46 research outputs found
Investigating designers’ preferred learning media to design for additive manufacturing
In this exploratory study, designers’ preferred learning media in learning to design for Additive Manufacturing was explored. Furthermore, by deploying an online survey questionnaire, factors such as years of experience, and the categories of products designed were explored to understand how they influence designers’ learning media with a response from 201 respondents. The results show that designers have learned how to design for AM through experimentation and present the first step towards developing an appropriate Design for Additive Manufacturing knowledge dissemination approach.</p
History, Evolution and Future of Starch Industry in Nigeria
Starch industry has progressed into a business that is worth billions of dollars globally, as they have been found useful in the food, textile, biofuel, plastic and the pharmaceutical industries. Nigeria can be the largest producer of starch in the world. Her major sources are roots and tubers (cassava, yam, cocoyam and potato), cereals (maize, sorghum, millet and rice) and fruits (banana, plantain and breadfruit). Although, all the starch crops are abundantly produced in Nigeria, only less than 1% is processed into high quality starch for industrial processes. This chapter therefore examines the past, the progression and the current state of the starch industry in Nigeria and the roles the government and relevant stakeholders must play in order to revolutionize the industry in Nigeria
A bibliometric analysis of research in design for additive manufacturing
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to understand how Design for Additive manufacturing Knowledge has been developing and its significance to both academia and industry.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, the authors use a bibliometric approach to analyse publications from January 2010 to December 2020 to explore the subject areas, publication outlets, most active authors, geographical distribution of scholarly outputs, collaboration and co-citations at both institutional and geographical levels and outcomes from keywords analysis.FindingsThe findings reveal that most knowledge has been developed in DfAM methods, rules and guidelines. This may suggest that designers are trying to learn new ways of harnessing the freedom offered by AM. Furthermore, more knowledge is needed to understand how to tackle the inherent limitations of AM processes. Moreover, DfAM knowledge has thus far been developed mostly by authors in a small number of institutional and geographical clusters, potentially limiting diverse perspectives and synergies from international collaboration which are essential for global knowledge development, for improvement of the quality of DfAM research and for its wider dissemination.Originality/valueA concise structure of DfAM knowledge areas upon which the bibliometric analysis was conducted has been developed. Furthermore, areas where research is concentrated and those that require further knowledge development are revealed
A bibliometric analysis of research in design for additive manufacturing
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to understand how Design for Additive manufacturing Knowledge has been developing and its significance to both academia and industry.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, the authors use a bibliometric approach to analyse publications from January 2010 to December 2020 to explore the subject areas, publication outlets, most active authors, geographical distribution of scholarly outputs, collaboration and co-citations at both institutional and geographical levels and outcomes from keywords analysis.FindingsThe findings reveal that most knowledge has been developed in DfAM methods, rules and guidelines. This may suggest that designers are trying to learn new ways of harnessing the freedom offered by AM. Furthermore, more knowledge is needed to understand how to tackle the inherent limitations of AM processes. Moreover, DfAM knowledge has thus far been developed mostly by authors in a small number of institutional and geographical clusters, potentially limiting diverse perspectives and synergies from international collaboration which are essential for global knowledge development, for improvement of the quality of DfAM research and for its wider dissemination.Originality/valueA concise structure of DfAM knowledge areas upon which the bibliometric analysis was conducted has been developed. Furthermore, areas where research is concentrated and those that require further knowledge development are revealed
A triple bottom line examination of product cannibalisation and remanufacturing: a review and research agenda
Increased momentum in support of a Circular Economy (CE) has motivated the exploration of alternative production and value-retention processes that allow for the decoupling of environmental impacts from economic growth. Remanufacturing, a key value retention process, can enable significant economic, environmental and social (also known as triple-bottom line) advantages. Given their competitive value proposition, remanufactured products are often blamed by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for cannibalising the sale of newly manufactured products. Thus, remanufacturing is often viewed as high-risk, and potentially even a threat to conventional manufacturing activities by many OEMs, often triggering both active and passive countermeasures to protect market share. In many cases, such actions lead to reduced access to cores for remanufactures; they can also work against the uptake of remanufacturing activities that are essential for transitioning to a CE. To achieve a CE, remanufacturing activities must be scaled; however, without a clear understanding of the relationship between remanufacturing and product cannibalisation, OEMs may continue to avoid and/or interfere in remanufacturing systems. Further, in alignment with systems-thinking for CE, we posit that broadly-considered integration of CE dimensions is critical but lacking within the literature. To this end, this systematic review paper aims to clarify and organize the existing scientific literature about product cannibalisation and remanufacturing. We examine these contributions through an expanded Triple Bottom Line lens that aligns with the recognized dimensions of CE: social, environmental, economic, management, policy, and technology. A comprehensive content assessment revealed a predominant economic lens to the research, with statistical analysis, game theory, and numerical experiments as the primary methodologies employed. In addition, opportunities to more comprehensively explore social, policy, management, and technology perspectives as they relate to product cannibalisation and remanufacturing were identified. We develop and apply a new framework for considering product cannibalisation and price competition in the broader context of sustainability and the transition to CE. Finally, in addition to identifying a comprehensive range of stakeholders that need to be engaged, we recommend a future research agenda that explores the specific challenges, interactions, and relationships between product cannibalisation, remanufacturing, and the six dimensions of CE
Traditional Perceptions of Climate Change Phenomenon Influencing Adaptation Decisions among Women Crop Farmers in Southern Nigeria
The study assessed traditional perceptions of climate change phenomenon influencing adaptation decision and responses among rural women crop farmers in southern Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 420 rural women crop farmers for the study. Questionnaire administration through the use of ODK collect, Focused group discussion (FGD) and In depth interview (IDI) was used to collect data. Analyses of data was done usescriptive statistics and Binary Logit regression. Relatively good proportion (89%) had deliberately taken decision to adapt to climate change with 81% supporting their decision with action by utilizing available climate change adaptation strategies. Approximately 86% indicated that the nature of climate change knowledge possessed affect their response to climate change. The belief that climate change is too complex to understand (X?= 2.83), caused solely by man’s carelessness over his environment (X? = 2.97) and rainfall and temperature variation (X? = 3.07) were the major traditional perceptions of climate change influencing adaptation decisions among rural women. Rural women traditional perception of climate change was found to influence their decision to adapt to climate change. Knowledge building through training workshops on climate change is key to stimulating right adaptation decision and action among rural women crop farmers.
Traditional Perceptions of Climate Change Phenomenon Influencing Adaptation Decisions among Women Crop Farmers in Southern Nigeria
The study assessed traditional perceptions of climate change phenomenon influencing adaptation decision and responses among rural women crop farmers in southern Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 420 rural women crop farmers for the study. Questionnaire administration through the use of ODK collect, Focused group discussion (FGD) and In depth interview (IDI) was used to collect data. Analyses of data was done usescriptive statistics and Binary Logit regression. Relatively good proportion (89%) had deliberately taken decision to adapt to climate change with 81% supporting their decision with action by utilizing available climate change adaptation strategies. Approximately 86% indicated that the nature of climate change knowledge possessed affect their response to climate change. The belief that climate change is too complex to understand (X?= 2.83), caused solely by man’s carelessness over his environment (X? = 2.97) and rainfall and temperature variation (X? = 3.07) were the major traditional perceptions of climate change influencing adaptation decisions among rural women. Rural women traditional perception of climate change was found to influence their decision to adapt to climate change. Knowledge building through training workshops on climate change is key to stimulating right adaptation decision and action among rural women crop farmers.
Traditional Perceptions of Climate Change Phenomenon Influencing Adaptation Decisions among Women Crop Farmers in Southern Nigeria
The study assessed traditional perceptions of climate change phenomenon influencing adaptation decision and responses among rural women crop farmers in southern Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 420 rural women crop farmers for the study. Questionnaire administration through the use of ODK collect, Focused group discussion (FGD) and In depth interview (IDI) was used to collect data. Analyses of data was done usescriptive statistics and Binary Logit regression. Relatively good proportion (89%) had deliberately taken decision to adapt to climate change with 81% supporting their decision with action by utilizing available climate change adaptation strategies. Approximately 86% indicated that the nature of climate change knowledge possessed affect their response to climate change. The belief that climate change is too complex to understand (X?= 2.83), caused solely by man’s carelessness over his environment (X? = 2.97) and rainfall and temperature variation (X? = 3.07) were the major traditional perceptions of climate change influencing adaptation decisions among rural women. Rural women traditional perception of climate change was found to influence their decision to adapt to climate change. Knowledge building through training workshops on climate change is key to stimulating right adaptation decision and action among rural women crop farmers.
Microbial monitoring of surface water in South Africa: an overview
Infrastructural problems force South African households to supplement their drinking water consumption from water resources of inadequate microbial quality. Microbial water quality monitoring is currently based on the Colilert®18 system which leads to rapidly available results. Using Escherichia coli as the indicator microorganism limits the influence of environmental sources on the reported results. The current system allows for understanding of long-term trends of microbial surface water quality and the related public health risks. However, rates of false positive for the Colilert®18-derived concentrations have been reported to range from 7.4% to 36.4%. At the same time, rates of false negative results vary from 3.5% to 12.5%; and the Colilert medium has been reported to provide for cultivation of only 56.8% of relevant strains. Identification of unknown sources of faecal contamination is not currently feasible. Based on literature review, calibration of the antibiotic-resistance spectra of Escherichia coli or the bifidobacterial tracking ratio should be investigated locally for potential implementation into the existing monitoring system. The current system could be too costly to implement in certain areas of South Africa where the modified H2S strip test might be used as a surrogate for the Colilert®18
Ultra-deep sequencing reveals the mutational landscape of classical Hodgkin lymphoma
UNLABELLED: The malignant Hodgkin and Reed Sternberg (HRS) cells of classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) are scarce in affected lymph nodes, creating a challenge to detect driver somatic mutations. As an alternative to cell purification techniques, we hypothesized that ultra-deep exome sequencing would allow genomic study of HRS cells, thereby streamlining analysis and avoiding technical pitfalls. To test this, 31 cHL tumor/normal pairs were exome sequenced to approximately 1,000× median depth of coverage. An orthogonal error-corrected sequencing approach verified \u3e95% of the discovered mutations. We identified mutations in genes novel to cHL including: CDH5 and PCDH7, novel stop gain mutations in IL4R, and a novel pattern of recurrent mutations in pathways regulating Hippo signaling. As a further application of our exome sequencing, we attempted to identify expressed somatic single-nucleotide variants (SNV) in single-nuclei RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) data generated from a patient in our cohort. Our snRNA analysis identified a clear cluster of cells containing a somatic SNV identified in our deep exome data. This cluster has differentially expressed genes that are consistent with genes known to be dysregulated in HRS cells (e.g., PIM1 and PIM3). The cluster also contains cells with an expanded B-cell clonotype further supporting a malignant phenotype. This study provides proof-of-principle that ultra-deep exome sequencing can be utilized to identify recurrent mutations in HRS cells and demonstrates the feasibility of snRNA-seq in the context of cHL. These studies provide the foundation for the further analysis of genomic variants in large cohorts of patients with cHL.
SIGNIFICANCE: Our data demonstrate the utility of ultra-deep exome sequencing in uncovering somatic variants in Hodgkin lymphoma, creating new opportunities to define the genes that are recurrently mutated in this disease. We also show for the first time the successful application of snRNA-seq in Hodgkin lymphoma and describe the expression profile of a putative cluster of HRS cells in a single patient