26 research outputs found
Application of Superabsorbent Polymers for Improving the Ecological Chemistry of Degraded or Polluted Lands
No full textAbout 3.5 billion ha of land, which amounts to almost 30% of the total solid land of the world, has been degraded by human activities. The ecological restoration of these lands is a major challenge for mankind since they are the only option left for increasing the amount of arable land and producing food for the ever growing worldwide population. One common feature of these degraded lands is the fact that their organic soil matter is degraded also. Rainfall therefore, changes from a blessing to a menace since it is not kept in the soil and therefore causes erosion. A solution for the restoration of these lands could be the application of superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) to these soils. These substances are like 'artificial humus' as they are hydrophilic and contain carboxylic groups. This enables them to bind cations and water. They have the following advantages for the restoration of degraded lands. They increase the plant available water in the soil which enables the plants to survive longer under water stress. SAP amendment to soils reduces the evapotranspiration rate of the plants. They induce a significantly higher growth rate in plants growing on SAP amended soil. They bind heavy metals and mitigate their action on plants. They mitigate the effects of salinity. The benefits of SAP amendment to soils substantially outweigh their costs
Effects of Hydrogels on Tree Seedling Performance in Temperate Soils before and after Water Stress
No full textporated in the soil. The effect of cross-linked SAP hydrogel amendment on the performance of tree seedlings of Picea abies, Pinus sylivestris and Fagus sylvatica grown in temperate soils under water stress and non-water stress periods was investigated in a green house. The objective was to compare the root and shoot biomass of seedlings of the three species grown in sand, loam and clay soils amended with 0.4% w/w hydrogel in non water stress conditions as well as survival, root and shoot biomass after subjection to water stress. The seedlings were grown for 16 weeks, harvested and shoot as well as root biomass determined before water stress. The seedlings were also subjected to water stress and their biomass assessed at death following the water stress. The results showed that root and shoot biomass were generally higher in hydrogel amended soils compared to the controls. Root and shoot biomass of Fagus sylvatica was lower compared to Picea abies and Pinus sylivestris before water stress. The 0.4% hydrogel amendment significantly in- creased species’ survival in the different soils studied. Although root biomass was higher in hydrogel amended sandy soil compared to other soils, P. sylivestris and F. sylvatica shoot biomass were higher in hydrogel amended clay and loam soils compared to the sandy soil after water stress. Biomass was higher in sand compared to loam and clay soils under non-water and water stressed conditions. Since SAP hydrogel amendment improved the survival and biomass production of tree seedlings before and after water stress, use of SAPs could be promoted to enhance seedling produc- tion in water stress and non-water stress environment
Amending Soils with Hydrogels Increases the Biomass of Nine Tree Species under Non-water Stress Conditions
No full textThe classical aim of the application of super absorbent polyacrylate (SAPs) hydrogels is the prolonging of plant survival under water stress. Their effect on plant growth during non-water stress conditions is not known. This study examined the root and shoot biomass of seedlings of nine tree species: Eucalyptus grandis, Eucalyptus citriodora, Pinus caribaea, Araucaria cunninghamii, Melia volkensii, Grevillea robusta, Azadirachta indica, Maesopsis eminii and Terminalia superba. The seedlings were potted in five soil types; sand, sandy loam, loam, silt loam and clay. These were amended at two hydrogel levels: 0.2 and 0.4% w/w and grown under controlled conditions in a green house. Root and shoot growth responses of the seedlings were determined by measuring the dry weight of the roots, stems, leaves and twigs. The addition of either 0.2 or 0.4% hydrogel to the five soil types resulted in a significant increase of the root dry weight (p < 0.001) in eight tree species compared to the controls after 8 wk of routine watering. Also, the dry weight of stems and leaves and twigs were significantly (p < 0.001) higher in the nine tree species potted in hydrogel amended soil types than in the hydrogel free controls. These results suggested that hydrogel amendment enhances the efficiency of water uptake and utilization of photosynthates of plants grown in soils which have water contents close to field capacity
Effects of Hydrogel Amendment to Different Soils on Plant Available Water and Survival of Trees under Drought Conditions
No full textThe effect of super absorbent polyacrylate (SAP) hydrogel amendment to different soil types on plant available water (PAW) evapotranspiration and survival of Eucalyptus grandis, Eucalyptus citriodora, Pinus caribaea, Araucaria cunninghamii, Melia volkensii, Grevillea robusta, Azadirachta indica, Maesopsis eminii and Terminalia superba was investigated. The seedlings were potted in 3 kg size polythene bags filled with sand, loam, silt loam, sandy loam and clay soils, amended at 0 (control), 0.2 and 0.4% w/w hydrogel. The tree seedlings were allowed to grow normally with routine uniform watering in a glass house set up for a period of eight weeks, after which they were subjected to drought conditions by not watering any further. The 0.4% hydrogel amendment significantly (p < 0.05) increased the PAW by a factor of about three in sand, two fold in silt loam and one fold in sandy loam: loam and clay soils compared to the control. Similarly, the addition of either 0.2 or 0.4% hydrogel to the five soil types resulted in prolonged tree survival compared to the controls. Araucaria cunninghammi survived longest at 153 days, while Maesopsis eminii survived least (95 days) in sand amended at 0.4% after subjection to desiccation. Evapotranspiration was reduced in eight of the nine tree species grown in sandy loam, loam, silt loam and clay soils amended at 0.4% hydrogel. It is probable that soil amendment with SAP decreased the hydraulic soil conductivity that might reduce plant transpiration and soil evaporation
Review of extension systems in Uganda
No full textA key informant’s survey (KIS) was undertaken to understand the extension system in Uganda. The survey sought to determine the existing extension structure, and approaches used by various agencies to disseminate agricultural technologies, information and skills to farmers, as well as the policy context within which such processes take place. The key informant interviews were conducted with government extension staff at National, district and sub-county levels. Extension personnel from Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) were also interviewed. Findings from this study will inform the ‘Trees for Food Security’ project on different extension methods and their suitability in scaling up/out agroforestry practices in Uganda
Adaptive Process Distribution at the Edge of IoT using the Integration of BPMS and Containerization
No full textTäna levivad pilvepõhised värkvõrgu (asjade interneti) süsteemid tuginevad protsesside halduseks kaugel asuvatel andmekeskustel, mis toob endaga kaasa latentsusprobleeme. Vastusena sellele probleemile on varem välja pakutud servaarvutuse lähenemine, kus arvutused viiakse läbi asjade interneti süsteemi võrgule füüsiliselt lähemal. Mitmete servaarvutuse metoodikate seas on uduarvutus lähenemine, kus rõhk on arvutuste liigutamisel värkvõrgu seadmetele endile. Ehkki uduarvutusel põhinev arhitektuur on paljutõotav, tõstatab see küsimuse – kuidas värkvõrgu protsessihaldussüsteemid (BPMS4IoT-süsteemid) äriprotsesse heterogeensetele värkvõrgu seadmetele jaotama peaksid? Levinud on lähenemine, kus protsesside töövooülesannete käituseks tuginetakse ühisele platvormile. Näiteks, kui haldusserver defineerib teatud töövoo ülesandena Pythoni skripti ja määrab selle seadmele, siis peab seadme töövookäitusmootor toetama vastavat mehhanismi skriptide jooksutamiseks. Selline nõue ei ole paindlik, arvestades värkvõrgu seadmete heterogeensust. Käesolevas magistritöös pakub autor välja raamistiku, mis eraldab töövoo ülesannete käitusmeetodi käitusmootorist kasutades selleks konteinertehnoloogiat. Töö käigus arendati välja raamistiku prototüüp ning viidi läbi katseid mikroarvutitel põhinevail seadmetel. Lisaks võrreldi väljapakutud uduarvutuse raamistiku jõudlust pilvearvutusel põhineva süsteemiga.Emerging cloud-centric Internet of Things (IoT) system relies on distant data centers to manage the entire processes, which raises the issue of latency. To address the issue, researchers have introduced the Edge computing methodologies that carry out computation closer to the edge network of IoT system. Among the numerous Edge computing approaches, Mist computing paradigm emphasises the mechanism that moves the computation further to the front-end IoT devices. Although the architecture of Mist computing is promising, it raises a new challenge in how the Business Process Management System for IoT (BPMS4IoT) distributes the business process workflow to the heterogeneous IoT devices? In general, executing business process workflows relies on the common platform for executing customized tasks. For example, if the management server defines a Python script task in a workflow, which has been allocated to an IoT device, the workflow engine of the IoT device must have the compatible execution method. Such a requirement is less flexible when one considers the heterogeneity of the IoT devices. Therefore, in this thesis, the author proposes a framework to decouple the workflow task execution method from the workflow engines using the containerization technology. A proof-of-concept prototype has been developed and has been tested on several single-board computers-based IoT devices. Further, a case study has been performed to demonstrate the performance of the proposed framework comparing to the cloud-centric system
Additional file 3 of Nutritional prospects of jackfruit and its potential for improving dietary diversity in Uganda
No full textAdditional file 3. Average amounts (mean ± standard error) of selected nutritional elements in the flakes and seeds of jackfruit. f.w and d.w indicate that the amounts are presented on fresh and dry weight basis respectively. For the amounts quantified in the triplicates of flake and leaf samples, different letters adjacent to the mean indicate significant differences (p < 0.05) between the varieties based on the least significant difference with Bonferroni adjustments. Some mean amounts that were not different have no numbers. For the amounts detected in the seeds, not statistical tests were done since the analysis was done on duplicated samples
Variation in seed and seedling traits of the different ethno-varieties of jackfruit, a potential fruit tree species for food security
No full textA key component of the performance of plant seeds is the germination capability as well as seedling survival and vigor. Seed traits from five jackfruit ethno-varieties (infra-specific diversity as understood and managed by farmers) were assessed. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to determine the survival of seeds, emergence and germination rate. Seeds from different ethno-varieties differed in their length (F (4,145) = 6.31, p < 0.001). The difference was highest between seeds from white, orange or yellow ethno-varieties. The width also slightly differed among ethno-varieties (F (4,145) = 3.29, p < 0.05). The average fresh and dry weights tended to be higher in seeds from the soft ethno-variety than the rest of the ethno-varieties. Differences in the survival of seeds and germination rate were also exhibited among ethno-varieties, where the white ethno-variety showed the highest pre-emergence mortality but at the same time the least germination time. Over the six-week period of germination, the soft ethno-variety exhibited the highest root:shoot ratio but also grew faster than all other ethno-varieties. There is potential evidence of phylogenetic constraints on seed size, germination and seedling vigor. Optimum growth for most of the traits was achieved between 6 and 7 weeks after sowing, which can guide on the time seedlings should be left in the pots before being transferred to the field. Further progeny tests should be undertaken on these provenances in the field over a longer period so as to obtain better distinction of the growth traits among the ethno-varieties
Knowledge and Health Care Seeking Behaviours on Cancer of the Cervix among Rural Women- A Case Study of Isingiro District
No full textCervical cancer is an abnormal growth of cells in the cervical region of the uterus. Cancer of the cervix occurs when the cells of the cervix change in a way that leads to unregulated growth and invasion of other tissues or organs of the body. Cancer of the cervix is the most common cancer affecting women in Africa and in the developing countries, second only to breast cancer worldwide(Franco et al 2003). Very few studies on knowledge and health care seeking behaviors have been carried out among women living in rural areas in Africa. Cervical cancer has threatened the lives of women in Uganda leading to other associated long-term problems in families. Keywords: Cancer of the Cervix,Knowledge,Health care seeking behaviours. Aim This study was intended to assess the knowledge of cervical cancer and the related health care seeking practices among the rural women in Isingiro district, south-western Uganda. Methods It was a community based cross sectional study, involving women of 18 years and above. The study participants werefirst given an explanation of the study and thereafter, a questionnaire was administered for data collection. The sample size estimated using the formula: N= Z2p (1-p)/ e2. Results According to the study, the knowledge, prevalence of symptoms and predisposing factors to cervical cancer was at 4.62 %( 18/385) and 0.00 %( 0/385) respectively. The study also revealed that; 98.35% (374/385) would accept CaCx screening, 0.33 %( 01/385) had utilized cervical cancer screening facilities and that 97.02 %( 374/385) did not screen due to lack of knowledge on CaCx. There is need to conduct a community based study to know the practices of health workers and assess if they are educating and offering suggestions for screening for cancer of the cervix. The research therefore recommends intervention the relevant stakeholders in the health care system to demystify facts on this disease among rural women, especially in Isingiro district.
Morphological Characteristics and Growth Performance of Bambusa vulgaris Schrad. Ex J. C. Wendl in Selected Agro-Ecologies of Uganda
No full textBamboo is a versatile and valuable resource that has been shown to have social, ecological, and economic benefits in many countries worldwide. Even though Uganda has a suitable environment for bamboo growth, it remains underutilized. One of the key challenges in promoting bamboo farming is the need for more information about the growth performance of different bamboo species in various site conditions. Therefore, this study determined the morphological characteristics and growth performance of Bambusa vulgaris in Uganda. A total of 24 bamboo farms were selected from a list of bamboo farmers provided by key informants using stratified sampling. These farms had relatively uniform B. vulgaris stands and were drawn from Uganda's three agro-ecological zones (AEZs): the Southwestern, West Nile, and Lake Victoria crescent agro-ecological zones. Eight temporary sample plots were established in each zone, and various growth parameters were measured. One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) followed by Sidak post-hoc test was used to compare the performance of B. vulgaris across the different agro-ecological zones based on growth parameters. The results of the study showed that the total above-ground biomass was highest in the Lake Victoria crescent (24.773 kg/ha), followed by the West Nile (17.141 kg/ha) and the Southwestern (15.125 kg/ha) agro-ecological zones. The growth rate of B. vulgaris after three years was found to be similar to the outstanding growth rate mentioned in the literature. The growth performance of B. vulgaris was notably better in the L. Victoria crescent compared to the West Nile and Southwestern highlands – suggesting that efforts to promote the growing of B. vulgaris should prioritize the L. Victoria crescent agro-ecological zone. Overall, this study provides valuable information on the growth performance of B. vulgaris in different agro-ecological zones in Uganda. This information can be used to guide the promotion and development of bamboo farming in the country, which has the potential to improve livelihoods and contribute to sustainable developmen
