Author: IGIHE

Do you have difficulty sleeping at night?these tips will help you

{Finding sleep can be a difficult task sometimes, due to stress from the day’s activity, depression, or just worry. However medical experts say it’s important to get enough sleep every day (at least, 7 hours), in order to stay in good physical and mental shape. So stress or not, it’s expedient to find a way around sleeplessness by all means possible. If you have a challenge with sleeping easily at night, I have a few tips that can help change that.}

{{Try the ‘sleep paradox’ }}

The sleep Paradox is a technique designed by psychologists, meant to help people overcome sleeplessness. The technique involves one simply pretending to want to be awake all night, when in reality, they want to sleep.

The sleep Paradox technique works because it is everything the mind doesn’t like. The brain never accepts negatives well, so it perceives this measure as an instruction not to sleep, and then, sooner or later, your eye muscles will become fatigued, and sleep will set in. To achieve success using this tip, simply lay in your bed and continually tell yourself in your mind you do not want to sleep.

{{Use your imagination }}

Sleep, more often than not, is a product of calm, peace and quiet. You can trick your mind into falling asleep by creating an atmosphere of peace and quiet in your mind. Just picture yourself in that place of comfort, and before you know it, sleep will come.

{{Try humming }}

This is very cliché, isn’t it? But the truth is it actually works. Have you ever thought about why mothers hum to their children to put them to sleep? Humming creates calm and peace around you. If you want to sleep so bad, then lay in your bed, drop your shoulders, close your mouth, but not so much, so you can vibrate while you hum. Do for a few minute, and possibly focus on the vibration. In a short while, you’ll sleep off.

{{Keep yourself and the room you are sleeping in cool }}

Naturally, when you sleep, your body’s temperature drops to a certain level. If you could drop the temperature yourself, what’s to say sleep won’t come? So you just need to give your body the same conditions it thrives in during sleep in order to get sleep. All you need do is take a cold bath or get your room well ventilated. Good luck!

Source:Elcrema

June 23, 2017
Cow herd behavior is fodder for complex systems analysis

{The image of grazing cows in a field has long conjured up a romantic nostalgia about a relaxed pace of rural life. With closer inspection, however, researchers have recognized that what appears to be a randomly dispersed herd peacefully eating grass is in fact a complex system of individuals in a group facing differing tensions. A team of mathematicians and a biologist has now built a mathematical model that incorporates a cost function to behavior in such a herd to understand the dynamics of such systems.}

Complex systems research looks at how systems display behaviors beyond those capable from individual components in isolation. This rapidly emerging field can be used to elucidate phenomena observed in many other disciplines including biology, medicine, engineering, physics and economics.

“Complex systems science seeks to understand not just the isolated components of a given system, but how the individual components interact to produce ’emergent’ group behaviour,” said Erik Bollt, director of the Clarkson Center for Complex Systems Science and a professor of mathematics and of electrical and computer engineering.

Bollt conducted the work with his team, lead-authored by post-doctoral fellow Kelum Gajamannage, which was reported this week in the journal Chaos, from AIP Publishing.

“Cows grazing in a herd is an interesting example of a complex system,” said Bollt. “An individual cow performs three major activities throughout an ordinary day. It eats, it stands while it carries out some digestive processes, and then it lies down to rest.”

While this process seems simple enough, there is also a balancing of group dynamics at work.

“Cows move and eat in herds to protect themselves from predators,” said Bollt. “But since they eat at varying speeds, the herd can move on before the slower cows have finished eating. This leaves these smaller cows facing a difficult choice: Continue eating in a smaller, less safe group, or move along hungry with the larger group. If the conflict between feeding and keeping up with a group becomes too large, it may be advantageous for some animals to split into subgroups with similar nutritional needs.”

Bollt and his colleagues incorporate a cost function into their model to capture these tensions. This adds mathematical complexity to their work, but it became apparent that it was necessary after discussing cows’ behavior with their co-author, Marian Dawkins, a biologist with experience researching cows.

“Some findings from the simulation were surprising,” Bollt said. “One might have thought there would be two static groups of cows — the fast eaters and the slow eaters — and that the cows within each group carried out their activities in a synchronized fashion. Instead we found that there were also cows that moved back and forth between the two.”

“The primary cause is that this complex system has two competing rhythms,” Bollt also said. “The large-sized animal group had a faster rhythm and the small-sized animal group had a slower rhythm. To put it into context, a cow might find itself in one group, and after some time the group is too fast. Then it moves to the slower group, which is too slow, but while moving between the two groups, the cow exposes itself more to the danger of predators, causing a tension between the cow’s need to eat and its need for safety.”

The existing model and cost function could be used as a basis for studying other herding animals. In the future, there may even be scope to incorporate it into studies about human behavior in groups. “The cost function is a powerful tool to explore outcomes in situations where there are individual and group-level tensions at play,” said Bollt.

Source:Science Daily

June 23, 2017
MTN launches construction of classrooms in Nyagatare

{Students from Karangazi sector in Nyagatare district are set to have long traveled distances to reach schools kept short,thanks to MTN Rwanda’s support to building new classrooms relieving them of previous hurdles of walking over 10 kilometers to reach the distant schools. }

The three classrooms will be additional to six other classrooms being constructed by Rwanda Defense Force during ongoing Army Week activities.

The construction of the three classrooms which started yesterday is expected to cost over Rwf 22 million on completion under MTN program of “21 Days of y’ello care” focusingon promoting education and technology.

Students and parents have told IGIHE that when completed, the facilities will get them rid of faced challenges of waking in morning wee hours to walk more than two hours to reach schools.

“We are very excited for the act. Some students would abandon school because of the long distances from home to school, getting there late. Even those who tried could study one term and leave school in the next trimester. Some parents with friends near schools would negotiate so they can accommodate the child to stay near the school,” said a parent Niringiyimana Liberatha.

The vice mayor for social affairs in Nyagatare district, MusabyemariyaDomitile lauded MTN Rwanda for the intervention.

“We still have inadequate classrooms compared to the number of students.For instance the nine classrooms being built in Ndama cell will accommodate students from different corners who would walk over 10 kilometers to reach school.The long walk would push children to abandon school though some parents integrate children into families living near schools,” she said.

Musabyemariya said when fully expanded the school will accommodate primary and secondary students.

The CEO of MTN Rwanda, Bart Hofker said that “21 Days of y’ello care” activities are focusing on facilitating education in rural areas.

“This activity is part of “21 Days of y’ello care”. We decided to support schools access materials especially targeting those from countryside. This is what we are trying to do,” he said.

He explained that supporting education and technology is vital as people need them in daily lives.

Various activities have been executed through “21 Days of y’ello care” where MTN Rwanda donated computers to schools, free internet, and availed solar energy and water reservoirs among others.

June 22, 2017
Paul Kagame declared presidential candidate

{President Paul Kagame has today been nominated the presidential flag bearer of Rwanda Patriotic Front, RPF-Inkontanyi, after submitting in his credentials to the National Electoral Commission (NEC) to represent the party. Driving himself in his Range Rover, Kagame arrived at NEC headquarters at 12:30 hours accompanied by over 200 RPF Inkotanyi members.}

He later on presented his credentials to NEC Chairman, Prof. Kalisa Mbanda in the presence of RPF Inkotanyi Secretary General, Ngarambe François and commissioner in FPR Inkotanyi, Mukasine Marie Claire.

Kagame has been requested to present RPF Inkotanyi document proving he was selected as flag bearer in upcoming presidential polls, document proving that one of his parents is a Rwandan native and another certifying that all documents presented are genuine.

He has also been asked to present document indicating that he declared his wealth. Each document has been presented in duplicate with a copy to be kept in NEC files and another stamped and handed back to Kagame. His documents were all complete.

Various RPF officials and enthusiasts had arrived early at NEC headquarters to demonstrate support for Kagame, singing RPF Inkotanyi songs among others, talking about Rwanda’s progress under the stewardship of President Paul Kagame.

Kagame was nominated RPF Inkotanyi flag bearer last weekend in the party’s extra ordinary congress.

Other candidates who have already submitted candidatures include Mwenedata Gilbert andShima Diane RwigaraBboth contesting as independent candidates additional to Dr Frank Habinezarepresenting Green Party.

Sekibuko Barafinda Fred is another aspirant independent presidential candidate who has been asked complete credentials before submission to NEC.

June 22, 2017
Rwaza I Hydropower Plant construction on good course

{The Minister of Infrastructure James Musoni, U.S. Ambassador to Rwanda Erica Barks-Ruggles, German Ambassador to Rwanda Dr. Peter Woeste and other project partners yesterday attended the launch of the construction of Rwaza I hydropower plant in Musanze district, Northern Province. }

The hydropower plant is being developed with a grant partly provided by the United States Government’s Power Africa Initiative.

When completed, the hydropower plant will provide reliable, affordable electricity into the Rwandan national grid. The project will produce approximately 20 Gigawatt hours of electricity each year, which is equivalent to the electricity consumption of approximately 20,000 Rwandan households. The hydropower plant is expected to provide approximately 2 percent of the total electricity produced in the country, and will stabilize the local grid—improving power supply to local business and industries.

“American companies are at the forefront of helping Rwanda meet its energy needs and are driving investment in all energy sectors, including methane gas, off-grid solar, and the mini-hydro sector,” said Ambassador Barks-Ruggles. “I am excited about the progress we have made over the past couple of years and the potential for further U.S. investment and engagement through the Power Africa initiative to help Rwanda meet its energy needs.”

“The Power Plant we are launching today might be small in size, but we have no doubt that even the 2.6 MW to be produced at Rwaza-Muko HydroPower Plant will greatly contribute to our bold vision. This project could not have come at a more opportune time, as we project our energy demand to soar from the current 208 MW installed capacity to a projected 570 MW by June 2024,” said Minister Musoni.

“Together, we have reached an important milestone in the development and implementation of this project,” said Chad Bannick, CEO of DC HydroPower. “As developers and investors in the energy sector, we are thankful to be part of Rwanda’s initiative to reduce greenhouse gasses and provide clean, renewable energy to the people of Rwanda.”

Power Africa Coordinator Andrew Herscowitz congratulated the groundbreaking of the project by stating, “This deal shows how the private sector and government can work together in Rwanda to get a deal across the finish line. The Rwaza 1 Hydropower Plant is another example of how the private sector can drive power generation and development throughout Africa.”

The construction of this new hydropower plant directly supports the Rwandan Government’s goal of providing 70 percent of the population with access to electricity by 2018 and advance the objectives of Power Africa (U.S. Government-led electricity access initiative) and KfW (Germany’s government-owned development bank) in addressing one of the most pressing challenges to sustainable economic growth and development in sub-Saharan Africa – access to reliable, affordable and sustainable electricity.

“Rwanda needs more energy. And Germany believes in the future of clean and affordable energy. This project can be a perfect role model to link these needs and aspirations. As discussed at the G20 recently, we see the necessity to discuss innovative financing solutions. This project would fit perfectly into the new development approach. The German government’s bank, KfW, established “rAREH”, an investment fund to develop and operate renewable energy projects in Sub-Saharan Africa. This fund is open for private investors to join us, to multiply funds,” said the German Ambassador to Rwanda Dr. Peter Woeste.

Rwaza I is a 2.6 megawatt run-of-the-river hydropower plant located in the Rwaza Sector on the Mukungwa River, in Musanze District. The firm DC HydroPower identified and developed the project through the feasibility stage and the signing of a power purchase agreement with the Rwanda Energy Group. The firms Frontier Energy and ResponsAbility Renewable Energy Holding joined DC HydroPower as investment partners during the final stages of development.

Construction of the plant began in January 2017 and is expected to last 18 months, after which the plant will be operational. Rwaza 1, along with the nearby 4 megawatt Nyundo hydropower plant, received assistance from U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) —a Power Africa partner agency—during the development phase to complete the feasibility study. The Nyundo project is being developed by Amahoro Energy, a Rwandan company with US investors formed to electrify the Shyira Hospital, which serves more than 300,000 people, and is expected to commence construction on October 2017 and reach commercial operations by December 2018.

June 22, 2017
Premier Murekezi urges Africans on excellent service delivery

{Prime Minister Anastase Murekezi has reminded public servants from across Africa that Africans need and deserve excellent service delivery.}

The Premier made the remarks yesterday in Kigali, while addressing delegates attending the Africa Public Service Day Conference (APSD), which runs from 21-23 June 2017.

Themed “Entrenching a citizen-centred service delivery culture: Partnership with the youth for Africa’s transformation,” the conference – which originated from the first conference of African Ministers for Civil/Public Service in Tangiers, Algeria in 1994 – attracted Public Service Ministers from African Union member states.

Prime Minister Murekezi pointed out that quality service delivery goes with involving citizens in the continent’s socio-economic transformation.

“It is our responsibility to serve African citizens with integrity and dedication in order to transform Africa into a well-governed continent, free of corruption, characterized by fast economic growth and above all, a dignified continent,” PM Murekezi told stakeholders in the public sector convened at the Kigali Convention Centre.

To improve service delivery, Premier Murekezi encourages African countries to reflect on the challenges hindering quality service delivery in the public sector and devise ways to address them. These include lack of professionalism, unethical behavior, and mismanagement of public funds.

Sharing Rwanda’s experience, the Premier explained that through the Rwanda Governance Scorecard, the Government of Rwanda is able to monitor and evaluate the quality of public services vis-à-vis citizens’ satisfaction.

The three-day conference will explore a wide range of issues including partnering with the youth to build a responsible and sustainable public service, nurturing a culture of professionalism and ethical values in Africa’s Public Service, promoting self-reliance and empowerment of African youth for socio-economic development, and leveraging ICT skills for quality service delivery.

Over the course of three days, 21-23 June 2017, delegates at APSD will acknowledge and reward excellence in the public sector, devise ways to enhance professionalism, and share best practices for possible replication across the continent.

The event is co-organised by the African Union Department of Political Affairs and the Government of Rwanda.

June 22, 2017
Police arrest 30 illegal miners in Gatsibo

{At least 30 people have been arrested in separate operations conducted in Gatsibo District after they were allegedly found in illegal mining activities.}

All the suspects were arrested red-handed in operations conducted in the night of June 20 in Rugarama Sector, Police Spokesperson for the Eastern Province, Inspector of Police (IP) Jean Bosco Dusabe, said.

They were mining cassiterite, he added.

The spokesperson explained that the successful operations were informed by a tip off from the residents.

The suspects are currently held at Rugarama Police station as investigations proceed.

“Rwanda National Police and other partners in environmental protection are actively involved in awareness and operations against illegal mining and other environmental related crimes. Whereas arrest and prosecution are part of the fight, the main intention is to educate the people on dangers and legal aspects involved in such unlawful activities,” said IP Dusabe.

He reminded that “mining activities in Rwanda are conducted in accordance with the law protecting the environment and by licenced people and group.”

“There are legalities for one to conduct mining activities; you must have a license and all the required equipment for safe mining. The concession also has to be known and registered. In this specific case, the suspects were mining in a place that is not gazetted for mining,” he said.

He thanked those who provided information on the unlawful act, and urged them to maintain the spirit of community policing.

“Mining is not something that can be practiced by anyone; it requires skills and knowledge. If it is done wrongly, a lot is at risk, including people’s lives.”

He noted that Police in partnership with the local authorities have carried out sensitization campaigns to ensure residents realize the dangers involved in illegal mining, especially in areas that are not gazzetted for mining.

“Collective efforts especially through information sharing are important in curbing illegal mining and other unlawful acts,” he said.

Undertaking illegal research or commercial activities in valuable minerals attracts a jail term of up to one year and a fine of between Rwf3 million and Rwf10 million or one of these penalties, under article 438 of the penal code.

RNP established, in 2015, the Environmental Protection Unit (EPU) which has been instrumental in enforcing the law, preservation of environment through environmental education, practical interpretation of the environmental laws to citizens and engaging in the public environment management awareness campaign.

Source:Police

June 22, 2017
When lovers touch, their breathing, heartbeat syncs, pain wanes, study shows

{Fathers-to-be, take note: You may be more useful in the labor and delivery room than you realize.}

That’s one takeaway from a study released last week that found that when an empathetic partner holds the hand of a woman in pain, their heart and respiratory rates sync and her pain dissipates.

“The more empathic the partner and the stronger the analgesic effect, the higher the synchronization between the two when they are touching,” said lead author Pavel Goldstein, a postdoctoral pain researcher in the Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Lab at CU Boulder.

The study of 22 couples, published in the journal Scientific Reports last week, is the latest in a growing body of research on “interpersonal synchronization,” the phenomenon in which individuals begin to physiologically mirror the people they’re with.

Scientists have long known that people subconsciously sync their footsteps with the person they’re walking with or adjust their posture to mirror a friend’s during conversation. Recent studies also show that when people watch an emotional movie or sing together, their heart rates and respiratory rhythms synchronize. When leaders and followers have a good rapport, their brainwaves fall into a similar pattern. And when romantic couples are simply in each other’s presence, their cardiorespiratory and brainwave patterns sync up, research has shown.

The new study, co-written with University of Haifa Professor Simone Shamay-Tsoory and Assistant Professor Irit Weissman-Fogel, is the first to explore interpersonal synchronization in the context of pain and touch. The authors hope it can inform the discussion as health care providers seek opioid-free pain relief options.

Goldstein came up with the idea after witnessing the birth of his daughter, now 4.

“My wife was in pain, and all I could think was, ‘What can I do to help her?’ I reached for her hand and it seemed to help,” he recalls. “I wanted to test it out in the lab: Can one really decrease pain with touch, and if so, how?”

Goldstein recruited 22 long-term heterosexual couples, age 23 to 32, and put them through a series of tests aimed at mimicking that delivery-room scenario.

Men were assigned the role of observer; women the pain target. As instruments measured their heart and breathing rates, they: sat together, not touching; sat together holding hands; or sat in separate rooms. Then they repeated all three scenarios as the woman was subjected to a mild heat pain on her forearm for 2 minutes.

As in previous trials, the study showed couples synced physiologically to some degree just sitting together. But when she was subjected to pain and he couldn’t touch her, that synchronization was severed. When he was allowed to hold her hand, their rates fell into sync again and her pain decreased.

“It appears that pain totally interrupts this interpersonal synchronization between couples,” Goldstein said. “Touch brings it back.”

Goldstein’s previous research found that the more empathy the man showed for the woman (as measured in other tests), the more her pain subsided during touch. The more physiologically synchronized they were, the less pain she felt.

It’s not clear yet whether decreased pain is causing increased synchronicity, or vice versa.

“It could be that touch is a tool for communicating empathy, resulting in an analgesic, or pain-killing, effect,” said Goldstein.

Further research is necessary to figure out how a partner’s touch eases pain. Goldstein suspects interpersonal synchronization may play a role, possibly by affecting an area of the brain called the anterior cingulate cortex, which is associated with pain perception, empathy, and heart and respiratory function.

The study did not explore whether the same effect would occur with same-sex couples, or what happens when the man is the subject of pain. Goldstein did measure brainwave activity and plans to present those results in a future study.

He hopes the research will help lend scientific credence to the notion that touch can ease pain.

For now, he has some advice for partners in the delivery room: Be ready and available to hold your partner’s hand.

Source:Science Daily

June 22, 2017
EAC Commandants of Officer Cadet Training Schools meet in Rwanda

{On 20 June 2017, Commandants of Officer Cadet Training Schools from East African Community Partner States’ Armed Forces convened in their annual meeting at Rwanda Military Academy-Gako, Bugesera District.}

The three day meeting is aimed at reviewing and synchronising trainings programs in EAC Military Academies.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the incoming Chair, Brig Gen Emmanuel Musinguzi (Uganda Military Academy Commandant) revealed the purpose of the meeting. “We meet here at Rwanda Miltary Academy-Gako today, to synchronize our syllabus and subjects so that we can come up with uniform training standards throughout East African Community”, Gen Musinguzi said.

“We are for example aiming at starting our training in July of every year. Some Member States have complied others haven’t yet. So we keep on discussing to address individual States problems so that all come at the same level of training and duration”, added Brig Gen Musinguzi.

The Meeting will review the cooperation among EAC Armed Forces’ Officer Cadet Training Academies and go through the recommendation of Chief Instructors’ meeting, among others. Participants will also tour and assess Rwanda Military Academy Gako facilities.

Attending the Commandats Meeting are Maj Gen George Aggrey Owinow from Kenya, Col Fabian Tom MPAKA from Rwanda, Maj Gen Peter MASSAO from Tanzania, and Brig Gen Emmanuel Musinguzi from Uganda (chairperson).

Brig Musinguzi took over the chairmanship of the meeting form his Tanzanian counterpart, Maj Gen Peter MASSAO.

Source:Minadef

June 22, 2017
Ending child labour is a responsibility for all, Police

{Rwanda has put in place several measures to end child labour, which has resulted into majority victims being withdrawn from child labour activities and accorded decent life.}

Among the measures that have been applied include enacting and enforcing laws against child labour as well as Rwanda National Police awareness campaigns conducted in partnership with relevant institutions.

These strategies against child labour are in line with other existing mechanisms like Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS) I and II, and different social protection programmes.

At least 7,000 children have been rescued from child labour in the last seven years, according to statistics.

It is in this spirit that RNP is currently engaged in countrywide awareness campaigns against child labour across to ensure such cases are avoided or reported where they exist.

On Tuesday, the campaign was held in Kayonza District where police met with over 3000 residents of Mukarange Sector as well as student and teachers from four schools.

The schools are G.S Kayonza, G.S. Mukarange Catholic, Kayonza Vocation Academy and Victorious Academy School.

The event was in line with ‘World Day against Child Labour’ and the ‘Day of the African Child’ (DAC) celebrated every June 16, normally celebrated every June 12 and 16, respectively, every year.

During the celebrations, residents, teachers and students were tutored on what Rwanda has so far achieved in fighting child labour and their role in putting to an end the vice.

“Any child who is subjected to forced labour is being denied their rights; it’s likely that such a child will not have education and exposed to health hazards both mentally and physically,” Assistant Inspector of Police (AIP) Leonille Mujawamariya, the District Community Liaison Officer of Kayonza, said.

She reminded that there are clear laws against child labor and warned of severe consequences to anyone that will be caught violating rights of children.

“Parents should know that they have the primary responsibility of ensuring children are not exploited or prematurely forced into hazardous activities,” said Mujawamariya.

She further urged the students to always report injustices they face or witness.

The official in charge of good governance in Kayonza, Jean Paul Rurangwa also emphasized the message and called on parents to be the custodians in enforcing laws against child labour.

Child labour, under the Rwandan laws, is defined as the denial of children’s rights and a barrier to holistic child development.

Latest statistics by the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) show that the total child labour ratio stands at 4.1 per cent with child labour in non-hazardous conditions accounting for 1.3 per cent of all children from the age of 6 to 17.

Source:Police

June 22, 2017