Estimation of crop residue in China based on a Monte Carlo analysis

Accurate crop residue resource estimation is important for bioenergy development.This is done by the ratio of residue to grain(R/G),which is usually regarded constant and is widely used for crop residue estimation though uncertainty is inevitable in practice.In this study,a Monte Carlo algorithm was applied to estimate national crop residue by R/G taken from published reports in China.The estimated result was further mapped in pixels by geographic information system.In2009,the amount of crop residue was found to be 802.32 million tons(Mt),with 679.36 and 947.28 Mt as the lower and upper limits for 95%confidence limits.Chinese crop residue was dominated by rice,wheat,and corn,accounting for74.57%(598.29 Mt).From 1949 to 2009,the amount of crop residue increased by four times,accompanied by component change.The spatial distribution of crop residue in China is markedly heterogeneous.Compared to the shortage of crop residue in northwest China,there is an abundant crop residue of about 334 Mt in eastern China,attracting 90%of the country's electricity or heat generation plants.

Climate Characteristics over Southern Highlands Tanzania

This study was conducted to examine the climate characteristic of southern highland Tanzania (Latitude 6°S-12°S and Longitude 29°E-38°E). The study findings reveal that rainfall over the region is linked with SST over the Indian Ocean, where warmer (cooler) western Indian Ocean is accompanied by high (low) amount of rainfall over Tanzania. During wet (dry) years, weaker (stronger) equatorial westerlies and anticyclone (cyclonic) anomaly over the southern tropics act to reduce (enhance) the export of equatorial moisture away from East Africa. The wettest (driest) season was found to be 1978/79 (1999/00) which can be classified as the severely wet (moderate drought). Two different modes of rainfall have been identified at time scale of 1.5 and 6 years which have been associated with the quasi biennial oscillation (QBO) and El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), respectively.

On Development of Platform for Organization Security Threat Analytics and Management (POSTAM) Using Rule-Based Approach

The integration of organisation’s information security policy into threat modeling enhances effectiveness of security strategies for information security management. These security policies are the ones which define the sets of security issues, controls and organisation’s commitment for seamless integration with knowledge based platforms in order to protect critical assets and data. Such platforms are needed to evaluate and share violations which can create security loop-hole. The lack of rules-based approaches for discovering potential threats at organisation’s context, poses a challenge for many organisations in safeguarding their critical assets. To address the challenge, this paper introduces a Platform for Organisation Security Threat Analytic and Management (POSTAM) using rule-based approach. The platform enhances strategies for combating information security threats and thus improves organisations’ commitment in protecting their critical assets. R scripting language for data visualization and java-based scripts were used to develop a prototype to run on web protocol. MySQL database management system was used as back-end for data storage during threat analytic processes.

Quantitative modeling of freshwater stress in the nine water basins of Tanzania

Freshwater scarcity is a global issue of environmental concern that threatens agricultural production and human health.In this study,we established freshwater stress indices(WSIs) for the nine water basins of Tanzania by using the quantity of freshwater available and various water uses.The relationship between water availability and different water uses,including environmental water requirements,was analyzed,with uncertainty and sensitivity analysis performed by a Monte Carlo simulation technique.Extreme WSI values close to 1.00 were obtained in the Rufiji,Pangani,and Wami-ruvu basins,Internal drainage,and Lake Rukwa,while low and moderate WSI values ranging from 0.03 to 0.84 were found in Lake Victoria and the Ruvuma,Tanganyika,and Nyasa basins.This study adds further knowledge on the level of freshwater scarcity,relationships between water availability and different water uses,and suggests policy options to reduce freshwater scarcity at the basin level for sustainable water supply.

Application of Structuration Theory and Activity Theory in Enterprise Resources Planning Systems Implementation for Universities

An integration of organization culture in the conceptualization and development of Enterprise Resource Planning Systems （ERPs） is critical for an organization to reap potential benefits of the system. In this paper, the authors present an analytical approach through the Structuration Theory： How a university can assess its culture for the purposes of design and development of the ERPs. The authors extend the Structuration Theory by integrating it with the Activity Theory to provide the means of evaluating the activities that the system is to perform. The modified Orlikowski model is applied to depict the relationship between institutional properties, human agents, and technology in the university setup and how this offers a more inclusive approach to ERP systems development and implementation.

Implementing Enterprise Systems for Management： A Case of Kenyan Universities

Kenyan universities, as other business entities, are implementing various information systems to facilitate their operations. The systems include enterprise systems which are implemented to enhance institutional management given their emphasis on standardisation, streamlining, and integration of business operations. In this study, the authors have established that Kenyan universities have mainly implemented systems for finance and accounting, student admissions, examinations management, and library services. The authors have also established that there are no significant differences in information systems needs among Kenyan universities, but there are significant differences in strengths and weaknesses among the private and public universities in the capabilities of systems they have implemented. The authors have further established that despite fears especially on delays in projects implementation and system costs, Kenyan universities are in a position to implement enterprise systems to facilitate their operations. However, the universities need to allocate more funds to systems implementation if they have to successfully implement enterprise systems which generally require more resources than ordinary software applications.

A Conceptual Framework for Threat Assessment Based on Organization’s Information Security Policy

The security breaches of sensitive information have remained difficult to solve due to increased malware programs and unauthorized access to data stored in critical assets. As risk appetite differ from one organization to another, it prompts the threat analysis tools be integrated with organization’s information security policy so as to ensure security controls at local settings. However, it has been noted that the current tools for threat assessment processes have not encompassed information security policy for effective security management (i.e.?confidentiality, integrity and availability) based on organization’s risk appetite and culture. The information security policy serves as a tool to provide guidance on how to manage and secure all business operations including critical assets, infrastructure and people in the organization. This guidance (e.g. usage and controls) facilitates the provisions for threat assessment and compliance based on local context. The lack of effective threat assessment frameworks at local context have promoted the exposure of critical assets such as database servers, mails servers, web servers and user smart-devices at the hand of attackers and thus increase risks and probability to compromise the assets. In this paper we have proposed a conceptual framework for security threat assessment based on organization’s information security policy. Furthermore, the study proposed the policy automation canvas for provision of a methodology to alert the security managers what possible threats found in their organizations for quick security mitigation without depending on security expertise.

Increasing Access to Clean Cooking: The Practicality of Pay-Go in Promoting Adoption of Bottled Gas in Kinondoni, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

The majority of the population in developing countries have limited access to clean energy. To increase access to clean energy, the governments and other stakeholders have been working hard to create enabling environments for their adoption and utilization. For the household cooking sector, technological innovations such as improved biomass fuels, improved biomass cookstove, solar cooking, biogas and recently bottled gas service have been or are being deployed to scale up clean cooking. Nevertheless, a good number of the innovations intended for upscaling clean cooking in developing countries have failed to meet the desired goals due to limited support from the national governments or the international community. Pay-Go is among the recent innovations in the East African region intended for promoting the use of bottled gas (liquefied petroleum gas-LPG). This study evaluates the practicality of Pay-Go innovation on bottled gas, popularly known as Pay-as-you-Cook. Specifically, the article examines the evolution of Pay-as-you-Cook, its execution, usefulness and challenges;and its implications on household energy sector development. The study was conducted in Kinondoni Municipality, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania between 2018 and 2020. The study used both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Purposive and non-random sampling techniques were used in selecting respondents. Purposive sampling was used to identify key informants while snowball sampling was used to find household respondents. Information was gathered from KopaGas (Pay-as-you-Cook innovator) headquarter-Kinondoni Morocco;and from Pay-as-you-Cook clients in Kinondoni Moscow, Mkwajuni and Hananasif. Methods of data collection involved semi-structured interviews and observation. Instruments of data collection included interview guides and observation checklists. Data analysis was accomplished with Nvivo 12. Findings show that Pay-as-you-Cook innovation was intended for promoting bottled gas adoption mainly to low-income households. The innovation was discovered to be convenient to many low- income households as it enabled them to use bottled gas for cooking without necessarily climbing the economic ladder. Yet, the innovation presents several challenges which are doubtful to its practicality.

A self-employed taxpayer experimental study on trust,power,and tax compliance in eleven countries

The slippery slope framework explains tax compliance along two main dimensions,trust in authorities and power of authorities,which influence taxpayers’compliance attitudes.Through frequentist and Bayesian analyses,we investigated the framework’s assumptions on a sample of 2786 self-employed taxpayers from eleven post-communist and non-post-communist countries doing business in five economic branches.After using scenarios that experimentally manipulated trust and power,our results confirmed the framework’s assumptions regarding the attitudes of the self-employed taxpayers;trust and power fostered intended tax compliance and diminished tax evasion,trust boosted voluntary tax compliance,whereas power increased enforced tax compliance.Additionally,self-employed taxpayers from post-communist countries reported higher intended tax compliance and lower tax evasion than those from non-post-communist countries.Our results offer tax authorities insights into how trust and power may contribute to obtaining and maintaining high tax compliance levels amid global economic challenges,downturns,and increasing tax compliance costs.

Enhancing Households' Economic Benefits through Wetlands Friendly Investment Model: A Case of Ndembera River Valley, Tanzania

The Wetlands Friendly Investments model has been used to conserve wetland resources and improve rural livelihoods in Tanzania since 2003. Nevertheless, studies＇ linking this model to households＇ economy is lacking. This paper attempts to examine the households＇ economic benefits from the implementation of the activities which are part of the model. A total of 174 intervention households in Ndembera Valley were surveyed using questionnaire. The interviews and transect walk complemented households data. Template, descriptive statistics, t tests and regressions in SPSS ver.20 software were used in the analysis. Results show the difference of annual gross income because of the wetland investment model is about USD 732.0. This study demonstrates that wetland resources could be conserved and utilized using local incentive models. Similar techniques could be applied for related studies elsewhere. Socio-economic factors should be considered for holistic impact of the model on household poverty reduction.