Browsing by Author "Kirabira, John B."

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    Green Strategy–Based Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles for Antibacterial Applications
    (Frontiers in Nanotechnology, 2021) Ssekatawa, Kenneth; Byarugaba, Denis K.; Kato, Charles D.; Wampande, Eddie M.; Ejobi, Francis; Nakavuma, Jesca L.; Maaza, Malik; Sackey, Juliet; Nxumalo, Edward; Kirabira, John B.
    Antibiotics have been the nucleus of chemotherapy since their discovery and introduction into the healthcare system in the 1940s. They are routinely used to treat bacterial infections and to prevent infections in patients with compromised immune systems and enhancing growth in livestock. However, resistance to last-resort antibiotics used in the treatment of multidrug-resistant infections has been reported worldwide. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate green synthesized nanomaterials such as silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) as alternatives to antibiotics. UV-vis spectroscopy surface plasmon resonance peaks for AgNPs were obtained between 417 and 475 nm. An X-ray diffraction analysis generated four peaks for both Prunus africana extract (PAE) and Camellia sinensis extract (CSE) biosynthesized AgNPs positioned at 2θ angles of 38.2°, 44.4°, 64.5°, and 77.4° corresponding to crystal planes (111), (200), (220), and (311), respectively. A dynamic light-scattering analysis registered the mean zeta potential of +6.3mV and +0.9 mV for PAE and CSE biosynthesized nanoparticles, respectively. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectra exhibited bands corresponding to different organic functional groups confirming the capping of AgNPs by PAE and CSE phytochemicals. Field emission scanning electron microscopy imaging showed that AgNPs were spherical with average size distribution ranging from 10 to 19 nm. Biosynthesized AgNPs exhibited maximum growth inhibitory zones of 21mm with minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration of 125 and 250 μg/ml, respectively, against carbapenem-resistant bacteria
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    Long-life performance of biogas systems for productive applications: The role of R&D and policy
    (Energy Reports, 2019) Tumusiime, Edmund; Kirabira, John B.; Musinguzi, Wilson B.
    In order to achieve the transformations required to realize sustainable development, the use of modern renewable energy has to increasingly take primacy. Biogas technology is one of listed modern RETs but despite its early introduction in Uganda, its adoption rate remains very low amidst high technology failure and dis-adoption. To investigate this, a field-based assessment was conducted to evaluate performance of productive biogas installations with an aim of determining the root cause of this poor performance. It was found out that over 50% of productive biogas installations failed within two years after their commissioning due to logistical and technological challenges. Most installations could not sustain biogas production due to deprived quality of digester feed, and lack of local technical data to utilize alternatives during scarcity of the primary feedstock. Insufficient R&D in the biogas sector is suggested to be the lead cause of such poor performance. Therefore, novel policy strategies for promoting R&D have been proposed in this paper because for success of any productive biogas system, optimization of energy recovery through R&D must be at the forefront in order to drive system outputs to better economic gain.