Uganda-Rwanda relations: crossing the border into politics

In the unfolding drama between Uganda and Rwanda, this article looks at the role played by two factors: refugee movements and the border. The role played by each of them is relevant because the presence of Rwandans in Uganda (as refugees and migrants) has influenced the trajectory of both states, and still remains an unresolved issue. Refugee movements take centre-stage whenever a humanitarian crisis is unfolding, and are regarded with pity or with distrust, depending on the moment and the actors involved. More germane to this article, however, is the fact that they also expose political issues. The issue debated here is the political outcomes that long-standing refugee communities contribute to, and their impact on the border. This article therefore argues that the relationship between communities and the central state shapes the border as much as diplomatic agreements, as the relations between borderlands and both capitals across the border are as important as those between capitals (states) themselves

Characterization and optimization of animal and culture models of Leishmania chagasi

Leishmania spp. are an important pathogen of humans and other vertebrate animals, with significant global prevalence and impact on human and animal health. Leishmania chagasi is one species that causes visceral leishmaniasis, a potentially fatal disease of humans: annual incidence is about 0.5 mil. These insect-vector borne protozoan pathogens undergo complex development within the sand fly as they progress from morphological forms having low infectivity (to vertebrates) to a form that has high infectivity. Repeated serial passage of promastigote cultures results in cell populations that exhibit perturbations in developmental progression, in expression levels of surface macromolecules (Major Surface Protease, MSP, and Promastigote Surface Antigen, PSA), and in virulence properties including resistance to serum lysis. One area of study presented within this thesis is a determination of the temporal abundance of morphologically distinct parasite stages that appear within axenic in vitro cultures of L. chagasi parasites. The principal finding is that nectomonad promastigotes predominate, while metacyclic promastigotes diminish, in cultures that have been serially passaged more than seven times and that are at stationary growth phase. A second, related area of study also presented within this thesis was designed to optimize the animal-model culture system used to produce and propagate infectious parasites. The principal finding on this was that parasite development and characteristics were equivalent in cell cultures regardless of whether cultures were initiated using never-stored or cryopreserved cells. The second study also validated the use of saphenous vein inoculation for the inoculation/infection of L. chagasi parasites into hamsters, a common animal model of visceral leishmaniasis; saphenous vein inoculation is considered a more humane procedure than the alternative and commonly used cardiac puncture method. As a result, the second study increases the utility and efficiency of the in vitro model of visceralizing Leishmania spp. and decreases the number of animals needed to maintain the animal model

One-stop border posts in East Africa:State encounters of the fourth kind

Across Africa, One-Stop Border Posts are being rolled out as part of a continental/ regional integration agenda that seeks to facilitate the movement of people and goods. This article focuses on four OSBPs in East Africa and addresses the question, firstly, of how far they make a break with entrenched operational patterns within government bureaucracies, and secondly whether they represent a distinct type of border management regime? The article finds that while there has been progress on data sharing in Customs, the construction and management of OSBPs reflects the persistence of distinct institutional cultures within each country. Moreover, working practices involve practical workarounds which belie notions of a paperless border. Secondly, the article finds that OSBPs are unlike other border crossings and share some features with airports and seaports in that they have been designed to handle both cargo and people. But they differ in that they are not heavily securitized and represent co-produced spaces of interaction in which transporters and members of the surrounding community have helped to shape the organizational patterns. The outcomes fuse an official ideology of service, everyday bureaucratic practice and local understandings of ownership

Open Innovation: Corporations Success Mantra

Open innovation is the process of searching outside a company’s walls—and even its own industry—for technology and solutions to keep it at the cutting edge. More companies now believe that open innovation has emerged as a best practice when it comes innovation. Putting your needs out in the open is sometimes better than trying to innovate in- house or in secret. Big corporations have embedded innovation as a strategic goal. The speed at which information and ideas move throughout the global economy has forced organizations to adopt innovation as part of their processes and to develop cultures that encourage experimentation and new ideas. In this paper, an attempt has been made to discuss the relevance of open innovation as success mantra of many corporations leading worldwide

An exploratory study of informal support and life satisfaction of older persons in Macau

The purpose of the research is to explore the forms of support provided by informal support networks of spouse, adult children, relatives, friends and neighbours for older persons in Macau. The research also attempts to identify the elements that contribute to life satisfaction among active older persons. As little research has been conducted in Macau, this study tries to introduce data and possible suggestions for initiatives in elderly policy in this area. The thesis adopts mainly a qualitative approach in exploring the possible informal support elements that contribute to life satisfaction as perceived by active older persons. Sixty-five in depth interviews with 40 female and 25 male older persons aged from 65 to 90 invited as respondents, all of whom were active and of good health status, were conducted either in old age centers or older persons’ apartments from late July to Mid October in Macau. Triangulation of various sources, the sources of data was employed to cross-check the validity of the initial explanations derived included two focus group discussions, key informant interviews, a review of the published literature, independent member checking as well as content analysis with correlation analysis. Content analysis using open and axial coding identified four major types of support: tangible support, informational support, companionship support and emotional support. The research revealed that children and a spouse mainly provided emotional and tangible support. Companionship support was mainly provided by friends. Information support came the last, and was only important when it comes to crucial issues such as going to hospital, or when wishing to apply for specific services. In terms of the sources of informal support, the findings indicated that adult children are regarded as the primary reliable persons who provided various forms of support for their older parents. This care and support was regarded as obligatory in nature. The second primary support source was spousal. Spouses provided personal daily care for each other. Friends mainly provided companionship support and the support is voluntary in nature. Perhaps unexpectedly, the research found that relatives provided the least frequent support due to distance and sometimes relationships were poor. With respect to the relationship between informal support and life satisfaction, the results obtained by a series of correlation analysis reviewed that being concerned and cared for, respected, providing money for daily necessities, meetings and decisions-making by children are important for older persons and are statistically significant to life satisfaction. The support provided by children can create a sense of security and well being associated with life satisfaction. The mutual care by a spouse creates a sense of security and in turn enhances life satisfaction. Friends provided companionship support in terms of chatting, and participating in social activities, which enrich life quality and contribute to life satisfaction. It is notable that relatives’ support did not contribute very much to life satisfaction. This research suggests the value of strengthening community care services by providing old age allowance, promoting intergeneration education and encouraging older persons to be active in participating in social activities. These can enhance the well being of older persons in Macau. Social policy for older persons should potentially aim at achieving this end

Synthesis of oligomers/polymers from plant oil derivatives

The work presented in this thesis represents the chemical modifications of unsaturated plant oils to yield oligomeric/polymeric polyols suitable for polyurethane synthesis. Chapter 1 provides the introduction to the chemistry of polyurethanes, plant oils and plant oil based polyols. Chapter 2 focus on making oligomeric polyols from unsaturated plant oils through epoxidation and subsequent epoxide ring opening oligomerization that yielded oligomeric polyols. The properties of these oligomeric polyols were influence by the level of unsaturation of the plant oils. In addition, catalyst loading, monomer concentration and reaction time play vital role in determining the properties of the oligomeric polyols. Plant oil based polyols were also prepared by epoxide ring opening with renewable polyhydric alcohols that provide a variety of plant oil based polyols for polyurethane synthesis. Chapter 3 focus on the synthesis of polyurethanes (PU) from various types of plant oil based polyols as well as the evaluation of the mechanical properties of these synthesized PU. The tensile test of the PU shows that the mechanical properties were related to the structure and functionalities of the plant oil based polyols. The bulk of Chapter 4 discusses the copolymerization of epoxidized plant oils with tetrahydrofuran and the use of these copolymers for the synthesis of PU. The properties of the copolymers were related to the epoxidized oils used in the reaction and therefore influence the mechanical properties of the PU synthesized from them. Finally, Chapter 5 is a collection of work on the one-pot oligomerization of unsaturated fatty acid and plant oils with and without catalyst as well as the synthesis of PU based on these polyols

Enhancing Entrepreneurship Education in Ordinary Secondary Schools to develop Employment opportunity: A case of Kinondoni District Dar Es Salaam -Tanzania

This study aimed to enhance entrepreneurship education toward preparing secondary school students at Kinondoni District Dar es salaam in Tanzania for the creation of employment opportunities. The study aimed at assessing the roles of Entrepreneurship Education in developing employment opportunities for ordinary level secondary schools. The study employed a mixed-method design in examining these phenomena. One hundred and nineteen (119) participants were conveniently sampled and heads of schools were interviewed within 6 weeks. Questionnaires and interview guides were used to collect data hence quantitative data were analyzed descriptively with the aid of SPSS version 22. All qualitative data obtained in the study were thematically analyzed. The study found that Entrepreneurship Education is a very crucial as it prepares student to be good citizens. Also, in today\u27s environment of unpredictability, dynamic job market, and new technologies, are progressing with each passing day and the current generation is progressing towards a future without any inevitability. They might take years to master a particular trade or skill but with time it might disappear from the market, therefore destroying students\u27 careers. The study concluded that teaching entrepreneurship as a study in education has to move beyond listing strategies for raising capital. Students need also to be equipped with skills enabling them to deal with negative attitudes, competition from cheap imports, and the choice of appropriate technologies. There is a distinguished need to improve training programs and make changes in the education system in Tanzania; there is also a need to develop entrepreneurs who would be able to navigate through local troubled waters