Facilitating the creation of IoT applications through conditional observations in CoAP

With the advent of IPv6, the world is getting ready to incorporate smart objects to the current Internet to realize the idea of Internet of Things. The biggest challenge faced is the resource constraint of the smart objects to directly utilize the existing standard protocols and applications. A number of initiatives are currently witnessed to resolve this situation. One of such initiatives is the introduction of Constrained Application Protocol. This protocol is developed to fit in the resource-constrained smart object with the ability to easily translate to the prominent representational state transfer implementation, hypertext transfer protocol (and vice versa). The protocol has several optional extensions, one of them being, resource observation. With resource observation, a client may ask a server to be notified every state change of the resource. However, in many applications, all state changes are not significant enough for the clients. Therefore, the client will have to decide whether to use a value sent by a server or not. This results in wastage of the already constrained resources (bandwidth, processing power,aEuro broken vertical bar). In this paper, we introduced an alternative to the normal resource observation function, named Conditional Observation, where clients tell the servers the criteria for notification. We evaluated the power consumption and number of packets transmitted between clients and servers by using different network sizes and number of servers. In all cases, we found out that the existing observe option results in excessive number of packets (most of them unimportant for the client) and higher power consumption. We also made an extensive theoretical evaluation of the two approaches which give consistent result with the results we got from experimentation

Gender differences in library use: the case of Eritrea Institute of Technology Library

Libraries being part of the education system equipped with various information resources, should address the need a varied user population which include males and females with a purpose of acquiring information. Although, information resources usage and information seeking are a basic activity of any human being which is determined by a particular way of behavior; gender has been identified as one of the variables shaping the behavior of individuals towards the use of information resource and ways of seeking information as well. This study examines the interaction of students with the library and its resources by gender, taking the case study of Eritrea Institute of Technology Library (EIT Library). It comparatively measures how both male and female students utilize the available information resources of the library. The structured questionnaire method was used for data collection. The study aimed to determine the association between gender and library resources usage and the library use itself as a place. The study also examined the correlation among socio demographic variables and gender. Additionally, satisfaction with technology by gender was also examined. The results showed that there is no significant difference amongst the male and female users in the use of library, library resources usage, and activities that the students do during their presence in the library. However, there is a significant association among gender and the purpose why the students visit the library. The result of the study shows that females visit the library for conducting research more than men counterparts and more than expected

Factors Affecting Adherence to Pediatrics Antiretroviral Therapy in Mekelle Hospital, Tigray Ethiopia

The most important factor in the success of HIV treatment is adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART).The challenge to adherence to ART is particularly serious in Sub-Saharan Africa as the high rates of HIV/AIDS lead to greater numbers of affected individuals. Although long-term good ART adherence has been observed in certain settings of public sectors the magnitude of this challenge in Sub-Saharan Africa remains large and there is evidence for high rates of patient\u27s poor adherence. Study aimed to assess the factors affecting adherence to pediatrics antiretroviral therapy (ART) among children in Mekelle hospital, Tigray, Ethiopia. A Hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted on 226 children on antiretroviral therapy from May 01 to 30/2014 at Mekelle hospital. Data was collected from care givers of children under 15 years old who are on ART. Of the 226 children under 15 years, 90.3 % reported complete adherence to antiretroviral therapy medications at the regular schedule over the past 7 days. Factors associated with adherence were having male care giver (AOR=2.10[1.01, 7.22]), age of the child (AOR=1.43[1.16, 3.98]) below 5 years and use of first line ART drugs (AOR=2.86[1.54, 3.67]). Over all the adherence of children on ART to their medication in this study is relatively higher as compared to others. However, complete adherence is expected in order to make the drugs effective. Different strategies have to be designed to improve the adherence level

The Impact of International Potato Center’s Nutrition Project on Smallholder farmers’ Income and Adoption of Improved Potato Varieties: Tigray region, Northern Ethiopia

Achieving national food security is one of the major challenges currently facing developing countries like Ethiopia. Despite the high production potential and the nutritional importance of the crops, potato and sweetpotato producers particularly smallholder farmers have not economically benefited much from their production. The nutrition project had been implemented by CIP-Ethiopia and was intended to encourage the production and consumption of the two crops using improved varieties. In view of that, the objectives of this study were: to assess the impact of the project on smallholder farmers’ income as well as to identify the factors that affect the adoption of improved potato varieties. For this study, 150 sample households were selected by international potato center and the baseline data was collected between 28th June and 12th July 2011 before the intervention, 100 were participants in the project whereas 50 were non-participants. The follow-up data was collected last December 2013. While the difference in differences estimation procedure was implemented in assessing the impact, the logistic regression was employed to identify the determinants of adoption of improved potato varieties. The results showed that the project has resulted in bringing a significant income improvement in the treatment group i.e. the mean income difference in the treated group before and after the treatment was significantly greater than the corresponding mean income difference of the control group. This is true in terms of total income, potato income as well as sweetpotato income. On the other hand, six of the covariates used in the logistic regression function to find out the determinants of adoption of improved potato varieties were found to be significant. These include education level of the household head, access to extension services, participation in off-farm activities, participation in the project, having radio and cell phone are found to be positively and significantly related with adoption

Water quality monitoring in Lake Abaya and Lake Chamo region : a research based on water resources of the Abaya-Chamo Basin - South Ethiopia

This study is based on water quality monitoring work of water resources within the Abaya-Chamo basin. The methods, method validation and analysis results have been presented and discussed. Seansonal variation and trends as well as associated water quality management issues are discussed. A water quality monitoring system based on an integrated partial physical orthogonal model has been designed based on data generated within the water resources of the Abaya-Chamo drainage basin. Abstract common factors were extracted by the application of principal component and factor analysis. By overlaying real factors with abstract common factors the underlaying causes for the water quality variations hace been explained. Surface flow factors, sub surface flow factors, leaching flow factors, effects of soil matrix, rainfall magnitude and intensity, discharge, catchment area and slope, in stream pollution and point sources of pollution, evaporative storage and precipitation chemistry all showed up in such integrated model. This model can be extended by including further physical factors as well as natural and anthropogenic pollution sources and factors. This model can be extended to lakes and ground water sources as well. Design of water quality monitoring intervals was accomplished with the help of spectral analysis. Spatial monitoring spacing for lake water quality was determined after hierarchical cluster analysis. The possibility of modelling the various water quality parameters was investigated. Auto regressive modelling fits well variables that have seasonally evened variation. Variables with short-term fluctuation were modelled with spectral level regression. State-space method was satisfactorily applied for relating the time series between two sampling points located on different rivers. Discharge-base contaminant modelling was modified to compensate for error by establishing a pattern of relationship between calculated and observed contaminant loads