Assessment of the Geochemical Characteristics of Water and Surface Sediments of Rufiji Mangrove Forest, Tanzania

This study was carried out to investigate the geochemical characteristics of the Rufiji mangrove systems using mineralogy and heavy metal analyses. Rufiji mangrove sediments showed predominance of fine grain size fractions with silt as the major component. Stoichiometric ratios of nutrients revealed phosphorus enrichment in Rufiji sediment. The overall order of heavy metal concentrations in sediments was: Fe > Mg > Mn > Zn > Cr > Ni > Pb > Cu > Co > Cd. There was no relationship between grain size and some of the heavy metal concentrations, except for Co, Cr, Fe, and Mg which negatively correlated with sand, and positively correlated with silt. The findings indicated minor enrichments for Pb and Zn, and no enrichment for all other metals. The estimated geo-accumulation index demonstrated very low values (Igeo < 0) in almost all metals, except Zn (Igeo > 1.0) at station 3, indicating that sediments of the Rufiji mangrove ecosystem are unpolluted to moderately polluted. Ongoing research on the transport of nutrients, distribution and behaviour of anthropogenic chemicals throughout the estuary, and over different seasons, may provide further insights on the processes and factors which modulate the spatial and temporal variability in geochemistry of this rich and diverse tropical estuarine system. Keywords: Rufiji mangrove; Enrichment factor; Geoaccumulation index; heavy metal

Integrating Evaluative Thinking into Organisational Practice: a Case Study of Lutino Adunu in Uganda

Northern Uganda is still recovering from over two decades of civil war between the Government of Uganda and the Lord Resistance Army (LRA). The conflict created over 1.8 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who sought refuge in camps for 23 years. Around 80% of the affected population are mainly women and children. The displacement in the region caused large-scale loss of social and economic infrastructure, together with the productive resources. This contributed to the erosion of the social and financial capital of the affected areas population, forcing the population to depend on non-sustainable aid and relief services provided by international and local organizations. As the displaced populations have left the camps and have started to rebuild their lives following the signing of Cessation of Hostility Agreement in 2006 at the Juba Peace Talks, the communities in northern Uganda continue to face several challenges including education, inadequate health system, and HIV/AIDS among others. Despite the various post-war initiatives implemented in northern Uganda, there is little impact to demonstrate the worth of billions of dollars spent in the reconstruction of northern Uganda. Lutino Adunu (LA) was founded to address some of these challenges. However, Lutino Adunu recognizes that for effective and efficient projection of impact, Lutino Adunu needs to design a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation system, build staff capacity, and integrate evaluative thinking and evaluative culture into the organizational practice. This research paper is focused on exploring how to integrate evaluative thinking (ET) into organizational practice, with a case study of Lutino Adunu, a community-based organization in northern Uganda. The organization was established with a vision of a transformed society where children’s educational rights are held in high esteem. The objective of this research is to adopt a flexible evaluative think model and make recommendations to LA on how to integrate ET into its organizational practice. The study revised the Evaluation Capacity Building Model designed by Preskills, and Boyle (2008) and Evaluative Thinking Assessment Tools developed by Bruner Foundation and drew learnings that will support the integration of evaluative thinking into Lutino Adunu. The 9 | Page research finding indicates that evaluative thinking is indeed a critical component of an organization motivated by a firm belief and value for evidence. Future study will focus on how to change staff\u27s perception on how to integrate evaluative culture into organizational practice

Status Updates on Plastics Pollution in Aquatic Environment of Tanzania: Data Availability, Current Challenges and Future Research Needs

Plastics are the most useful materials invented by man, and have brought great convenience to our daily lives but not without problems. Inappropriate disposal of wasted plastics has caused serious environmental problems. Over the past decade, microplastic debris in both marine and freshwater systems have become an emerging issue. A literature review was conducted to summarize the current state of knowledge of plastic pollution in Tanzanian aquatic systems. Although, Tanzania has vast coastlines and world’s largest freshwater lakes, the extent of microplastics presence in the aquatic environment remains largely unreported. Data from volunteer beach cleanups in Dar es Salaam areas show that typically more than 70% of anthropogenic litter along the beaches is comprised of plastics. In the only study to date to describe microplastic pollution in the African Great Lakes, a variety of polymers, including polyethylene, polypropylene and silicone rubber, were identified from the gastrointestinal tracts of Nile perch and Nile tilapia fished from Mwanza Gulf, Lake Victoria, in Tanzania. Due to human pressures, increased urbanization, coupled with general inadequate awareness, the potential for microplastic pollution is high. Mitigation of the effects of this pollution requires efforts from various interested stakeholders, including the local communitiesKeywords Plastics; pollution; aquatic environment; Tanzani

Gender Equality Legislation and Institutions at the Local Level in Kenya : Experiences of the Maasai

The issue of equality in public deliberations and political processes has been a key point of debate among both academics and practitioners in the field of gender and politics. A key strategy in addressing the issue has been the adoption of legislative amendments, which have resulted in the improved descriptive representation of women through quotas and reserved seats in parliaments and other representative bodies. This focus on increased representation has additionally been accompanied by efforts at decentralising political power, to create room for improved governance through citizen engagement. This thesis therefore contextualises this debate by investigating how, and to what extent, the legislative measures on gender equality and socio-political rights introduced by the 2010 Constitution of Kenya have influenced the political agency of women in the country. Adopting a case study approach, research was conducted between 2016 and 2018 across different locations in Kajiado and Narok Counties where the Maasai community is predominant. Evidence confirms the effects of the gendered nature of institutions on the political agency of women. The institutionalisation of gender equality through legislative norms has unfortunately not translated to an improvement in the status of women as envisioned in the Constitution. Without accounting for class and other socio-economic differences, women share a powerlessness that continues to limit their political agency. Men on the other hand, generally benefit from masculine hegemony even though they might not actively desire it. Compared to women therefore, men have more room to navigate the political arena, a position not many women can enjoy especially when cultural politics of agency in the public sphere come into play. Ultimately, the study presents women’s political agency as an outcome of interactions between formal and informal institutional norms and practices, and an overarching logic of appropriateness that limits women’s public engagement. While the thesis begins by focusing on women and their political agency, it concludes by shifting focus to men. This shift is informed by the empirical evidence which make it clear that improving the position of women is futile if men, as critical actors, are not on board. Just like women however, men are not a homogenous group. In recognition of this, the focus shift is specifically targeted at elite men, whose strategic actions sustain their gatekeeping role, ensuring that they can assert enough influence to frustrate gendered institutional reforms. The study therefore concludes by proposing a problematisation of the reproduction of men’s political dominance, instead of women’s underrepresentation in the political sphere, as a point of departure in further gender and politics research

Wavelet Transform and Convolutional Neural Network Based Techniques in Combating Sudden Cardiac Death

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a global threat that demands our attention and research. Statistics show that 50% of cardiac deaths are sudden cardiac death. Therefore, early cardiac arrhythmia detection may lead to timely and proper treatment, saving lives. We proposed a less complex, fast, and more efficient algorithm that quickly and accurately detects heart abnormalities. Firstly, we carefully examined 23 ECG signals of the patients who died from SCD to detect their arrhythmias. Then, we trained a deep learning model to auto-detect and distinguish the most lethal arrhythmias in SCD: Ventricular Tachycardia (VT) and Ventricular Fibrillation (VF), from Normal Sinus Rhythm (NSR). Our work combined two techniques: Wavelet Transform (WT) and pre-trained Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). WT was used to convert an ECG signal into scalogram and CNN for features extraction and arrhythmias classification. When examined in the MIT-BIH Normal Sinus Rhythm, MIT-BIH Malignant Ventricular Ectopy, and Creighton University Ventricular Tachyarrhythmia databases, the proposed methodology obtained an accuracy of 98.7% and an F-score of 0.9867, despite being less expensive and simple to execute

Distribution and Potential Impact of Feral Cotton on the Reintroduction of Cotton in the Southern Highlands, Tanzania

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) production is limited by bollworms that cause declining yields and poor lint quality. Generally, farmers manage pests by employing Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies, which include biological, cultural, physical and chemical approaches. Pest management by quarantine and pesticide sprays reduce production area and lead to resistance build-up. The Red bollworm, Dipsaropsis castanea is an important cotton pest of significant economical importance to Tanzania. The pest invaded the Southern Highlands (SH) of Tanzania in 1960’s from southern neighbour countries causing the Government to quarantine cottonproduction from 1968 as measure to limit the spread of the red bollworm. Transgenic Bt cotton with insecticidal properties presents a potential solution to the bollworm infestation in Tanzania. However, concerns associated with transgenic crops viz.; transgene flow to wild and feral relatives, increased potential for resistance evolution, need to be addressed prior to adoption of any transgenic crop. Information from national herbaria, research stations and a field survey established sparse distribution and diversity of feral cotton species G. barbadense, an exotic ornamental from Brazil though as isolated garden plants. Informal interviews revealed medicinal and fibre value of the ornamental. Diploid wild cotton relatives such as G. longicalyx and Gossypoides kirkii were also recorded but are incompatible to G. hirsutum. Field observations indicate continued red bollworm presence in the SH on feral cotton, but low in number as plants are few and isolated. Cluster analysis indicates presence of hybrid remnants of G. hirsutum and G. barbadense suggesting potential for gene flow.Keywords: Bt cotton, bollworms, quarantine, insecticides, insect resistance, feral cotton, refuge plan

Levels of selected toxic and essential elements in fish and oysters from Western Indian Ocean, Coast of Tanzania

Concentrations of toxic and essential elements in selected finfish and shellfish collected from Dar es Salaam and Tanga, Indian Ocean coast of Tanzania are presented. The elemental concentrations were determined using Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) spectrometer coupled with X-lab ProTM software. The mean concentrations of metals observed in finfish and shellfish collected from Tanga ranged from 3.40–5.75, 1.8–37.17, 3.5–7.1, 0.6–1.3, 0.53–0.73 and 16.80–96.70 mg kg–1 for As, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn, respectively. For Dar es Salaam, the mean concentrations of metals ranged from 3.34–9.46, 2.90–30.53, 3.4–6.9, 0.7–1.0, 0.57–0.80 and 14.2–100.90 mg kg–1 for As, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn, respectively. Thumbprint emperor showed the highest levels of Cu and Ni; octopus showed the highest values of As and Pb, while sardines showed the highest level of Mn. Oysters, used as pollution indicators in this study showed the highest elemental concentrations and exceeded their mean levels in finfish from Dar es Salaam by factors of 1.30, 7.15, 6.27, 2.72, 1.29 and 35.57 for As, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn, respectively. In samples from Tanga, the metal concentrations in oysters were several times higher (3.76, 17.68, 1.12, 3.89, 1.88 and 66.92 for As, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) than in finfish, respectively. Based on metal concentrations in oysters, it can be concluded that coastal waters are contaminated with heavy metals. However, with an exception of arsenic and copper, the elemental levels in finfish are within the maximum permissible levels recommended by various international standards and guidelines. Keywords: Finfish, toxic elements, essential elements, pollution, EDXR

PENGARUH ATRAKSI, AKSESIBILITAS, DAN FASILITAS TERHADAP KEPUASAN PENGUNJUNG DI JEMBATAN CINTA TARUMA JAYA BEKASI

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menguji dan menganalisis pengaruh atraksi wisata, aksesibilitas, dan fasilitas terhadap kepuasan pengunjung di Jembatan Cinta Taruma Jaya. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian deskriptif dan verifikatif dengan pendekatan kuantitatif. Pengumpulan data dilakukan menggunakan kuesioner. Jumlah sampel yang diperoleh sebanyak 120 orang dengan teknik pengambilan sampel yaitu purposive-convenience sampling. Analisis data dalam penelitian ini menggunakan analisis regresi linear berganda. Berdasarkan hasil analisis deskriptif capaian variabel atraksi wisata, aksesibilitas, dan fasilitas, serta kepuasan pengunjung memperoleh hasil penilaian dengan kategori baik. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa: (1) atraksi wisata secara parsial berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap kepuasan pengunjung di Jembatan Cinta Taruma Jaya; (2) aksesibilitas secara parsial berpengaruh positif dan tidak signifikan terhadap kepuasan pengunjung di Jembatan Cinta Taruma Jaya; dan (3) fasilitas secara parsial berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap kepuasan pengunjung di Jembatan Cinta Taruma Jaya; serta (4) atraksi wisata, aksesibilitas, dan fasilitas secara simultan berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap kepuasan pengunjung di Jembatan Cinta Taruma Jaya. Fasilitas merupakan variabel yang paling dominan pengaruhnya terhadap kepuasan pengunjung di Jembatan Cinta Taruma Jaya. Variabel atraksi wisata, aksesibilitas, dan fasilitas memiliki kontribusi sebesar 72,5% dalam menjelaskan kepuasan pengunjung, sedangkan sisanya sebesar 27,5% dijelaskan oleh variabel lainnya yang tidak diteliti dalam penelitian ini. Pengembangan potensi wisata dan peningkatan terhadap atraksi wisata, aksesibilitas, dan fasilitas dapat meningkatkan kepuasan pengunjung dan jumlah kunjungan di Jembatan Cinta Taruma Jaya. This study aims to examine and analyze the influence of tourist attractions, accessibility, and facilities on visitor satisfaction at the Taruma Jaya Love Bridge. This research is a descriptive and verification research with a quantitative approach. Data collection was carried out using a questionnaire. The number of samples obtained was 120 people with a sampling technique that was purposive-convenience sampling. Data analysis in this study used multiple linear regression analysis. Based on the results of the descriptive analysis of the variable achievements of tourist attractions, accessibility, and facilities, as well as visitor satisfaction, the results of the assessment are in the good category. The results of this study show that: (1) tourist attractions partially have a positive and significant effect on visitor satisfaction at the Taruma Jaya Love Bridge; (2) accessibility partially has a positive and not significant effect on visitor satisfaction at the Taruma Jaya Love Bridge; (3) facilities partially have a positive and significant effect on visitor satisfaction at the Taruma Jaya Love Bridge; (4) tourist attractions, accessibility, and facilities simultaneously have a positive and significant effect on visitor satisfaction at the Taruma Jaya Love Bridge. Facilities are the variable that has the most dominant influence on visitor satisfaction at the Taruma Jaya Love Bridge. The variables of tourist attractions, accessibility, and facilities contribute 72.5% in explaining visitor satisfaction, while the remaining 27.5% is explained by other variables not examined in this study. Development of tourism potential and improvement of tourist attractions, accessibility and facilities can increase visitor satisfaction and the number of visits at the Taruma Jaya Love Bridge

PENGARUH PRODUCT PLACEMENT TERHADAP BRAND AWARENESS AUDI PADA FILM TRANSPORTER 3

Maraknya penempatan atau penyisipan produk pada sebuah film (product placement) membuat para produsen tertarik menggunakan film sebagai sarana alternatif dalam mengiklankan produk mereka, dengan tujuan menciptakan kesadaran produk di benak konsumen (brand awareness). Film Transporter 3 merupakan salah satu film yang menggunakan berbagai macam product placement di dalamnya, dan salah satu produk yang dominan penampilannya adalah Audi. Namun, setelah dilakukan survey pada hari Selasa, 12 Mei 2015, berupa wawancara terbuka terhadap 15 responden yang sudah menonton film Transporter 3. Penulis menemukan masalah yaitu 13 dari 15 responden menyatakan bahwa aktor dalam film Transporter 3 tidak menyebutkan merek Audi secara lisan. Dengan adanya situasi tersebut maka permasalahan ini layak diteliti untuk mengetahui seberapa besar pengaruh product placement terhadap brand awareness Audi pada film Transporter 3. Variabel yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini terdiri dari variabel independen yaitu product placement. Serta variabel dependen yaitu brand awareness. Populasi penelitian ini merupakan masyarakat Kota Bandung dengan berusia ? 20 tahun dan telah menonton film Transporter 3. Jenis penelitian ini adalah deskriptif dan kausalitas dengan metode kuantitatif. Menggunakan sampel 100 responden. Pengumpulan data menggunakan kusioner dengan teknik purpose sampling. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan tingkat product placement Audi pada film Transporter 3 di Kota Bandung dalam katagori kurang tinggi, dan tingkat brand awareness Audi pada film Transporter 3 di Kota Bandung dalam juga dalam katagori kurang tinggi. Kemudian hasil uji hipotesis menunjukkan bahwa terdapat pengaruh yang positif dan signfikan antara product placement terhadap brand awareness Audi pada film Transpoter 3 di Kota Bandung. Kata kunci : product placement, brand awareness, audi,film transporter