Suchergebnisse

These proceedings present an informal discussion among a group of experts who explored a set of five topics: the insurgency in Iraq, the Arab-Israeli situation, the terrorist threat, internal security in Saudi Arabia, and Iran and the proliferation of WMD

Over the years, government of Nigeria has funded Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) by establishing various financial institutions and regulate them for the purpose of enhancing the growth of SMEs in the country, yet the performance of SMEs is not commensurate with the funding released to these institutions. The study therefore examines government funding on the promotion and development of SMEs in Lagos State, Nigeria. The research design used for the study is survey method. The sources of data collection is primary sources of data through the use of questionnaire. The population of the study is 3818 and the sample size used for the study is 400 respondents, the sampling techniques used is stratified random sampling. The method of data analysis is through simple percentages for descriptive data and multiple regression for test of hypotheses. Based on the analysis, the following were the findings of the study; Bank of Industry Funding has positive significant impact on SMEs performance in Lagos State. Bank of Agriculture funding to SMEs help in the promotion and development of the performance of their businesses. Based on the findings, the study concluded that the roles of government funding on the promotion and development of SMEs in Nigeria is very low and do not help in the growth of businesses in Nigeria. The study recommends that government of Nigeria should try to make it easier to access the various scheme of financing SMEs in the country accessible. Adequate fund should be channeled to SMEs through these schemes and the conditions attached in accessing the loans should not be stringent enough to prevent SMEs owners from having access to them.

Background: Legumes are an inexpensive, healthy source of protein, fiber, and micronutrients, have low greenhouse gas and water footprints, and enrich soil through nitrogen fixation. Although higher legume consumption is recommended under US dietary guidelines, legumes currently comprise only a minor part of the US diet. Objectives: To characterize the types of legumes most commonly purchased by US consumers and patterns of legume purchases by state and region, seasonality of legume purchases, and to characterize adults that have a higher intake of legumes. Methods: We examined grocery market, chain supermarket, big box and club stores, Walmart, military commissary, and dollar store retail scanner data from Nielsen collected 2017–2019 and dietary intake from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2017–2018. Results: The five leading types of legumes purchased in the US were pinto bean, black bean, kidney bean, lima bean, and chickpea. The mean annual per capita expenditure on legumes based on grocery purchases was $4.76 during 2017–2019. The annual per capita expenditure on legumes varied greatly by state with highest expenditure in Louisiana, South Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and lowest expenditure in Washington, New York, and Wisconsin. There were large regional differences in the most commonly purchased legumes. Of 4,741 adults who participated in the 24-h dietary recall in NHANES, 2017–2018, 20.5% reported eating any legumes in the previous 24 h. Those who consumed legumes were more likely to be Hispanic, with a higher education level, with a larger household size (all P < 0.05), but were not different by age, gender, or income level compared to those who did not consume legumes. Conclusion: Although legumes are inexpensive, healthy, and a sustainable source of protein, per capita legume intake remains low in the US and below US dietary guidelines. Further insight is needed into barriers to legume consumption in the US.