During a disaster event, various participants such as government entities, humanitarian organizations and non-government organizations, gather information and create information systems for purposes of recovery, mitigation and planning. Since these systems are created in isolation and under local standards, they lack a common framework for data sharing and linking. Using conventional data integration methods such as those in traditional databases, is challenging and time consuming due to initially having to ensure that datasets from different sources have a common schematic structure. Therefore, it is necessary to explore methods that are effective in mitigating these issues, as there is currently more need and interest in having data open and linked. Linked Data is one of the Semantic Web standards used to publish and interlink heterogeneous data in both human and machine readable formats, to allow data to be easily shared and reused. In this study, Linked Data was used to demonstrate how Uganda disaster data can be represented in a standardized and common exchangeable data format to enable interoperability and integration to other sources in the LOD cloud. By adhering to the principles of Linked Data, an ontology describing the disaster domain was created based on user requirements and information obtained from an interview and existing documentation. The disaster data together with location data were populated into the ontology in Resource Description Framework (RDF), which is the basic LOD data structure. Thereafter, the disaster ontology was linked to GeoNames ontology and finally published onto a developed website. The final products of this research are: a disaster ontology model that can be extended and reused to present any other domain data; a website to facilitate data navigation, visualization and querying; and a framework to guide future linked data projects. The prototype linked data website provides a download access to the disaster ontology that has a total of 84,760 triples, a SPARQL query endpoint and an interactive web map showing all recorded disaster events. It can be concluded from this study that Linked Data technique has great potential in representing data in a more common and standardized format, integrating it with heterogeneous data and also giving access to smart reasoning queries that support effective decision-making. However, there is need to promote awareness and participation from Ugandan organizations towards data sharing and integration in order to reap the best benefits of such modern techniques.

The construction industry is one of the most vital constituents of any country’s economy, the industry remains on a steady path of growth and development all over the world. But despite all its benefits, it is equally known for producing large amounts of wastes. In developing countries, as is the case in Uganda, it is an enormous task for professionals involved in the built environment to identify and address the waste problem in the construction process. Kampala which is the capital city of Uganda is budding with numerous on-going construction projects that have the potential to generate large volumes of waste which if not managed well has negative impacts on the construction process, health and environmental sustainability. Waste is an unwanted or unusable material, discarded after primary use. Waste management are all activities and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal, involving assortment, transportation, processing, and disposal of the waste material. The tools for this study were review of existing literature, structured questionnaires and interview guides used to obtain relevant information from the professionals involved in the construction industry within selected construction sites in Kampala. Therefore, this research study was undertaken to find out and assess the approaches in use on different construction sites in Kampala and provide updated information on their performance as well as recommend necessary changes to improve the management of construction waste in Kampala.

This research aimed at aimed at analysing how taxis operate, taxi stages centers, hours of operation in a day, circulation of these taxis around Kibuli ward,the types of passenger customers that use taxis and general view of people about taxi operation in Kibuli ward. The researcher came up with the following research objectives; • To identify the movement and circulation of taxis on Prince Badru Kakungulu Road and Lubuga Road throughout Kibuli ward. • To identify the management of taxis using Prince Badru Kakungulu Road and Lubuga Road in Kibuli ward. To identify the challenges facing the taxi business in Kibuli ward. • To design strategies to improve management of taxis that use Prince Badru Kakungulu Road and Lubuga Road in Kibuli ward. The researcher used data collection methods like observation, literature review, interviews, questionnaire, aircraft method and after processed and analysed the data collected and presented it inform of pie charts, graphs. The key findings of the researcher included, the taxis have varying schedules for time during the day, there was absence of a defined managing taxi association in Kibuli ward, taxis are privately owned, absence of information about the code of conduct by taxi operators, the challenges faced by taxi operators which include high taxes, disrespectful passengers, accidents and the challenges faced by taxi passengers which included poor hygiene, theft, over stopping and vulgarity of operators. The strategies that were proposed include to improve management in Kibuli ward include loan associations, stage signs, better roads, road signs, planned parking space, better security. The key recommendations provided include provision of strict laws to ensure road users practice proper road behaviour, planning schemes for public transport, provision of road signs, establishment of a strong management association, designation of proper taxi stages, report of vehicles in poor condition, ensure proper hygiene when using taxis by the users. Conclusively, the current situation of taxis business in Kibuli ward is very poor, therefore the above recommendations should put into consideration to ensure efficient operation and movement of taxis in this area.

Background: Low fruit consumption globally has resulted in micronutrient deficiencies like iron deficiency anemia, Vitamin A deficiency, folate, iodine and zinc deficiencies which have become a public health concern and chronic, non communicable diseases like diabetes, hypertension, obesity, CVDs and cancer. This study was conducted to assess the nutrition KAP of fruit consumption among school going children aged 9 to 11 years in urban primary schools in Kampala district. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted and data was collected using a semi structured questionnaire administered by an interviewer which was done online to children aged 9 to 11 years. Fruit diversity and levels of consumption was assessed using food frequency questionnaire. The questionnaire also had a section assessing nutrition knowledge, attitudes and practices on fruit consumption of the preadolescents. The data was collected from a sample of 75 childen which was then analyzed using IBM SPSS Version 25 and Microsoft Excel softwares to obtain frequencies, means and correlations. Results: Regarding nutrition practices, the types of fruits consumed daily and weekly among school going children were tropical and citrus fruits. Pome or stone fruits, berries and grapes were the least consumed types of fruits daily and weekly. Although majority of the children (69.3%) reported consuming fruits 1-2 times in a day, the mean servings of fruits per day for all the school going children was 2.37±1.47 which was significantly lower (p<0.001) than the USDA recommendations of 3 servings . However, most children (74.7%) did not meet their daily recommendations for fruit consumption. Majority of the children had knowledge on the health benefits of fruit consumption (66.7%) while 77.3% had knowledge on the forms in which fruits should be consumed. Majority of the children (74.7%) had a positive attitude towards fruit juice with pulp, strained and sweetened with added sugar while 25.3% had a positive attitude towards fruit juice with pulp, unstrained and not sweetened with added sugar. Conclusion: Although the preadolescents were consuming fruits which were diverse, they did not meet the daily recommended servings of fruits. Majority of the children were knowledgeable on the health benefits of fruits and had positive attitude towards forms in which fruits should be consumed. Keywords: nutrion KAP, fruit consumption, school going children, Kampala district. Word count: 360

The main purpose of the research is to examine the relationship between credit risk management and financial performance of commercial banks in Uganda for a period 2013-2017 using panel data for a sample of 22 commercial banks. In the research model, Return on Asset and Return on Equity are defined as proxies of financial performance while Non-performing loans, Capital Adequacy and Loan loss provisions are defined as proxies of credit risk management. Bank size was employed as a control variable in the model. The target population of the study was 24 licensed commercial banks which were in operation in Uganda by 31st December, 2017. The study purposively selected sample size of 22 commercial banks in Uganda which were in operation from 2013 to 2017. The study used secondary data from the financial statements and annual reports which were sourced from the individual bank websites, Newspapers and Bank of Uganda. The 22 commercial banks were categorised into three groups namely; large, medium and small sized respectively. The study employs descriptive statistics, correlation and regression analysis using random effects approach. Regression models are to estimate the magnitude of significance of credit risk management on the performance of commercial banks in Uganda. The findings revealed that credit risk management has a positive relationship with financial performance of commercial banks. Between the three proxies of credit risk management, NPLR has an insignificant negative relationship with both ROE and ROA, CAR has a significant positive relationship with both ROE and ROA while LLPR has a significant negative relationship with both ROA and ROE. Bank size has a positive significant relationship with both ROA and ROE. Large banks had the highest average returns in terms of both ROA and ROE. Medium sized banks had the second highest Return on Equity but with the least Return on Assets while small banks registered the second highest ROA and the lowest ROE of the three groups. The results further revealed that bank size has a significant control effect on the relationship between credit risk management and financial performance of Commercial banks. Thus, given such results, the researcher recommends that banks need to enhance their credit risk management. Unpopular lending methods to most customers, should be abolished. The institutions need to invest more in research to discover new and innovative customer-friendly lending techniques to increase the number of less labour loan portfolios in order to lower default rates, reduce costs and increase earnings. And finally Bank of Uganda should set uniform policies for all licensed commercial banks in regard to educating clients before their engagement with the lender.

Whereas taro is an important food and income crop for many people in the rural and urban areas of Uganda, its productivity is very low due to poor cropping system characterised by continuous cultivation, not managing soil fertility and inadequate knowledge about its maturity time. This study developed soil nutrient amendment regimes that can enhance taro yields in wetlands and farmers’ incomes. Two experiments were carried out in Mende Subcounty (Munyere swamp) during the 2012B and 2013A growing seasons to evaluate the effects of soil amendment with NPK fertilizers and poultry manure on the growth, yield and harvesting time of taro. The nutrient sources were 10 metric ton/ha (MT/ha) poultry manure and NPK fertilizers applied at 80, 80 and 120 kg N, P and K/ha, respectively, while harvesting was done at 3, 6 and 9 months after planting (MAP). The profitability to farmers arising from the use of NPK fertilizers and poultry manure as soil amendments was also studied. All growth and yield parameters of taro climaxed at 6 MAP, and thereafter declined. NPK fertilizer application resulted in significantly (P<0.05) higher plant height, corm length and corm yield values than poultry manure at 6 MAP. Taro harvested at 6 MAP had significantly (P<0.05) bigger tubers, and hence higher yields than taro harvested at 3 and 9 MAP. The application of poultry manures and NPK fertilizers to taro significantly (P<0.05) increased corm yield from 12.5 to 14 and 18.8 MT/ha, respectively at seven MAP. Returns per unit variable cost of nutrient source measured by Total Revenue (TR)/Total Variable Costs (TVC) ratio for taro that received NPK was 1.56 compared to 1.03 and 1.42 for poultry manure and the control, respectively. NPK fertilizer proved to be a more profitable nutrient source for taro than poultry manure.

Background: Preoperative fasting is one of the cornerstones of perioperative patient safety. It is employed in the prevention of the fatal risk of pulmonary aspiration. This study sought to determine the preoperative fasting durations, associated factors and immediate preoperative outcomes among children undergoing elective surgery at Mulago Hospital. This would help in the adoption of preoperative fasting guidelines and the development of local protocols. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 307 children and 217 healthcare providers were recruited. Data were collected by the use of a data collection tool, entered with Epi-data version 3.1 and was transferred to STATA 12 for analysis. Results: The children had a median age of 5(3-7) years with male predominance 169 (55%), undergoing a scheduled general anaesthetic 307 (100%) and 296 (96.4%) belonging to ASA I physical status. Malnutrition by MUAC cut-off in the 6–60 months old age group was found in 5 (4.2%) children while as by BMI for the whole cohort, it was noted in 10 (3.3%) children. Stunted and underweight children under five years were 20 (16%) and 10 (8%) respectively. We still found that 226 (73.6%) of the children had a protracted preoperative fast. None of the children had a short preoperative fast. Prolonged preoperative fasting duration correlated with getting unclear instructions AOR 4.35 (95% CI 1.00 – 18.85, P = 0.049). However, children were less likely to have a prolonged fast when instructions were given by the doctor AOR 0.11 (95% CI 0.05 - 0.23, P =<0.001) and the parent/guardian having a tertiary education AOR 0.34 (95% CI 0.16 - 0.74, P = 0.006). Hypoglycaemia was found in 75(24.43%) of the children and was associated with prolonged preoperative fasting durations AOR 3.92 (95% CI 1.42 - 10.79, P = 0.008). Likewise, we found that 92(29.97%) of the children had some/severe dehydration which was associated with prolonged preoperative fasting durations AOR 2.38 (95% CI 1,13-5.01, P = 0.023). Regarding knowledge of the APAGBI preoperative fasting guidelines, 171(78.8%) of the healthcare providers had pertinent knowledge. Conclusion: For the most part, the fasting times were twice as long as recommended by the APAGBI. There was a correlation between a prolonged fast and some factors. These were getting unclear orders, poor knowledge of the APAGBI guidelines, dehydration and hypoglycaemia. For further research, we should determine the long-term effects of fasting times in children.

This study was aimed finding out the effect of grazing systems on cattle productivity in Moroto District, Rupa Sub-county. Generally; more males were interviewed relative to the females since the males are the heads of families and make most of the decisions. Most of the respondents interviewed had no formal education. The main occupation of most of the respondents was livestock rearing and growing of crops. Most of the respondents reared cattle. Grazing distance had varying effects on calf mortality depending on the season. Results showed that, there was higher calf mortality (P˃0.05) while grazing in the wet season compared to grazing during the dry season (P˂0.05). Most respondents noted that calves are mixed with adult animals at ages between 12-24 months. There was no significant association (P˃0.05) between grazing hours and age at first calving. Most respondents noted that heifers which were grazed for more than four hours and for at least five hours during the wet season conceived normally relative to those grazed for similar durations during the dry season. Moreover, many respondents also noted that heifers which were grazed for more than six hours during the dry season had delayed age at first calving. Causes of delayed age at first calving included; failure of bulls to mount, heifer malnutrition, poor management and diseases. Different management practices were employed while caring for heifers including; supplementary feeding, mixing heifers with the main herd and grazing around homes. There was a highly significant association (P˂0.05) between the effect of dry season grazing reserves and parasite infestation in cattle. Most respondents noted that there was moderate parasite infestation in the dry season grazing reserves. Both endo-parasites and ecto-parasites were noted to be prevalent in the grazing reserves. The endo-parasites which were observed by respondents on the grazing reserves included; liverflukes and roundworms. The ecto-parasites which were observed by respondents included; ticks, lice, biting flies and mites. High parasite infestation on the dry season grazing reserves was attributed to such factors as; high stocking rate, favorable environmental conditions and parasitic lifestyle of endo-parasites and ecto-parsaites.