Towards Effective Online Learning Implementation in Tanzanian Higher Learning Institutions: Obstacles, Challenges and Opportunities

This paper identifies and discusses several influential factors as well as opportunities, associated with effective- online learning implementation in Tanzanian Higher Learning Institutions (THUs). Fourteen (14) THUs were surveyed, using face-to-face interviews in focus groups. The groups included Lecturers, Heads of ICT Departments, ICT Technical Personnel as well as Admi/:listrative Staff. Results indicate that mostly, problems with effective online implementation in THUs are centred on a severe scarcity of online resources and tools and that the main challenges lie in going beyond the process of integrating technology with their teaching curricular, so that training of both teaching and supporting staffs also poses a big challenge in the process. In addition, opportunities for e-learning are totally unexplored because of the low pace of THUs' online learning practices. In this respect, THUs are required to devise and implement clear and welldefined e-learning strategies before they can move a step further

Hatha Yoga practice decreases menopause symptoms and improves quality of life: a randomized controlled trial

Objectives: Yoga practice includes a group of specific psychophysical techniques. Although previous studies showed beneficial effects of yoga for health and rehabilitation, improving quality of life, there are few studies on the possible therapeutic application of yoga during the climacteric period. The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychophysiological effects of Hatha Yoga regular practice in post-menopausal women. Methods: Eighty-eight post-menopausal women volunteered for this 12-week trial. They were randomly assigned to one of three groups: control (no intervention), exercise, and yoga. Questionnaires were applied in order to evaluate climacteric syndrome (Menopause Rating Scale), stress (Lipp Stress Symptom Inventory), quality of life (Brief World Health Organization Quality of Life), depression (Beck Depression Inventory) and anxiety (State/Trait Anxiety Inventories). Physiological changes were evaluated through hormone levels (cortisol, FSH, LH, progesterone and estradiol). Results: At 12 weeks, yoga practitioners showed statistically lower scores for menopausal symptoms, stress levels and depression symptoms, as well as significantly higher scores in quality of life when compared to control and exercise groups. Only control group presented a significant increase in cortisol levels. The yoga and exercise groups showed decreased levels of FSH and LH when compared to control group. Conclusions: These results suggest that yoga promotes positive psychophysiological changes in post-menopausal women and may be applied as a complementary therapy towards this population

Correlações de características do meio biofísico do Parque Estadual de Campos do Jordão, SP

É apresentado um perfil topográfico do P.E. de Campos do Jordão (Estado de São Paulo, Brasil), para o estudo das correlações entre a vegetação, "o relevo", o clima, a geologia, a geomorfologia e a pedologia. A caracterização é baseada, essencialmente, em processos fotointerpretativos e cartográficos, a fim de se verificar as correlações entre os aspectos do meio biofísico, para um melhor entendimento da paisagem e preservação dos recursos naturais. Concluise que a paisagem é compartimentada, apresentando, no terço superior (1800-2000m), os campos de altitude, mata latifoliada alta e baixa; no terço médio (1600-1800 m), os campos naturais e antrópicos, mata de Araucária e Podocarpus, mata latifoliada com Araucária e mata latifoliada alta e baixa e, no terço inferior (1500-1600 m), os campos naturais e antrópicos, prado e mata de Araucária e Podocarpus.<br>It is presented the topographic profile of the "P.E. de Campos do Jordão (São Paulo, Brasil)" to study the correlations among the vegetation, "the relief", the climate, the geology, the geomorfology and the pedology. The caracterization is essentially based on photointerpretation and cartographic processes, in order to verify the relations among aspects of biophisical environment to a better understanding of the landscape and the natural resource preservation. It concludes that the landscape is divided and it presents the altitude fields, the high and low "latifoliada" forest in the uper third (1800-2000m); in the medium third (1600-1800 m) natural and antropic fields, the "Araucária" and "Podocarpus" forest, "latifoliada" with "Araucária" forest and high and low "latifoliada", forest, and, in the lower third (1500-1600 m) the natural and antropic fields, the meadows (or plains) the "Araucária" and "Podocarpus" forest

Composição florística de uma floresta ripária na Reserva Estadual de Porto Ferreira, SP Floristic composition of a riparian forest area in Porto Ferreira State Reserve, State of São Paulo, S.E. Brasil

Aplicou-se o método de quadrantes (63 pontos) na Reserva Estadual de Porto Ferreira (21º49'S e 47º25'W), numa área (l,08ha) à margem direita do rio Moji Guaçu, amostrando dois indivíduos lenhosos em cada quadrante: um com fuste mínimo de 130cm e DAP < 10 cm; outro com DAP > 10cm. Os resultados obtidos foram comparados com os publicados por outros autores para uma área de mata riparia na Estação Ecológica de Moji Guaçu (Mata da Figueira), cerca de 100 km a montante daquele rio. Em Porto Ferreira, encontraram-se 107 espécies, sendo 80 exclusivas. Das 59 espécies listadas por outros autores para a Mata da Figueira, 31 foram exclusivas. As duas áreas tiveram 27 espécies comuns, com uma similaridade de Sørensen de 48,6%, considerada baixa. A grande heterogeneidade ambiental das várzeas e os diferentes graus de perturbação antrópica poderiam contribuir para essa variação florística. Os maiores números de espécies ocorreram em Leguminosae (20), Myrtaceae (17), Rutaceae (9), Euphorbiaceae (7) e Lauraceae, Meliaceae, Moraceae e Rubiaceae (6 espécies cada). Ao nível de família, parece haver poucas diferenças'com as florestas paulistas não inundáveis, mas as espécies mostram diferentes graus de preferência pelo habitat. As duas áreas apresentaram uma mistura de espécies típicas com outras de florestas nâo inundáveis. Estas ocorreriam na várzea em decorrência de, principalmente: a) adaptações do sistema radicular a períodos relativamente curtos de inundação; b) menor tempo de inundação nos pontos mais elevados do microrrelevo da várzea; c) maior aeração provocada pela água corrente.<br>The point-centred quarter method (63 points) was applied in Porto Ferreira State Reserve (21º49'S and 47º25'W) in an area (1.08ha) on the right margin of Moji Guaçu river, including two woody individuals per quarter - one with DBH < 10cm and at least 130cm high, the other with DBH > 10cm. The results obtained were compared with those published by other authors for a riparian forest (Mata da Figueira) at Moji Guaçu Ecological Station (about 100 km upstream on the same river). At Porto Ferreira 107 species were found, of which 80 were exclusive, compared with the Mata da Figueira where of the 59 species listed, 31 were exclusive. The two area shared 27 common species, thus accounting for a low Sørensen similarity of 48.6%. The great environmental heterogeneity of the floodplains, as well as the degree of anthropic disturbance, could account for this floristic variation. The greatest numbers of species were shown by Leguminosae (20), Myrtaceae (17), Rutaceae (9), Euphorbiaceae (7), and Lauraceae, Meliaceae, Moraceae and Rubiaceae (6 species each). There appears to be little difference at the family level among the periodically flooded and non-flooded forests of the State of São Paulo, but the species show different degreees of preference for habitat. The floristic composition of the two areas presented a mixture of typical species with others of non-flooded forests. The latter would occur on the floodplain probably by a) adaptation of the root system to relatively short flooding periods; b) shorter periods of flooding on the higher points of the microrelief of the floodplain, and c) greater aeration due to running water