Density and Aboriginal Uses of Wild Tree Species in Milawilila Forest Reserve in Morogoro Region, Tanzania

This study assessed density and local uses of wild tree species in Milawilila forest reserve, Morogoro rural district. A total of six transects were set in the forest for assessing density and diversity of trees. In each transect, three plots of 20 m x 20 m were established and all trees with Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) ≥ 10 cm were identified, counted and DBH recorded in each plot. A semi structured questionnaire was used to obtain data on the use of tree species by the locals. Data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel and Statistical Package for Social Science software. A total of 172 trees/ha belonging to 20 species and 15 families were recorded in the forest. Among the families, Fabaceae was the richest family with 3 species, followed by Annonaceae and Cluciaceae with 2 species each. The most abundant species were Xylopia parviflora, Ehretia amoena and Diospyros squarrosa, which contributed 46% of the total tree density in the forest while the remaining 17 species contributed 54%. The Shannon-Wiener diversity index and basal area of the forest was 2.62 and 13.0 m2/ha, respectively. The forest exhibited good regeneration pattern. The proportion of tree species used for medicines was 76%, constructions 60%, fuelwood 56%, crafts 52%, and food/fodder 28%. The three species with high citation index were Albizia glaberrima (3.58), Annona senegalensis (3.38) and Scorodophleous fischeri (3.16). Since, majority of the observed species were less dense, the study suggests planting of the wild tree species should be prioritized to guarantee sustainability of the forest reserve and viable supply of forest products and services to the community. Keywords: Aboriginal uses; IVI, Milawilila forest; tree density; wild tree species

Assessment of Tree Species Richness, Diversity, Population Structure and Natural Regeneration in Nongeni Forest Reserve in Morogoro Region, Tanzania

This study examined tree species richness, diversity, population structure and regeneration in Nongeni forest reserve, Morogoro, Tanzania. The study deployed plot sampling technique whereby a total of 20 plots of 0.05 ha each were randomly established in the forest. All species and individuals encountered in each plot were counted, identified and DBH measured. A total of 751 individuals/ha representing 24 species belonging to 11 families were recorded. Family Fabaceae was dominant with 9 species. The Shannon-Wiener, Margalef, Simpson’s and Pielou J index were calculated as 2.667, 3.474, 10.58 and 0.839, respectively. The Diplorhynchus condylocarpon (52.18) was the dominant species in terms of species importance value index (IVI) followed by Antidesma venosum (27.40) and Stereospermum kunthianum (21.16). The forest mean basal area was 10.80 m2/ha whereby D. condylocarpon (2.26 m2/ha) had highest value followed by Julbernardia globiflora (1.36 m2/ha). Of the observed species, 12.5% exhibited good regeneration, 45.8% poor regeneration, 29.2% new regeneration and 12.5% displayed fair/hampered regeneration pattern. Also, 29.1% of the species displayed both poor regeneration pattern and low IVI. The study concludes that the forest was rich in tree species and had good regeneration. However, conservation attention and proper management strategies for the species that exhibited poor regeneration and low IVI is imperative.Keywords: Diversity, Forest health, Importance value index, Regeneration, Species richnes

The Decoupling Hypothesis: A new idea for the origin of hominid bipedalism

Theoretical adaptive landscapes and mathematical representations of key constraints of evolutionary and primate biology are used to propose a new hypothesis for the origin of hominid bipedalism. These constraints suggest that the selective pressure that produced this novel form of locomotion was the need for effective suspensory and terrestrial movement. This testable hypothesis, termed the Decoupling Hypothesis, posits that bipedalism is an adaptation that enables the shoulder to maintain a high degree of mobility, a feature important to suspensory behaviors, in the face of significant demands for a high degree of stability, a feature important for highly effective terrestrial quadrupedism. Activity budgets and locomotor and postural behaviors of 18 primate groups, derived from published literature, were used to test a prediction of the Decoupling Hypothesis that bipedalism is a predictable behavior in primates which is correlated with intense demands for shoulder mobility and stability. Time was used as a proxy for estimating conflicting demands for shoulder stability and mobility. Bipedalism, as a proportion of all above-substrate locomotion, was predicted using logistic regression including seven linear variables and four two-way interaction terms. All possible regressions, using R2 and Mallow’s Cp as criterion, and stepwise variable selection procedures were used to determine significant variables. The model with a relatively high R2 (0.86) and the lowest Mallow’s Cp (-1.62), contained the following predictor variables: shoulder-abduction locomotion (p \u3c 0.0001), shoulder-abduction posture (p = 0.0003), and an interaction terms, shoulder-abduction locomotion by above-substrate locomotion (p = 0.011). The significant interaction term, predicted by the Decoupling Hypothesis, supports the hypothesis and suggests that further consideration is warranted

Indigenous tree uses, use-values and impact of human population on forest size, structure and species richness in Uluguru, Morogoro, Tanzania

This study assesses tree uses and use-values as well as impacts of human population on the forest size, species richness, basal area and stand density in the Uluguru forests in Morogoro Region. Interview with locals on the tree uses were done using structured questionnaires and use-value analysis techniques were used in analysing data. Trees with a diameter at breast height ≥ 10 cm measured at 1.3 m above the ground were sampled from a total of 114 plots of 20 m x 20 m (0.04 ha) from the seven forests. A total of 42 species belonging to 20 families were listed being useful for the local livelihoods. Of the listed species, 88% serve more than one function while 64% are used for firewood and charcoaling, 45%, and 40%, are used for timber and medicinal purposes, respectively. Milicia excelsa and Sterculia quinqueloba had highest and lowest total use-value, respectively. Ocotea usambarensis is known to treat 29% of diseases while 47% and 25% of the species with medicinal values are used to treat stomach-ache and dysentery. Roots are the most utilized tree part for making traditional medicines, followed by barks and leaves. The human population density revealed a significant negative correlation with forest size (r = -0.90), species richness (r = -0.78), and stand density (r = -0.75). The study suggests for control of human population and their associated activities, provision of awareness on sustainable utilization of forest resources, use of alternative source of energy by locals and active involvement of the locals in management and conservation programmes.Keywords: Biodiversity, Community, Conservation, Disturbance, Eastern Arc, Medicina

Joint Surface Area Proportions and Articular Curvature In AL 288-1: A Functional Interpretation

Body size has been recognized by several authors as one of the most important parameters affecting the biology of an organism. It has been argued that body size plays roles in metabolic cost, mobility, thermoregulation, and foraging strategy. For extinct species body masses can only be estimated using fossil remains and extant reference samples. To accurately estimate body mass the reference sample must have the same relationship between body mass and skeletal elements. Establishing a reference sample with similar body proportions as the fossil species is imperative. The purpose of this study is to investigate forelimb to hindlimb joint surface area proportions and articular surface curvature in the Australopithecus afarensis specimen AL 288-1 “Lucy”. This specimen is compared to reference samples of humans, African apes, and orangutans to determine which most accurately reflects the joint surface area proportions and joint curvature observed in “Lucy”. Joint surface area and articular surface curvature are known to be related to body mass and locomotor repertoire and hence provide clues about body proportions, locomotor and postural behaviors. Findings in this analysis indicate that “Lucy” is a mosaic of human and pongid postcranial joint features. Analyses of joint surface area reveal proportions intermediate between apes and humans but which suggest heavy reliance on the hindlimbs for locomotion. Analyses of joint curvature reveal highly curved joint surfaces consistent with high mobility and multidirectional stability indicative of an arboreal component to Lucy’s locomotor repertoire

Alternate Computer Input Device for Individuals with Quadriplegia

This project details the design development of an alternative computer input system that allows a person with quadriplegia to move a computer\u27s cursor and activate left and right click button inputs. After researching and analyzing possible solutions, an end design was chosen that most appropriately satisfied all user requirements and engineering specifications. This final design employs a head mounted Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) with 9 DoF (Degrees of Freedom) to track head movements and correlate these motions to computer cursor movements. A Sip-Puff Transducer monitors and interprets a user\u27s application of negative and positive air pressure differentials to a vinyl tube as analog voltages, which are then interpreted over time to trigger left and right click events. An Arduino Due microcontroller is used to interpret and process these inputs and send mouse commands to the user\u27s computer via a USB connection. In addition to the sensing hardware, there are two indicator LEDs which display the state of the left and right mouse buttons. There are also two adjustment potentiometers, which can be turned to adjust the sensitivity of the mouse tracking and the sip-puff click sensing window. This system improves upon other alternative computer interfaces by allowing the user to more easily perform complex and non-linear tasks such as file organization and digital painting/drawing. Two accelerometers were initially incorporated into the design to be strapped to the upper arms of the user, and upward and downward accelerations caused by the raising and lowering of each shoulder would have corresponded to the activation of the Control and Shift keys. However, due to issues with program timing and computational complexity, these parts of our design that operated the control and shift keys were abandoned

Re-presenting the Literature Review: A Rich Picture of Service Quality Research in Information Systems

This paper offers an alternative method for conceptualising and presenting an information systems literature review, based on Checkland’s Soft Systems Method (SSM). We apply this approach to service quality research in the Information Systems (IS) field. Despite a large volume of existing literature, the number of new articles published in this area continues to increase, without achieving a consensus on a set of generalisable and predictive dimensions of service quality in the information systems context. We perform a CATWOE analysis and develop a rich picture of the development and current status of service quality research in information systems. We find this alternative conceptualisation of the literature review offers fresh insights. We suggest that the potential of service quality research to enact meaningful transformations in the information systems area, plus the active sponsorship of the “owners” of the research explains its continuing popularity, despite weak predictive power

Discovery of Reflection Nebulosity Around Five Vega-like Stars

Coronagraphic optical observations of six Vega-like stars reveal reflection nebulosities, five of which were previously unknown. The nebulosities illuminated by HD 4881, HD 23362, HD 23680, HD 26676, and HD 49662 resemble that of the Pleiades, indicating an interstellar origin for dust grains. The reflection nebulosity around HD 123160 has a double-arm morphology, but no disk-like feature is seen as close as 2.5 arcsec from the star in K-band adaptive optics data. We demonstrate that uniform density dust clouds surrounding HD 23362, HD 23680 and HD 123160 can account for the observed 12-100 micron spectral energy distributions. For HD 4881, HD 26676, and HD 49662 an additional emission source, such as from a circumstellar disk or non-equilibrium grain heating, is required to fit the 12-25 micron data. These results indicate that in some cases, particularly for Vega-like stars located beyond the Local Bubble (>100 pc), the dust responsible for excess thermal emission may originate from the interstellar medium rather than from a planetary debris system.Comment: The Astrophysical Journal, in press for March, 2002 (32 pages, 13 figures