Harla Journal of Applied Science and Materials

Phenotypic diversity of indigenous goat (Capra hircus L.) in Dire Dawa Administration, Ethiopia

2024-08-25T04:44:48-08:00

Ethiopia has about 52.5 million goats, mostly local breed and hence the characterisation of these populations is crucial in providing information on goat types and feature improvement programs. This study assessed the phenotypic diversity of indigenous goats in Dire Dawa Administration, with the objective of describing the morphological characterization of the indigenous goat breed. Data were, collected from 384 goats using purposive and stratified random sampling techniques to select two clustered each contained two Kebeles and farmers goat in the study area, respectively. Qualitative traits data were collected by field visual observation whereas, quantitative traits were measured by plastic tape and suspended spring balance. The age of the animal was estimated by recall and dentition methods. Multivariate analytical technique (Principal Component Analysis) and the General Linear Model procedures of Statistical Analysis System were used for statistical analysis.The genetic and phenotypic correlations were used for trait selection. The result indicated that smooth coat hair type (82.8%), white coat color alone (28.5%) and its mixture with red (23.9%), and red coat colors alone (21.6%) predominantly observed in both study area of agro-ecologies. Majority of total goats found the study area were beardless (81.6%) and (80.1%) for lowland and highland, respectively. The greater number of goat populations were horned (90.9%) and majority of these horned goats had curved horn shape (39.3%) with horizontal ear shape (46.1%) in midland and in lowland study areas. Agro- ecological location, age, and sex significantly influenced body weight and body measurements. Three principal components were extracted for all the breeds found in pooled data. The finding showed that the majority of goats were dairy types. The result showed that a considerable variability was sufficient to differentiate phenotypically diverse groups in the local goat populations of lowland and midland agroecologies. The majority of goats were dairy types that may possess adaptive features for sustainable genetic improvement potential to assist in food security and sustainable utilization. To utilize this resources sufficient and integrated information at molecular level is also important in the future.

Local Community Attitudes towards Conservation of Afroalpine Habitat in Chilalo-Galama Mountains Range, Arsi Mountains National Park, Ethiopia

2024-08-25T05:05:11-08:00

Three fourth of the populations of developing countries live in rural areas where they directly depend on biodiversity and ecosystem services for their livelihoods. Hence, any conservation practices to be successful highly requires the positive attitude and involvement of local community. The main objective of study is to gather information on local communities’ attitudes towards the protection of the climate change vulnerable Afroalpine Habitat of Chilalo-Galama Mountains Range which one of the four blocks of Arsi Mountains National Park from March 2014 to December 2015. Stratified random sampling technique was used to sample 370 households based on their settlement distance from the protected area. Both qualitative and quantitative data were gathered through observation, questionnaire and focus group discussion and analysed by simple descriptive statistics. More than 81% of the local communities were happy for the protection of Chilalo-Galama Mountains Range since it provides pasture land, water and possess endemic animals like Ethiopian wolf, Mountain Nyla and Hare which can be used for tourism attraction. About 54% of respondents used different resources inside the protected area and had different attitude on the priority of conservation for different groups of animals and plants. They also perceive differently the conservation and protection based on the distance of their settlement from the it. Providing management responsibility to the local community was supported by 98.11% of the respondents as effective conservation strategy. The local communities were also well perceived as climate change affecting the Afroalpine habitat. The local community positive perception on the conservation of area had tremendous contribution for the conservation of the highly Afroalpine habitat which is vulnerable to climate change and high-altitude encroachment pressure.

Exploring the Interplay between Human Perception, Astrophysics, and the Nile River: Unravelling the Significance of Sirius

2024-08-25T05:14:21-08:00

The Sirius star holds a significant historical significance and has captivated numerous civilization and individuals throughout time. Understanding the human perception and physics of Sirius can provide insights into the evolution of astronomy and its impact on the flora and fauna. Prehistoric astronomers believed that the appearance of Sirius in the sky was a signal for the Nile River to flood, and many cultures have depicted the star in their art and literature. Despite its significance, there is a lack of research on the connection between Sirius and the Nile River, and the impact of human perception on the study of astronomy. The aim of this study is to investigate the interactions between human cognition, astrophysics of Sirius, and the Nile River. Therefore, measurements of the wavelength, temperature, and brightness of stars as well as human impressions of their colors and patterns can influence physics (science). The results showed that 68 (45.33%) disagreed with the connection between the filling of the Nile River and the calendar and 82 (54.67%) believed that the Ethiopian calendar had a connection with the filling of the Nile River. Therefore, the majority of respondents agreed that 146 (97.33%) out of 150 respondents knew that the appearance of the star in the Northern Hemisphere is a signal that winter is coming. The mass of the star Sirius is about twice that of our Sun, while its diameter is about 1.7 times larger. Additionally, through image editing method, we improve star images by reducing noise. The results of this study will show that human perception and physics have played a significant role in shaping our understanding of Sirius and its impact on the world's flora and fauna.

Photoionization Model for Non-Uniform Slow Novae Shells

2024-08-25T05:20:29-08:00

This work aimed to model the properties of a photoionization model and a heterogeneous slow nova shell. I used the "hazy" photoionization algorithm to simulate the flow of the line. Throughout the period, I ran the model with the most abundant elements (H, He, C, N, O, and Ne) having fixed and increasing abundance values. This model can constrain some of the nova region's physical properties, including density, temperature, and ionization structure. The primary driver of temperature variations in the nova envelope, Hii, in novae shells, is chemical heterogeneity. The C, N, O, and Ne frequencies were -1.824, -1.523, -1.398, and -3.000. The low temperature it produces, 840 K, is somewhat warmer than the temperature of an electron. The ionization structure of the electron temperature increases to 0.04 pc from the inner shell and then gradually decreases to 0.08 pc. O+3 can also be ionized if the oxygen ionization in the internal boundary area between Hii and He ii is sharp. Forbidden lines are those ions that fall outside of this range. The most common are [O II] and [O III]. The majority of the line fluxes seen in the spectra may be plausibly explained by the model when comparing the observed and predicted line intensities.

Woody Plant Species Diversity, Relative Abundances and Distribution in Dire Dawa University

2024-08-25T05:24:15-08:00

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the composition, diversity, distributional pattern, and present management of woody species in the Dire Dawa University (DDU) complex. Woody plant cultivation is a well-known land use practice at the university that serves instructional, windbreak, ornamental, recreational, and biodiversity protection purposes. This study's goal was to determine the relative richness, diversity, and density of woody plant species and how they are managed in the study area. From the 34 plots in the University Compound that were specifically chosen, several species were identified using a straightforward inventory procedure. In each plot, woody species were counted to evaluate the plantation's species richness and diversity evenness, diversity indices, relative frequency, and density were used. The management practice determine the plant species diversity with the plantation system during the past 12 or more years at the university was investigated using a focal person interview. For statistical analysis, Fast Software and Microsoft Excel 16 were employed. The study identified 41 distinct species of woody plants from 24 distinct families. There were more species in the families: Fabaceae, Bignoniaceae Malvaceae, and Moraceae had more than two species. In terms of habit, trees represented the majority (68.3%) of the species, while shrubs comprised the remainder (31.7%). The results of the finding for Shannon, Simpson, and evenness were, 2.882, 0.895, and 0.772, respectively. In the DDU compound, Azadirchta indica was the species that was most prevalent (27.71%), followed by Nerium oleander (7.9), Sophora japonica (6.6%), and Delonix regia (7%). The current findings showed that the studied area had a significant amount of genetic diversity. The plantation did not, however, achieve its objective as anticipated owing to a shortage of skilled employees and other related circumstances; as a result, management had to give proper attention to feature plantation. The research suggested that in the future, skilled staff should monitor, scale up, and further expand the plantation and management of valuable aesthetically pleasing and edible plant species in the university's assets for the coming generation.