National Research Database of Zimbabwe
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Accuracy assessment of MODIS fire products in African Savanna woodlands
No full textFire poses a continuous threat to forest ecosystems and can dramatically reduce valuable timber species in forest woodland areas. The occurrence of fire in Baikiaea plurijuga woodlands warrants the need of an active and timely fire detection system. Rudimentary methods of detecting fires are still in use in most of Zimbabwe’s forest reserves, yet remote sensing has played a pivotal role around the globe in detecting and monitoring both active incidences and post fire burnt areas. Several satellite systems have been validated in different biomes of the world for both MODIS MOD14A1 and MCD14ML.However, there still remains a gap of knowledge in the accurate detection of fires in Baikiaea plurijuga woodlands. In this study we evaluate the accuracy of MODIS fire products using, confusion matrices, kappa statistic, true skill statistic (TSS), remote sensing and Geographical Information techniques where employed to assess the accuracy of MODIS MOD14A1 burnt area product and MCD14ML active fire product in fire detection. This is the first time results of accuracy assessment of fire products are reported in Baikiaea plurijuga woodlands. In both study sites, course resolution 1 km MODIS MOD14A1 burnt area fire product has a continually poor index of agreement with ground data kappa 0 and TSS value is 0. However, for MODIS MCD14ML we found high kappa and true skill statistic values, showing a high. However, we recorded high kappa and TSS values for the MODIS MCDML active fire product. These results, are consistent with the premise that, increase in spatial resolution reduces the sensors ability to detect fires in African Savanna woodland
An Evaluation on the Adoption of HRM Practices and Their Effect on Small and Medium Enterprisesp Performance. A Case of Selected SMEs in Bulawayo Central Business District.
No full textSmall and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) play a pivotal role in economic development through contribution of jobs and poverty reduction in Zimbabwe. Despite their importance in the economy, they have high failure rate. Many studies have been conducted on SMEs but only a few on Human resource management practices and their effect on SME performance in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. The role of human resource management practices on the performance and growth of SMEs is influenced by different factors such as financial constraints, experience and level of education. The study worked with a sample size of 35 respondents. 30 questionnaires were returned and 5 were not. Primary data was collected using questionnaires which were given to the respondents at their places of businesses. Data collected was analyzed by Statistical Package for Social Sciences Software (SPSS) and presented through graphs, figures, tables, charts and percentages. The study found that knowledge on HRM practices had the greatest effect on the performance of SMEs, followed by entrepreneurial orientation, and then level of education and also length of service in the business. Recommendations were made in the study on owners/managers of the SMEs that they should adopt formal HRM practices to enhance better planning, bring about new talent, and best ways of marketing their business. Owners/managers are recommended to attend training seminars that will help in enhancing their innovative and creativity skills, proactive and how to take calculated risks in the business operations that would go a long way in enhancing business success, growth and development.,Lupane State Universit
Riding the riddim: rethinking the culture industry thesis in the economic and aesthetic production of Zim dancehall music
No full textThis paper evaluates the relevance of the culture industry thesis in understanding the economic and aesthetic production processes of Zim Dancehall music in Zimbabwe. It assesses the contractual relations
of production, producers and artistes enter into in the successful production of the music genre. The problematic in the division of labour in the production and reproduction of the work of art was first subjected to scholarly and theoretical analysis by Walter Benjamin (1936) in his essay: “The work of art in the age of mechanical reproductionâ€. Its critical focus and that of critical cultural scholarly tradition of the late twentieth century concerned itself with the aesthetic implications of subjecting the production of creative work of the imagination to the capitalist mode of mass production for a mass consumer market. The focus of my discussion in this paper is on the tensions between notions of originality, authenticity and aura of music as a work of art on the one hand and considerations of music production as profitable business; the division of labour and contestations over ownership and the distribution of rewards in Zim Dancehall as a work of art in the age of digital and electronic reproduction. It is this paper’s contention that Zim Dancehall offers many points of similarity as much as dissimilarity to the world about which the Frankfurt Scholars theorised in their seminal critique of the hegemonic function of the culture industries of early industrial European economies. The unequal and exploitative extraction and distribution of surplus value along the production chain so characteristic of moderncapitalist mode of production and division of labour also typifies the production relations between producers and riders of the riddim in Zim Dancehall music industry
An evaluation of the role of instructional leadership on the performance of schools in Zimbabwe
No full textThe purpose of this research was to investigate the extent to which instructional leadership is contributing to the performance of schools in Zimbabwe. The research was prompted by the little body of knowledge about the phenomenon in Zimbabwe. The study adopted a quantitative approach. A self-administered survey was conducted to collect data from three strata; council primary schools, government primary schools and secondary government schools. Data was analysed using descriptive, correlation and regression analyses. The findings of the study revealed that instructional leadership significantly contributes to both dimensions of school performance: teacher and pupil performances. The results provide some invaluable insights on how school leaders can improve the performance of schools through instructional leadership. Given the robust relationship between instructional leadership and school performance, the school heads should consider to use instructional leadership style in order to enhance the performance of their schools
Perceptions of and attitudes towards rehabilitation of victims of defilement in Zambia: Katete District as a case study
No full textThis dissertation analyses the provision of rehabilitation services to victims of crime, since the enactment of the Anti-Gender Based Violence Act (Act number 1 of 2011) of the Laws of Zambia. As a career Public Prosecutor, the writer critically analyses the awareness and extent to which the legislative provision for rehabilitation services has been implemented by the Department of Social Welfare (DSW). He analyses the role of all other actors in complementing the statutory duty placed on the DSW and discuses pitfalls recorded in administrative structures. This work is gender neutral as the law on defilement provides that both boys and girls can be victims as such both sex are subject of rehabilitation. He effectively achieves this through the utilisation of his overall research methodology, the Women’s Law Approach (this has been used alongside other methods applicable to his research) and takes it to be the reference point constantly. The use of personal interrogation (as an actor in the Criminal Justice System), the grounded theory approach (which was built at every stage of the research), use of actors and structures (social workers both in Government Departments and Non-Governmental organisations, Journalists, Police Officers, Prosecutors, Magistrates, Educationalists, Administrators, and Politicians), observations(made from interviews conducted and the state of affairs on the ground), interviews, and documentary evidence (from legal documents and literature). Apart from difficulties arising from the fact that the Anti-Gender Based Violence Act is relatively new law, the writer finds that many gaps still exist between the aspirations set by the State in the
Act and what is obtaining on the ground. Reliance on international instruments (to which Zambia ratified) is not the primary focus since rehabilitation of victims is created in the AGBV Act. He suggests filling the gaps between legislative provision and implementation by suggesting long term and short term measures.,Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD
Modelling the impact of climate variability and change on human health and diseases
No full textMalaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted
to humans through the bites of infected female mosquitoes. Almost half of the
world’s population is at risk of malaria. Schistosomiasis is considered second only
to malaria as the most devastating parasitic disease, estimated to affect 237 million
people worldwide. The development, mortality and reproduction rates of the
malaria and schistosomiasis parasites and their hosts are very sensitive to temperature
and the availability of water bodies. The distribution and prevalence of
the diseases are most likely to be affected by climate change. The aim of this
thesis was to advance understanding of the potential effects of climate change on
malaria and schistosomiasis transmission, using non linear differential equations.
In addition, the study also sought to assess the role of mathematical models in evaluating the impact of climate variability and change on malaria and schistosomiasis
transmission. The work in this thesis focused on investigating the effects
of climate on malaria and schistosomiasis transmission in Africa and South America.
Climate driven deterministic models were developed separately for malaria,
schistosomiasis and malaria-schistosomiasis coinfection. Mathematical models of
human population dynamics and the vector population dynamics were developed
for both malaria and schistosomiasis. For both diseases, temperature-dependent
stages of the parasites in their life cycles are considered. Temperature and rainfall
were incorporated in the models to explore the effects of climate variability
and change on the diseases transmission dynamics. The equilibrium states for the
models were determined and analysed. The reproductive rates were computed for each model and accordingly analysed. Mathematical packages (Mathematica, Matlab
and C++) were used to perform sensitivity analyses and numerical simulations.
Projections for future transmission dynamics were made from climate change projection
models in order to inform policy makers on how to deal with the diseases in
the future. Results from the malaria model suggest that temperature range 23oC
to 38oC is ideal for malaria transmission. The reproduction number increases as
temperature increases to attain a maximum at 31.5oC, beyond which the reproduction
number starts declining. This result suggests the optimal temperature
for malaria transmission is around 31oC. The analytic results are also supported
by numerical simulations which show an increase in malaria cases as temperature
increases to about 38oC and a decrease thereafter. Furthermore, results from model analysis suggest daily rainfall in the range of 15 − 17mm is ideal for the
spread of malaria. The models’ reproductive rates were simulated using climate
models for Africa to determine the current transmission patterns and to aid prediction
of future trends. The results of the simulated current transmission pattern
of malaria fall within the observed spatial distribution of falciparum limits on the
African continent. Results from future projections of malaria transmission suggest
that due to climate change, endemic malaria will die out on the southern fringe
of the disease map in Africa by 2040, while malaria endemicity is going to become
a problem in the African highlands. A drying trend is the likely driving force for
the reduction in malaria transmission in the regions to the south of the continent,
while a warming trend is the likely factor driving the projected increase in malaria endemicity in the highlands, although increases in malaria incidences in these areas can also be attributed to socioeconomic factors such as land use change and
drug resistance. The model has the following limitations: it did not consider the
role of human migration, other climate variables, in particular relative humidity
as the tropical anopheline mosquitoes prefer humidities above 60% and the role of
socioeconomic factors inmalaria transmission dynamics. Despite these limitations,
the model is reasonable enough to be able to give a realistic picture of malaria in
the African continent. Thus, results from the study will be useful at various levels
of decision making, for example, in setting up an early warning system and
sustainable strategies for climate change adaptation for malaria vectors control
programmes in Africa. These results can be generalized to other tropical regions
outside Africa. A mathematical model to explore the impact of temperature and rainfall (in the context of its effect on water bodies) on schistosomiasis transmission
is presented as a system of differential equations and analysed. The model
analysis suggests that the optimal temperature for schistosomiasis transmission
is around 23OC. Geographical information systems (GIS) was used to map the reproduction
number for Zimbabwe using temperature and rainfall data from 1950
to 2000. It was noted that high reproduction numbers, which suggest high incidences
of schistosomiasis, are found in the Zambezi valley catchment area and the
lowveld of the country. Amathematical model for schistosomiasis andmalaria coinfection
incorporating rainfall and temperature was developed and analysed. The
coinfection reproduction number was computed and mapped on the continents of
Africa and South America. Results from the mapping suggest that environmental ambient conditions in the equatorial regions of Africa and Latin America promote malaria and schistosomiasis coinfection with a heavier burden of coinfection in
South America, especially in Brazil. Within Africa, there are some countries where
it is beneficial to target both diseases, for example Angola, Democratic Republic of
Congo and Madagascar. However there are some areas where targeting Malaria
only is warranted. In the sub-tropical regions, including Namibia, South Africa,
the greater part of Zimbabwe and the areas on the northern fringe of the Sahara,
schistosomiasis is more dominant than malaria. Results also show that coinfection
is a greater problem in general in South America than in Africa. These findings
suggest that both schistosomiasis and malaria control programmes should be intensified
in these regions of Africa and South America. The results of this study
can be used to identify areas which need special attention with regard to malaria
and schistosomiasis control. This can be extended to incorporate other aspects like the terrain of the region under study to capture the real transmission dynamics of
schistosomiasis and malaria
The role of breeding phenology and aggregation of waterfowl on avian influenza dynamics in Southern Africa
No full textRecent outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (AIV) in birds, humans and other mammalian species calls for a better understanding of virus dynamics in wild bird species and populations that act as maintenance hosts. Host ecology influences the transmission of pathogens and can be used to explore and infer pathogen dynamics. Most of the ecological processes proposed to explain AIV transmission in wild birds have been derived from studies conducted in the temperate and boreal regions of the northern hemisphere. We evaluate the role of two key drivers of AIV dynamics in a waterfowl community in Zimbabwe (southern Africa): (1) the recruitment of young birds and (2) the seasonal aggregation of birds. We analyse the seasonal variation of AIV prevalence in waterfowl and overlay these data with the phenology of reproduction and the seasonal variation in the local abundance of these species. We find that the breeding period of southern Afrotropical waterfowl species is more extended and somewhat less synchronized among species in the community than is the case in temperate and boreal waterfowl communities. Young birds are recorded at most times of the year, and these immunologically naive individuals can therefore act as new hosts for AIV throughout the year within the wild bird population. Although host aggregation peaks in the cold-dry to hot-dry season, birds still aggregate throughout the year and this potentially spreads the opportunities for first infection of juveniles and other na€ıve birds temporally. We did not find a relationship between seasons, AIV prevalence in waterfowl, the influx of juveniles or the gradual aggregation of birds during the dry season. Therefore, the main drivers of AIV dynamics (juvenile influx and host abundance/aggregation), although present in Afrotropical regions, could not explain the AIV seasonal patterns in our study in contrast to results reported from temperate and boreal regions. These differences imply variation in the risk of AIV circulation in waterfowl and in the risk of spread to poultry, other animals or humans
IAEA section of dosimetry and medical radiation physics (DMRP).
No full textPublished Article,The Dosimetry and Medical Radiation Physics (DMRP) section works on the Quality Assurance (QA) aspects of the use of radiation in medicine to ensure safety and effectiveness. Furthermore, it
contributes to the increase in scientific and technical capacity in medical physics worldwide by
fostering research and development in dosimetry techniques and playing a role in the education and
training of medical physicists. The primary beneficiaries of these activities are hospital patients
undergoing therapy and diagnosis with radiation, radiation workers who benefit from the
standardization of radiation protection measurements and the general public due to improved
dosimetry practice. DMRP also provides two types of service directly to Member States: dosimetry
calibration and dosimetry auditing
An empirical test of the validity of the capital asset pricing model on the Zimbabwe stock exchange.
No full textPublished Article.,We test the empirical validity of the capital asset pricing model (CAPM) on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE) using cross-sectional stock returns on 31 stocks listed on the ZSE between March 2009 and February 2014. We conclude that, although the explanatory power of beta tends to fall rapidly for prediction horizons >6 months, beta significantly explains average monthly stock returns on the ZSE. Tests to validate the CAPM reject its validity for the ZSE however, primarily due to liquidity and skewness anomalies. We nevertheless fail to detect any size effects. There is encouraging evidence to suggest that the CAPM performs reasonably well in predicting average monthly returns over prediction horizons of between 3 and 6 months. We recommend that investors and analysts must exercise extreme caution in applying the CAPM. Furthermore, we discourage strategies based on the existence of a size premium on the ZSE. Instead, investors may consider neglected and negatively skewed stocks, albeit over appropriate horizons. Further research on other African Stock Markets will help verify if the optimal performance range of the CAPM is indeed 3-6 months. Development of standard continental proxy market portfolios will also improve the estimation of betas and enhance results of cross-country tests of the CAPM
The survival of the Varemba cultural practices in Zvishavane district-Zimbabwe (1890-2016)
No full textThe study‘s main aim is to demonstrate how the Varemba people preserved their cultural activities and to unpack the reasons behind the survival of the Varemba cultural practices in Zvishavane district. The Varemba ethnic group is a distinct group in Zvishavane, this is due to their unique way of life, their cultural practices includes Komba initiation rite, Murundu, virginity testing, testing for fertility, Female genital Mutilation (FGM), Child marriages, and inheritance. Komba is an initiation school for girls and Murundu is a school for boys and the Varemba people always attends these initiations and they serve to pass their tradition from one generation to the other, thus the survival of the Varemba cultural practices in Zvishavane district. Varemba culture survives due to the fact that it had been hidden in secrecy; therefore it has not been pervaded. There are various reasons for the survival of Varemba cultural practices and these include formation of alliances with emergent powers, acquiring higher post in their communities for instance becoming the Members of Parliament in the Varemba ethnic group and creation of their dynasties such as the Mposi dynasty. Many tribes’ cultural practices were washed away by colonialism but for the Varemba this was not the case due to various factors such as geographical location, the observance of strict endogamous way of life and the nature of the Varemba cultural practices. The Varemba ethnic groups make use of their medical knowledge to earn respect from other tribes and they managed to influence other groups to adopt their own religious practices and this preserved the Varemba cultural practices. There is lot of criticisms which were put forward by many local and international organizations concerning the Varemba cultural practices but it did not whip away their cultural practices. Thus, the survival of the Varemba cultural activities due to the fact that all the police which were introduced was not efficient