Consolidation of water management and efficiency parameters for development of green building rating system

Water generation and distribution involve activities that leads to energy consumptions in various ways. This leads to GHG emission which make it important for various sustainable development assessment. Hence it is important to develop some consolidated parameters to cover water in building life cycle assessment (LCA). Development of rating system involves the utilisation of some parameters and points allocation. These parameters and points allocation varies between countries and their rating systems. This study aim at reviewing water management and efficiency category and the extent of parameters and points allocation across some rating systems. The purpose of the review is to develop a consolidated parameters that will universally cover building life cycle assessment. Eleven rating scheme’s categories, parameters and points allocation were reviewed. Specifically, water generation, distribution and usage was further elaborated for this study. The parameters were reviewed from the context of their, adaptability, preference, prevalence, relevance and measurability of parameter to suit the universal concept of sustainable building assessment. The review shows that the variations of the parameters and points distribution are based on social, economic and environmental need of the country. The highest parameters and points allocation signifies the need of efficient water generation, distribution and usage and lack of enough fresh water for daily activities. The lowest consideration is due to advancement in sustainable water generation, distribution and usage. The study consolidated the parameters in to nine parameters covering the strategies for reducing unnecessary water usage and other sourcing consequences. They also cover the approximate accounting of GHG emission from water consumption and its reduction. The study can be used by researcher, organisations and countries developing rating schemes. As the study harmonised parameters covered the entire sustainable building and greenhouse gas assessment in term of water generation, distribution and usage

Assessment of Magnetic Field Effects and Estimation of Associated Current Density of Electrical Injection Substations in Kano Metropolis

The paper presents an assessment and estimation of human exposure to extremely-low-frequency (ELF) magnetic field generated in 33/11kV electrical injection substations equipment in Kano metropolis using the magnetic field model. The magnetic fields level were measured with the aid of hand-held “TrifieldTM 100XE Meter; frequency weighted” in different parts of the substations and the occupational exposure in a shift personnel was estimated by calculating the time weighted average exposure level (TWA) over the entire week and noting basically that the general public average exposure level to power frequency of 50 Hz is less than 2 mG (≡ 0.2 mT). The main objectives of this study are to assess the level of magnetic fields radiation in an injection substation and estimate induced current density level at the head region of the human body. Current density estimation at the head region was computed by using magnetic field model by assuming that the human body has a homogenous and isotropic conductivity and current path is circular. The result obtained was validated through comparison with the international guidelines and standards for safety occupational exposure set by the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). Keywords: Extremely Low Frequency (ELF), Electromagnetic Fields (EMF), Current Density, Magnetic field, Time Weighted Average (TWA), human body, physiology, radiation exposure, transmission lines

Evaluation Of Palm Oil Potentiality As A Liquid Dielectric Fluid In High Voltage Applications

Electrical insulating and dielectrical materials can be broadly divided into; gaseous, liquids, vacuum and solids. These materials are widely used in electrical components like, circuit breakers, transformers, cables and capacitors. Liquids dielectrics in particular are preferred because of their ability to have self-cure to situations leading to partial or total discharges. Petroleum and mineral based fluids have, for almost half a centuary, been used for cooling and insulation purposes. Their popularity stems out of their availability and cheapness. However recent evidence has shown deficiencies with these fluids. They have low properties especially flash and fire points and most importantly low dielectric break down voltage. The most serious of these shortcomings is the inability to meet up with health and environmental laws. This is because they are not organic and hence not biodegradable; their spillage takes very long time to decompose. These developments have led to seeking alternatives in vegetable based fluids. The fluids that have been tested and to be used as dielectric fluids include Castor oil, Coconut oil, Soya bean oil, and Rapeseed oil. The present work has measured the properties of palm oil against the IEEE C637 and ASTM D section for possible use as a dielectric fluid. The results show that refined palm oil has break down voltage of 75 KV/mm, flash point (>220), fire point (>220) and moisture content (0.08%). Hence these have shown the potential of palm oil as a dielectric fluid. However future work should focus on further investigation before field application. Malaysia as country stands a lot of gains in this type of research, since it is the world leader in the palm oil production

An examination of the weaknesses in current online help systems and a proposed solution using an integrated information base

This thesis reports results of a research study into the usefulness of On-line Help Systems for application software users. The main objective of the research was to examine existing On-line Help systems, identify their weaknesses, and propose a means of rectifying the problems identified. A study of the available relevant literature revealed that both users and designers have divergent views as to the overall usability and efficacy of On-line Information, and this diversity has contributed to the problems inherent in On-line Help systems. An initial user survey was conducted with a group of computer users who were professionals in their own areas, many of whom also have considerable experience in the applications examined. The results are in agreement with the hypothesis that in spite of the long history of software development and the existence of research in the area, users of On-line Help Systems still find them unsatisfactory. The results also revealed that even experienced users find some aspects of existing Online Help Systems difficult to use, and that, in general current versions are not well received. A set of exploratory experiments has been carried out with users interacting with Microsoft Excel, using the On-line Help system at one sitting and the User Manual at another. These investigations revealed the existence of design and accessibility problems. Three terms best describe the problems identified - Vocabulary, Compartmentalisation, and the lack of an Integrated Base. An optimal approach to the design of On-line Help systems that will overcome these problems is proposed and a prototype system implemented and evaluated. The research has achieved its aim of providing a contribution to the design and implementation of On-line Help Systems that should enhance both the usability and efficacy of On-line support systems

THE SECCESSIONIST MOVEMENTS AND VIOLENCE IN AFRICA: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF NIGERIA AND CAMEROON

The paper examined the political exclusion and agitation for self-determination in Nigeria and Cameroon, which shared past colonial experiences. By character, the colonial state in Africa was inherently closed as it did not permit for the inclusion of indigenous groups in the process of making decision that affected them. It is this state that was inherited after the attainment of self-rule without any, if at all little, modification or moderation. This has conditioned the nature of political struggle to fill in the political vacuum left by the colonial masters after independent propelled largely by identity interest. Particularly in the context of shrinking scarce resources. those groups that were able to secure political power exclude others from participating in decision-making process and democratic institutions. The unfolding crisis had not only deepened the differencesamong groups but further created discontent and hatred among various ethnic nationalities.Poor governance and prolonged military rule, in some instances, has worsened the situation by furtherance the discrimination of one group by the others. This provokes discord and violent agitations for better inclusion, and heighten the vociferous demands for self-determination. The paper in its methodology used secondary source of data collection. The paper found that lack of inclusion of groups, denying people’s participation and securing their access to political life, which pose threat to the development of democracy, promotion of national integration and peaceful co-existence among groups in both countries

Evaluation of serum Vitamin B12 levels in hormonal contraceptive users in some hospitals in Kano Metropolis

Aim: The aim of the study was to compare the levels of Vitamin B12in hormonal contraceptive users and women not on hormonal contraceptives in Kano. Methods: A total of 90 participants were recruited for the study; 60 were on hormonal contraceptive (HCP) users and served as the study subjects while 30 were apparently healthy non hormonal contraceptive users recruited as control subjects. Serum VitaminB12levels were evaluated for both groups and the mean levels were compared. Results: Among the 60 HCP users that were enrolled in this study, 29 use implants (48.3%), 14 (23.3%) used injectables;11 (18.3%) use oral pills and 6 (10.0%) participants used intrauterine contraceptive devices. Serum vitamin B12 levels of the two groups were determined using human B12 specific ELISA kit. The mean ± standard deviation of vitamin B12 levels in hormonal contraceptive users was 163.33±53.128 pg/ml while that of non-HCP users was 381.33±198.542 pg/ml. Statistical analysis for B12 levels indicated a statistically significant decrease in oral contraceptive users with a p-value of <0.001. The study also found statistically significant negative correlation (r<1) between duration of hormonal contraceptive use and serum vitamin B12 levels of HCPs users with r-value of -0.031 and p-value of 0.020. Conclusion: The present study observed a significant association between hormonal contraceptive use and serum vitamin B12 level. Significantly lower serum vitamin B12 concentrations were observed in HCP users. Therefore, Vitamin B12 supplementation or different contraceptive methods should be considered in women with pre-existing B12deficiency or restrictive dietary habits as the deficiency may be worsened by hormonal contraceptive use. Keywords: Contraception; Combined oral contraceptives; Vitamin B12; Vitamin B12 deficienc

Analysis of Mind-Set (Intention and Constraints) of Nigerian Students towards Entrepreneurship in the Country

The study examined the mind-set (intention and constraints) of Nigerian students towards entrepreneurship in the country. The study had six objectives and six null hypotheses. The researchers used descriptive design method. The population of the study was six hundred and fourty five (645). Four rating scale structured questionnaires titled Entrepreneurial intention and its constraint in Nigeria (EICN) was used to gather information for this study. Six hundred and fourty five (645) copies of the questionnaires were administered out of which six hundred and two (602) copies representing (93%) were retrieved and  subjected to statistical using SPSS on the basis of which informed conclusions were drawn. Two different statistical methods were employed to analyze data collected. The tools are logistic regression for null hypotheses one and two, while chi-square (X2) was employed to determine null hypotheses three to six. One of the findings of the study shows that the environment in Nigeria is not encouraging students to put into practice their entrepreneurial intention upon graduation. Based on this, it was recommended among others that, government should try and improve on power supply, access roads, markets, security among others. This will help to improve the present enabling environment. Keywords: Skills, Entrepreneurial, Interest, Challenges

Productive Vocabulary Knowledge of ESL Learners

The paper seeks to investigate the level of productive knowledge of ESL learners, the writing quality and the relationship between the vocabulary knowledge and the writing quality. 150 final year students of English language in a university in Nigeria were randomly selected as respondents. The respondents were asked to write an essay of 300 words within one hour. The essays were typed into Vocab Profiler of Cobb (2002) and analyzed the Lexical Frequency Profile of the respondents. The essays were also assessed by independent examiners using a standard rubric. The findings reveal that the level of productive vocabulary knowledge of the respondents is limited. The writing quality of the majority of the respondent is fair and there is a significant correlation between vocabulary and the witting quality of the subjects. The researchers posit that productive vocabulary is the predictor of writing quality and recommend various techniques through which teaching and learning of vocabulary can be improved