60 research outputs found
The Role of Micro-financing in Rural Poverty Reduction in Developing Countries
No full textThroughout the developing world, there is a desperate quest for a way out of the financial predicament confronting the rural poor. In most countries of the developing regions, especially South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, the rural population forms the larger proportion of the entire population and poverty is prevalent among them. According to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD 2001), in an assessment of poverty in West and Central Africa, poverty in West and Central Africa is essentially a rural phenomenon with three quarters of the population being located in rural areas. Following the theoretical methodology, this study has examined the role of microfinance in developing countries and has described some measures which can enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of microfinance as an instrument for reducing rural poverty in developing countries. The thesis of this study is that with a well planned and coordinated institutionalized microfinance system operating within the appropriate legal and policy framework, the rural poor may be able to get out of the chronic poverty trap that plagues their lives. By means of a review of relevant literature and a conceptual framework on poverty in general, rural poverty in particular and microfinance services and institutions in the developing countries (using the cases of selected countries), the increase in popularity of microfinance as an instrument for addressing the problem of rural poverty in most developing countries was discovered. Although there is empirical evidence that microfinance can contribute immensely to improving the lives of the rural poor, much evidence points to the fact that the impact of microfinance on the lives of the poorest of the poor is yet to be up to the expectations of developers. Existing evidence also indicate that microfinance services, such as savings, insurance, money transfers, entrepreneurial training and so on, which are more attractive to this class of clients, are yet to be provided. Regulation and supervision is deemed to inhibit the operation of the market but in the case of rural microfinance provision a reasonable amount of regulation and supervision is discovered to be necessary, particularly to protect the mostly illiterate rural poor, from usury interest rates, for example. In all the selected countries and most other developing countries, government regulation and supervision of microfinance operations are present, either directly or indirectly. This paper is sub-divided into five chapters. In Chapter one, the problem, objectives, study area and the research questions of the study are presented. In Chapter two, the research is operationalized through the formulation of a framework of the research methodology. The case study approach which is the major analysis approach for this study is discussed in-depth in this section. Existing literature and studies on rural poverty and microfinance are reviewed in Chapter three. Also in this chapter, microfinance practices in four countries in the developing regions, Bolivia, Ethiopia, Ghana and the Philippines, selected at random are discussed. Chapter Four examines the contribution of microfinance to rural poverty reduction under the various categories of services which include credit, savings, insurance and money transfers. In Chapter five, recommendations are advanced for improving on the provision of microfinance in order for its full impact on rural poverty to be realized. --
Open Defecation and Eutrophication in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria
No full textAbstract: This article discusses how poor sanitary practice (open defecation) influences the eutrophication of water bodies in the Niger Delta Region. Open defecation is a common practice amongst dweller in the region and this has a far-reaching implication on the natural quality of water of bodies in the area which serves as a primary source of water for domestic use and a mean of livelihood. Human excreta are potential sources of plant nutrients including nitrate and phosphate. Nitrate and phosphate are essential nutrients required for the growth and productivity of plants. Eutrophication is the enrichment of water bodies with nutrients induces excessive growth of macrophytes, algae, and other aquatic plants. Eutrophic nutrients are formed from urea through two chemical processes: hydrolysis and oxidation. While organic materials rich in protein or other nitrogen-rich substrate go through the processes of hydrolysis, acidogenesis, acetogenesis, and oxidation. The increased population of seaweeds creates a hypoxic and anoxic condition in water bodies which consequently causes the death of oxygen sustained organisms. Monitoring and managing water bodies to prevent or limit eutrophication is therefore critical. A variety of management strategies have been proposed by scholars including treatment of effluents to specified limits before discharging into the water bodies and physical harvesting, application of chemicals such as algaecides and flocculants, a biological method using phytoplankton eating organisms and watershed management.
Keywords: Open Defecation, Eutrophication, Water Pollution, Niger Delta, urea, Algae Bloom.
Title: Open Defecation and Eutrophication in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria
Author: Uruh Ugada, Dr Yusuf Momoh
International Journal of Novel Research in Engineering and Science
ISSN 2394-7349
Vol. 9, Issue 1, March 2022 - August 2022
Page No: 31-45
Novelty Journals
Website: www.noveltyjournals.com
Published Date: 04-August-2022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6962658
Paper Download Link (Source)
https://www.noveltyjournals.com/upload/paper/Open%20Defecation%20and%20Eutrophication-04082022-4.pdfInternational Journal of Novel Research in Engineering and Science, ISSN 2394-7349, Novelty Journals, Website: www.noveltyjournals.co
SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE CONCENTRATION OF GASEOUS AIR POLLUTANTS: A CASE STUDY OF TRANS-AMADI INDUSTRIAL LAYOUT PORT-HARCOURT
No full textAbstract: In this study, spatial and temporal distribution of the concentration of gaseous air pollutants (CO, NO2, and SO2 O3) was carried out using ArcGIS in the wet season of 2016. The study was aimed at assessing the pattern of pollutants distribution in the atmosphere using GIS in the study area. Twelve sampling stations were identified, and calibrated air quality meters were used to measure air quality data during the morning, afternoon, and evening hours respectively for five days. The average concentration of the air pollutants in the morning hours ranged from 25.73 to 4.97 ppm for CO, 0.430 to 0.063 ppm for SO2, 0.275 to 0.021 ppm for NO2 and 0.011 to 0.019 ppm for O3, in the afternoon hours from: 0.257 to 0.040 ppm, 0.492 to 0.027 ppm, 27.60 to 9.57 ppm and 0.069 to 0.012 ppm for SO2, NO2, CO and O3 respectively and in the evening hours. The average evening concentrations of the pollutants ranged from 0.497 to 0.087ppm, 0.305 to 0.064 ppm, 32.27 to 4.60ppm and 0.021 to 0.011ppm for SO2, NO2, CO and O3 respectively. However, higher concentrations of the pollutants were mostly observed in the evening period followed by the morning period then the afternoon period. Mapping of different concentration of air pollutants was carried out using kriging and inverse distance weighting type of interpolation method in GIS environment. This study has established that the quality of air in the study area is very poor and polluted with CO, NO2, O3. The deterioration in air quality could be attributed to the heavy presence of industries within the area, high volume of traffic and slow traffic flow experienced in the area and other anthropogenic activities like meat processing using tire in the slaughter area etc. going on within the Trans-Amadi area. Many residents in this area are exposed to dangerous level of air pollution by pollutants such as NO2, SO2, O3 and CO which has a tremendous effect on health.
Keywords: Trans-Amadi, spatial and temporal distribution of the concentration of gaseous air pollutants, air pollution, Port-Harcourt.
Title: SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE CONCENTRATION OF GASEOUS AIR POLLUTANTS: A CASE STUDY OF TRANS-AMADI INDUSTRIAL LAYOUT PORT-HARCOURT
Author: Uruh Ugada, Dr Yusuf Momoh
International Journal of Novel Research in Engineering and Science
ISSN 2394-7349
Vol. 9, Issue 1, March 2022 - August 2022
Page No: 46-53
Novelty Journals
Website: www.noveltyjournals.com
Published Date: 05-August-2022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6967019
Paper Download Link (Source)
https://www.noveltyjournals.com/upload/paper/SPATIAL%20AND%20TEMPORAL%20DISTRIBUTION-05082022-4.pdfInternational Journal of Novel Research in Engineering and Science, ISSN 2394-7349, Novelty Journals, Website: www.noveltyjournals.co
Increasing Distributed Generation Penetration using Soft Normally-Open Points
No full textThis paper considers the effects of various voltage control solutions on facilitating an increase in allowable levels of distributed generation installation before voltage violations occur. In particular, the voltage control solution that is focused on is the implementation of `soft' normally-open points (SNOPs), a term which refers to power electronic devices installed in place of a normally-open point in a medium-voltage distribution network which allows for control of real and reactive power flows between each end point of its installation sites. While other benefits of SNOP installation are discussed, the intent of this paper is to determine whether SNOPs are a viable alternative to other voltage control strategies for this particular application. As such, the SNOPs ability to affect the voltage profile along feeders within a distribution system is focused on with other voltage control options used for comparative purposes. Results from studies on multiple network models with varying topologies are presented and a case study which considers economic benefits of increasing feasible DG penetration is also given
Physicomechanical Properties of Treated Oil Palm-Broom Fibers for Cementitious Composites
No full textData availability statement Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. These include xlsx files from which manuscript figures were derived. Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) of Nigeria for sponsoring this research.Peer reviewe
Representação em Bond Graphs de motores Brushless DC e inverosres de frequência
No full textDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro Tecnológico, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia de Automação e Sistemas, Florianópolis, 2013.Este trabalho apresenta a construção de um modelo computacional para estudo do comportamento energético de um Motor Brushless e do inversor de frequência utilizado para acioná-lo. Para a construção desses modelos foi utilizada a técnica de representação em Bond Graphs. Essa técnica cria uma representação totalmente gráfica para o modelo, no qual, as equações dinâmicas estão intrínsecas aos elementos. Isso permite uma melhor compreensão de como interagem os componentes de um sistema dinâmico. A técnica de Bond Graphs permite ao usuário uma análise do modelo ainda durante a fase de modelagem, o que evita trabalhos de remodelagem. A representação criada para o motor brushless foi baseada no modelo dinâmico vetorial decomposto no eixo de referência d-q desse motor. Para o inversor de frequência foram estudadas duas propostas de modelagem. A primeira foi construída baseada no circuito equivalente resistivo para este conversor. A segunda proposta utiliza a aplicação de um novo elemento do Bond Graphs para facilitar a representação do inversor. Os dois modelos foram reproduzidos, analisados e melhorados neste trabalho. Por fim, os modelos obtidos foram simulados e analisados para verificar se apresentavam o comportamento teórico esperado. Os modelos também foram submetidos a uma análise energética, provando serem boas ferramentas para fins de estudo do consumo de energia.Abstract : This work presents the development of a computational model for study of the energetic behavior of a brushless motor and a frequency inverter used to drive it. For the construction of these models, the technique of representation by Bond Graphs was used. This technique creates a fully graphical representation for the model, where the dynamic equations are intrinsic to the elements. This allows a better understanding of how the components of the system interact with each other. The Bond Graphs allow the user to run an analysis of the model during the modeling phase, which prevents remodeling work. The representation created for the brushless motor is based on vector dynamic model decomposed in d-q reference frame of this motor. Were studied two proposals for modeling the Inverter. The first one was built based on the resistive equivalent circuit for this converter. The second proposal uses the application of a new element of Bond Graphs to facilitate the representation of the inverter. These two models were reproduced, analyzed and improved in this work. Finally, the developed models were simulated and analyzed to verify that they presented the expected theoretical behavior for these equipment. The models were also submitted to an energy analysis, proving that they are good tools for studying the energy consumption
Design and implementation of an intelligent fuzzy logic controller (FLC) for Air Handling Unit (AHU) for smart house
No full textIntelligent Building Automation System (IBAS) is one of the heaviest researched areas motivated by the continuous high demand on economically-effective systems that are designed to provide a desirable controlled space for various organizations. IBAS has been developed along with
the rapid sophistication of the information and control technologies in this study. The main objective of the continuous effort is to provide an intelligent monitor and control of various facilities within the building so as to offer its users or occupants with effective security, improved productivity, human comfort, and efficient energy management. Heat, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC), Lighting Systems, Life and Safety System, and Access Control are some of the typical systems that formed IBAS in most modern building. HVAC and Lighting systems constitute the major energy consumer in an entire building that focuses particularly on the improvement of monitor and control of these systems
Conceptualization of Time in Cultural Landscape Transactions of a Nupe Community in Central Nigeria
No full textThe Diet Quality Questionnaire (DQQ) Is a Straightforward Data Collection Tool for Assessing Minimum Dietary Diversity for Women (MDD-W)
No full textDiet quality is an important cause as well as outcome of food systems and global development challenges. There is an increasing demand for diet quality indicators that can be readily assessed. Traditional methods of assessing diets based on quantitative 24-h dietary recall are time consuming, costly, and require specialized skills. Dietary recall approaches that collect information about the consumption of food groups are growing in popularity as they can be used to compute timely indicators of diet quality at much lower costs. Validated indicators that use this method are also becoming more available. The percentage of women of reproductive age who achieve minimum dietary diversity (MDD-W) of ≥5 of 10 predefined food groups is one such indicator and is a proxy for higher micronutrient adequacy of diets. MDD-W has been adopted as an indicator of the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Valid, feasible, and comparable approaches for collecting data for MDD-W calculation across low-, middle-, and high-income countries are of paramount importance in tracking changes in the indicator. The diet quality questionnaire (DQQ) that uses a sentinel foods, close-ended list-based method offers a reliable approach for collecting and analyzing data for MDD-W. Dairy Development Programs implemented in Nigeria by Sahel Consulting Agriculture and Nutrition Limited have used different methods to collect MDD-W data between September 2017 and December 2024. Methods used have included quantitative 24-h dietary recall, nonquantitative open-recall, open-ended lists, closed-ended extensive lists, and DQQ. Data collection and analysis using DQQ have provided the most cost-effective and time-saving approach to obtaining valid results. DQQ can increase the ability of countries and programs to monitor MDD-W and other diet quality indicators. Low- and middle-income countries like Nigeria may consider integrating the DQQ in national data systems to facilitate reporting on MDD-W for progress tracking toward the SDGs
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