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Information technology capabilities in the supply chain and organisational performance in Ugandan dairy industry. A case study of brookside Limited Uganda
No full textxvii, 129 p. : ill. (some col.) ;The purpose of the study was to examine the association between information technology capabilities in the supply chain and its individual constructs (IT infrastructure, information flow management and IT personnel capability) and organizational performance at Brookside dairy limited in Uganda. “The study focused on organizational performance in terms of operational performance. A cross-sectional survey and descriptive design survey were used to obtain data from 169 out of 300 respondents selected using simple random sampling and purposive sampling”.
The study found out that information technology capabilities is positively and significantly related with organizational performance. Additionally, information flow management and IT infrastructure were found to be positively and significantly related with organizational performance expect for IT personnel capability. “As a result, we draw the conclusion that IT capabilities are related to operational performance, and Brookside Ltd. must create initiatives to advance IT capabilities”. This may be done by leveraging IT infrastructure, information flow management, and IT personnel capabilities. “We recommend management of Brookside limited should procure adequate IT hardware and software infrastructure to enable staff operate electronically”. We also recommend the management of Brookside should put in place communication mechanism linked to market information so that the organization makes use of real data when making production decision
A study on the design and financial viability of solar pv plants in Rwanda
No full textSolar PV systems are believed vital to provide reliable and eco-friendly energy to remote villages. However, a lack of information on the load demands, lack of information on factors of energy loss, and scarcity of information on the potential financial benefits of PV plants in rural areas hinder the optimal development of PV plants and investments in PV plant development. This study addresses these issues by assessing the load requirements for electrification and farming activities in remote areas in Rwanda, identifying energy loss factors for PV plants, and estimating the financial gains from such systems. The study shows that despite factors such as temperature-induced energy losses, the regions have enough solar resources to meet the villages' load demands. The economic evaluation reveals that solar PV plants can be beneficial to investors, with the cost of energy dropping significantly and benefiting consumers
Inclusion of persons with hearing impairment in formal private sector employment in Lira City
No full textx, 76 p. ;The study aimed to investigate the inclusion of Persons with Hearing Impairment (PWHI) in Formal Private Sector Employment (FPSE) in Lira city, it was guided by the following objectives namely, the factors influencing the inclusion of PWHI in FPSE; the Reasonable Accommodation (RA) provided to PWHI in FPSE and limitations to provision of RA to employees with Hearing Impairment by formal private sector employers in Lira City. The study was guided by the social model theory of disability as a theoretical framework to understand how the inclusion of PWHI in FPSE was done. A phenomenological design of qualitative approach was adopted to inform the study. It helped the researcher to describe the lived experience of participants about the phenomenon. The target population for the study is people whose behavior was exhibited and studied by the researcher and this included PWHI and their employers who were selected purposefully as participants. Semi-structured interviews of open-ended questions were drafted to obtain information from participants and data collected were thematically analyzed to obtain meaning. The findings of the study showed that PWHI had difficulties in accessing jobs due to the lack of reasonable appropriate accommodations. The findings also indicated that employers were constrained to hire PWHI simply because of factors such as the high costs attached, inadequate knowledge about disability, and the appropriate RA. The study, therefore, recommends that sign language interpreters be hired by employers and paid. Extra time should be allowed to PWHI on arrival and before actual departure times so as to enable them maneuver their way early to avoid accidents
Reservation schemes and local firm participation in road construction in Uganda: a case of selected road construction firms in Kampala
No full textxii, 58 p. ;Reservation schemes in public procurement are seen as crucial initiatives that most of the governments can use to promote economic growth, protect domestic firms against foreign competition and improve the capacity and competitiveness of specific sectors. This study therefore examines the effect of reservation schemes on local firm participation in road construction projects by specifically focusing on the impact of reservation thresholds and contractual conditions on local firm participation. The study adopted a cross sectional survey design and data was gathered from directors and project managers or legal officers of 37 sampled local construction firms in Kampala using both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Regression analysis was used to examine the effect of reservation schemes on local firm participation. Findings revealed that reservation schemes have a statistically significant effect on local firm participation in road construction projects. It was revealed that both reservation thresholds and contractual conditions have a positive contribution on local firm participation. According to the study's findings, an enhancement in contractual requirements and reservation thresholds promotes local firms to secure more bids and participation in subcontracted road construction projects by 38.5%. As a result, the study recommended that, the PPDA should conduct regular monitoring of the procuring and disposing entities to ensure that the guidelines on reservation schemes are respected whenever there is a high value contract for the construction project. In addition, we recommend that the PPDA should continue to run sensitization programs for all local contractors so that they acquire knowledge concerning the application of reservation schemes. Sub-contracting arrangements should be guided by the nature of firm, geographical setting and size of the firm. Lastly, the study recommends that an effort be taken to address the most challenging factors that hinder local firm participation for instance, there should be timely payments for local firms to enable them meet their internal demands for effective contract execution.
Key terms: Reservation schemes, reservation threshold, contractual conditions and local firm participatio
Classification of cassava leaf diseases using deep Gaussian transfer learning model
No full textIn Sub-Saharan Africa, experts visually examine the plants and look for disease symptoms on the leaves to diagnose cassava diseases, a subjective method. Machine learning algorithms have been employed to quickly identify and classify crop diseases. In this study, we propose a model that integrates a transfer learning approach with a deep Gaussian convolutional neural network model. In this study, two pre-trained transfer learning models were used, that is, Mobile Net V2 and VGG16, together with three different kernels: a hybrid kernel (a product of a squared exponential kernel and a rational quadratic kernel), a squared expo-nential kernel, and a rational quadratic kernel. In experiments using MobileNet V2 and the three kernels, the hybrid kernel performed better, with an accuracy of 90.11%, compared to 86.03% and 85.14% for the squared exponential kernel and a rational quadratic kernel, respectively. Additionally, experiments using VGG16 and the three kernels showed that the hybrid kernel performed better, with an accuracy of 88.63%, compared to the squared exponential kernel’s accuracy of 84.62% and the rational quadratic kernel’s accuracy of 83.95%, respectively. All the experiments were done using a traditional computer with no access to GPU and this was the major limitation of the study
A bibliographic review of climate change and fertilization as the main drivers of maize yield: implications for food security
No full textP. (1-18) ;Introduction Crop production contribution to food security faces unprecedented challenge of increasing human
population. This is due to the decline in major cereal crop yields including maize resulting from climate change and
declining soil infertility. Changes in soil nutrient status and climate have continued to occur and in response, new
fertilizer recommendations in terms of formulations and application rates are continuously developed and applied
globally. In this sense, this review was conducted to: (i) identify the key areas of concentration of research on fertilizer
and climate change effect on maize grain yield, (ii) assess the extent of the effect of climate change on maize grain
yield, (iii) evaluate the extent of the effect of fertilization practices on maize grain yield, and (iv) examine the effect of
interaction between climate change factors and fertilization practices on maize grain yield at global perspective.
Methodology Comprehensive search of global literature was conducted in Web of Science (WoS) database. For
objective 1, metadata on co-authorship (country, organisation), and co-occurrence of keywords were exported and
analysed using VOSviewer software. For objective 2–4, yield data for each treatment presented in the articles were
extracted and yield increment calculated.
Results The most significant keywords: soil fertility, nutrient use efficiency, nitrogen use efficiency, integrated
nutrient management, sustainability, and climate change adaptation revealed efforts to improve maize production,
achieve food security, and protect the environment. A temperature rise of 1–4 °C decreased yield by 5–14% in warm
areas and increased by < 5% in cold areas globally. Precipitation reduction decreased yield by 25–32%, while CO2
concentration increased and decreased yield by 2.4 to 7.3% and 9 to 14.6%, respectively. A promising fertilizer was
a combination of urea + nitrapyrin with an average yield of 5.1 and 14.4 t ha−
1 under non-irrigation and irrigation,
respectively. Fertilization under climate change was projected to reduce yield in the average range of 10.5–18.3% by
2099.
Conclusion The results signified that sole fertilizer intensification is insufficient to attain sustainable maize yield.
Therefore, there is need for integrated agronomic research that combines fertilizers and other technologies for
enhancing maize yield, and consequently maize contribution to the attainment of global food security under climate
change conditions.
Keywords Climate change, Drought, Fertilizers, Heat stress, Maize, Nitrogen, Temperature, Yiel
Improvisation of learning resources for garment design and construction training at Kira farm development centre wakiso district, Uganda
No full textxi, 90 p. : ill. (some col.) ;Learning resources are highly considered as educational inputs of vital importance that aid in the implementing curriculum. The study aimed at improvising learning resources for Garment Design and Construction (GDC) training at Kira Farm Development Centre (KFDC) Wakiso District, Uganda. Creativity among learners was adopted and utilised as an intervention strategy to contribute to the improvement of skills development in garment design and construction training at KFDC. Participatory Action Research design which employed a qualitative approach was used. The population sample of 45 participants including; 30 students, 10 trainers, 5 administrators participated in the study. Data was collected using the following methods; interviews, observation, focus group discussion and future workshop. Constructivist theory by Lev Vygotsky was the underpinning theory that informed this study. The following strategies were identified and implemented by stakeholders as measures of improvising learning resources for Garment Design and Construction Training at Kira Farm Development Centre; online learning was used to search for information, using patch work, quilting and applique, making door mat using off cuts, recycling of old clothes, extraction of natural dyes and off cuts interlaced with fibres to make door mats. Therefore the study made the following recommendations; teachers should be creative and innovative during teaching and learning, group learning should be encouraged among students, students should be creative where resources are not available and hands-on skills should be encouraged among learners
Evolution of multi-disciplinary philosophies of method: colonial antecedents and post-colonial paradigm shifts
No full textThe hegemony of the natural and biological sciences in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries coincided with the entrenchment of positivism as a superior methodology in knowledge acquisition and justification. Positivism exalted empiricism or experiential knowledge from sense perception. This not only led to the sciencization (empiricization) of humanities like ethics but also social sciences such as sociology, anthropology, economics, law, education and political science. Unfortunately, the radical empiricism embedded in positivism (scientism) bred a plethora of racist and sexist scholars who hid under the facades of positivistic science to justify slavery, colonialism, racial segregation and gender discrimination. The abolition of slavery and slave trade in the nineteenth century led to anti-colonial sentiments and agitations for independence in Africa, Asia and Latin America. A number of African countries attained independence in the 1950s and 1960s. This ensconced Pan-Africanism and its related nuances such as Pan-African governance, Pan-African development and Pan-African education. Consequently, Pan-African scholars embarked on the deconstruction of colonial methodologies and modes of knowledge embedded in the positivistic mono-perspectival schema in favor of post-colonial multi-disciplinary methodologies and interpretive philosophies of method. Feminist scholars in both the global North and South also used the post-colonial methodological paradigm to further expose the positivistic scientific methodology as androcentric and gender blind. This chapter therefore argues that multi-disciplinarity and inter-disciplinarity are simply a logical consequent of decoloniality and post-coloniality. The chapter contends that post-coloniality and decoloniality dethrone positivism and all its quantitative superiority pretexts in favor of interpretivism, multi-disciplinarity, mixed methodologism, qualitative analyses, epistemological justice and epistemological realism
Improving slow sand filtration through sand depth optimization and lead removal using zeolite: case of Kamuli water treatment plant
No full textx, 106 p. : ill. (some col.) ;Globally, there are increasing challenges related to physiochemical and bacteriological contamination often met in provision of safe water for human consumption. Eventually, increasing access to portable water ranked high on the United Nation’s 2030 agenda. This study focused on improving slow sand filter through optimization of the filter medium depth and the use of zeolite to remove lead from water. Kamuli water treatment plant was considered as the case study. In characterizing raw water from the dam as intake, the minimum and maximum turbidity values recorded during the four months were 3 and 103 NTU before treatment, 1 and 48 NTU were recorded after treatment, respectively. The existing Kamuli water treatment plant exhibited turbidity removal efficiencies in the range of 0 – 26%. To optimize the filter medium for turbidity removal, four different sand depths including 400, 650, 900 and 1150mm were considered in a down scaled physical system setup. Synthetic turbid water with turbidity levels from 5 NTU to 120 NTU were considered to characterize the turbidities recorded from the raw water. The different set ups of sand depths were individually evaluated for system performances. The 400mm and 650mm depths had average removal efficiencies of 81.8% and 85.7%, respectively. However, the 900mm and 1150mm had removal efficiencies of 90% and 93.7%, respectively. Different models in terms of exponential, logarithmic, linear and polynomial functions were used to describe the variation of final turbidity after raw water filtration with sand depths. The models were assessed in terms of mean squared error (MSE) and the cost of the sand to achieve the required 5 NTU based on the World Health Organization guideline for turbidity. The values of MSE for exponential, logarithmic, linear and polynomial models were 0.4758, 0.4078, 0.6535 and 0.3848, respectively. The corresponding costs of sand to achieve the optimal depth based on the models were 2,880, 3,300, 3,235 and 2,915 Uganda shillings, respectively. For a given contact time, efficiency of lead removal increased with increasing mass of zeolite added to water. This was true especially for contact time greater 40 minutes. For instance, the efficiencies of lead removal using zeolite of 1, 3, 5 and 7 grams at a contact time of 80 minutes were 81.8, 90.8, 92.7 and 100%, respectively. However, at a 40-minute contact time, the lead removal efficiency increased as zeolite mass was varied from 1g to 5g and thereafter it decreased. Thus, the optimal removal of lead was at contact time of 40 minutes using zeolite mass of 5g with removal efficiency of 98%. This study therefore, demonstrated potential of zeolite in lead removal
Use of assistive technology by learners with cerebral palsy in secondary schools in Dar-Es-Salaam city –Tanzania
No full textx, 89 p. ;The development of technology has been a celebration for learners with cerebral palsy in the process of their participation in various educational activities. This study, uniquely, explored the use of assistive technology for learners with cerebral palsy in Secondary Schools in Dar-es-salaam city, Tanzania. This study was guided by the objectives, namely: the availability of assistive technologies used by learners with cerebral palsy in secondary schools; the use of assistive technologies by learners with cerebral palsy in secondary schools; and the hindrances of the use of assistive technologies by learners with cerebral palsy in secondary schools. The Human Activity Assistive Technology (HAAT) model as a theoretical framework guided the study to examine the use of assistive technology by learners with cerebral palsy in secondary schools. A case study design of the qualitative approach was used. The target population for this study was secondary school learners with cerebral palsy, teachers who trained in special needs education and headteachers of special schools. All participants were purposefully selected to participate in the study. The data was gathered using semi-structured interviews and observation techniques. The obtained data were thematically analyzed to bring out the real meaning. The results showed that secondary schools do not have enough assistive technology devices to meet the needs of learners with cerebral palsy. Also, even though the available assistive technology devices are not used by all students with cerebral palsy, most of them do not know how to use them and other assistive technology does not cater the needs of learners with cerebral palsy. Learners with cerebral palsy join secondary school without the knowledge and skills of how to use assistive technology such as computers, which leads to challenges in using such devices. Likewise, most teachers do not have the skills to teach learners with cerebral palsy to use assistive technology because they have not received such training. The study, therefore, recommends that the government should ensure that all secondary schools that have learners with cerebral palsy are provided with adequate assistive technology and devices after assessing the needs and abilities of those learners. Each school should prepare and provide a continuous professional development training for teachers and school staff on the use of available assistive technologies so that to help learners with cerebral palsy access and use it. Parents/guardians should be sensitized on the importance of the use of assistive technologies for learners with cerebral palsy and be well informed on where to access them so that they can be able to provide rightful assistive technologies for their children. The government should provide funds to secondary schools that enroll learners with cerebral palsy should be provided funds for buying and repairing assistive technologies where necessary. The Tanzania Institute of Education should put in Teacher training curriculum the content on how to use different assistive technologies so that all teachers coming out of the training institutions learn and help learners with cerebral palsy use them while at school.The government should encourage non-government organizations to support learners with cerebral palsy by providing assistive technologies in secondary schools