculture strategy, in part used to encourage adoption of new technologies. Despite these efforts by the Omani government, the reality of Oman's agriculture sector is one where water scarcity is a key problem and soil fertility is poor, and farmers have not fully embraced the government's vision of modernisation. This study is guided by a number of research questions that address the challenges faced by smallholder farmers in Oman; the key influences and influencers that lead to farmers adopting new management approaches and technologies; and the role of cooperatives. The study is centred around the theory of planned behavior, which focuses on farmers' attitudes and what influences those attitudes. The findings from this study thus provide insights into the choices Oman's farmers make, particularly why they have not fully embraced management approaches including those that enhance water management, through the adoption of modern irrigation; and those that enhance soil fertility, through the increased use of inorganic fertiliser. The study focuses on these two specific technologies because they have been identified as critical for the country with regards to modernizing the agricultural sector. By comparing farmers who belong to a cooperative with those that do not, this study contributes to the on-going policy discussion in Oman as to whether the government should promote the development of new agricultural cooperatives around the country. A lack of suitable land dominated farmers' discussions over the challenges they faced, attributed to water shortages, low soil fertility, and soil and water salination, which together reduce yields. But farmers also discussed poor access to markets and the small size of landholdings. Using the theory of planned behavior revealed some important insights into why farmers are not adopting technologies that would help them address these key soil and water challenges. With respect to low levels of adoption of inorganic fertilizer, farmers receive mixed messages as to whether inorganic fertilizer is beneficial or harmful. Farmers belonging to a cooperative were more positive about inorganic fertilizer and more likely to use it, reflecting either the cooperative playing a role in generating a more positive attitude, or a younger more educated demographic. In contrast, all respondents tended to have a positive attitude towards modern irrigation. Low rates of adoption were found to be driven by difficulties in accessing water, irregular supplies of electricity, and in the very high cost of installation. These findings suggest different roles for government with respect to these two technologies. For fertilizer, the data suggest a stronger and consistent message from extension agents is needed, combined with more detailed training on how to use inorganic fertilizer. With respect to modern irrigation, some form of financial help, and better knowledge on how to maintain the systems could help. But this would only be effective if there were reliable water and electricity. Because the profile of farmers differs considerably depending on whether or not they belong to a cooperative, isolating the role of cooperatives in the adoption of new technologies and management approaches proved tricky. Cooperative farmers in Oman are in the main younger and less experienced farmers, but better educated than those who are not members. One approach for the government could be to encourage farmers to join cooperatives so as to facilitate awareness, education, and opportunities with respect to new farming approaches and technologies. Cooperatives might also play a larger role in facilitating access to resources, whether ensuring the availability of key inputs, or helping farmers to fund larger-scale capital investments such as modern irrigation. Finally, this thesis has provided the first application of the theory of planned behavior in the context of the agriculture sector in Oman. Thus for the first time, detailed knowledge concerning Omani farmers' attitudes and behavior towards using modern technologies and management approaches has been generated and explained. The government of Oman has relatively good knowledge with respect to which technologies are required for the agricultural sector to modernize and increase its role in economic diversification and food security, yet not how to encourage farmers to adopt the approaches. This study has provided important, novel, and timely insights into how the government can improve the uptake of these technologies, and thus move closer to reaching the potential of the agricultural sector

Improvement of Tuberculosis Laboratory Capacity on Pemba Island, Zanzibar: A Health Cooperation Project.

Low-income countries with high Tuberculosis burden have few reference laboratories able to perform TB culture. In 2006, the Zanzibar National TB Control Programme planned to decentralize TB diagnostics. The Italian Cooperation Agency with the scientific support of the "L. Spallanzani" National Institute for Infectious Diseases sustained the project through the implementation of a TB reference laboratory in a low-income country with a high prevalence of TB. The implementation steps were: 1) TB laboratory design according to the WHO standards; 2) laboratory equipment and reagent supplies for microscopy, cultures, and identification; 3) on-the-job training of the local staff; 4) web- and telemedicine-based supervision. From April 2007 to December 2010, 921 sputum samples were received from 40 peripheral laboratories: 120 TB cases were diagnosed. Of all the smear-positive cases, 74.2% were culture-positive. During the year 2010, the smear positive to culture positive rate increased up to 100%. In March 20, 2010 the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of Zanzibar officially recognized the Public Health Laboratory- Ivo de Carneri as the National TB Reference Laboratory for the Zanzibar Archipelago. An advanced TB laboratory can represent a low cost solution to strengthen the TB diagnosis, to provide capacity building and mid-term sustainability

Colon perforation by foreign body insertion for sexual gratification: a case report

Occurrence of retained rectal foreign bodies with bowel perforation resulting from auto-eroticism is rare among males in Africa. Embarrassment attached to this condition may delay or derail acquisition of information and management. A 30-year-old male presented with abdominal pain and constipation for 3 days. Abdominal X-rays revealed free air-stripes under both hemidiaphragms and in the peripherals, a 25cm x 5.9cm lucent foreign body on the left side with proximal tapering. There was no evidence of intestinal obstruction. This was consistent with bowel perforation secondary to foreign body introduction. Exploratory laparotomy was performed, a plastic bottle of 250mls was removed from the colon. Transverse repair of a 10cm laceration extending from the rectum to the sigmoid was done and a colostomy placed. A high index of suspicion, a systematic approach and a lower threshold for imaging studies were key to successful management and favorable outcomes of this patient