Integrated Nutrient Management for Food Security and Environmental Quality

One of the most important challenges facing humanity today is to conserve/sustain natural resources, including soil and water, for increasing food production while protecting the environment. Integrated nutrient management (INM) system or integrated nutrient supply (INS) system aims at achieving a harmony in the judicial and efficient use of chemical fertilizers in conjunction. INM addresses environmental consideration by tailoring nutrient application to crop needs and soil conditions in order to eliminate both excessive applications that increase potential loss to water or air and insufficient application that result in soil fertility degradation. Integrated nutrient management holds great promise in meeting the growing nutrient demands of intensive agriculture. It can also help in maintaining production sustainability without deterioration in quality of plants environment Keywords: Agriculture, Integrated nutrient management, fertilizer

Evaluation of Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L) Moench) Varieties and Environments for Yield Performance and Stability

Sorghum is a major food crop grown in Western Hararghe, accounting for 59.3% followed by maize 32.8%, and tef 4.15% of the total cultivated areas. The objectives of this study was to evaluate the adaptability and stability of released sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L) Moench)) varieties at three location in West Hararghe, Ethiopia. Five sorghum varieties (Mesay, ESH-1, Meko, Chare and Girana-1) were planted in Randomized Complete Block design (RCBD) in three locations, with three replications. The AMMI analysis of variance for grain yield showed that the main effect of Variety (V), environment (E), and G X E account for 4.5, 86.9 and 2.3 % of the total variation, respectively. The variety ESH-1 (38.67 Qut ha-1) produced the  highest grain yield than other varieties while the lowest grain yield was recorded in Mako variety (28.89 Qut ha-1). ESH -1 resulted in higher yield advantage than Girana-1 ( 13.21%), Mesay ( 22.4%), Chare (24.4%) and Mako (25.29%). Environments were positively correlated one another. Miesso and Hawi Gudina were moisture stress area and suitable environment for sorghum production than Mechara. The result clearly indicated that ESH-1 and Girana-1 were the tolerable variety than other variety at all locations. Finally ESH-1 and Girana-1 was preferred for further demonstration and promotion in low moisture stress area of West Hararghe to contribute to food security in the area. Keywords: AMMI model, Environment X variety interaction, Sorghum variet

Influence of Cowpea and Soybean Intercropping Pattern in Sorghum on Striga (striga hermonthica) Infestation and System Productivity at Mechara, Eastern Ethiopia

Striga is a serious constraint to sorghum, millet, rice and maize production in the dry land zones of Africa Field experiment was conducted at Mechara Agricultural Research Center during ; to determine the effect of cowpea and soybean intercropping pattern on Striga hermonthica infestation in sorghum and to assess the effect of S. hermonthica and intercropping on system productivity. The treatments included two legume crops (soybean and cowpea), their  planting time (simultaneously and at first weeding of sorghum),three planting patterns of legumes (double alternate plants within sorghum plants, two rows in between two rows of sorghum and both double alternate plants and two rows in between two rows of sorghum) along with sole crops (sorghum, soybean and cowpea). The experiment was conducted in randomized complete block design with three replications. The results showed that cowpea proved significantly superior to soybean in reducing striga infestation. Though simultaneous planting of soybean with sorghum in double alternate plants and two rows in between two rows of sorghum had minimum Striga infestation, but it was statistically at par with cowpea planted simultaneously with sorghum under all the planting patterns and planting with first weeding in sorghum under double alternate plants and two rows in between two rows of sorghum. Interaction of legumes with planting pattern significantly influenced sorghum plant height and aboveground dry biomass yield, while legumes and their time of planting and time of planting and planting pattern had significant effect on crop stand count and kernel weight per head, respectively. Keywords: Cowpea, infestation level, intercropping, planting pattern, productivity, sorghum, soybean, Strig

Technology and Motivation : Can the use of Technology Increase Student Motivation in the Science Classroom?

This thesis project examines education and technology as they intersect in order to increase educators understanding of the use of technology as it bears on motivational factors present in today’s student population. The study explores current research regarding motivation, science education, and the use of technology in the classroom. The researcher taught students to use technology as a tool for their science learning and then used assessment measures to understand whether the use of technology in science education had any effect on their participation and motivation levels in the classroom. As part of the study, technology was utilized to present material in a science classroom to middle school students and they, in turn, used technology for research, investigations, and presentation. The study was conducted in a small urban charter school in Central New York in a seventh grade science class of 24 students. Data was gathered through student assessment using specific tech-based vs. non-tech based student work and teacher observation and journal notes through the course of the study. Study results also measured student participation in class during traditional lessons and during technology-based lessons. Conclusions support the use of technology to engage and motivate students in a science classroom. The study also suggests that general student behaviors were improved in the technology focused classroom space

A proposed junior program for the Wesleyan Methodist Church of America

https://place.asburyseminary.edu/ecommonsatsdissertations/2252/thumbnail.jp

Performance Difference Between Credit User and Non-Credit User Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) in Amhara Region of Ethiopia

Microfinance services play significant role to the socio-economic development of developing countries. Studies tried to examine the impact of microfinance services on MSEs. However, most studies ignored comparing the performance of microfinance credit users with non-users. The objective of this study is, therefore, to examine the real effect of credit access on the performance of MSEs. The researcher employed mixed research approach. The study population for the survey was both credit user and non-user MSEs in the four major cities of Amhara region of Ethiopia. Purposive sampling, quota sampling and simple random sampling techniques were used sequentially to select respondents. Both closed ended and open-ended survey questionnaire, and semi-structured interview with higher officials of microfinance institutions were used as data collection tools. A two-sample mean-comparison test and Wilcoxon signed rank sum test with median value were also used to compare the performance difference between credit user and non-credit user MSEs. Thus, the result of the study indicated that the performance of credit user MSEs was significantly greater than from the performance of non-credit users. This finding leads to a suggestion that preparing infrastructure for easy credit access should be given due attention alongside its related orientations on how to use the credit. Keywords: microfinance, credit user, non-credit user, MSEs, Amhara Region, Ethiopi

Financial Sustainability of Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) in Ethiopia

The microfinance paradigms focus on reduction of poverty through improving access to finance and financial services. However, the positive impacts of microfinance institutions on the welfare of the poor can only be sustained if the institutions can achieve a good financial performance. The purpose of this study, therefore, aimed at identifying factors affecting financial sustainability of MFIs in Ethiopia. The study followed a quantitative research approach using a balanced panel data set of 126 observations from 14 MFIs over the period 2002-2010. The study found that microfinance breadth of outreach, depth of outreach, dependency ratio and cost per borrower affect the financial sustainability of microfinance institutions in Ethiopia. However, the microfinance capital structure and staff productivity have insignificant impact on financial sustainability of MFIs in Ethiopia for the study periods. Key words: Ethiopian microfinance institutions, financial sustainability, outreac

Tax Policy Reforms, Trends and Composition of Tax Revenue in Ethiopia

Taxation is a vital fiscal policy instrument indispensable for the development of both developed and developing countries. However, in Ethiopia the resource mobilization effort through tax collection is low though tax policy reforms are done in various periods. Hence, the major objective of this study is to analyze the tax policy reforms, trends and composition of tax revenue in Ethiopia using the data covering 40 years (1974/75-2013/14). Descriptive analysis method was used to address the objective. The finding of the study indicates that most of the tax policy reforms are concentrated on tax legislation and the pace of institutional reform is slow. In addition, the amount of tax revenue collected is characterized by cyclical trends and it is highly dependent on foreign trade taxes. Therefore, the tax system of the country fails to generate adequate revenue commensurate with the growth of the economy. Hence, the institutional reform should be dynamic to improve the tax mobilization effort. Similarly, the government should strength its effort towards direct taxes to raise adequate revenue emanated from the economy as the tax revenue sources from foreign trade is unpredictable provided the volatile nature of the international market situation. Keywords: Tax revenue; tax policy reforms, composition of tax revenue, Ethiopi

The status of textile-based dry EEG electrodes

Electroencephalogram (EEG) is the biopotential recording of electrical signals generated by brain activity. It is useful for monitoring sleep quality and alertness, clinical applications, diagnosis, and treatment of patients with epilepsy, disease of Parkinson and other neurological disorders, as well as continuous monitoring of tiredness/ alertness in the field. We provide a review of textile-based EEG. Most of the developed textile-based EEGs remain on shelves only as published research results due to a limitation of flexibility, stickability, and washability, although the respective authors of the works reported that signals were obtained comparable to standard EEG. In addition, nearly all published works were not quantitatively compared and contrasted with conventional wet electrodes to prove feasibility for the actual application. This scenario would probably continue to give a publication credit, but does not add to the growth of the specific field, unless otherwise new integration approaches and new conductive polymer composites are evolved to make the application of textile-based EEG happen for bio-potential monitoring