Faculty of Science

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An Access Control Framework for Protecting Mobile Health Records: The Case Study of Developing Countries
(2012) Ssembatya, Richard
Mobile health records are a good way of providing users with on-demand access to health care data. Standard approaches of securing health records include role-based access control (RBAC) because this is a flexible approach to assign permissions to a wide variety of users. However, traditional RBAC models are not designed to enforce fine-grained access control. For instance, in mobile health record systems, it is difficult to configure a policy that permits a patient to selectively share his/her personal records with healthcare workers. Therefore, defining policies that express application-level security requirements with respect to mobile records is challenging. In this paper, we present an RBAC inspired framework that provides fine-grained encryption for mobile health records where patient records have different access control policies. Our proposed framework ensures that the data can be made available securely offline. This approach can leverage systems where information needs to be shared securely under constraints of energy and/or Internet coverage.
AI-driven transformation and sustainable competitive advantage: evaluating Globaltech Solutions' marketing, customer service, and supply chain strategies
(SSRN, Elsevier Ltd., 2026-08-21) Bazigu, Rodgers
Artificial intelligence has moved from an experimental capability to a routine feature of daily commercial operations, and firms with strong internal dynamic capabilities are consistently better positioned to translate AI adoption into measurable performance gains. This paper evaluates how a composite technology-services firm, referred to here as GlobalTech Solutions, might apply AI across four interlinked functions: customer segmentation and personalisation, revenue forecasting and dynamic pricing, sentiment-driven service governance, and logistics optimisation. The analysis argues that while GlobalTech's leadership frequently reports confidence in its capacity to innovate, this self-assessment is not consistently matched by the systems needed to operationalise that innovation, a gap that is common across firms competing in markets with low product penetration and high growth potential. Reviewing evidence from recommender systems, actuarial pricing models, aspect-based sentiment analysis, and AI-enabled logistics, the paper concludes that GlobalTech's competitive position depends less on adopting any single technology than on embedding customer trust and transparent data practices into each application from the outset, since responsible design is what converts technical capability into sustained commercial advantage.
Artificial intelligence as a competitive equaliser for mid-sized retailers
(SSRN, Elsevier Ltd., 2026-08-28) Bazigu, Rodgers
Mid-sized retailers increasingly compete against e-commerce platforms that offer large-scale personalisation, predictive supply chains, and adaptive marketing at a cost smaller firms cannot easily match. This paper develops an artificial intelligence (AI) adoption framework for a representative midsized retailer, referred to here as StyleHub, addressing four linked questions: which AI applications can meaningfully address a mid-sized retailer's core operational challenges; which design factors govern the construction of an effective personalisation model; how personalisation can be pursued without eroding customer trust; and what a realistic, phased adoption pathway looks like. Drawing on the retail AI, marketing ethics, and AI governance literatures, the paper argues that competitive advantage at StyleHub's scale depends less on acquiring the most advanced tools available and more on sequencing investment around organisational readiness, data quality, and safeguards built in from the outset rather than retrofitted later. Two contrasting adoption trajectories are outlined, one where technical investment outpaces governance and stalls, and one where phased, ethically grounded adoption compounds gradually, to argue that responsible implementation is itself a source of durable differentiation for resource-constrained retailers.
Associations between Lantana camara L. (Verbenaceae) and common native species in an African savanna
(British Ecological Society, 2024-10-06) Ssali, Fredrick; Baluku, Robert; Drileyo, Gilbert; Muhumuza, Moses
Lantana camara L. (Verbenaceae) is recognised as a problematic invasive alien plant species in many parts of the world. To eradicate or control this global invader, we need to understand the drivers of its spread and impacts and the potential for native recovery after the invader has been removed. Here, we tested for species associations between L. camara and native plant species and large herbivores in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda. We inventoried 40,100-m2 nested plots spread over a 1 × 1-km grid cell in the park's savanna landscape, with 11 plots located in uninvaded areas. Most of the plots (30 of 40) had been affected by fire. Lantana camara covered 29 (73%) plots, 11 (38%) of which were in open grassland. Of the large herbivores that frequented areas free of L. camara, the Ugandan kob Adenota kob thomasi Sclater tended to avoid the areas invaded. The floristic composition of invaded areas differed significantly from that of noninvaded areas, with several palatable species rare or absent from L. camara-invaded areas. Practical implication: These observations indicate the presence of potential recovery constraints that will need to be overcome after L. camara has been removed. Sustained efforts will be needed to suppress the invader and subsequently enrich and bolster native recovery.
Changing Income Portfolios and Household Welfare in Rural Uganda
(Routledge Taylor and Francis, 2021-06-17) Kakungulu, Moses; Isabirye, Moses; Akoyi, Kevin Teopista; Hoyweghen, Kaat Van; Vranken, Liesbet; Maertens, Miet
This paper provides evidence on the heterogeneous welfare implications of rural income portfolios in eastern Uganda. We use household survey data from two-panel rounds, and fixed and random effects estimation and quantile regressions to estimate average and heterogeneous effects. While the literature mostly focuses on either income diversification or participation in non-farm activities, we distinguish between income diversification, using the Simpson Index, and off-farm income generation. We use ex-post income and poverty measures as well as an ex-ante vulnerability measure to analyse welfare effects. We find that income diversification and non-farm income generation improve household income, and reduce poverty and vulnerability. We find that it is most beneficial for poorer households with less land assets to diversify their income portfolio, while moving out of agriculture is equally beneficial at all income levels and most beneficial for households with more human capital. We find that income diversification reduces vulnerability most strongly at high levels of diversification and low levels of income while non-farm income generation reduces vulnerability at lower levels of non-farm income and increases vulnerability at higher levels of non-farm income. Our results lead to nuanced findings that bring additional insights in the literature on structural transformation and rural development.
Conceptual modeling of nodding syndrome: A system dynamics and sequence approaches
(Journal of African Interdisciplinary Studies, 2018) Ongaya, Kizito; Ssemaluulu, Paul Mukasa; Oyo, Benedict; Bongomin, Pido
Conceptual modelling of nodding syndrome (NS) has hardly been considered in most scientific literature although symptoms of the disease have been widely studied. A conceptual model is a representation of hypothesis about a system under investigation and enables a comparison between hypothesis and data. Since nodding syndrome is an unexplained neurological illness that mainly affects children aged between 5 to 15 years, without specific diagnosis and treatment, the aetiology remains unknown and under investigation, conceptual modelling may be a crucial ingredient in understanding the disease. The purpose of the study is therefore, to represent nodding syndrome occurrence and immune-pathogenic pathways in the causation of nodding syndrome using system dynamics approaches. We have used systematic review method to filter literature on nodding syndrome from the year. We also used Systems Dynamic Approach and we emphasized confirmed scientific investigation to enable the relationships conform to reality. Vensim software was preferred for implementation of the casual-loop diagrams. Microsoft Office Visio 2007 was identified as suitable for implementation of the sequence conceptual model of nodding syndrome for its ability to show interactions between electrolytes and other actors. Our findings were that system dynamics approach has not been used research of nodding syndrome. More so, conceptual modeling was not considered by most articles.
Conceptual Modeling of Nodding Syndrome: A System Dynamics and Sequence Approaches
(2017) Ssemalulu, Paul; Oyo, Benedict; Bongomin, Pido; Ongaya, Kizito
Conceptual modelling of nodding syndrome (NS) has hardly been considered in most scientific literature although symptoms of the disease has been widely studied. A conceptual model is a representation of hypothesis about a system under investigation and enables a comparison between hypothesis and data. Since nodding syndrome is an unexplained neurological illness that mainly affects children aged between 5 to 15 years, without specific diagnosis and treatment, the aetiology remains unknown and under investigation, conceptual modelling may be a crucial ingredient in understanding the disease. The purpose of the study is therefore, to represent nodding syndrome occurrence and immune-pathogenic pathways in the causation of nodding syndrome using system dynamics approaches. We have used systematic review method to filter literature on nodding syndrome from the year. We also used Systems Dynamic Approach and we emphasized confirmed scientific investigation to enable the relationships conform to reality. Vensim software was preferred for implementation of the casual-loop diagrams. Microsoft Office Visio 2007 was identified as suitable for implementation of the sequence conceptual model of nodding syndrome for its ability to show interactions between electrolytes and other actors. Findings: Our findings were that system dynamics approach has not been used research of nodding syndrome. More so, conceptual modeling were not considered by most articles.
A content analysis of the Ghana national health insurance scheme
(Uganda Martyrs University Press, 2009-04) Lem, Robert Bella Kuganab
Several African countries are contemplating the introduction of national health insurance and a few have already started implementing. It is a popular understanding among these countries that by moving away from fee-for-service to a system like national health insurance, the poor and marginalised who are most often the sickest will be protected. The issue of National Health Insurance (NHI) as an alternative health financing system was a popular option in Ghana. However, the desire for NHI and its popularity was not determined by a critical look at the technicalities involved in setting up such a system. Attention was not paid to the fact that the implementation of national health insurance is constrained by a country's economic, social and political context and the inherent technical limitations of health insurance. To determine feasibility in the context of existing constraints, detailed work ought to have been done on the administrative capacity available to technically design the scheme, manage the process and thereafter manage the schemes. Earnings especially of the informal sector, the collection of contributions and the existing health care infrastructure and the commitment and incentives for health providers to make such a complex system work needed equal attention. Careful assessment is critical in producing a policy that is not only desirable but also feasible. It is apparent that the reasoning behind the Ghana Scheme was more towards a general look at risk pooling and providing access by reducing the individual financial burden than a close look at cost containment, efficiency and sustainability.
Development and validation of a model for tracking administration of malaria drugs in Uganda
(Global Journal of Engineering Science and Researches, 2019-06) Ssegawa E. James, E. James; Ssemaluulu, Paul Mukasa; Gonzales, Vicente; Businge, Phelix Mbabazi; Kareyo, Margret; Kimwise, Alone
The aim of this study was to develop and validate a model for Integration of ICT in Tracking Administration of Malaria Drugs in Uganda for both health workers and health units. A descriptive and correlational research design were used. Descriptive statistics was used during data analysis, analytical approach was used for model development, and model validation employed experts’ knowledge technique. Findings: Model variables revealed strong and positive relationships, Controls, Intention and Actual use of ICT was weak. The controls strongly impacted ICT Integration, Intension and Actual Use of ICTs. Conclusion: model is communicative, relevant to the operations, understandable, adequate for tracking issues, improves rates of execution of malaria drugs information needs, cheap, accurate, reduces operational costs, worth adoption, and model positively support clinical activities.
DG 6
(2015) Awichi, Richard; Castela, Corine; Valero, Paola; Lott, Johnny W
The aim of the DG was to engage participants in fruitful dialogue about the nature and roles of international co-operation in mathematics education. Mathematics education, both research and practice, is international. This means that it is carried out in most places in the world and that, despite particular national or local characteristics, practitioners experience similar predicaments and share similar bodies of knowledge not only about mathematics but also about teaching and learning phenomena related to mathematics. Being international, relations among people in different national contexts have always been at the basis for the development of new trends in the field. The history of ICMI as an international organisation promoting coordinated effort towards the betterment of mathematical instruction is a clear example of how the development of the field is international from its outset (Menghini, Furinghetti, Giacardi, & Arzarello, 2008). The nature and role of internationalisation in relation to the advancement of mathematics education has changed with time. From being an exchange between mainly European and North American mathematicians interested in exploring ideas for instruction at the beginning of the 20th century, in the last decade we have an extensive network of mathematicians and mathematics educators placed in a variety of research and teaching institutions, all around the world. In ICME-10, DG 5 had already taken up this issue under the heading “International cooperation in mathematics education”. The group concluded the following important points (Atweh & Boero, 2008).  In a globalised world with increasing inequality, international cooperation can be strategic to get access to scarce resources. However, the difference in resources in a partnership can lead to a dominant role of those who have access to the resources and thereby creating an unequal partnership.  There are clear barriers to cooperation, namely financial resources, language barriers, cultural norms, conflicting agendas and issues of voicing the results of cooperation.  The search for a genuine, mutually beneficial, equitable cooperation could diminish the impact of the barriers.  Whether internationalisation leads to homogenisation depends on whether cooperative participants succeed in building strong links “from the bottom” so that diversification of perspectives and forms of contribution in cooperation can emerge. DG 6 ICME-11 built on the discussions and lessons from the previous group. The following questions guided our discussions.  What are the goals of international co-operation?  Cooperation can take many forms, be organised in many ways, and be implemented accordingly. What are the advantages and disadvantages of different forms, organisations, and implementations? What topics best fit into which version of cooperation?  What are the advantages and disadvantages of using regional versus global cooperation?  What are concrete examples of international co-operation and what has been learned that can be disseminated to all?  What are the barriers to international cooperation and how they can be dealt with?  Would international cooperation lead to homogenisation? Would that be to the detriment of mathematics education or in its favour for acceptance of the discipline at large? As a response for a broad paper call, we received nine written contributions, which were made available prior to the conference. The sessions during the conference were organised to build on the written contributions but also to integrate the experience of the twenty participants, from countries such as Australia, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Thailand, United Kingdom, Unites States of America and Vietnam. In what follows, a thematic discussion of the main issues that emerged during the sessions as a response to the motivating questions is presented. We will support the points raised using the written contributions submitted to the group.
Discipline, academic stress, and aggression among secondary school adolescents in Mbarara City, Uganda
(AJPO Journals, 2025-06-10) Mujuni, Mbiire Batwine Perez; Kihembo, Catherine
The purpose of this study was to examine the associations among discipline, academic stress, and aggression among adolescent secondary school students in Mbarara City, Uganda. In this study, across-sectional research design and quantitative approach was used. Data was collected from adolescent secondary school students (N= 384) using a structured questionnaire. Pearson product moment correlation coefficient and linear regression were ran to establish the associations among the variables. The findings found out that the majority of the secondary school adolescents 342 (89%) reported use of positive methods of discipline by school authorities. There was generally high level of academic stress (M = 42.2, SD = 8.2), and students exhibited low levels of aggression among themselves (M = 46.50, SD = 14.54). Further, the results revealed that increase in academic stress and use of negative methods of discipline increases the likelihood of the occurrence of aggressive behaviour (β = .251,p< .001 andβ = .237, p< .001), respectively. It was therefore recommended that schools been couraged to use positive methods of discipline instead of negative methods, and that they further regulate academic programmes to include co-curricular activities in order to reduce academic stress. In addition, there is an urgent need for psychologists to be employed in all schools for further psychological interventions, besides the regular teacher interventions which are limited to purely aiding classroom instruction.
Diversity in Security Environments: The Why and the Wherefore
(Uganda Martyrs University, 2014) Ssembatya, Richard; Kayem, Anne V. D. M.; Burke, Mark-John
Information security is generally discussed in terms of preventing adversarial access to applications and to the data these applications handle. The authors note, however, that increasingly, creating information security solutions that are based on the difficulty of discovering the solution is no longer a truly viable approach. Some of the reasons for this include the increasing availability of faster processing power, high-performance computing systems, and big data availability. On the opposite end, issues such as frequent power outages in resource-constrained environments make applying standard security schemes challenging. In this chapter, the authors discuss examples that highlight the challenges of applying conventional security solutions to constrained resource environments. They postulate that effective security solutions for these environments require rather unconventional approaches to security-solution design. Such solutions would need to take into consideration environmental and behavioral factors in addition to drawing inspiration in certain cases from natural or biological processes.
An Energy-Efficient Dynamic Source Routing Protocol for Mobile Ad Hoc Networks
(Makerere University, 2012) Bulenga, Tonny Eddie; Naigende, Duncan
The Dynamic Source Routing Protocol (DSR) is one of the most reliable and effective protocols in the Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs). It is also one of the few MANET protocols whose routing scheme can easily be optimized. But the routing overhead generated by its routing algorithm still leaves substantial amounts of energy being wasted. Route Request (RREQ) and Route Maintenance packets generate overhead control packets that occupy bandwidth, consume energy and may overwhelm a network if not controlled. This paper proposed EEDSR, an extension of DSR that reduces routing overhead by limiting the number of route discovery and maintenance packets in the MANET. The scheme involves bigger packet headers for the source route discovery packets since they contain information about the energy levels of the nodes in the route cache. In EEDSR, since the RREQ packets are flooded once for each communication period, routing overhead is minimized. General Terms: Routing Overhead, Dynamic Source Routing (DSR), Energy-Efficiency Additional Key Words and Phrases: Energy-Efficient Dynamic Source Routing (EEDSR), Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs), Power-aware, On-demand routing.
Enhancing Quality of University Record's Management using Multi-Tier Integrated Management system
(2017) Joseph Brian Musanje Kasozi
Over the past decades many theories and practical views have been developed to see the improvement of quality assurance management in the different organizations. With focus on academia, a number of tools have been developed which include lecturer evaluation forms, staff appraisal forms and key performance indicators which all seek the improvement and establishment of quality within the institutions processes. However, in the current digital era, tertiary institutions have deployed a number of Electronic Management Information Systems (MIS) to help in the management of information. The only challenge is that most of the MIS are autonomous and store data/information separately. Therefore, this paper describes how academic institutions can integrate the autonomous management information systems hence easy management of all the university records in a single location. This greatly improves quality of record management as well as involving the different stake holders in the process
Factors affecting Mathematics achievement of first-year secondary school students in Central Uganda
(Education Association of South Africa (EASA), 2015-08) Kiwanuka, Henry; Namusisi, Speranza
This study explores the sources of variability in Mathematics achievement of Ugandan students at the student, classroom and school level. The Mathematics score and questionnaire responses of 4,819 first-year secondary school students (Grade Seven, about 14-15 years old) from 78 classrooms of 49 schools were analysed. A three-level linear model was used. The results indicate that out of the total variance in Mathematics achievement 68.8%, 14.2% and 17.0% are situated at student, classroom and school level, respectively. Of all the considered explanatory variables at the three levels, i.e. socio-economic status, gender, prior Mathematics achievement, parental support, peer influence, class mean of prior Mathematics achievement and of students' perception of good classroom assessment, school mean of class climate (class mean of attitude toward mathematics) and of parental support were significant predictors of Mathematics achievement. The relevant factors could explain 7.6%, 73.1% and 84.3%, respectively, of student-, classroom- and school-level differences. Implications of our study are considered.
Factors affecting Mathematics achievement of first-year secondary school students in Central Uganda
(University of Pretoria, Faculty of Education, 2015-08) Kiwanuka, Henry Nsubuga; Van Damme, Jan; Van Den Noortgate, Wim; Anumendem, Dickson Nkafu; Namusisi, Speranza
This study explores the sources of variability in Mathematics achievement of Ugandan students at the student, classroom and school level. The Mathematics score and questionnaire responses of 4,819 first-year secondary school students (Grade Seven, about 14-15 years old) from 78 classrooms of 49 schools were analysed. A three-level linear model was used. The results indicate that out of the total variance in Mathematics achievement 68.8%, 14.2% and 17.0% are situated at student, classroom and school level, respectively. Of all the considered explanatory variables at the three levels, i.e. socio-economic status, gender, prior Mathematics achievement, parental support, peer influence, class mean of prior Mathematics achievement and of students’ perception of good classroom assessment, school mean of class climate (class mean of attitude toward mathematics) and of parental support were significant predictors of Mathematics achievement. The relevant factors could explain 7.6%, 73.1% and 84.3%, respectively, of student-, classroom- and school-level differences. Implications of our study are onsidered.
Factors that Influence Potential Success of eHealth Standards Adoption in a Low- and Middle-Income Country: a review
(Journal of Health Informatics in Africa, 2020) Alunyu Egwar, Andrew; Wamema, Joseph; Kiwanuka, Achilles; Bagyendera, Moses
Assessing the potential success of adopted technology, innovation, or standard in a Low and Middle-Income Country like Uganda continues to focus on outcomes of adoption. This study aimed to investigate the potential success of eHealth standards adoption that may arise from the adoption process as well as outcomes of such adoption. PubMed and Google Scholar were searched using alternate terms for “eHealth”, “standards”, “adoption” “success” and “theory”. On screening and assessing the quality of publications, only nineteen peer-reviewed publications were included in the review. Both quantitative and qualitative analysis was used to synthesize evidence from the included literature. Thematic analysis was used to develop themes regarding the success of standards/technology adoption. Results: Constructs from the theories of Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DOI), Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), and Internet Standards Adoption (ISA) were used to extend the Success Model of Innovation Adoption. The Success Model for Innovation contributed to the foundational concepts aligned to categorical factors of the adoption process, organizational, environment, and user context that influence the potential success of eHealth standards adoption in healthcare systems. The study identified 13 factors that contribute to the successful adoption of standards for eHealth. Since the review showed that success of standards adoption starts with assessing readiness to adopt the standards, followed by the standards adoption process and assessment of the lasting outcomes, the study proposes a model for assessing the potential success of eHealth standards adoption. The model has pre-adoption, actual adoption, and post-adoption phases. The proposed model and identified factors have not been evaluated and therefore may not in the current form support eHealth standards adoption processes. Future work is needed to evaluate/validate the model and factors of eHealth standards adoption success. Notwithstanding, the study believes any assessment of the success of standards adoption that uses the identified factors over all three phases of the model is comprehensive to present a true picture of any potential success of standards adoption.
Finitely coloured ordinals
(Department of Pure Mathematics, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK, 2010) Mwesigye, F.; Truss, J. K
Abstract. Two structures A and B are n-equivalent if player II has a winning strategy in the n-move Ehrenfeucht-fraïssé game on A and B. Ordinals and m-coloured ordinals are studied up to n-equivalence for various values of m and n.
From data to decisions: a staged framework for AI, NLP, and computer vision adoption at InnovateCorp
(SSRN, Elsevier Ltd., 2026-08-17) Bazigu, Rodgers
Firms accumulating transactional, sensor, textual, and visual data frequently lack the analytical infrastructure to convert that data into decisions, a gap this paper examines through the case of a representative technology-enabled enterprise, InnovateCorp. The analysis develops a staged framework spanning four domains: predictive and prescriptive analytics for strategic decision-making; neural network architectures for predictive maintenance, inventory, and scheduling; natural language processing and conversational AI for customer engagement; and computer vision for quality inspection and retail intelligence. Rather than treating these as independent technology initiatives, the paper argues that they form concentric layers of a single organisational capability, one built on a unified data warehouse, staged deployment, and continuous human oversight rather than on the sophistication of any individual model. Reviewing evidence on ensemble methods, recurrent and convolutional architectures, transformer-based language models, and detection networks, the paper finds that the dominant constraint on value realisation is organisational rather than algorithmic: governance, data quality, and employee adoption determine outcomes considerably more than model selection. The paper concludes that mainstream, well-understood architectures, deployed conservatively and in sequence, offer InnovateCorp a more defensible path to sustained analytical advantage than pursuing technically novel but organisationally unproven alternatives.
Hopf-Bifurcation Analysis of Pneumococcal Pneumonia with Time Delays
(Hindawi, 2019-02-03) Kamugisha Mbabazi, Fulgensia; Mugisha, Joseph Y. T.; Kimathi, Mark
In this paper, a mathematical model of pneumococcal pneumonia with time delays is proposed. The stability theory of delay differential equations is used to analyze the model. The results show that the disease-free equilibrium is asymptotically stable if the control reproduction ratio Ro is less than unity and unstable otherwise. The stability of equilibria with delays shows that the endemic equilibrium is locally stable without delays and stable if the delays are under conditions. The existence of Hopf-bifurcation is investigated and transversality conditions are proved. The model results suggest that, as the respective delays exceed some critical value past the endemic equilibrium, the system loses stability through the process of local birth or death of oscillations. Further, a decrease or an increase in the delays leads to asymptotic stability or instability of the endemic equilibrium, respectively. The analytical results are supported by numerical simulations.

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