11,570 research outputs found
Appraisal of traditional technologies in the processing and utilization of mumu; a cereal based local food product
A survey on the production practices and mode of utilization of mumu â a traditional, ready-to-eat Nigerian cereal-based food product - was conducted to be able to provide information that would be used to improve on the processing, nutritional quality and acceptability of the product. 83 % of respondents indicated the use of maize as the raw material for mumu processing, while 35 % also use sorghum. The procedure adopted for mumu processing varies from one processor to another. Based on pre-process operations, three procedures were identified for the production of mumu, namely; sprinkling the grains with water before roasting, steeping the grains overnight before roasting, and parboiling of the grains before roasting. The roasted grains are milled to produce a roasted meal (mumu) which is reconstituted in the ratio of 2:1 (meal: water) and consumed by both adults and children. The study indicates that of the more than 70 % of mumu processors, 92 % are females, mostly (> 60 %) from the age of 36 years and above, are not well educated and therefore, ill-equipped to appreciate modern methods of food hygiene, handling and processing. The study also indicates that the traditional methods used in the processing of mumu are not standardized. Subsequently, product quality attributes such as colour, texture and flavour have not been well defined and are non-uniform. The study shows that mumu is usually reconstituted in cold water with sugar or honey added to taste. The product is usually served in the afternoon and provides an immediate source of energy as well as refreshment. Mumu as a foodproduct has great potential, but is currently underutilized and neglected. Factors contributing to lack of consumer appeal of mumu include; inadequate hygienic practices during and after processing, low nutritional value, variable sensory qualityattributes and unattractive presentation. This study presents approaches such as supplementation with oilseeds, and/or legumes and standardization of processing methods to improve on the nutritional quality and methods of processing andutilization of mumu.Keywords: Traditional technology, processing, roasting, maize, mumuUne Ă©tude sur les pratiques de production et le mode dâutilisation du mumu - un produit alimentaire traditionnel nigĂ©rian prĂȘt Ă ĂȘtre mangĂ©, qui est dĂ©rivĂ© de cĂ©rĂ©ales - a Ă©tĂ© menĂ©e en vue de donner des informations qui pourraient ĂȘtre utilisĂ©es pour amĂ©liorer le traitement, la qualitĂ© nutritionnelle et lâacceptabilitĂ© de ce produit. Quatre-vingt-trois pour cent de personnes interrogĂ©es ont indiquĂ© lâutilisation du maĂŻs comme Ă©tant la matiĂšre premiĂšre pour le traitement du mumu, tandis que 35 % utilisent Ă©galement le sorgho. La procĂ©dure adoptĂ©e pour le traitement du mumu varie dâune personne Ă lâautre engagĂ©e dans ce traitement. A partir dâopĂ©rations antĂ©rieures au traitement, trois procĂ©dures ont Ă©tĂ© identifiĂ©es pour la production du mumu: humecter les graines avec de lâeau avant de les griller, tremper les graines toute la nuit avant de les griller, et faire cuire Ă demi les graines avant de les griller. Les graines grillĂ©es sont moulues pour produire un repas grillĂ© (mumu) qui est reconstituĂ© dans la proportion de 2:1 (repas: eau) et consommĂ© aussi bien par les adultes que par les enfants. La prĂ©sente Ă©tude indique que sur plus de 70 % des personnes qui traitent le mumu 92 % sont des femmes, la majoritĂ© (> 60 %) ayant lâĂąge de 36 ans et plus. Ces femmes ne sont pas trĂšs instruites ; par consĂ©quent elles sont mal Ă©quipĂ©es pour apprĂ©cier les mĂ©thodes modernes dâhygiĂšne alimentaire exigĂ©e dans la prĂ©paration et le traitement des aliments. Cette Ă©tude indique Ă©galement que les mĂ©thodes traditionnelles utilisĂ©es dans le traitement du mumu ne sont pas standardisĂ©es. Comme consĂ©quence, les attributs de qualitĂ© des produits tels que la couleur, la texture et la saveur nâont pas Ă©tĂ© bien dĂ©finis et ne sont pas uniformes. LâĂ©tude montre que le mumu est habituellement reconstituĂ© dans de lâeau froide en y ajoutant du sucre ou du miel pour lui donner du goĂ»t. Ce produit est gĂ©nĂ©ralement servi au cours de lâaprĂšs-midi et il constitue une source immĂ©diate dâĂ©nergie et de rafraĂźchissement. Le mumu en tant que produit alimentaire a de grandes potentialitĂ©s, mais il est actuellement sous-utilisĂ© et nĂ©gligĂ©. Les facteurs contribuant au fait que les consommateurs ne sâintĂ©ressent pas au mumu sont notamment les suivants : des pratiques hygiĂ©niques inadĂ©quates pendant et aprĂšs le traitement, la valeur nutritive insuffisante, des attributs de qualitĂ© sensorielle variables et une prĂ©sentation peu attrayante. Cette Ă©tude prĂ©sente des approches telles que la fortification du mumu en lui ajoutant des graines olĂ©agineuses, et/ou des lĂ©gumineuses et la   standardisation des mĂ©thodes de traitement afin dâamĂ©liorer la qualitĂ© nutritive et les mĂ©thodes de traitement et dâutilisation du mumu.Mots-clĂ©s: Technologie traditionnelle, traitement, griller, maĂŻs, mumu
CaractĂ©risation hydrogĂ©ochimique des eaux des aquifĂšres fissurĂ©s de la zone Guiglo-DuekouĂ© (Ouest de la CĂŽte dâIvoire)
La zone d’étude, Guiglo-Duekoué, est située à l’Ouest de la Côte d’Ivoire, entre les latitudes 7°00’ et 7°42’ Nord et les longitudes 6°28’ et 6°50’ Ouest. Cette étude vise à faire une analyse hydrogéochimique les eaux souterraines de la région de Guiglo-Duekoué. L’approche méthodologique est basée sur la détermination des hydrofaciès à partir des diagrammes de Piper et de Schoeller-Berkaloff et l’étude de la qualité des eaux qui s’est appuyée sur une analyse comparative des teneurs des paramètres physico-chimiques aux normes OMS. Les résultats de l’étude ont montré que les eaux sont bicarbonatées calciques et magnésiennes (95,83%) et bicarbonatées sodi-potassiques (4,17%). Ces eaux ont des températures qui varient entre 25,7 °C et 28,9 °C, avec une moyenne de 26,7 °C. Leurs pH oscillent entre 6,51 et 7,13, avec une moyenne de 6,67. La turbidité des eaux souterraines reste très faible avec des valeurs qui varient entre 0,20 NTU et 1,01 NTU, pour une moyenne de 0,49 NTU. La conductivité électrique des eaux varie entre 106 μS/cm et 349 μS/cm, avec une moyenne de 208,437 μS/cm. La majorité des échantillons d’eau a une conductivité électrique comprise entre 100 μs/cm et 250 μs/cm (68,75%). La dureté des eaux est comprise entre 2,8 °F et 15,40 °F, avec une moyenne de 6,41 °F. La qualité physico-chimique des eaux souterraines étudiées est conforme dans l’ensemble aux normes recommandées par l’OMS et ne présentent pas de danger majeur pour la consommation humaine. Cependant, il existe de fortes teneurs en fer (0,66 mg/L) et en manganèse (0,16 mg/L), ce qui explique l’apparence rougeâtre et le goût désagréable de ces eaux.Mots clés: Eaux souterraines; Diagrammes d’analyses hydrochimiques; Normes de l’OMS; faciès hydrochimiques; Potabilité; Région ouest semi-montagneus
Job Satisfaction and Psychological Health of Long Distance Drivers in Benin City
This cross-sectional analytical study was designed to assess the level of and factors affecting job satisfaction andpsychological health among long distance drivers in Benin City, Edo, Nigeria. A 21-item Job satisfaction questionnaire and the Golbergâs General Health Questionnaire (GHQ 28) were used for data collection from 168 consenting drivers. Data was analysed with SPSS version 15. Results showed that an appreciable number of drivers were satisfied with their job (85%). Factors linked with satisfaction included flexibility of periods designated as resting hours (91.6%), company administration and management (84.6%), self- perception of being valued by the company (79.7%), and remuneration (74.1%). Sources of dissatisfaction included lack of training on the job (82%) and frequent arassment by law enforcement officers (77%). Psychological morbidity was rare. Overall, the drivers showed high level satisfaction towards their job, though there were areas of dissatisfaction that need to be addressed in the interest and safety of passengers and other road users.Keywords: Drivers, Health, Job Satisfaction, Long distance, Psychologica
Star-galaxy separation by far-infrared color-color diagrams for the AKARI FIS All-Sky Survey (Bright Source Catalogue Version beta-1)
To separate stars and galaxies in the far infrared AKARI All-Sky Survey data,
we have selected a sample with the complete color information available in the
low extinction regions of the sky and constructed color-color plots for these
data. We looked for the method to separate stars and galaxies using the color
information. We performed an extensive search for the counterparts of these
selected All-Sky Survey sources in the NED and SIMBAD databases. Among 5176
objects, we found 4272 galaxies, 382 other extragalactic objects, 349 Milky Way
stars, 50 other Galactic objects, and 101 sources detected before in various
wavelengths but of an unknown origin. 22 sources were left unidentified. Then,
we checked colors of stars and galaxies in the far-infrared flux-color and
color-color plots. In the resulting diagrams, stars form two clearly separated
clouds. One of them is easy to be distinguished from galaxies and allows for a
simple method of excluding a large part of stars using the far-infrared data.
The other smaller branch, overplotting galaxies, consists of stars known to
have an infrared excess, like Vega and some fainter stars discovered by IRAS or
2MASS. The color properties of these objects in any case make them very
difficult to distinguish from galaxies. We conclude that the FIR color-color
diagrams allow for a high-quality star-galaxy separation. With the proposed
simple method we can select more that 95 % of galaxies rejecting at least 80 %
of stars.Comment: 20 pages, 41 figures, "Astronomy & Astrophysics", accepted, to appear
in the AKARI special issu
Automatic correction of hand pointing in stereoscopic depth
In order to examine whether stereoscopic depth information could drive fast automatic correction of hand pointing, an experiment was designed in a 3D visual environment in which participants were asked to point to a target at different stereoscopic depths as quickly and accurately as possible within a limited time window (â€300â
ms). The experiment consisted of two tasks: "depthGO" in which participants were asked to point to the new target position if the target jumped, and "depthSTOP" in which participants were instructed to abort their ongoing movements after the target jumped. The depth jump was designed to occur in 20% of the trials in both tasks. Results showed that fast automatic correction of hand movements could be driven by stereoscopic depth to occur in as early as 190â
ms.This work was supported by the Grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (60970062 and 61173116) and the Doctoral Fund of Ministry of Education of China (20110072110014)
MYCN amplification levels in primary retinoblastoma tumors analyzed by Multiple Ligation-dependent Probe Amplification
Background: Retinoblastoma (Rb) is a childhood tumor of the developing retina where predisposition is caused by RB1 pathogenic variants. MYCN amplification (MYCNA) has been implicated in around 2% of sporadic unilateral Rb tumors with no detectable RB1 variants. We audited data from tumors collected between 1993 and 2019 to determine if this is the case for patients treated at Barts Health NHS Trust, and how often it occurred alongside RB1 variants. Materials and methods: Screening for MYCNA was carried out by Multiple Ligation Probe Analysis of tumor and blood samples collected for RB1 genetic screening. The cohort consisted of 149 tumors, of which 114 had matched blood samples. Results: 10/149 (6.7%) tumors were positive for MYCNA in a population containing a disproportionate number of cases negative for RB1 pathogenic variants. Of 65 unbiased tumors collected from 2014 to 2019, 2 (3.1%) had MYCNA. All MYCNA samples were from sporadic, unilateral patients and 3/10 (30%) had RB1 pathogenic variants. MYCNA was not detected in any blood sample. No MYCNA tumor had 6p gain which is usually a common alteration in Rbs. Conclusions: MYCNA occurs in a small fraction of Rbs and can occur in the presence of pathogenic RB1 variants. However, where it occurs alongside RB1 alterations, the age of onset appears to be later. MYCNA has yet to be seen as a heritable change. In sporadic cases with early diagnosis, Rbs with no RB1 pathogenic variant identified should be tested for MYCNA. Conversely, tumors with MYCNA should still be screened for RB1 pathogenic variants
Apports des mĂ©thodes statistiques et hydrochimiques Ă la caractĂ©risation des eaux des aquifĂšres fissurĂ©s de la rĂ©gion du Nâzi-ComoĂ© (Centre-Est de la CĂŽte dâIvoire)
La rĂ©gion du Nâzi-ComoĂ© est situĂ©e au Centre-Est de la CĂŽte dâIvoire et appartient du point de vue gĂ©ologique au socle cristallin. La vĂ©gĂ©tation est constituĂ©e de lambeaux de forĂȘt mĂ©sophile, de savanessĂ©parĂ©es par des forĂȘts-galeries et de jachĂšres, rĂ©sultat de la dĂ©forestation. Lâappauvrissement des sols, issu de cette dĂ©forestation a eu pour consĂ©quence lâutilisation dâengrais. La dĂ©forestation et lâusage des engrais suscitent des interrogations sur la qualitĂ© des eaux souterraines du Nâzi-ComoĂ© et leur aptitude Ă la consommation humaine. Câest pour rĂ©pondre Ă cette problĂ©matique que ce prĂ©sent travail a Ă©tĂ© initiĂ©. Ainsi,lâobjectif de cette Ă©tude est la caractĂ©risation hydrogĂ©ochimique des eaux et lâanalyse de leur aptitude Ă la consommation humaine. Ce travail a Ă©tĂ© menĂ© Ă partir des rĂ©sultats dâanalyses de paramĂštres physicochimiquesdes eaux et sâest appuyĂ© sur un Ă©chantillon de 193 forages. La mĂ©thodologie appliquĂ©e est basĂ©e sur une approche pluridisciplinaire intĂ©grant lâhydrochimie (diagramme triangulaire de piper, indicateur de temps de sĂ©jour) et des analyses statistiques univariĂ©es, bivariĂ©es et multivariĂ©es (ACPN). Du point de vue hydrofaciĂšs, la majoritĂ© des eaux des aquifĂšres fissurĂ©s du Nâzi-ComoĂ© est du faciĂšs bicarbonatĂ© calcique etmagnĂ©sien. La rĂ©gion du Nâzi-ComoĂ© est dominĂ©e par deux phĂ©nomĂšnes hydrochimiques majeurs : la minĂ©ralisation couplĂ©e au temps de sĂ©jour et lâoxydo-rĂ©duction qui sont Ă lâorigine de lâacquisition de la minĂ©ralisation des eaux souterraines du Nâzi-ComoĂ©. LâĂ©tude de la potabilitĂ© rĂ©vĂšle que les eaux souterraines sont physico-chimiquement conformes dans lâensemble aux normes recommandĂ©es par lâOMS et ne prĂ©sententpas de danger majeur pour la consommation humaine
PKSB1740-517: An ALMA view of the cold gas feeding a distant interacting young radio galaxy
Cold neutral gas is a key ingredient for growing the stellar and central
black hole mass in galaxies throughout cosmic history. We have used the Atacama
Large Millimetre Array (ALMA) to detect a rare example of redshifted
CO(2-1) absorption in PKS B1740-517, a young (
yr) and luminous ( erg s ) radio
galaxy at that is undergoing a tidal interaction with at least one
lower-mass companion. The coincident HI 21-cm and molecular absorption have
very similar line profiles and reveal a reservoir of cold gas ( M), likely distributed in a disc or ring within
a few kiloparsecs of the nucleus. A separate HI component is kinematically
distinct and has a very narrow line width ( km
s), consistent with a single diffuse cloud of cold (
K) atomic gas. The CO(2-1) absorption is not associated with this
component, which suggests that the cloud is either much smaller than 100 pc
along our sight-line and/or located in low-metallicity gas that was possibly
tidally stripped from the companion. We argue that the gas reservoir in PKS
B1740-517 may have accreted onto the host galaxy 50 Myr before the young
radio AGN was triggered, but has only recently reached the nucleus. This is
consistent with the paradigm that powerful luminous radio galaxies are
triggered by minor mergers and interactions with low-mass satellites and
represent a brief, possibly recurrent, active phase in the life cycle of
massive early type galaxies.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
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