scholarly journals Constraints to utilization of improved processing technologies among cassava processors in Oyo State, Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-49
Author(s):  
I.O. Ewebiyi ◽  
T.O. Ikotun ◽  
O.O. Olayemi

This study investigated the constraints associated with utilization of improved processing technologies among cassava processors in Oyo State, Nigeria. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from a random sample of 176 respondents. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson Product Moment Correlation. The findings were that most (56.8%) of the respondents had a positive attitude towards utilization of mechanical grater, screw press hydraulic and Hammer mill technologies. However, inadequate funds, lack of technical know-how, lack of information, high cost of purchase and inadequate engineers for the improved processing technologies were identified as severe constraints militating against utilization of improved processing technologies. Significant relationship was established between these constraints and utilization of the improved processing technologies. It is recommended that government 1) builds factories that will lower the cost of the technologies; and 2) ensures that research institutes, departments of Agricultural engineering in universities and polytechnics and adult education programs in the community are adequately funded to promote knowledge of the technologies.RésuméCette étude a examiné les contraintes associées à l’usage des technologies traitantes améliorées parmi les traitants du manioc dans l’état d’Oyo au Nigeria. Un questionnaire structuré fut utilisé pour la collecte de données provenant de 176 enquêtés hasardement sélectionnés du champ d’étude. Les données ainsi collectées furent analysées par moyen de statistiques descriptives (telles que le comptage de fréquence, le pourcentage et la moyenne) ainsi que les statistiques inferentielles. La Corrélation du Moment Produit de Pearson (CMPP) fut employée pour déterminer la relation entre contraintes et usage des technologies traitantes améliorées parmi les traitants du manioc dans le champ d’étude. Les résultats de l’étude ont démontré que l’âge moyen d’enquêtés était de 41.23 ans et que plus d’un quart d’enquêtés (33.0%) avaient six à dix ans d’expérience dans le traitement du manioc. De surcroit, les résultats ont révélé que la plupart d’enquêtés (56.8%) avaient une attitude favorable envers l’usage des technologies traitantes améliorées de rappe mécanique, presse-vis hydraulique et moulin-marteau. Des fonds inadéquats, le manque du savoir-faire technique, le manque d’information, le coût élevé d’achat, et les ingénieurs inadéquats concernant les technologies traitantes améliorées ont été identifiés par les enquêtés comme sérieuses contraintes militant contre l’usage des technologies traitantes améliorées. Une relation significative existait aussi entre contraintes (r=-0.189, p=0.012) auxquelles les enquêtés font face et leur usage des technologies traitantes améliorées. L’étude a recommandé que le gouvernement construise les usines ou industries où les technologies traitantes améliorées seraient fabriquées à coût bas, que les instituts de recherche et département d’ingénierie agronome dans les universités et écoles polytechniques soient financés adéquatement, ainsi que les programmes d’alphabétisation d’adultes dans les communautés de traitants du manioc pour surmonter le défi d’analphabétisation et la saisie du savoir-faire technique concernant les opérations technologies. Tout ceci va renchérir l’usage effectif des technologies traitantes améliorées parmi les traitants du manioc dans le champ d’étude—une chose qui, en long terme, pourra se traduire en haute productivité, augmentation de revenus, et conditions de vie en mieux.

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 12-23
Author(s):  
Dorothy Ani ◽  
Hycainth Ojila ◽  
Orefi Abu

The study investigated the economics of cassava processing in Otukpo Local Government Area, Benue State, Nigeria. Data were collected using well-structured questionnaire administered to 60 cassava processors. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Profit function, independent sample t-test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Results showed that majority of the processors were within the age group of 31–40 years with mean year of experience of 34 years. They were mostly women with an average of 8 persons per household. Traditional technologies mostly were employed by the cassava processors. The profitability analysis showed that cassava processing into garri (fried cassava granules), chips and fufu/akpu (cassava dough) are profitable, (t =23.55, 11.95, 12.37: P≤ 0.01). Moreover, the result of the ANOVA showed that there was a significant difference (F=44.48:P≤0.01) in the profit level of cassava processed into garri, chips and fufu/akpu. The result of the post-hoc of ANOVA shows that among the three cassava products studied, garri had the highest profit. The cassava processors encountered many set-backs like poor equipment, high cost of transportation, inadequate capital and poor road network even though processing is a viable and profitable venture. Modern processing technologies should be developed and disseminated to processors while adequate infrastructural facilities and credits should also be provided.


Author(s):  
Endang Wulandari ◽  
Rahmawati Rahmawati

                                                             AbstrakKomunitas memasak Chef Depok adalah kelompok  wanita yang ingin meningkatkan kemampuan dan wawasan dalam bidang kuliner, dan ingin mendapatkan penghasilan tambahan dengan membuat berbagai masakan terutama roti manis. Kelompok ini masih memiliki masalah. Mitra belum bisa menentukan harga pokok produk dengan benar, belum mempunyai pembukuan, dan kondisi produk yang tidak konsisten. Pengembangan usaha rumahan pembuat roti manis anggota komunitas memasak Chef Depok telah dilakukan. Tujuan kegiatan ini adalah: 1) Perbaikan dan pendampingan manajemen usaha; dan 2) Standarisasi proses pembuatan roti manis sehingga produk yang dihasilkan konsisten dan sesuai dengan yang diinginkan. Tim abdimas bertindak sebagai fasilitator dan telah melakukan pendampingan untuk menentukan harga pokok produk dan pembukuan sederhana.   Selain itu mitra telah mengetahui cara produksi pangan yang baik, standarisasi resep, dan penerapan higiene dan sanitasi yang baik sehingga dihasilkan produk roti manis yang konsisten. Pengetahuan dan kemampuan mitra terhadap materi yang diberikan meningkat rata-rata sebesar 57.75%.  Kata kunci—Komunitas Chef Depok, roti manis, harga pokok produk, pembukuan sederhana, cara produksi yang baik, higienis  Abstract        The Depok Chef cooking community is a group of women who want to improve ability and insight in the culinary field, and want to earn income additions by making various dishes, especially sweet bread. This group is still have a problem. Partners have not been able to determine the cost of goods properly, not yet have accounting, and inconsistent product conditions. Business development home made sweet bread maker member of the Chef Depok cooking community. Aim these activities are: 1) Improvement and mentoring of business management; and 2) Standardization the process of making sweet bread so that the resulting product is consistent and in accordance with which are desired. The abdimas team acts as a facilitator and has provided assistance to determine the cost of goods and simple bookkeeping. In addition partners have know how to produce good food, standardize recipes, and apply hygiene and good sanitation to produce consistent sweet bread products. Knowledge and the partner's ability to deliver the material increased by an average of 57.75%. Keywords— Chef Depok Cooking’s Community ; Sweet Bread ; Cost of Good Properly ; Simple Bookkeeping ; Produce Good food  ; Hygienis  


Publications ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 2
Author(s):  
Aida María de Vicente de Vicente Domínguez ◽  
Ana Beriain Beriain Bañares ◽  
Javier Sierra Sierra Sánchez

The infodiet of young Spanish adults aged 18 to 25 was analysed to determine their attitude towards fake news. The objectives were: to establish whether they have received any training in fake news; to determine whether they know how to identify fake information; and to investigate whether they spread it. The study employed a descriptive quantitative method consisting of a survey of 500 representative interviews of the Spanish population aged between 18 and 25 through a structured questionnaire. The results indicate that they are aware of the importance of training, although generally they do not know of any course and when they do, they do not tend to enroll on one either due to lack of interest or time. These young adults feel that they know how to identify fake content and, moreover, that they know how to do so very well. However, they do not use the best tools. While they do not always verify information, they mainly suspect the credibility of information when it is meaningless. However, they do not tend to spread fake information. We conclude that media information literacy training (MILT) is necessary in educational centres that focuses on the main issues identified.


Nanomaterials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1827
Author(s):  
Mengyao Li ◽  
Yu Zhang ◽  
Ting Zhang ◽  
Yong Zuo ◽  
Ke Xiao ◽  
...  

The cost-effective conversion of low-grade heat into electricity using thermoelectric devices requires developing alternative materials and material processing technologies able to reduce the currently high device manufacturing costs. In this direction, thermoelectric materials that do not rely on rare or toxic elements such as tellurium or lead need to be produced using high-throughput technologies not involving high temperatures and long processes. Bi2Se3 is an obvious possible Te-free alternative to Bi2Te3 for ambient temperature thermoelectric applications, but its performance is still low for practical applications, and additional efforts toward finding proper dopants are required. Here, we report a scalable method to produce Bi2Se3 nanosheets at low synthesis temperatures. We studied the influence of different dopants on the thermoelectric properties of this material. Among the elements tested, we demonstrated that Sn doping resulted in the best performance. Sn incorporation resulted in a significant improvement to the Bi2Se3 Seebeck coefficient and a reduction in the thermal conductivity in the direction of the hot-press axis, resulting in an overall 60% improvement in the thermoelectric figure of merit of Bi2Se3.


Author(s):  
Olga Vytvytska ◽  
Mykyt Pundyk

The purpose of the article. The purpose of the study is to substantiate the theoretical foundations and practical innovative solutions for the reuse of waste resources with a proposal for improved waste management technology with prospects for implementation in Ukraine. Research methodology: theoretical and practical aspects of the introduction and implementation of eco-management, because for Ukraine such an approach to the introduction of innovative processing technologies in enterprises is completely new. Methodical toolkit of substantiation of innovative decisions of reuse of resources from waste, structure of prime cost of the improved system for the Goloseevsky area. Kiev. Scientific novelty. It is proposed to optimize the existing garbage problem in most regions and replace waste trucks based on the method of the pneumatic system manufactured by Envac. The system allows you to reduce the cost of moving cargo over time sorting or disposal points. Conclusions. The introduction of innovative systems in Ukraine for the year saves UAH 34 billion 499 million, in addition, the sorting of household waste is gaining popularity, recycling tanks are being installed in cities, the population is beginning to treat waste with understanding, and a behavioral strategy has been introduced to stimulate waste recycling. In addition, the proposed technology of sorting raw materials allows you to sort up to 97% of household waste, and the rest to burn for energy. All this makes the development of the processing industry in Ukraine promising. Keywords: innovations, waste-free systems, secondary raw materials, energy, technology.


2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 66-80
Author(s):  
Valentin Smirnov ◽  
◽  
Dmitry Lobanov ◽  
Vadim Skeeba ◽  
Ivan Golyushov ◽  
...  

Introduction. Difficult-to-machine materials with enhanced physical and mechanical properties are increasingly being used in various industries. Such materials are used in mechanical engineering for the manufacture of parts and assemblies of machines and mechanisms, in the production and processing of food products where increased operational requirements are required. In modern production, along with traditional methods of intensifying technological operations, combined and hybrid processing technologies are used. For the finishing of products, abrasive grinding with a diamond tool is used. One of the problems hindering the wide practical application of this method in industry is the fact that it has a high prime cost caused by the cost of materials used in the manufacture and the laboriousness of the tool shaping process. This leads to the need to develop a new technology for manufacturing diamond tools. The purpose of the work is to increase the efficiency of the end diamond abrasive tool with a metal bond by using carbon steels as a body material, increasing the strength of the connection between the body and the diamond-bearing part, as well as choosing an effective tool manufacturing technology. Research methodology. To gain this task, a technology for manufacturing end diamond abrasive tools is developed and tested. Allowing using the technology of capacitor welding to connect the diamond-bearing part with the shank and use medium-carbon hardened high-quality steels with a hardness of 45-60 HRC as the shank material. The strength of the connection of the body with the working diamond-bearing part of the grinding head samples is determined by tensile testing on a 1958U10 tensile machine with maximum load 100 kN. The quality of the joint is assessed visually by the presence of discontinuities in the joint, as well as by examining the microstructure and measuring the microhardness of the weld and heat-affected zones. The microhardness of the welded joint is measured using an HMV-G21ST semi-automatic microhardness tester (Shimadzu, Japan) at a load of 50 g. Results and discussion. Thus, the results of comparative studies allow us to assert that the strength of the connection between the shank and the working diamond-bearing part according to the proposed technology surpasses similar characteristics of the strength of the connection between the shank and the diamond-bearing layer of grinding heads obtained by the method selected by the prototype. Conclusions. The proposed technology for the manufacture of diamond heads increases the strength of the connection between the body and the diamond-bearing working part, reduces the cost of manufacturing the grinding heads due to the use of hardened medium-carbon steels as the material of the tool body instead of high-speed steel grades, the technology is simplified and the possibility of automating the manufacture of tools appears.


2010 ◽  
Vol 34 (9) ◽  
pp. 364-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dhananjay Kumar Singh ◽  
Shakil Khawaja ◽  
Ishaq Pala ◽  
Jaleel Khaja ◽  
Ray Krishnanu ◽  
...  

Aims and methodCost-effective prescribing is an increasingly important aspect of our practice. A service evaluation was carried out to assess the level of awareness and knowledge of different aspects of cost-effective prescribing among doctors working in the North East London Foundation Trust. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to benchmark knowledge against six standards.ResultsThe survey was completed by 71% of doctors working in adult or old age psychiatry. A total of 2% of doctors stated that they should always take into consideration the price of the drug when prescribing and only 5% of doctors claimed to know the price of medications they prescribe most frequently.Clinical implicationsStrategies to improve the poor level of knowledge and awareness in this area of clinical practice would be of benefit in making the best use of limited financial resources without any detriment to patient care.


2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 86-94
Author(s):  
Abdulkabir Ayansiji Ayanniyi ◽  
Fatai Olasunkanmi Olatunji ◽  
Ramatu Yahaya Hassan ◽  
Bola Josephine Adekoya ◽  
Kehinde Fasasi Monsudi ◽  
...  

Aim: It has been observed that potential beneficiaries rarely request for alternatives to corrective eyeglasses in our setting. The objective of this study was to determine awareness and attitude towards alternatives to spectacle correction, specifically; contact lens and refractive eye surgery among spectacle wearers in a resource-limited setting.Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 214 spectacle wearers in seven Nigerian hospitals using semi-structured questionnaire. Information sought included demographic characteristics, awareness, and attitudes to contact lens and refractive eye surgery as well as reasons for the poor interest in alternatives to eyeglasses.Results: There were 93 males and 121 females, with a mean age of 40.2 years (SD 15.8.). Most, 198 (92.6%) had at least secondary education. Ninety-eight (45.8%) and 113 (52.8%) patients were aware of the options of contact lens and refractive eye surgery respectively, but 171 (80%) were averse to wearing contact lenses or having refractive eye surgery. Reasons given included lack of information, high cost, and possible complications that may arise. Higher education was significantly associated with participants’ awareness of alternatives to eyeglasses (contact lens [P = 0.016], refractive eye surgery [P=0.009]) but not with willingness to use contact lens (P = 0.96) or refractive eye surgery (P = 0.425).Conclusion: There was relatively high awareness but low willingness to use alternatives to corrective eyeglasses among users. Education on alternatives to corrective eyeglasses, allaying fears on their complications, and making them more affordable could enhance awareness and create a more positive attitude towards them.


PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e2264 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Solomon ◽  
Bo-Christer Björk

Background.Open access (OA) publishing via article processing charges (APCs) is growing as an alternative to subscription publishing. The Pay It Forward (PIF) Project is exploring the feasibility of transitioning from paying subscriptions to funding APCs for faculty at research intensive universities. Estimating of the cost of APCs for the journals authors at research intensive universities tend to publish is essential for the PIF project and similar initiatives. This paper presents our research into this question.Methods.We identified APC prices for publications by authors at the 4 research intensive United States (US) and Canadian universities involved in the study. We also obtained APC payment records from several Western European universities and funding agencies. Both data sets were merged with Web of Science (WoS) metadata. We calculated the average APCs for articles and proceedings in 13 discipline categories published by researchers at research intensive universities. We also identified 41 journals published by traditionally subscription publishers which have recently converted to APC funded OA and recorded the APCs they charge.Results.We identified 7,629 payment records from the 4 European APC payment databases and 14,356 OA articles authored by PIF partner university faculty for which we had listed APC prices. APCs for full OA journals published by PIF authors averaged 1,775 USD; full OA journal APCs paid by Western European funders averaged 1,865 USD; hybrid APCs paid by Western European funders averaged 2,887 USD. The APC for converted journals published by major subscription publishers averaged 1,825 USD. APC funded OA is concentrated in the life and basic sciences. APCs funded articles in the social sciences and humanities are often multidisciplinary and published in journals such as PLOS ONE that largely publish in the life sciences.Conclusions.Full OA journal APCs average a little under 2,000 USD while hybrid articles average about 3,000 USD for publications by researchers at research intensive universities. There is a lack of information on discipline differences in APCs due to the concentration of APC funded publications in a few fields and the multidisciplinary nature of research.


Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 1360
Author(s):  
Oluwafemifola Oyedeji ◽  
Jill M. Maples ◽  
Samantha Gregory ◽  
Shauntá M. Chamberlin ◽  
Justin D. Gatwood ◽  
...  

About 45:000 cancers are linked to HPV each year in the United States alone. The HPV vaccine prevents cancer and is highly effective, yet vaccination coverage remains low. Pharmacies can play a meaningful role in increasing HPV vaccination access due to their availability and convenience. However, little is known about pharmacists’ perceived barriers to HPV vaccination. The objective of this systematic review was to summarize existing literature on perceived barriers to administering HPV vaccination reported by pharmacists. Barriers identified from selected studies were synthesized and further grouped into patient, parental, (pharmacist’s) personal, and system/organization barrier groups. Six studies were included in this review. The cost of the HPV vaccine, insurance coverage and reimbursement were commonly reported perceived barriers. Adolescent HPV vaccination barriers related to parental concerns, beliefs, and inadequate knowledge about the HPV vaccine. Perceived (pharmacist’s) personal barriers were related to lack of information and knowledge about HPV vaccine and recommendations. At the system/organization level, barriers reported included lack of time/staff/space; difficulty in series completion; tracking and recall of patient; perceived competition with providers; and other responsibilities/vaccines taking precedence. Future strategies involving pharmacy settings in HPV-related cancer prevention efforts should consider research on multilevel pharmacy-driven interventions addressing barriers.


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