scholarly journals Factors that influence the plant use knowledge in the middle mountains of Nepal

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. e0246390
Author(s):  
Durga Kutal ◽  
Ripu M. Kunwar ◽  
Kedar Baral ◽  
Prabhat Sapkota ◽  
Hari P. Sharma ◽  
...  

An account of total of 58 plant species including 57 genera and 43 families was reported as useful in ethnomedicine from semi-structured questionnaire survey to the 76 participants of Kaski and Baitadi districts, Nepal. Fieldwork and participatory meetings were carried out between September 2017 and January 2018. A total of 419 emic use reports including 150 from Kaski and 269 from Baitadi were reported from 58 ethnomedicinal plant species. Each species was reported for 2–43 use reports and each participant recorded 1–12 use reports. About 25% (n = 104) use reports were associated with the treatment of digestive system disorders followed by 83 for general complaints. Of the species assessed, 53 species had IASc value < 0.25 and only five species had > 0.25. Species Swertia chirayita, Paris polyphylla, Bergenia ciliata, Valeriana jatamansi and Centella asiatica with > 0.25 IASc were found to be highly consented; however they were incongruent between the sample groups and sites. Divergent plant use knowledge specific to each sample district and group was corresponding to the heterogeneity of socio-economy and culture of the sites. Gender, ethnicity, household economy and food availability of the respondents were leading factors affecting the plant use knowledge. Despite the sites were relatively homogenous in eco-physiography, they possessed the distinct plant use knowledge, hinted that the socio-economic factors are more explanatory in plant use knowledge.

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-115
Author(s):  
Adegbola A. Jacob ◽  
Wegh F. Shagbaor ◽  
Ikwuba A. Agbanugo ◽  
Nwafor S. Chimela

This study investigated socio-economic determinants of utilization of manual screw press for cassava mash dehydration for gari production in four local government areas across the ADP zones in Kwara state, Nigeria. Using random sampling technique and a semi-structured questionnaire as a research instrument, data for the study were collected from a sample of three hundred and eighty-four (384) gari processors who use the screw press in the state. Multiple regression analysis shows that a correlation (R=0.678) exist between utilization of the screw press and the independent variables which include age, household size, level of education, years of processing experience, extension visits, and income from gari processing. R2 value of 0.460 indicates that about 46% of the variation in utilization was explained by socio-economic variables included in the regression model. Three variables significantly influenced the decision of the respondents to utilize the manual screw press: age, level of experience, and income; the most important predicator being income with a Beta value of 0.699. Conclusively, it was recommended among others that research, extension, and policy makers consider the significant determinants identified in the study seriously if increased utilization is to be achieved by gari processors and others similar to them in the study area and the region.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shruti Malik ◽  
Girish Chandra Maheshwari ◽  
Archana Singh

Purpose Over the period, the role of finance has emerged significant in the socio-economic development of the women. There are two major types of finances, i.e. formal and informal ones. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to investigate first the determinants of the demand for credit and then the demand for these credit sources by women especially in urban slums. Design/methodology/approach In this study, a primary survey was conducted with the help of a structured questionnaire in slums of two major urban cities in India, i.e. Delhi and Mumbai. In total, 450 individuals were interviewed in each city. Findings This paper presents a range of significant socio-economic factors affecting the demand for credit and source of credit by women borrower in Delhi and Mumbai. Despite, the greater emphasis by the government to increase the formal credit utilization, the informal credit is still preferred. Practical implications The outcomes of the study are expectedly useful to various policymakers and banks in encouraging women to opt more for the formal credit. The government can follow the research outcomes to scale up the programmes and schemes targeted for women empowerment in urban slums. Originality/value The study is unique of its kind in doing a comparative analysis in slums of two differently located urban cities with large slum population.


Author(s):  
Ahmed Salem Ahmed Marey Alhammadi ◽  
◽  
Aftab Hameed Memon ◽  

UAE construction industry frequently faces poor cost performance which commonly known as cost overrun problem. This problem is resulted from several factors and it is important to identify these cost overrun factors in order to avoid and minimize it. Hence, this paper focused on determined the relevancy of factors affecting cost performance in construction projects of UAE. Through a review of past research works conducted globally, 27 factors of cost overrun were listed and used for developing a structured questionnaire. A survey was conducted with 33 practitioners from client, consultant and contractors organizations involved in handling construction projects in UAE. The respondents were requested to state their perception regarding the relevancy of each of the factors that was perceived in context with cost overrun issue using 5-points Likert scale. The responses were analysed using average index method and the results found that all the 27 factors are relevant with construction industry of UAE in causing cost overrun. These factors can be used for further investigation to uncover critical problems of cost overrun.


2016 ◽  
pp. 36-42
Author(s):  
Thi Ngoc Anh Nguyen ◽  
Hoang Lan Nguyen

Background: Breast milk is the most valuable source of food for infants, no food is comparable. However in many countries around the world including Vietnam, the breastfeeding prevalence has been declining. A report of the Ministry of Health showed that only 19.6% of infants in Vietnam were exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months. The study was conducted in Hoi An with the aim at describing the situation of exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of the mothers in Hoi An city, Quang Nam province and; identifying some factors affecting exclusive breast feeding for the first 6 months in the study area. Methods: A crosssectional descriptive study was conducted in Hoi An city in December 2014. 516 mothers of infants aged from 6 to 12 months were directly interviewed on the basis of a structured questionnaire. Information about general characteristics of mothers and their infants, their knowledge and attitude of breastfeeding and the feeding types of their baby for the first 6 months was collected. Multivariable logistic regression model was used to identify factors affecting exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months. Results: The exclusive breastfeeding prevalence for the first 6 months is 22.3%. Knowledge in breastfeeding and attitude toward exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months are factors that significantly related to exclusive breastfeeding prevalence for the first 6 months (OR = 3.3; p=0.001 and OR=10.4; p<0.001, respectively). Conclusion: The exclusive breastfeeding rate for the first 6 months in Hoi An city is low. The promoting antenatal education in exclusive breastfeeding is necessary solution to improve exclusive breastfeeding rate for the first 6 months. Key words: breast milk, exclusive breastfeeding, Hoi An


Author(s):  
Miyoung Lee ◽  
Yeon-Suk Kim ◽  
Mi-Kyoung Lee

Prenatal depression is an important factor in predicting postpartum depression. Most studies have assessed factors affecting prenatal depression by focusing on pregnant wives. However, the emotional and psychological aspects of both expectant parents need to be considered. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effect of spouse-related stress in expectant couples on prenatal depression and investigate the mediating effects of marital intimacy on this relationship. A total of 120 expectant couples from two cities in Korea at more than 15 weeks of completed pregnancy participated in the study. Using a structured questionnaire, we assessed the general characteristics of the participants, spouse-related stress, prenatal depression, and marital intimacy. The results revealed that four actor effects and one partner effect were significant. Marital intimacy and prenatal depression among expectant parents were affected by spouse-related stress. Moreover, spouse-related stress in the husbands completely mediated marital intimacy in pregnant wives, demonstrating partner effects on prenatal depression in pregnant wives. Therefore, it was observed that paternal factors affect prenatal depression in pregnant wives. This warrants the inclusion of husbands in marital interventions and strategies to improve marital intimacy in pregnant wives.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7211
Author(s):  
Juan Ramón López Soler ◽  
Panayotis Christidis ◽  
José Manuel Vassallo

Teleworking and online shopping became commonplace during the COVID-19 pandemic and can be expected to maintain a strong presence in the foreseeable future. They can lead to significant changes in mobility patterns and transport demand. It is still unclear, however, how extensive their adoption can be, since each individual has different preferences or constraints. The overall impact on transport depends on which segments of the population will modify their behaviour and on what the substitutes to the current patterns will be. The purpose of this work is to identify the user profiles and spatial aspects that affect the adoption of teleworking and online shopping, and to explore the potential impact on transport demand. To that end, data from an EU-wide survey on mobility were analysed using a Machine Learning methodology. The results suggest that while the take up of the new work and consumption patterns is high on average, there are significant differences among countries and across different socio-economic profiles. Teleworking appears to have a high potential mainly in certain services sectors, affecting commuting patterns predominantly in large urban areas. Online shopping activity is more uniform across the population, although differences among countries and age groups may still be relevant. The findings of this work can be useful for the analysis of policies to encourage the uptake of new technologies in transport and mobility. They can be also a good reference point for future studies on the ex-post analysis of the impacts of the pandemic on mobility.


2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah AL-Mutairi ◽  
Muna Saeid

The attempt is made in this study to identify students’ motives and reasons behind enrolling in a MBA program offered by universities operating in Kuwait. It also explores criterion used to select the program. To achieve these objectives, data were collected through a well-designed and structured questionnaire and pre-testing was carried out to examine the efficiency of the instrument. The study showed that the main reasons behind selecting the MBA program by students are to satisfy their personal concerns and improve their knowledge and skills. Moreover, the students used program alumni and campus visit as main sources of information followed by friends’ suggestions and university websites. When evaluating the MBA programs, the students cited overseas accreditation as the most used criteria followed by faculty reputation, institution reputation and admission requirements.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document