IoT-based control and monitoring system of a solar-powered brushless dc motor for agro-machines – the case of a Tanzanian-made oil press machine

A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Embedded and Mobile Systems of the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and TechnologyThe impulse in designing local agricultural machinery for curbing post-harvest losses in most African countries particularly Tanzania is unmatched. Locally made agricultural machines have proven to elevate the life of many small-scale farmers, which has increased the need to incorporate machine drives and controls to ease the process and operations. With potentials in Solar Energy, powering machine drive systems that operate in off-grid areas has been the best solution. Using the principles of Internet of Things (IoT) together with advancement in motor designs and readily available off the shelf microcontrollers such as the Raspberry Pi and Arduino UNO in the market, we achieve machinery that caters for our needs and the local content. Mobile apps play a huge role in industrialization where monitoring and even controls of machines can be performed by the mobile phones. This project incorporated Agile-Scrum methods to develop a control and monitoring system for a locally made avocado oil extraction machine that is powered by a solar system with 1600W panel arrays and 800Ah battery pack, and uses a Brushless Direct Current Motor coupled with electric solenoid valve, relay modules and a controller unit assisting on the control process and collecting crucial motor operation data such as voltage and current. The designed Mobile app ‘Blue’ acquire motor operation data from the Raspberry Pi via Bluetooth technology, delivering data to cloud server for later analysis. Easing data acquisition in off grid areas when engineers, technicians or operators have a physical access to the stations. It was concluded that this novel design would provide an effective control and monitoring mechanism with an acceptance on reliability, usability and effectiveness of up to 85.65% for a plethora of locally-made machinery that available in the market which still uses the manual means of operation emphasizing ease of use and productivity, thence joining hands with the global world on attaining some of the Sustainable Development Goals

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Clinicopathological guide to malignant bone tumours: A retrospective analysis of the cancer registry at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre in northern Tanzania

Background: Primary neoplasms of the skeleton are rare. This study aimed at determining the spectrum of different malignant bone tumours at a tertiary hospital cancer registry in the Northern Zone of Tanzania, along with related symptoms, clinical presentations, and clinical diagnosis accuracy (using histology as the standard).Methods: This retrospective study reviewed bone specimen records in the cancer registry at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) in Tanzania, for the period from 1 January 1998-31 December 2012. Patient information for corresponding cancer registry records was traced from hospital files and x-ray reports. Data were analysed using a mixed quantitative and qualitative approach.Results: Two hundred twenty-five malignant bone tumours were recorded at KCMC Cancer Registry over a period of 14 years. Seventy-five with adequate records were analysed. Forty-seven patients (62.7%) were male. Mean age was 34.1 (standard deviation 20) years. The femur was affected in 26 cases (34.7%). Osteosarcoma (22 cases; 29.3%) was the most common malignant bone tumour. Clinicians correctly preliminarily diagnosed multiple myeloma, osteosarcoma, and ameloblastoma, but had inexperience with carcinomas and other types of sarcomas. Chronic osteomyelitis and metastatic lesions were mentioned frequently by radiologists as the diagnosis of some malignant bone tumours that turned out to be carcinomas or sarcomas on histology.Conclusions: Clinician and radiologist training of other types of malignant bone tumours other than multiple myeloma, osteosarcoma, and ameloblastoma is required. An Orthopaedic Biopsy Form (OBF) was developed to address high loss to follow-up (66.7%). Keywords: malignant bone tumours; cancer registry; KCM

Automatic Railway Road Crossing (RLC) Traffic Light System for Metric Gauge Railway Network in Tanzania

The verdict has been established that Railway Level Crossings (RLCs) present possible risk to roads users. Because of the ever-increasing number of vehicles on the road every day, it was determined that employing automation at level crossings can be beneficial to both road and railway users' safety. The aim is to develop an automated railway level crossing system that would reduce the likelihood of collisions between trains and road users at intersections. From the perspective of a railway level crossing, the conditions safeguards must meet is straightforward - Before a train passes, there must be a complete stop for all road users. Two RFID sensors and Ultrasonic sensors are used located at strike-in and strike-out points at the level crossing. Detection of automobiles stuck on the railroad once the train has activated the automation at the RLC is performed by the Ultrasonic sensor. Other warning measures in the system include an automated barrier, Light Emitting Diode flashing lights, and an audio alarm device. Arduino UNO and ESP32 were used as microcontrollers to perform all the logical operations and control commands. Consequently, the next train station from RLC was updated of the incoming train’s Expected Time of Arrival (ETA). The time it takes for the barriers to close will be determined by the train’s speed. In this project work, the prospective application strategy for securing railroad crossings is described in detail. It is the best feasible control of the level crossing by using the train detection system