• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.354-361
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• 2019

Renewable energy from biomass and biodegradable wastes can significantly supplement the global energy demand if properly harnessed. Pyrolysis is the most profound modern technique that has proved effective and efficient in the energy conversion of biomass to yield various products like bio-oil, biochar, and syngas. This study focuses on optimization of slow pyrolysis of banana peels waste to yield banana peels vinegar, tar and biochar as bio-infrastructure products. Response surface methodology using central composite design was used to determine the optimum conditions for the banana wastes using a batch reactor pyrolysis system. Three factors namely heating temperature ($350-550^{\circ}C$), sample mass (200-800 g) and residence time (45-90 min) were varied with a total of 20 individual experiments. The optimal conditions for wood vinegar yield (48.01%) were $362.6^{\circ}C$, 989.9 g and 104.2 min for peels and biochar yield (30.10%) were $585.9^{\circ}C$, 989.9 g and 104.2 min. The slow pyrolysis showed significant energy conversion efficiencies of about 90% at p-value ${\leq}0.05$. These research findings are of primary importance to Uganda considering the abundant banana wastes amounting to 17.5 million tonnes generated annually, thus using them as pyrolysis feedstock can boost the country's energy status.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.15-23
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• 2021

This study investigates the presence of the day-of-the-week anomaly in exchange rate for 30 developing countries with free floating exchange rate regimes using daily data from January 2, 2011 to December 31, 2019. First, we apply the GARCH panel to estimate the intraday effect for all the sampled countries. Second, we run poolability test to check whether the coefficients of the GARCH panel are the same for all countries sampled. The result of poolability test rejects the homogeneity assumption. This implies that our sample countries contain heterogeneity. Third, we apply mean-group estimation by averaging the coefficients for all individual GARCH estimations. Fourth, we divided our sample of developing countries into three groups based on capital restriction index for the reason that the effect of monetary policy on the exchange rate depends on the degree of capital account liberalization. The empirical evidence for the return equation suggests that Mondays are connected with lower volatility whereas Thursdays experiences higher return compared to Tuesdays. The lowest estimated coefficient for full sample, group 1 and group 2, is Friday, but for group 2 is Thursday. We find similar result for the volatility equations, which show that Monday returns are lower compared to Tuesday.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.282-293
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• 2023

Nile perch and Nile tilapia are major commercial species in Uganda, and thus require continuous production. However, their production is impacted by anthropogenic activities such as fishing in breeding habitats. The aim of this study was to identify and characterize Nile perch and Nile tilapia fish breeding habitats on Lake Kyoga. Water quality, lake bottom, fish and vegetation type samples were collected from 20 sites in April of 2021 and 2022. Key informant interviews were conducted with experienced fishermen at five fish landing sites. The water quality parameters indicated significant difference within the sites using analysis of variance. Sandy and muddy bottom types were equally spread at 40% each by use of a pie chart. Fish gonads showed no significant difference among the 20 sites. Bivariate correlation analysis of the vegetation types indicated a strong negative correlation with Nile perch while Nile tilapia had a positive correlation. Principal component analysis of the water quality, fish gonads and habitat vegetation components cumulatively contributed 82.5% in characterizing a fish breeding habitat. Four sites for Nile perch and four sites for Nile tilapia were characterized as breeding sites on Lake Kyoga and are recommended for mapping and gazettement as breeding habitats for sustainable fisheries management.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.143-149
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• 2014

To evaluate the seroprevalence against circumsporozoite protein (CSP) of Plasmodium vivax in sera of Korean patients, the central repeating domain (CRD) of CSP was cloned and analyzed. From the genomic DNA of patient's blood, 2 kinds of CSPs were identified to belong to a VK210 type, which is the dominant repeating of GDRA(D/A)GQPA, and named as PvCSPA and PvCSPB. Recombinantly expressed his-tagged PvCSPA or PvCSPB in Escherichia coli reacted well against sera of patients in western blot, with the detecting rate of 47.9% (58/121), which included 15 cases positive for PvCSPA, 6 cases positive for PvCSPB, and 37 cases for both. The mixture of PvCSPA and PvCSPB was loaded to a rapid diagnostic test kit (RDT) and applied with the same set of patient sera, which resulted in detection rates of 57.0% (69/121). When the protein sequences of PvCSPA were compared with those of P. vivax in endemic regions of India and Uganda, they were compatibly homologous to PvCSPA with minor mutations. These results suggested that the recombinant PvCSPA and PvCSPB loaded RDT may be a milestone in latent diagnosis which has been a hot issue of domestic malaria and important for radical therapy in overlapped infections with P. falciparum in tropical and subtropical areas. During the biological process of malarial infection, exposure of CSP to antigen-antibody reaction up to 57.0% is the first report in Korea.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.447-452
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• 2018

Prompt diagnosis of malaria cases with rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) has been widely adopted as an effective malaria diagnostic tool in many malaria endemic countries, primarily due to their easy operation, fast result output, and straightforward interpretation. However, there has been controversy about the diagnostic accuracy of RDTs. This study was conducted to evaluate the diagnostic performances of the 2 commercially available malaria RDT kits, RapiGEN Malaria Ag Pf/Pv (pLDH/pLDH) and Asan $EasyTest^{TM}$ Malaria Ag Pf/Pv (HRP-2/pLDH) for their abilities to detect Plasmodium species in blood samples collected from Ugandan patients with malaria. To evaluate the diagnostic performances of these 2 RDT kits, 229 blood samples were tested for malaria infection by microscopic examination and a species-specific nested polymerase chain reaction. The detection sensitivities for P. falciparum of Malaria Ag Pf/Pv (pLDH/pLDH) and Asan $EasyTest^{TM}$ Malaria Ag Pf/Pv (HRP-2/pLDH) were 87.83% and 89.57%, respectively. The specificities of the 2 RDTs were 100% for P. falciparum and mixed P. falciparum/P. vivax infections. These results suggest that the 2 RDT kits showed reasonable levels of diagnostic performances for detection of the malaria parasites from Ugandan patients. However, neither kit could effectively detect P. falciparum infections with low parasitaemia (<$500parasites/{\mu}l$).

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.503-510
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• 2013

Toxoplasma gondii is an apicomplexan parasite with a broad host range of most warm-blooded mammals including humans, of which one-thirds of the human population has been infected worldwide which can cause congenital defects, abortion, and neonatal complications. Here, we developed a rapid diagnostic test (RDT) for T. gondii infection. Antigenic N-terminal half of the major surface antigen (SAG1) was linked with intrinsically unstructured domain (IUD) of dense granule protein 2 (GRA2). The recombinant GST-GRA2-SAG1A protein was successfully expressed and purified as 51 kDa of molecular weight. Furthermore, antigenicity and solubility of the rGST-GRA2-SAG1A protein were significantly increased. The overall specificity and sensitivity of GST-GRA2-SAG1A loaded RDT (TgRDT) were estimated as 100% and 97.1% by comparing with ELISA result which uses T. gondii whole cell lysates as the antigen. The TgRDT tested with Uganda people sera for field trial and showed 31.9% of seroprevalence against T. gondii antibody. The TgRDT is proved to be a kit for rapid and easy to use with high accuracy, which would be a suitable serodiagnostic tool for toxoplasmosis.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.41 no.7
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• pp.191-201
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• 2017

Background: Limited availability of corn stover due to the competing uses (organic manure, animal feed, bio-materials, and bioenergy) presents a major concern for its future in the bio-economy. Furthermore, biomass research has exhibited different results due to the differences in the supply of enzymes and dissimilar analytical methods. The effect of the two leading pretreatment techniques (dilute acid and alkaline) on glucose yield from three corn stover fractions (cob, stalk, and leaf) sourced from a single harvest in Uganda were studied at temperatures 100, 120, 140, and $160^{\circ}C$ over reaction times of 5, 10, 30, and 60 min. Results: From this study, the highest glucose concentrations obtained from the dilute acid (DA) pretreated cobs, stalks, and leaves were 18.4 g/L (66.8% glucose yield), 16.2 g/L (64.1% glucose yield), and 11.0 g/L (49.5% glucose yield), respectively. The optimal pretreatment settings needed to obtain these yields from the DA pretreated samples were at a temperature of $160^{\circ}C$ over an incubation time of 30 min. The highest glucose concentrations obtained from the alkaline (AL) pretreated cobs, stalks, and leaves were 24.7 g/L (81.73% glucose yield), 21.3 g/L (81.23% glucose yield), and 15.0 g/L (51.92% glucose yield), respectively. To be able to achieve these yields, the optimal pretreatment settings for the cobs and stalks were $140^{\circ}C$ and for a retention time of 30 min, while the leaves require optimal conditions of $140^{\circ}C$ and for a retention time of 60 min. Conclusions: The study recommends that the leaves could be left on the field during harvesting since the recovery of glucose from the pretreated cobs and stalks is higher.

• Journal of Construction Engineering and Project Management
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.20-24
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• 2012

Construction while being an economic activity that provides facilities and infrastructure, it is beneficial to man in some aspects and detrimental in others. There have been environmental concerns related to construction activities globally which mainly focus on atmospheric emissions, depletion of natural resources and energy issues. This study was carried out to assess the impacts of construction activities on the environment in Iganga Municipality and to propose measures for their mitigation. The methodology included: review of relevant literature, observations of the general environmental effects of construction activities, focus groups and a survey conducted among construction industry role players to determine their perceptions and opinions regarding environmental impact of construction activities. The collected data was presented in tabular form and analysed by description of responses to questions. The study revealed that forests were the most greatly degraded due to high demand of timber for construction followed by wetlands degradation. The findings of this study will be useful to architects, designers and builders in order to carefully design buildings and other infrastructure that are environmentally friendly and sustainable. Construction materials and their mode of acquisition are harmful threats to the environment. There is need to reduce the consumption of these materials through recycling and reusing wastes to reduce on waste generation, use of virgin materials and the subsequent waste of energy used in new material production.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.11
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• pp.1651-1658
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• 2020

Since Zika virus (ZIKV) was first detected in Uganda in 1947, serious outbreaks have occurred globally in Yap Island, French Polynesia and Brazil. Even though the number of infections and spread of ZIKV have risen sharply, the pathogenesis and replication mechanisms of ZIKV have not been well studied. ZIKV, a recently highlighted Flavivirus, is a mosquito-borne emerging virus causing microcephaly and the Guillain-Barre syndrome in fetuses and adults, respectively. ZIKV polyprotein consists of three structural proteins named C, prM and E and seven nonstructural proteins named NS1, NS2A, NS2B, NS3, NS4A, NS4B, and NS5 in an 11-kb single-stranded positive sense RNA genome. The function of individual ZIKV genes on the host innate immune response has barely been studied. In this study, we investigated the modulations of the NF-κB promoter activity induced by the MDA5/RIG-I signaling pathway. According to our results, two nonstructural proteins, NS2A and NS4A, dramatically suppressed the NF-κB promoter activity by inhibiting signaling factors involved in the MDA5/RIG-I signaling pathway. Interestingly, NS2A suppressed all components of MDA5/RIG-I signaling pathway, but NS4A inhibited most signaling molecules, except IKKε and IRF3-5D. In addition, both NS2A and NS4A downregulated MDA5-induced NF-κB promoter activity in a dosedependent manner. Taken together, our results suggest that NS2A and NS4A signifcantly antagonize MDA5/RIG-I-mediated NF-κB production, and these proteins seem to be controlled by different mechanisms. This study could help understand the mechanisms of how ZIKV controls innate immune responses and may also assist in the development of ZIKV-specific therapeutics.

• The Journal of Korean Society for School & Community Health Education
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.51-63
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• 2015

목적: 사하라 이남 아프리카 지역 중저소득국가 모성보건지표의 더딘 개선율은 MDG 5(모자보건향상) 미달성의 주요 원인 중 하나로 꼽힌다. 따라서 본 연구는 우간다 동부 카프초르와 구의 모성사망과 밀접한 산후건강관리(PNC, Postnatal care)서비스 이용결정요인을 파악하는데 있다. 이를 통해 지역건강관리자들에게 PNC 서비스 이용 개선을 위한 정책 수립 및 방안 마련에 기초자료를 제공하고, 궁극적으로는 MDG 5 지표 개선에 일조하고자 한다. 방법: 표본 집단은 카프초르와 구의 15세~49세 여성들 중 최근 1년 내에 출산을 경험한 자들을 대상으로 편의추출 되었다. 조사기간은 2014년 7월부터 10월까지였으며, 구조화된 설문에 총 171명이 응답하였고, 19명의 주요 정보제공자와의 심층면담도 실시하였다. 응답자의 사회인구학적 특성 및 PNC 이용행태를 알아보기 위해 빈도분석을 실시하였으며, 각 독립변수가 PNC 이용에 어떤 영향을 미치는지 파악하기 위해 로지스틱 회귀분석을 실시하였다. 결과: 응답자의 55%만이 의료시설의 PNC 서비스를 받은 것으로 나타났다. 로지스틱 회귀분석을 통해서는 응답자의 연령과 사회적 네트워크, 인지된 건강상태, 산전관리서비스 이용이 PNC 서비스 이용에 긍정적인 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났으며 의료시설과의 거리, 가족의 규모는 부정적인 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 결론: PNC 서비스 이용개선을 위해서는 먼저 여성의 사회적 자본 확충 및 개선을 위한 모성보건교육인 소프트 인프라 지원이 지자체 차원에서 실시되어야 할 것이며, 서비스 이용을 가능케 하고 접근성을 높이는 응급후송체계 구축과 같은 물리적 인프라 지원도 도입되어야할 것이다. 또한 가족계획 서비스를 제공하는 등 모성보건관리에 대한 지자체의 민감성을 높이는 것도 필요하겠다.