Introduction: Food well-being of the population is one of the priorities of the Togolese government, which relies on the agricultural investment and food security Programme to increase national food production. In addition, the country relies on food imports to make up the shortfall. At the same time undernourishment and malnutrition remain high among the country’s population. This research analyzes food supply and its implications for household consumption in Grand Lomé, Togo. [Methods] The methodology used documents, a survey of 963 heads of household randomly sampled households and semi-structured interviews with 10 households and with Togolese food safety agency (ANSAT). Quantitative data were processed and analyzed using Excel spreadsheets R and R-Studio, while content analysis was applied to the verbal applied to the verbal statements collected. Results: Firstly, the results show that domestic agricultural production contributed an average of 91% of food supply between 2014–2017. The deficit is made up by food imports, which rose from 13.5% in 2014 to 15.4% in 2017. This translated into an acceptable food energy consumption of 2337 Kcal/head/day in 2017. Secondly, 81% of respondents recognize a strong food presence at consumer markets, except that the chi-square test applied to the data at the 5% threshold shows (p-value < 2.2 × 10−16), indicates that this satisfaction is a function of place of residence. Despite this, persistent shortages affect more staple crops, livestock and dairy products, leading households to deprive themselves and buy food at affordable prices. Finally, we observe non-diversified diets marked by regular consumption of “cereals/legumes”, vegetables and beverages to the detriment of “tubers/roots”, “meat/fish”, “fruit” and “dairy products”. Conclusion: This research shows that food supply, although adequate, is not sufficient to ensure balanced, nutritious and culturally appropriate food consumption by urban households. Recommendations: To meet these challenges, the central government, in collaboration with urban communes and consumer advocates, must mobilize resources to create urban agricultural farms, strengthen food protection systems, distribute staple products directly to households and limit the importation of food that is hazardous to health.
We report a method for effectively and homogeneously incorporating carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in the form of double-wall (DWCNTs) and multi-wall (MWCNTs) structures into commercial paints without the use of additives, surfactants, or chemical processes. The process involves the physical mixing of the nanotubes and polymers using the cavitation energy of an ultrasonic bath. It is a simple, fast method that allows for uniform distribution of carbon nanotube bundles within the polymer for direct application. Due to the hydrophobic properties of the carbon nanotubes as grown, we used paint samples containing 0.3% by mass of both types of CNTs and observed an improvement in waterproofing through wettability and water absorption through immersion tests on the samples. Different solvents such as water, formaldehyde, and glycerin were used, and the results showed an increase in paint impermeability of 30% and 25% with the introduction of DWCNTs and MWCNTs, respectively. This indicates a promising, economically viable, and revolutionary method for applying nanotechnology in the polymer industry.
This study investigates the effectiveness of digital leadership in promoting organizational sustainability, with a specific focus on the mediating role of digital leadership capability. The research explores how digital leadership impacts sustainable performance within Chinese construction organizations. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), the study analyzes data collected from 529 respondents across various organizations. The findings reveal that digital leadership significantly enhances organizational sustainability both directly and indirectly, through digital leadership capability. These results underscore the importance of digital leadership as a critical factor in guiding digital transformation and achieving long-term sustainable outcomes. The study contributes to the literature by highlighting digital leadership’s role in fostering organizational adaptability and sustainability in rapidly evolving digital environments.
In green construction, sustainable resources are essential. One such material is copper, which is widely utilized in electronics, transportation, manufacturing, and residential buildings. As a very useful material, it has many beneficial impacts on human life. Observed from the recent demand spike is in line with the overall trend and the current growing smelter construction in Indonesia. Researchers intend to adapt the existing Copper Smelting Plant Building into an environmentally friendly building as a part of the production chain, in addition to reducing public and environmental concerns about the consequences of this development. We have identified a disparity in cost, where the high cost of green buildings is an obstacle to its implementation to enhance the cost performance with increased renewable energy of the Smelter Construction Building, this study investigates the application of LEED parameters to evaluate green retrofit approaches through system dynamics. The most relevant features of the participant assessments were identified using the SEM-PLS approach, which is used to build and test statistical models of causal models. We have results for this Green Retrofitting study following significant variables according to the following guidelines: innovation, low-emission materials, renewable energy, daylighting, reducing indoor water usage, rainwater management, and access to quality transit.
Maintaining balance is essential for daily activities; deficits in hearing-impaired adolescents can severely impact their academics and daily life. Suspension training is employed to enhance the coordination of multiple muscle groups within the body and ultimately to improve balance. A total of 105 students with non-genetic hearing impairments, comprising 65 boys and 40 girls, participated in the study. Balance training using the TRS suspension belt included exercises such as prone elbow brace, supine back brace, kneeling elbow brace, lateral elbow brace, prone hip flexion, and supine hip lift. Strength training using equipment involved exercises like single-leg suspension squat, flying bird brace, supine suspension arm flexion, seated static brace, and standing butterfly pinch chest. The main outcome measures included static balance tests (lambda footwork, Wolfson postural stress test), dynamic balance tests (functional forward reach test, balance beam walk test), and vestibule function tests (rotation-walk test). The results of the lambda footwork and Wolfson postural stress tests revealed highly significant differences between 8 weeks and 16 weeks of intervention (p < 0.01). The Functional Forward Stretch test demonstrated a significant difference between 8 weeks of intervention and 2 weeks of intervention at 16 weeks (p < 0.05). The balance beam walking test indicated a significant improvement at 8 weeks (p < 0.05) and a highly significant improvement at 16 weeks (p < 0.01). In the spin-walk test, no statistically significant differences were observed between the pre-experimental test, the 8-week intervention, and the 16-week intervention (p > 0.05). Leveraging the expropriation system to mediate skeletal muscle movement and muscle contraction coordination can improve balance. Suspension training significantly improved balance during activities requiring static non-interference maintenance. However, suspension training did not demonstrate a significant effect on improving vestibule function. Overall, suspension training was effective in enhancing balance in all patients with non-hereditary deafness.
This paper utilizes an advanced Network Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model to examine the impact of mobile payment on the efficiency of Taiwan banking industry. Inheriting the literature, we separate the banking operation process into two stages, namely profitability and marketability. Mobile payment is then considered as the core factor in the second stage. Our paper discovers network DEA model can effectively enhance the analysis of banking industry’s efficiency, and mobile payment has a notable impact on Taiwan banking industry. Regarding the profitability stage, there is only one efficient bank in 2019 and 2022, respectively. These banks also perform better in terms of “mobile payment production”. In the marketability stage, there is also only one bank in 2021 and one bank in 2022, that can reach to unique efficiency score. This indicates many banks attempt to increase earnings per share through investing in mobile payment services. However, the achievement still needs more wait. This leads to the fact that no bank can reach the ultimate overall efficiency. Within our sample, we also find that regarding promoting mobile payment services, Private Banks outperform Government Banks.
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