Volume 14 | Issue 7 |

 Abstract

The rapid growth of the construction industry has increased the demand for cement, resulting in higher carbon dioxide emissions and environmental concerns. To promote sustainable construction practices, this study investigates the use of She-Oak (Casuarina equisetifolia) leaf ash as a partial replacement for cement in M20 grade concrete. The She-Oak leaves were collected, cleaned, burnt under controlled conditions, and sieved through a 90-micron sieve to obtain fine ash suitable for concrete production, with an ash yield of nearly 20% from dry leaves. Concrete mixes were prepared with 0%, 5%, and 10% replacement of cement using She-Oak ash, and experimental investigations were carried out to evaluate workability, compressive strength, split tensile strength, water absorption, acid resistance, sulphate resistance, and crack behaviors. The slump test results showed a reduction in workability from 78 mm for conventional concrete to 71 mm and 64 mm for 5% and 10% replacement respectively, while still maintaining medium workability suitable for RCC applications. The compressive strength increased from 20.3 MPa for conventional concrete to 22.7 MPa and 23.9 MPa for 5% and 10% replacement, indicating improvements of about 11.8% and 17.7%. Similarly, split tensile strength improved from 2.34 MPa to 2.52 MPa and 2.66 MPa for 5% and 10% replacement respectively. Durability tests also showed favorable results, with lower water absorption, reduced acid attack loss, and improved sulphate resistance for the She-Oak ash mixes compared to conventional concrete. Crack pattern analysis revealed narrower and more uniformly distributed cracks in the 5% replacement mix, indicating improved bonding and stress distribution within the concrete matrix. Overall, the study concludes that the incorporation of 5-10% She-Oak leaf ash enhances both the mechanical and durability properties of concrete while reducing cement consumption and promoting effective utilization of biomass waste for eco-friendly construction applications.

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 Keywords

She-Oak leaf ash, Casuarina equisetifolia, sustainable concrete, supplementary cementitious material, compressive strength

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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 and The Open Definition

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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 and The Open Definition

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Keywords: Elderly, Aging, Multimorbidity, Prevalence, Tier-2 City, Urban Health

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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 and The Open Definition

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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 and The Open Definition

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Keywords: Elderly, Cardiovascular Function, Respiratory Function, Cognitive Function, Multimorbidity, Urban Population.

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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 and The Open Definition

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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 and The Open Definition

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Sustainable tourism; Overtourism; Destination resilience; Stakeholder engagement; Tourism governance; Carrying capacity; Responsible tourism; Emerging economies; Environmental sustainability; Socio-cultural impacts

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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 and The Open Definition

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: Extended Reality (XR), covering augmented reality, virtual reality and mixed reality, is increasingly proposed as a tool for transforming teaching and learning in higher education. Much of the existing evidence on XR adoption comes from well-resourced institutions in North America, Europe and East Asia, which leaves open the question of whether the same theoretical explanations hold in resource-constrained settings such as Sub-Saharan Africa. This paper reviews the theoretical and empirical literature on XR adoption in higher education, drawing on constructivism, experiential learning theory, the Technology Acceptance Model, Diffusion of Innovations theory, situated learning theory and the Resource-Based View. The review synthesizes evidence from global, African and Ugandan sources to identify the internal institutional factors, namely technological readiness, human capacity, contextual adaptability and economic viability, that shape XR adoption, and it examines institutional support as a factor that strengthens or weakens these relationships rather than acting as an independent predictor. The review finds that existing frameworks explain individual and organizational adoption behavior reasonably well but rarely account for the infrastructural and cultural conditions typical of low-resource universities. It closes by identifying gaps around the localization of XR content, the sustainability of donor-funded pilots, and the limited empirical treatment of institutional support as a moderating variable, and it proposes a consolidated framework to guide future empirical research in this area.

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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 and The Open Definition

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Extended Reality, Technology Adoption, Higher Education, Technology Acceptance Model, Diffusion of Innovations, Institutional Support, Sub-Saharan Africa, Uganda

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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 and The Open Definition

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Abstract: This paper discusses the internet memes in relation to the social commentaries among Generation Z's digital culture. Drawing on theoretical concepts of symbolic interactionism, cultural sociology, and digital media, this paper explores how Gen Z (born around 1997 to 2012) utilizes memes to express their political views, reflect upon their identity, highlight the issue of mental health, and resist the dominant culture. By performing a qualitative content analysis of more than 400 memes collected from Reddit, Instagram, and Twitter/X platforms between 2020 and 2024, in addition to conducting semi-structured interviews with 30 members of Gen Z, this research uncovers that memes serve purposes beyond entertainment. They constitute a complex system which acts as social critique, common consciousness, and identity construction of this generation. The results indicate that there are four main functions of the Gen Z's memes: (1) critique of politics and institutions, (2) normalizing of mental illnesses, (3) expressing economic anxieties, and (4) identity negotiation across varied identities.

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Keywords: Memes, Gen Z, Digital Culture, Social Commentary, Symbolic Interactionism, Internet Culture, Youth Sociology, Digital Communication

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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 and The Open Definition

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Over the past few decades, accounting systems and financial analysis have undergone significant organizational, methodological, and operational changes. One major global trend is the growing adoption of the American model of accounting administration and methodology. This article explores the development of accounting regulators' economic and methodological orientations and examines the relationship between accounting theory and practice. Special attention is given to different interpretations of financial analysis and its connection with modern accounting practices. The paper also highlights the ongoing transformation of traditional financial reporting toward a stronger informational and analytical focus. The discussion is structured around interconnected concepts and definitions that explain contemporary trends in accounting and analysis.

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Conceptual Framework, Accounting, Financial Analysis, IFRS, Reporting

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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 and The Open Definition

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Agriculture remains the backbone of Indian economy, contributing approximately 17.8 per cent to Gross Domestic Product and supporting over 55 per cent of the population. This study investigates the "Paradox of Inputs", where massive investments in irrigation and fertilizers coexist with a continued statistical dependence on monsoon variability. Covering 23-year period (2000-01 to 2022-23), the study utilises descriptive statistics and two distinct multiple regression models to analyse food grain production and export drives. The study reveals a structural shift in production which surged by 68.8 per cent despite a nearly stagnant cultivated area. The regression analysis (R2 = 0.95) identifies average rainfall as the only individually significant predictor (beta = 0.072, p=0.03), while inputs like irrigation and fertilizers showed collective significance through ANOVA (F = 26.835) but individual inefficiency. This highlights a persistent vulnerability to climatic shifts. The paper concludes that India has transitioned to a yield-led growth phase, evidenced by the Rabi season's rising dominance. However, to achieve sustainable food security, policy must pivot from "quantity oriented" subsidies to "efficiency focused" technology. Recommendations include expanding micro-irrigation, adopting climate resilient crop varieties and enhancing export infrastructure to decouple production from monsoon reliance.

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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 and The Open Definition

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Indian agriculture, Food Grain production, Yield-led Growth, Export Determinants, paradox of Inputs, Multiple regression.

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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 and The Open Definition

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Abstract - Quantum Computing represents a significant challenge to blockchain security, potentially undermining the cryptographic mechanisms that secure transactions and keep data in blockchain consistent. The main approaches used in conventional blockchain systems are based on RSA and Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC), which can be attacked by quantum computers. Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) has since become a necessity for the development of blockchain technologies that can withstand the future. This research proposes and investigates a hybrid cryptographic scheme between classical RSA and the CRYSTALS-Dilithium digital signature scheme that would enable a smooth transition to quantum-resistant blockchain systems, without disrupting the existing infrastructure. We created a prototype implementation of the blockchain with Python, with three different cryptographic configurations: Traditional RSA/ECC, Pure CRYSTALS-Dilithium and Hybrid RSA-Dilithium. Multiple performance metrics such as average transaction latency, stable throughput, block generation time, transaction validation latency, consensus performance, CPU usage, memory usage, validator statistics, and cryptographic key and signature size were visualised with a web-based benchmarking dashboard that was built using Flask. The experimental studies were done in a synthetic blockchain network with operating conditions identical to that of the network with 2000 transactions and 5 blocks. The results exhibit that the suggested hybrid technique yields an average transaction latency of 23.09ms and a steady throughput of 16.7 transactions per second, whereas the traditional technique has a transaction latency of 26.00ms and a throughput of 15.1 transactions per second. The hybrid approach is the consequence of a public key and signature that is much larger than that of the original public key and signature, but does offer a cryptographic protection from future attacks based on quantum computers without too much computational complexity. An analysis of the comparative characteristics of all these different types reveals that hybrid type is a good middle ground between performance and security, deployment and usage of new and legacy blockchain systems, making it a viable option for migrating.

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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 and The Open Definition

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Blockchain Security, Post-Quantum Cryptography, CRYSTALS-Dilithium, Hybrid Cryptography, RSA, Benchmarking, Flask.

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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 and The Open Definition

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The present study explores the existence of gender difference among male and female school teachers based on employee well-being and job satisfaction as two parameters. Employee well-being was primarily examined on different verticals including personal well-being, employee well-being and psychological well-being, while job satisfation was measured as a unified construct. The data collected was performed using convenience sampling technique with the specimen size consisting of seventy-eight school teachers who are working in different government school. The outcomes underline that variable of personal well-being, employee well-being and psychological well-being have no significant gender difference. In contrast, job satisfaction indicated strong yet positive correlation among these variables. Building on these understanding, we envisage that adoption of employees' morale boosting strategies may lead to better well-being and higher job satisfaction. In addition, it may also play a crucial role in positive growth of the institution.

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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 and The Open Definition

 Keywords

Employee Well-Being, Job Satisfaction, Gender

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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 and The Open Definition