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Impact of anthropogenic pollution on the plant species diversity and composition along the riparian ecotones of Goa's Sal and Zuari rivers
(Plant‐Environment Interactions, 2025-02-07) Moses, Musisi; Celly Quadros; Krishnan Sellappan
Anthropogenic pressures are increasingly constraining the health of riparian ecosystems by exposing their remnant vegetation to edge effects. Despite being at the land–water interface, conservation efforts have often overlooked how water pollution may indirectly exacerbate the broader impacts of anthropogenic pressures on riparian vegetation along riparian ecotones. This study therefore examined the impacts of anthropogenic pollution on plant species diversity and composition in riparian ecosystems. Transect and Quadrat methods were used to collect vegetation data. We also measured the physicochemical properties of the water samples. We used partial redundancy analysis (RDA), generalized linear models (GLMs), analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Tukey's HSD test for data analysis using R software version 4.3.2. The study identified 126 plant species from 45 families, with the Shannon–Wiener diversity index ranging from 2.06 to 3.10. Anthropogenic disturbances were generally at the alpha eu-hemerobic level, characterized by strong human impacts. Redundancy analysis showed that the nature of human activities, hemeroby, and turbidity were the dominant explanatory factors affecting plant species composition. GLM regression revealed that anthropogenic disturbances (hemeroby) had a significant negative impact on riparian plant species diversity mediated by water pollution. The findings indicate that anthropogenic disturbances coupled with their detrimental effects on water quality lead to a decrease in plant species richness and the dominance of a select few plant species. This will ultimately lead to a decline in the overall plant species diversity. Our findings show that anthropogenic disturbances negatively impact plant species diversity and composition through altering the water quality and habitat degradation. The findings therefore highlight the critical need for stakeholders to prioritize sustainable practices that mitigate water pollution and reduce direct human disturbances. This will safeguard biodiversity and ecosystem functionality in riparian zones, thus ensuring the long-term stability of environmental services that benefit both nature and human communities.
Experimental comparison of erythritol and erythritol-granite pebble mixtures as heat storage materials for solar cooking
(Green Technology & Innovation, 2025-02-19) Ashmore, Mawire; Oyirwoth P. Abedigamba
In this article, a comparison is presented between a pure latent heat storage system (erythritol) and a mixed storage system consisting of equal mass ratios of erythritol and granite pebbles (5 – 10 mm) for a solar cooking application. Two small black stainless cooking pots with a capacity of 1 L were placed inside two larger 5 L cooking pots to form simple storage cooking pots. The space between the pots was filled with thermal energy storage (TES) material. In the first configuration, the space between the pots was filled with 2 kg of erythritol. In the second configuration, the storage system consisted of 1 kg of erythritol and 1 kg of granite pebbles in the same space. The first experimental tests involved charging the storage cooking pots without any load for 4 h, followed by discharging them using heating loads in insulated wonder bags to evaluate off-sunshine cooking performance for another 4 h. The second experimental test involved simultaneous cooking and heat storage alternating between charging and discharging cycles. Experimental results showed that the mixed storage system achieved higher temperatures than the erythritol storage system during charging without cooking. During discharging cycles, the heat utilization rate was faster for the mixed storage system than for the erythritol storage system. Both storage systems enabled the cooking of multiple meals within an 8-h cooking period. However, at the end of the experiments, the erythritol storage system retained higher temperatures than the mixed storage system. Future work will focus on characterizing the thermophysical properties of the mixed storage system, optimizing the erythritol-to-granite mixing ratio for improved thermal performance, and investigating alternative, locally available TES materials – such as sandstone, marble, limestone, and xylitol – for potential use in mixed storage systems.
Lifelong educational and decolonization programs for the Batwa indigenous people of southwestern Uganda
(East African Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2024-03-25) Denis, Sekiwu; Francis Akena Adyanga; Gyaviira Musoke Genza; Nina Olivia Rugambwa; Anthony Mugagga Muwagga
This article is based on a study conducted among the Batwa Indigenous people
in southwestern Uganda between 2021 and 2022. The study aimed to explore
culturally relevant lifelong education and decolonization programs for the Batwa
people. Using indigenous research methodology, 60 participants comprising of
elders, parents, children and teachers were recruited from the Batwa community
for the study. We used Egalitarian liberalism and justice in education (ELJE)
theory as analytical framework. Key findings demonstrate that participants were
conscious of the challenges faced by their community and collectively
brainstormed practical redress measures. These measures include but are not
limited to setting up an entrepreneurship education program, vocational and
skilling programs, and promotion of Rutwa language. Besides, some specific
Batwa life skills identified by participants are briefly described as imperative for
integration in the schooling system to achieve the decolonization mission.
Optimized Multi-cloud Service Orchestration in Cloud Computing.
(Springer Nature, 2025-02-20) Abel, Kamagara; Susan Babirye; Doniz Borsos
This paper presents an optimization model for service orchestration in multi-cloud environments. The objective is to minimize the total cost of deploying a set of services over multiple clouds while ensuring that quality of service requirements are met. The proposed model considers the heterogeneity of cloud resources and the interdependence among the services. A case study is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The results show that the proposed model can achieve significant cost of saving while satisfying QoS requirements. The execution time of the algorithm is also analyzed, and it is found that it increases with the number of network elements. The study provides a framework for efficient service orchestration in multi-cloud environments, which can be extended to include additional constraints and objectives. The findings of this study are promising for practical applications for cloud service providers and users, who can benefit from the proposed optimization algorithm to archive cost-effective service orchestration while meeting QoS requirements.
Ubuntu and Unsustainable Environmental Practices in Uganda: The Case of Sand Mining and Rice Farming
(Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland, 2025-03-01) Margaret, Ssebunya; Gyaviira Kisitu; Alexander Paul Isiko
Self-destruction in pursuit of economic development through reckless exploitation of nature and failure to address environmental contaminants is overly evident within Uganda. Even though the Ugandan context would traditionally subscribe to the Ubuntu ethic of existential bond, interrelatedness, interdependence, and interconnectedness between people and the environment, this remains challenged amid the country's increasing pursuit of economic development. While the sand mining and rice farming investments are key to the national economic development of Uganda, their tendency to employ unsustainable environmental practices compromises the health and sustenance of people in Uganda and leads to environmental deterioration. In this chapter, we explore sand mining and rice farming practices in the Lwera wetland that have altered the physical appearance and hydrology of the land, resulting in massive flooding, which in turn leads to the destruction of people’s property, public road infrastructure, and displacement of people. We argue that these practices in their present state lead to an ongoing ecological scandal that runs parallel to the ethics of interdependence of individuals and the environment. Unavoidably, they have increasingly impaired the interconnectedness between humanity and nature and have also brought about pseudo-development, which is incompatible with human dignity. The ecological scandal faced by the country is a prompt to get back to the core principle of Ubuntu, noting that the wellbeing of Ugandan society is indispensable from its dependence on and interdependence with the natural environment. The key question that we seek to answer is: How can the African ethic of Ubuntu be used to influence the values and behavioral change of the sand mining and rice farming investors in Uganda to positively contribute to the country's economic development without ruining the environment?