Ecological risk assessment based on land cover change: A case of Zanzibar-Tanzania, 2003-2027

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Geospatial TechnologiesLand use under improper land management is a major challenge in sub-Saharan Africa, and this has drastically affected ecological security. Addressing environmental impacts related to this major challenge requires faster and more efficient planning strategies that are based on measured information on land-use patterns. This study was employed to access the ecological risk index of Zanzibar using land cover change. We first employed Random Forest classifier to classify three Landsat images of Zanzibar for the year 2003, 2009 and 2018. And then the land change modeler was employed to simulate the land cover for Zanzibar City up to 2027 from land-use maps of 2009 and 2018 under business-as-usual and other two alternative scenarios (conservation and extreme scenario). Next, the ecological risk index of Zanzibar for each land cover was assessed based on the theories of landscape ecology and ecological risk model. The results show that the built-up areas and farmland of Zanzibar island have been increased constantly, while the natural grassland and forest cover were shrinking. The forest, agricultural and grassland have been highly fragmented into several small patches relative to the decrease in their patch areas. On the other hand, the ecological risk index of Zanzibar island has appeared to increase at a constant rate and if the current trend continues this index will increase by up to 8.9% in 2027. In comparing the three future scenarios the results show that the ERI for the conservation scenario will increase by only 4.6% which is at least 1.6% less compared to 6.2% of the business as usual, while the extreme scenario will provide a high increase of ERI of up to 8.9%. This study will help authorities to understand ecological processes and land use dynamics of various land cover classes, along with preventing unmanaged growth and haphazard development of informal housing and infrastructure

New Spectrophotometric Estimation and Cloud Point Extraction of Cefdinir

A sensitive spectrophotometric method was developed for the estimation of cefdinir (CFD), a cephalosporin species. This study involves two methods, and the first method includes the preparing of azo dye by the reaction of CFD diazonium salt with 4-Tert-Butylphenol (4-TBP) and 2-Naphthol (2-NPT) in alkaline medium, which shows colored dyes measured at λmax 490 and 535 nm, respectively. Beer's law was obeyed along the concentration range of (3-100) μg.ml-1. The limits of detection were 0.246, 0.447 μg.ml-1 and molar absorptivities were 0.6129×104, 0.3361×104 L.mol-1cm-1 for (CFD-4-TBP) and (CFD-2-NPT), respectively. The second method includes preconcentration for cefdinir dyes by using cloud point extraction in the presence of Triton X-114 (10% v/v) and recording measurements using the UV-Visible technique. Cloud point extraction enables the drug to be precisely estimated under the optimal experimental conditions. The concentrations were ranged between (0.1-6.0) and (0.2-6.0) μg.ml-1. The limits of detection were 0.032, 0.054 μg.ml-1 and molar absorptivities were 0.4733×105, 0.2788×105 L.mol-1cm-1, respectively. Enrichment factors were 24.61, 24.58, and distribution coefficients were 1526, 1393 for (CFD-4-TBP), (CFD-2-NPT), respectively. The proposed methods have been applied for the determination of CFD in commercial formulation with no interference. The results appear to be no significant difference between the two methods

Islamic banking: an exploratory study of public perception in Uganda

Purpose – Islamic banking (IB) has been globally embraced by over 76 countries, with over $2tn in assets. Despite this remarkable progress, there are countries that are yet to fully embrace IB (Uganda inclusive). All the ongoing initiatives in Uganda (at policy level) to establish IB require supporting study of public awareness and attitudes toward IB. This will stimulate a down-top approach to the feasibility of IB and policymaking, thus providing a fertile ground for wider consideration of the majority stakeholders’ views in formulating standards and policy guidelines regulating IB. This study aims to explore the perception of Ugandans towards IB. Design/methodology/approach – The study is exploratory in nature and uses a quantitative method. Out of the 400 questionnaires distributed, only 354 were usable for further analysis. SPSS 21 was used to analyze data using descriptive statistics and factor analysis. Findings – Major findings indicate that unlike non-Muslims, Muslims are more knowledgeable about the IB culture, although both groups have low awareness about IB terminologies. There were inconsistences in Muslim and non-Muslim attitudes toward IB, for instance; while non-Muslims are motivated by “profitability”, Muslims’ inclination to IB is mainly due to “religious and profitability combined”. Both groups demonstrated some uniformity in their selection criteria of banks such as “third party influence”, although they are inconsistent in other factors. Originality/value – The novelty of this study rests in its down-top approach to feasibility of IB by gauging the perception of majority stakeholders before IB is established. The study is conducted in a heterogeneous society unlike many of similar studies that have focused on Muslim majority countries. As most studies (with similar background) are at least 18 years old, this study remains outstanding in gauging the dynamics of stakeholders in Muslim minority countries which have yet established IB

Reduce the probability of blocking for handoff and calls in cellular systems based on fixed and dynamic channel assignment

In cellular systems the high probability of blocking represents a big problem for users, The proposed solution by reducing the blocking probability and investigation cellular systems by method channels assignment. The aim from apaper is studying the effect the channel assignment on the value of blocking probability. The results showed that the fixe channeld assignment gives a large probability of blocking for high loads, While  (FCA) reduce probability of blocking for handoff and calls according to cluster size. The cellular system representation in the case of (DCA), in (3-cell reuse) and (7-cell reuse), the results showed the first best way to reduce blocking probability and lead to reduce to approximately zero when loads that are less than 200%. Increasing  the cluster size causes to reduce blocking  probability. the results showed that the probability blocking for handoff  less than from probability of  blocking for new calls

Gender Difference in Relationship of Apnoea/Hypopnoea Index with Body Mass Index and Age in the Omani Population

Objectives: Obstructive sleep apnoea/hypopnoea syndrome (OSAHS) is a disorder characterised by repetitive upper airway collapse during sleep in association with daytime sleepiness. It has an estimated prevalence of 2% and 4% among middle-aged women and men respectively. The aim of the study was to look at the association of body mass index (BMI), age and gender and prevalence of OSAHS in the Omani population. Methods:Polysomnography reports and hospital medical records of all patients who took part in the Sleep Study at the Sleep Laboratory of the Clinical Physiology Department, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, between January 1995 and December 2006, were retrospectively reviewed. Data from both sources was gathered and analysed. Results: A total of 1,042 sleep studies were conducted with 608 valid studies for analysis. The study showed that the apnoea/hypopnoea index (AHI) >15 was more prevalent in men compared to women (47.9% versus 33.5%, P = 0.001). There was significant correlation of AHI with BMI (P <0.0001) among men compared to women (P = 0.1); however, age was significantly correlated with AHI among women (P <0.0001), but not with men (P = 0.1). Conclusion: The results indicate that there is a gender difference in the prevalence of OSAHS and obesity is a major risk factor for OSAHS among Omani men whereas age is found to be a risk factor for OSAHS among women.

Systems and Methods for Inspecting Coatings

A system for detecting defects in paint coatings includes a temperature manipulation apparatus configured to change the temperature of a surface and a coating applied to the surface. The system may further include an infrared sensor for measuring the change in temperature of the surface and coating and a processor to compare the measured change in temperature of the surface and coating to an expected change of temperature in order to determine anomalies in the coatings

Experimental and numerical investigation of the effect of water cooling on the temperature distribution of photovoltaic modules using copper pipes

In hot climates, PV efficiency drops dramatically if the surface temperature of the panels rises over a specific limit. Consequently, a cooling system is required to preserve PV modules as close to their operating temperature as feasible. For this purpose, the influence of an increase in PV surface temperature on PV performance was studied experimentally and numerically at the Research Institute of Petroleum Industry (RIPI) in July. The current study uses a cooling system consisting of rows of copper pipes connected to the PV backside. The experiments are conducted for four distinct scenarios, each with a different input fluid temperature ranging from 19.5 to 61 °C. The parametric analysis focuses on three influential factors: ambient temperature, solar radiation, and fluid inlet temperatures. In addition, other inputs are configured in accordance with the experimental conditions. The results showed that installing a cooling water system decreased the PV surface temperature from 60.20 °C to 40.24 °C at 9:00 am and from 73.98 °C to 73.33 °C at 1:30 pm. Furthermore, the electrical, thermal, overall, and exergy efficiencies drop as radiation intensity and water inlet temperature increase. In addition, the numerical results are validated with the experimental ones, and it shows high degrees of concordance

Frequency of neurological manifestations in β-thalassaemic patients in Zagazig University Hospitals

Background: Beta thalassemia syndrome is a hereditary disorder characterized by reduced or absent synthesis of thebeta chains of hemoglobin that disturbs the normal shape of red blood cells. Chronic hypoxia of the nerves resulting from severe anemia may contribute to the pathogenesis of the peripheral neuropathy in patients with β-thalassemia. The aim of this study was to find out the frequency of neurological manifestations in β- thalassemia patients and to determine the contributing factors that lead to these manifestations.Patients and Methods: This study was prospective cross sectional study conducted during the period from June 2019 to December 2020. This study was carried out on 120 thalassemia patients (67 males and 53 females), with ages ranged from 11 to 22 years old with a mean age of 16.45+3.31 years.Results: About 31.7% of the studied cases had neurological manifestations. Tingling and numbness were the main neurological symptoms among cases (24.1% and 23.3% respectively) followed by headache (21.7%), joint and muscle pain (20.8%) and tremors in hands (3.3%). Hypotonia was found in 25 cases (20.8%). Grade 4 muscle power was reported in 13 cases (10.8%) and normal (grade 5) muscle power was reported in 107 cases (89.1%). Deep tendon reflexes were normal in (89.2%) cases, while (10.8%) cases had brisk deep tendon reflexes.Conclusion: Frequency of neurological manifestations in beta thalassemia patients was 31.7%. About 26.3% of them had abnormal nerve conduction study (NCS). Age >16 years old, short stature, prolonged duration of the disease, transfusion frequency >10 times/year, delayed puberty and jaundice were risk factors for neurological manifestations in our studied cases

The feasibility of adopting Islamic Banking system under the existing laws in Uganda

Purpose – In 2014, Islamic finance assets are estimated to have exceeded US$2 trillion with over 100 products and an annual growth of over 20.7 per cent, across more than 76 countries, most of which are members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Despite this remarkable market expansion, numerous OIC members such as Uganda are yet to fully adopt this unique financial system because of regulatory constraints. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which Uganda can benchmark the Malaysian experience and best practices to overcome the regulatory challenges in introducing Islamic Banking.Design/methodology/approach – This exploratory study adopts qualitative research methods through documentary review to elicit relevant information from the existing laws in Uganda that would accommodate the Islamic Banking system. Interpretive analysis and analytical methods are used to analyze data. Findings – The Malaysian experience and best practices of Islamic Banking regulation need to be benchmarked by regulators. Relevant laws which require some amendments include section 37(a) and 38(1) of the Financial Institutions Act 2004 and section 29(3)(a) of the Bank of Uganda Act 2000. Similarly, tax legislation needs amendments to ensure a level playing field for Islamic finance and conventional finance products. Originality/value – This is one of the earliest studies on models of Islamic Banking regulation suitable for adoption in Uganda. This study contributes to literature on how other jurisdictions (especially those with less regulatory prudence) could regulate Islamic Banking in a dual banking system jurisdiction

Variable Scale Kernel Density Estimation for Simple Linear Degradation Model

In this study, we proposed the variable scale kernel estimator for analyzing the degradation data. The properties of the proposed method are investigated and compared with the classical method such as; maximum likelihood and ordinary least square methods via simulation technique. The criteria bias and MSE are used for comparison. Simulation results showed that the performance of the variable scale kernel estimator is acceptable as a general estimator. It is nearly the best estimator when the assumption of the distribution is invalid. Application to real data set is also given