Tap and Reposition Youth (TRY): Providing Social Support Savings and Microcredit Opportunities for Young Women in Areas with High HIV Prevalence

This document describes providing social support savings and microcredit opportunities for young women in areas with high HIV prevelence. Tap and Reposition Youth (TRY) was a multiphase microfinance initiative which aimed to reduce adolescents' vulnerabilities to adverse social and reproductive health outcomes, including HIV infection, by improving their livelihoods options. The project was launched in low-income and slum areas of Nairobi, Kenya, where rates of HIV infection are high and where young women are disproportionately affected. TRY targeted out-of-school adolescent girls and young women aged 16-22. Through continual review and modification, the TRY microfinance model evolved from a limited savings and credit model, to one that expanded upon social support, such as friendship and mentorship

Policy Issues of e-Commerce Technology Diffusion in Southeast Nigeria: The Case of Small Scale Agribusiness

The benefits brought about by the emergence of e-commerce, e-business and other Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) applications have not been fully explored in the developing economies of the world. The less developed economies are still struggling to catch up with ICT application as opposed to its heavy deployment in the developed economies. Empirical evidence suggests that ICTs and other related technologies are increasingly emerging in the communities of the developing economies such as Nigeria. Rural actors engaged in the Agricultural industries (Agribusiness) feel that the implementation of ICTs can influence the development of new business processes and the way existing processes are organised. In the Southeast of Nigeria, which is a typical example of a less developed community, the impact of e-business technologies has yet to be determined. This paper identifies two classical traditional agribusiness supply chains and hence reports on the impact of e-commerce technology diffusion along the equilibrium of the supply chains, focusing on the elimination of intermediary actors from the chain. It provides an assessment of the Governments’ policies and strategies on e-commerce adoption for the sustainability of small-scale agricultural businesses. The paper examines the politics surrounding ICT implementations by actors engaged in the agribusiness sector. This research has motivated The South East State Government, in collaboration with the Federal Government, to give closer attention to their earlier policy of making Nigeria an ICT-enabled country

Using Brookhaven National Laboratory\u27s electric vehicle fleet as grid support

Using Brookhaven National Laboratory’s electric vehicle fleet as grid support Yao Aleke, Engineering Science, Suffolk County Community College, Selden, NY 11784 Rebecca Borrero, Physics & Engineering Physics, Fordham University, Bronx, NY 10458 Raul Martinez, Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13210 Michael Villaran, Sustainable Energy Technologies, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973 One of Brookhaven National Lab’s (BNL) many research facilities is the Northeast Solar Energy Research Center (NSERC), which is a 1-MW photovoltaic (PV) research facility, with approximately 518 kW of potential capacity currently installed. It is currently used to test integration of high penetrations of solar energy into electrical distribution systems, while future plans include testing a wide range of new PV technologies. The most significant problem with renewable energy is that the energy supply is variable, and it rarely matches demand. This problem can be solved by storing energy when the energy supply is greater than demand, and drawing from storage when demand is greater than energy supply. Our project uses the concept of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology (using car batteries for grid support) to deal with this storage deficiency. We designed a V2G system that integrates NSERC’s solar grid with three dual electric vehicle chargers that work with electric vehicles the lab already owns. The vehicles will store energy when NSERC’s supply is greater than demand and distribute it back to BNL’s grid when the demand is higher than NSERC’s supply. After researching the capabilities of bi-directional electric vehicle charging stations, which can have power flowing into or out of the car, we developed a plan to connect three dual charging stations to NSERC’s support building. Since V2G-capable charging stations are not common, our plan includes cost-effective modifications to the lab’s electric vehicles to make them V2G-capable. This plan is discussed in further detail in our report. While doing this project, we learned the specifics of designing a V2G system that integrates electric vehicles with a renewable energy source. Application of this research would support the Department of Energy’s mission by contributing to our nation’s energy security, and make the long-term goal of sustainable energy production more realistic by putting an energy storage solution within reach

ICT adoption in developing countries : perspectives from small-scale agribusinesses

The purpose of this paper is to critically examine how social augmented parameters impact on the effective adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) by small-scale agribusinesses operating in Southeast Nigeria. The relevance of incorporating social imperatives in scholarship focused on technology adoption is due to its role in sustaining the process of adoption and diffusion. Data were gathered from a focus group made up of 27 agribusiness proprietors affiliated with a state cooperative based in the south-eastern Nigerian state of Ebonyi. This paper puts forward an argument that to ensure successful diffusion of innovation, a balance must be maintained between the amount of effort expended in the design of ICT and social factors such as language and traditional life. The paper finds that a willingness of indigenous ICT users is particularly influenced by the recognition and incorporation of visible social imperatives during the adoption process. The outcome of this study highlights important issues for ICT adoption. One particular area that must be taken into consideration is the adoption channel. Perceptions of ICT adoption will differ significantly among adopters. For this reason, the need for developing an appropriate adoption channel that ensures successful diffusion of the innovation should be recognised. This study contributes to ongoing research in ICT innovation adoption in small agribusinesses operating in indigenous societies. The theoretical implications of this paper are the development of a conceptual ICT adoption framework that emphasises social imperatives. The paper also demonstrates that agricultural enterprises should be treated as ‘normal’ firms in their own right

Domestic Violence Against Men: Their Report Decision Making Process

Little or nothing is really known about a man’s victimization in a domestic violence situation. Generally domestic violence is viewed from the lens of a women with the typical idea that women are the victim while men, the perpetrators of violence. Overtime, this societal perception is beginning to subside as researchers have proven that men are also victims of domestic violence (Straus, Gelles, & Steinmetz,1980). Despite this revelation, not much is known about male victimization as most men prefer not to report their victimization. This study seeks to examine the reasons for not reporting victimization and the effect of this decision on men. The study does so by employing a cross sectional research carried out in 1994-1996, that was designed to assess the prevalence and impact of violence and threat of violence on women and men across the United States

Truth as correspondence reconsidered.

Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.Contemporary philosophical investigations of truth (especially in the analytical philosophical tradition) treat the concept as a “thin concept”, and so reduce truth discourses to conceptual analysis of intentional signs (concepts, propositions) or analysis of the truth predicate by considering its logical, semantic and anaphoric function in sentences (or propositions). This reductive conception of truth neglects the importance of the conscious and intentional act of the subject and thus results in an explosion of deflationary theories, and even the quest for the elimination of truth. Contrary to the views that consider truth as a “thin” concept, I argue that a robust substantive conception of truth as correspondence is essential if we are to account for the importance of truth in philosophy and daily human existence. To account for such an understanding of truth, a philosophical investigation of truth must be explored within a wider context of the human quest for knowledge and self-transcendence. Such examination requires an explicit articulation of the cognitional theory on which a conception of truth is founded. This is because a philosopher’s conception of truth is influenced by the cognitional theory that he or she subscribes to. In other words, a philosophical investigation of truth that aims at adequate exposition must account for the conscious and intentional acts of the human subject, since the importance of the role of the knowing subject in the quest for knowledge and truth cannot be underestimated. To account for the role of the subject and the importance of foundational cognitional theory, the conception of truth as correspondence that is defended in this thesis is based on a comprehensive tripartite (experiencing, understanding and judging) cognitional structure. Moreover, an explicit examination of the cognitional theory on which a theory of truth is based is vital to establish the relation between knowledge, truth, objectivity and being (reality)

Diffusion of ICT Innovation and E-Business Adoption in Agribusiness SMR\u27s: A Developing Country Perspective

This paper describes how a UNIDO ICT centre innovation acted as a catalyst for ICT adoption and e-business innovation among Small and Medium sized Agribusiness Enterprises in Southeast Nigeria. Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DoI) has been applied to investigate the diffusion process of technology. However, the adaptation of Social Network Theory in the diffusion of innovation studies is comparatively recent and still at a very developmental stage. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 27 Small Agribusiness Enterprises in Southeast of Nigeria. This paper argues that the balance between effort utilised in technology design and the effective diffusion of such innovation must be redressed. Greater emphasis must be placed in instituting end-user social networks as an antecedant that will enable end-user engagement and hence enable effective diffusion of the technology innovation through such end-user networks. The importance of sustaining the diffusion process of information and communication technology (ICT) innovation in order to facilitate the implementation of e-business in small and medium sized enterprises is a major challenge. This paper concludes with the finding that the potential adopters’ conceptual and contextual knowledge of the innovation is a major factor in the adoption and diffusion process. The continuous sharing of information about the innovation through social networks constitutes the main success factor enabling the sustainability (maturation) of the technology

Strategic Women Empowerment through ICT Innovation Adoption: Case of Smallholder Rice Farmers in Nigeria

This paper summarizes the experiences of rice women farmers in Nigeria who were directly and indirectly affected by the bio-fuel and solar energy system projects under the much touted agricultural transformation agenda (ATA) initiated by the current Nigerian government. However, some of these women suffered displacement because their rice farms were converted to the government’s green energy project sites. Others were humiliated by flood that washed away their farm land. Although the flood issue was attributed to climate change impact, a gender issue was still raised because these rural poor women could not raise their voice even to express their opinion and neither were they compensated for their farm land. The study capitalized on the economic, social, political and cultural implication of such displacement and conducted a situational analysis of how these women rice farmers whom some of them are not even formally educated are using mobile phones and some who are literate enough were signing up on the internet for email communication and social networking. This was done in order to demonstrate how such technologies can be used to facilitate wider audience communication and also registering their opinion in the public domain. Findings of this study support the result of similar studies in other countries where gender issues were raised towards unfriendly government policies. It shows that adoption of such ICT components was not only part of women empowerment strategy; rather it further opened a window for capacity building towards green econom

Social Network Adaptation, a Panacea to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), Innovation Diffusion: the Case of Small Scale Agribusinesses in Less Developed Countries

There is substantial research in the area of diffusion of innovation theory (DoI), and its application to information systems and information technology (IS/IT) innovation within organisations. However, scholars in recognition of the conceptual limitations of DoI, have called for the incorporation of certain aspects of social network theory (SNT) into DoI framework. In developing countries, one such justification for this theoretical stance is the fact that information communication channels through which technology innovation is diffused have been shown to substantially influence the rate of technology adoption. In this study, the author focuses on exploring how diffusion of innovation (DoI) theory underpinned by social elements can be used to develop and enable the effective diffusion of innovation among small scale agribusinesses in Nigeria. Data was obtained primarily through qualitative research (semi-structured interviews, document analysis and field notes/observation). Data analysis and coding was conducted using template analysis (Atlas.ti). The findings of the research suggest that an understanding of the conceptual basis of innovation is a major driver of successful innovation adoption