Impact of Out-of-School Time Technology Integration Modelling on Mathematics Performance: A Case of Primary Schools in Meru District, Tanzania

This study sought to establish the impact of modelling technology integration for of Out-of-School Time (OST) learning on the performance in Mathematics in primary schools. The study adopted a mixed approach where both quantitative and qualitative data were analysed. The study employed an experimental design involving the experimental and the control groups. Each of the two groups comprised three (3) schools, making a total of six out of 152 primary schools in Meru District. The findings reveal a statistically significant difference in mean scores between the control and the experimental group. The study concluded that modelling of technology integration for OST learning is attributed to significant improvements in performance of Mathematics in primary schools. Apart from building pupils’ interest, confidence and creativity in mathematics, technology integration modelling enticed teachers, parents and pupils to collaboratively dedicate more time and commitment in favour of the mathematics subject. The study recommends that school administrators and teachers need to cooperate with parents to encourage and support primary school children to embrace positive use of educational technology particularly in OST learning

The Effect of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction at St. Joseph Referral Hospital-Peramiho, Tanzania

This study was carried out to assess the effect of service quality on customer satisfaction in health sector. The specific objectives of the study were to examine the effect of tangibility as a service quality dimension on customer satisfaction at St. Joseph referral hospital-Peramiho, to find out the effect of reliability as a service quality dimension on customer satisfaction at St. Joseph referral hospital-Peramiho, to examine the effect of responsiveness as a service quality dimension on customer satisfaction at St. Joseph referral hospital-Peramiho, to examine the effect of assurance as a service quality dimension on customer satisfaction at St. Joseph referral hospital-Peramiho and to examine the effect of empathy as a service quality dimension on customer satisfaction at St. Joseph referral hospital-Peramiho. The study used simple random sampling to select 123 respondents whereas data were solicited through questionnaire. Data were analysed using Structural equation model (SEM). The study found that tangibility has significant effect on customers’ satisfaction at St. Joseph referral hospital-Peramiho. The tangible elements of a healthcare service include the physical facilities, equipment, and appearance of healthcare professionals. The study also found that service quality reliability has significant effect on customers’ satisfaction. Likewise, the study indicated that service quality responsiveness has significant effect on customers’ satisfaction. Health services at St. Joseph referral hospital-Peramiho are unique in that they often involve people seeking assistance during times of vulnerability, uncertainty, and distress. The study concluded that all attributes have strong and positive associations with their respective observed items. The study recommended that the management of hospital should continue enhance these attributes of service quality so as to continue satisfying the customers who are the patients.&nbsp

Bullying Behaviours, Helping Behaviours and the Academic Performance of Pupils with Disabilities Enrolled in Primary Schools in Tanzania.

The study aimed at investigating Bullying Behaviours, Helping Behaviours and Academic Performance of Pupils with Disabilities Enrolled in Primary Schools in Tanzania. It was deemed that pupils with disabilities encounter problems some of which are associated with bullying. The study was conducted in Dar es Salaam and Morogoro Regions, specifically Temeke District and Morogoro Municipality. The study was to identify the prospect of bullying on academic performance of pupils with disabilities in Tanzania. It also examined the factors that trigger bullying acts towards pupils with disabilities, effects of bullying and strategies used to combat bullying behavior in schools. The target respondents included government officials, NGOs staff dealing with education, head teachers, teachers, parents, pupils with disabilities and their non-disabled peers. Data collection procedures included questionnaires, interviews, observations and documentary reviews. It was found that there were helping behaviours in primary schools that enroll pupils with disabilities in Tanzania. However, due to various cultural, social and economic reasons these pupils with disabilities encounter bullying behaviours too in the same schools. As a result, these pupils’ academic performance may be affected in one way or the other. It is concluded therefore, that bullying affects the academic performance of pupils with disabilities in primary schools in Tanzania. Finally, the researcher has recommended that everyone needs to play a role in developing a conducive atmosphere for pupils with disabilities in order not to jeopardize their academic performance

Renewable Energy Microgrids to Improve Electrification Rate in Democratic Republic of Congo: Case of Hydro, Municipal Waste and Solar

Worldwide, it is imperative for citizens to have access to electrici-ty. This applies to Congolese--rural and urban dwellers, and if possible, it should be guaranteed by government’s laws and poli-cies. However, the rural and urban areas of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) suffer majorly from lack of access to electricity. The major reasons are the high costs associated with connection to the national central grid and production insufficiency. There-fore, one feasible approach to electrify these areas is to use mi-crogrids. This technology is decent and viable option for energy revolution since it incorporates energy storage systems, distribut-ed generators, and localized loads. This paper has taken to im-plement this solution by firstly analysing some cities located at the borders of large rivers or watercourses (with known depth and width), such as the Congo River considered for hydrokinetic pow-er (HKP). However, where the Congo River does not pass through, the paper will consider largest rivers passing in the area. For the case of photovoltaic electricity production, large cities are considered those with good sunshine and large population who have purchasing power for the photovoltaic electricity. The waste to energy power plans will consider the top ten densely populated cities in DRC. The proposed microgrids will operate in isolation (islanded) mode. This paper proposed 44 projects to generate 795 690 kW total energy from the microgrids. These energies are divided as 661 000 kW from solar photovoltaic, 83 790 kW from waste to energy, and 50 900 kW from hydrokinetic generation. The urban share will be 94.9% and rural area share will be 5.1% of this generation. Further work needs to include biomass as a possible renewable energy to add in the mix

Sensitivity Analysis and Uncertainty Parameter Quantification in a Regression Model: The Case of Deforestation in Tanzania

Sep 2020, Published Oct 2020AbstractIn this paper a multiple regression model for the economic factors and policy that influence therate of deforestation in Tanzania is formulated. Sensitivity analysis for parameters of explanatoryvariables using one-at-a time and direct methods is carried out and the model is fitted by classicalleast square (LSQ) and Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods. Uncertainty quantificationof parameters by adaptive Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods is performed. The coefficient ofdetermination indicates that 87% of deforestation rate is explained by explanatory variablescaptured in the model. Household poverty rate is found to be the most sensitive factor todeforestation, while purchasing power is the least sensitive in both methods. Model validationindicates a good agreement between the collected data and the predicted data by the model andMarkoc Chain Monte Carlo method yielded a good sample mix. Thus, the study recommends thatsince economic activities tend to increase the rate of deforestation, then policy and decisionmakingprocesses should link the country’s desire for economic growth and environmentalmanagement. Keywords: deforestation; economic factors; Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods; regressionmodel; sensitivity

Modelling and Numerical Simulation of Harvested Prey –Predator System Incorporating A Prey Refuge

prey-predator is defined as an interaction between the prey and predator in ecosystem.  However, over-harvesting of wildlife resources is an important challenge facing protected area in Africa, a better understanding of the nature would improve the way in which it is managed. This paper describes Modelling harvested prey–predator model incorporating a prey refuge in which a prey and predator species are affected by over-harvesting. The intention is to investigate the impacts of over-harvesting and make a possible suggestion on how to alleviate the problem. The results obtained from theoretical and numerical analysis of the prey-predator with harvesting showed that, overharvesting affect the prey-predator species negatively. However, the results obtained from numerical analysis of the prey-predator model with control strategies showed that catchibility coefficient and prey refuge has a great impact on both prey and predator species on their population densities. Keywords: prey-predator system, harvesting, incorporating a prey refug

Modelling and Analysis of a Holling Type II Stage Structured Predator-Prey System in the Presence of Harvesting

The effect of harvesting and predation on a Holling type II stage-structured predator-prey system with assumption that harvesting and predation happen only to mature preys was investigated. Stability of interior point was analysed using Routh Hurwith Criterion. Numerical simulations were carried out. The results show that harvesting and predation have strong negative impacts on population dynamics of stage structured predator-prey system.Keywords: Predator-prey System; Stage Structure; Holling type II; Harvestin

The Reconstruction of African Consciousness of Reality: A Case of Wanyiha Community.

The reconstruction of African consciousness of reality is one of the central, and in some ways, most familiar concepts in African consciousness of reality. The most fundamental questions about it are; what and why is it? These questions have rarely been answered directly. Numerous works have portrayed or stated either directly or indirectly on the variety of African consciousness of reality. Others have argued, for various properties of a consciousness of reality that should have. While, still others, have focused on properties that are important to the notion of human person consciousness of reality in general. This work referred back to basics, to address the question directly. The researcher argued and believed that, the answer can best be understood in terms of exploration and investigation on African consciousness of reality, with the aim of propagating the reflection of it. The study therefore aimed at the emerging of a concept(s) or hypothesis or a theory, which proceeds after transcendence, and goes hand in hand with the initiated transcendence. The transcendence of African consciousness of reality was assumed as the ongoing process of refining the African consciousness of reality through life and further research. The researcher considered the idea of reconstruction of African consciousness of reality in a suggestive and conventional way as that which could let an African person to utilize properly his or her intellect and will. This utilization, as the researcher argues, sustains the inward and outward countenance that produces the proper state of mind within the self and in others. Researcher’s prior knowledge helped the emergency of the preliminary conception of the study which was carried on by further research conducted by survey - case study under the projection of analogical sense to various entities, processes or issues used in this study

Proposal of nonlinear deadbeat control for boost converter and the experimental verification

This thesis discusses the proposal of nonlinear deadbeat control for continuous conduction mode (CCM) boost converter and the experimental verification. First, the nonlinear state equation is derived, and second a nonlinear current reference deadbeat control is proposed. Third, a new nonlinear controller to implement the load disturbance compensation is proposed. Then the simulations using PSIM software and verifications by experiments, it is confirmed that under the conditions of an input voltage 12 V, an output voltage of 20 V, a load resistance of 4 Ω and a sampling frequency of 100 kHz, the voltage command tracking capability of a settling time of 280 μs is achieved, and an output voltage recovery time of 1.46 ms is achieved for a sudden unknown load change. Mathematical analysis is performed to confirm asymptotic stability and robustness of the control method during voltage and current perturbation, disturbance occurrence and parameter variations. It is found that the voltage and current errors eigen values converge towards inside of the unit circle thus maintaining asymptotic stability for each perturbation case investigated. Methods to design the controller parameters are stipulated to be within the physical realization and can be applied to boost converter of any application in CCM. The proposed control method is compared with other literature that applied different digital control methods to boost converters of various applications. It is found that nonlinear deadbeat control proposed in this thesis is about twice as fast for reference tracking response, and can reject disturbances quickly for a load current three times bigger than other literature. Therefore, it is concluded that these data are the best even though the proposed control is based on nonlinear equations. Few differences are observed between experiments and simulations. Further investigations reveal the cause to be time delay in the switching device and other un- modeled nonlinear switching device phenomena. Future work will focus on improving the control method to compensate for nonlinearities

The effectiveness of technology integration modelling in improving the adoption of educational technology in out-of-school time

This study tested the effectiveness of proposed technology integration model in improving educational technology adoption in Out-of-School Time (OST) learning in primary schools. A quasi-experimental design was adopted, involving experimental and control groups. The model was experimented in Meru District Council, Arusha Region, and reached some 310 pupils in six (6) day schools, their parents, five (5) mathematics teachers and three (3) head teachers. The experiment ran for three months consecutively. Data was collected through digital Video Disks (DVDs), DVD Players and mobile phones. Other tools were home works handbooks, answer booklets and a list of perceived best practices. Participating pupils were availed with necessary materials before pupils in the experimental and control groups were examined under different practices. Specifically, the experimental group was subjected to the proposed model whereas the control group was treated under traditional practices. Then, the two groups were compared in relation to extent they used the developed technology. This primarily achieved by examining the response of pupils to the given home assignments. The Mann-Whitney test attested a statistically significant use of educational technology in favour of the experimental group (U=7916, N1=167, N2=143, p (0) <0.05). This suggests acceptance of the alternative hypothesis at 95% confidence level, implying that the use of the proposed model improved the actual use of educational technology among the learners. It is thus recommended that the government should support technology integration through by building the capacity of schools and other practitioners for effective integration of OST technology in primary schools in the country. Moreover, extensive studies need to be carried out to assess the applicability of the proposed model in other settings, especially in post-primary educational practices