1,720,967 research outputs found
Multiple mycotoxins associated with maize (Zea mays L.) grains harvested from subsistence farmers’ fields in southwestern Ethiopia
No full textDevelopment of Maize Post-harvest Loss Reduction Mechanism Owing to Mycotoxin-producing Fungi Contamination Along Agro-ecology and Supply Chain in Southwestern Ethiopia
Full text linkDevelopment of a photovoltaic driven ventilation system to modified traditional Ethiopian gombisa for on-cobs-maize drying
Full text linkMycotoxin-producing fungal growth commonly reported from traditional maize storage system in southwestern Ethiopia. Un-safe moisture content at loading and non-climatically controlled nature of gombisa results in mycoflora growth and development on maize in storage system. Therefore, this paper was aimed to develop a photovoltaic driven ventilation system fitted to modified gomibsa for natural air in-bin drying of on-cobs-maize and increase the shelf life of the product. Modified gombisa was constructed from locally available materials for the current experiment. An appropriate fan type and size, humidistat set at >70% and two 20 Wp photovoltaic panels were used for ventilation purpose, fan control and power the fan, respectively. In total 1.76 m3 of on-cobs-maize with an average moisture content of 22% was used in this study. Solar irradiance, photovoltaic array, current, air velocity and; both temperature and relative humidity inside the storage system and ambient condition data collected for both experiments. Computational fluid dynamics simulation results showed the uniformity of the air velocity rapidly after certain distances above the plenum chamber. The trend of temperature revealed high variability and fluctuation for ambient compared with inside the store. A similar result was observed for the relative humidity during both experiments. Throughout fan operating hours, inlet temperatures significantly higher by 7.8oC and 7.2oC than outlet temperatures for the first and second experiment, respectively. However, outlet relative humidity was higher by an average value of 22.9% and 15.1% compared to inlet relative humidity for the first and second experiments, with the respective order. Hourly average of energy output for the selected day was 658 Wm-2. Ventilation of on-cobs-maize for 10-12 days resulted in a reduction of moisture content to almost 14 (db). Solar irradiance data obtained from Jimma area, Ethiopia showed better energy output compared to the current experiment, demonstrating a possibility to apply ventilation and drying system to the tropical region. Generally, storing maize inside modified gombisa plays a role in protecting the stored product from outside weather conditions. Also, monitored temperature, relative humidity, and energy output showed the system was able to reduce to safe moisture content for storage without mould development. This promising research result needs to be tested and validated in tropical regions of the world
Nutritional deterioration of stored Zea mays L. along supply chain in southwestern Ethiopia: Implication for unseen dietary hunger
No full textMaize plays a key role in household food security in southwestern Ethiopia, but its benefits have been
negated by high post-harvest losses. Previous loss assessment and management studies have focused
mainly on quantity losses. This study was therefore designed to assess nutritional quality losses of stored
maize along the supply chain in Jimma Zone, southwestern Ethiopia. Three districts representing potential maize producers and different agro-ecological regimes for maize production were selected for
analyses. Sample collection started at harvest and continued for six months at two-month intervals from
21 selected actors along the supply chain. The experiment was conducted for two seasons, and a total of
72 samples were collected during each season. Both nutritional and anti-nutritional analyses were
carried out following the international standards of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists. Data
were analysed using SAS software (version 9.2) using a general linear model (GLM). The result revealed
that moisture content significantly decreases (P < 0.05) as storage duration increases under different
actors and agro-ecological conditions. But, showed increment during the final months under farmers'
storage conditions. In addition, moisture content at the loading stage was not optimal for safe storage.
Crude protein, crude fat, carbohydrate, and calorific value content significantly decreased (P < 0.05) as
the storage duration increased, but fibre, ash, and major mineral (Ca, Zn, and Fe) content increased
significantly over the storage period. Phytate and tannin content varied with storage duration and agroecological setting. Storing maize under traditional conditions along the supply chain resulted in substantial quality losses. This has great implications for nutrition insecurity and unrecognized undernourishment in the society. Additionally, substantial increases in fibre content above the optimum have
important effects on nutrient absorption. There is thus a need to develop and disseminate appropriate
storage technologies that minimize quality loss in maize stores.
Influence of Coffee Production Systems on the Occurrence of Coffee Beans Abnormality: Implication on Coffee Quality
No full text
Distribution of enset root mealybug (Paraputo ensete) and Evaluation of some botanicals against the insect in Dawuro zone south western ethiopia
No full textEnset root mealybug (Paraputo ensete) is a major pest of enset plant that hinders the growth and
productivity of the enset plant in study area. In the study area, there is no information available to
enset producing farmers on enset root mealybug; no study has been conducted on distribution,
management practices. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the distribution of enset root
mealybug and evaluation of some botanicals against this pest. A total 153 households were
interviewed through semi-structured questioner and information was gathered on their
knowledge of P. ensete, damage symptom, spread, and management from three purposively
selected districts of Dawuro and nine FAs that represent areas of high, medium and low
altitudes. The infestation and Enset samples were collected from 145 households (HHs): five
from PAs and fifteen from each three districts, and the levels of infestations were assessed
and the populations of enset root mealybugs were record. A total 180 enset were assessed in
three districts at the study sit
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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