Factors Influencing the Use of Low Carbon Emissivity Features and Strategies in Office Buildings

This study identified the factors influencing adoption, integration and use of low carbon emissivity strategies including features in office buildings which professional outfits and consultants who were responsible for conceiving the designs which involved 16 green office buildings located within Central Business District area of the FCT North Central Zone of Abuja, Nigeria. This was with a view to adopting them and making solid contributions on enhancing office user’s comfort within the office buildings studied. Key factors investigated were 26 and they included nature of the client, availability of skill sets by the respective vendors and the sizes of the office buildings facilitated. A quantitative research methodology was adopted which included administration of the research instrument which had eighty professionals in construction and design responding to structured questions on their understanding of the subject matter. Data obtained from the field was analyzed descriptively using the SPSS software for analyzing data by social scientists. The statistics obtained from the field reveals that mean scores attributed to the individual factors which were 26 ranges from 2.72 and 3.76. Ranked in the order of influence of each of the 26 factors, the results further show that the three top most influential factors with mean values of 3.76, 3.60 and 3.51 were nature of the client, availability of skill in the firms to handle the design features and strategies and sizes of the buildings in the selected office buildings. Further analyzing the data indicates a majority of the 26 factors investigated had influence on applications of these low carbon emissivity reducing products in the buildings investigated in the research. It is believed that understanding these factors will contribute towards adopting more of these carbon emissivity reducing products in future office construction projects within the city of Abuja thereby enhancing further mitigation of the effects of the further release of the harmful carbon elements by the constructed offices into the cities landscape. That way, climate change and its effects on the built environment will be further understood in the context of the research thereby enhancing office buildings users’ comfort. Keywords: Low Carbon, Emissivity, Energy, Efficiency, Design,  Strategies, Design Features, Buildings DOI: 10.7176/JESD/14-12-02 Publication date:June 30th 2023

Design and Construction of a Low-Cost-High-Accessibility 3D Printing Machine for Producing Plastic Components

The additive manufacturing process creates objects directly by stacking layers of material on each other until the required product is obtained. The application of additive manufacturing technology for teaching and research purposes is still limited and unpopular in developing countries, due to costs and lack of accessibility. In this study, an extruding-based 3D printing additive manufacturing technology was employed to design and construct a low-cost-high-accessibility 3D printing machine to manufacture plastic objects. The machine was designed using SolidWorks 2020 version with a 10 × 10 × 10 cm3 build volume. The fabrication was carried out using locally available materials, such as PVC pipes for the frame, plywood for the bed, and Zinc Oxide plaster for the bed surface. Repetier firmware was the operating environment for devices running on the computer operating system. Cura was used as the slicing software. The fabricated machine was tested, and the printer produced 3D components with desired structural dimensions. The fabricated 3D printer was used to manufacture some plastic objects using PLA filament. The recommended distance between the nozzle tip and the bed is 0.1 mm. The constructed 3D printer is affordable and accessible, especially in developing nations where 3D printing applications are limited and unpopular

Early Detection and Monitoring of Gastrointestinal Infections Using Syndromic Surveillance: A Systematic Review.

The underreporting of laboratory-reported cases of community-based gastrointestinal (GI) infections poses a challenge for epidemiologists understanding the burden and seasonal patterns of GI pathogens. Syndromic surveillance has the potential to overcome the limitations of laboratory reporting through real-time data and more representative population coverage. This systematic review summarizes the utility of syndromic surveillance for early detection and surveillance of GI infections. Relevant articles were identified using the following keyword combinations: 'early warning', 'detection', 'gastrointestinal activity', 'gastrointestinal infections', 'syndrome monitoring', 'real-time monitoring', 'syndromic surveillance'. In total, 1820 studies were identified, 126 duplicates were removed, and 1694 studies were reviewed. Data extraction focused on studies reporting the routine use and effectiveness of syndromic surveillance for GI infections using relevant GI symptoms. Eligible studies (n = 29) were included in the narrative synthesis. Syndromic surveillance for GI infections has been implemented and validated for routine use in ten countries, with emergency department attendances being the most common source. Evidence suggests that syndromic surveillance can be effective in the early detection and routine monitoring of GI infections; however, 24% of the included studies did not provide conclusive findings. Further investigation is necessary to comprehensively understand the strengths and limitations associated with each type of syndromic surveillance system

Chemical Evaluation of African Palm Weevil, Rhychophorus phoenicis, Larvae as a Food Source

The chemical properties of the African palm weevil, Rhychophorus phoenicis (F.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), larvae were evaluated using standard methodology. The chloroform-methanol extract yielded 37.12% on a dry basis. The oil was liquid at room temperature with a flash point of 36.0 °C. Analysis of the physical constants indicated values of 192.25 Wijs and 427.70 mg KOH/g as iodine and saponification, respectively. Fatty acid analysis of the extracted oil showed the presence of unsaturated fatty acids at low levels. Palmitic acid and stearic acid constituted 35.3 and 60.5% of the oil, respectively. The usual behaviour of the oil at room temperature, irrespective of the level of unsaturation of its constituent fatty acid was noted. The total protein content of the defatted palm weevil larva (dry basis) was estimated at 66.3%. The amino acid values compared favourably to FAO reference protein, except for tryptophan, which was limiting. All the other essential amino acids were adequate. Mineral analysis revealed high levels of potassium (1025 mg/100 g) and phosphorus (685 mg/100 g). The dried and defatted palm weevil lava represents a very good source of protein, and a good complement of essential amino acids

Epidemiological profile of the Ebola virus disease outbreak in Nigeria, July-September 2014

Introduction: In July 2014, Nigeria experienced an outbreak of Ebola virus disease following the introduction of the disease by an ill Liberian Traveler. The Government of Nigeria with the support of Technical and Development Partners responded quickly and effectively to contain the outbreak. The epidemiological profile of the outbreak that majorly affected two States in the country in terms of person, place and time characteristics of the cases identified is hereby described. Methods: Using field  investigation technique, all confirmed and probable cases were identified, line-listed and analysed using Microsoft Excel 2007 by persons, time and place. Results: A total of 20 confirmed and probable cases; 16 in Lagos (including the index case from Liberia) and 4 in Port Harcourt were  identified. The mean age was 39.5 ± 12.4 years with over 40% within the age group 30-39 years. The most frequent exposure type was direct physical contact in 70% of all cases and 73% among health care workers. The total case-fatality was 40%; higher among healthcare workers (46%) compared with non-healthcare workers (22%). The epidemic curve initially shows a typical common source outbreak, followed by a propagated pattern. Conclusion: Investigation revealed the size and spread of the outbreak and provided information on the characteristics of persons, time and place. Enhanced surveillance measures, including contact tracing and follow-up proved very useful in early case detection and containment of the outbreak

Analysis of Cooking Energy Preference among Households in Jos North Local Government Area, Plateau State

This study assessed cooking energy preference among households in Jos North Local Government Area, Plateau State Nigeria. The multistage sampling procedure was used to select 120 households from six political wards of the Local Government Area for the study. Primary data were collected through the use of questionnaires and interview schedule and were subjected to both descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings from the study revealed that the mean age of the respondents was 40 years with 58.3% of them being male and 80.8% married. The study also showed that 42.5% of the respondents had a tertiary education with an average household size of 6 persons. The results also revealed that 50.8% of the respondents were businessmen/women. The mean monthly income of household heads in the study area stood at N26833. The major energy type used by the respondents was kerosene (48.3%) with many (49.1%) of them combining at least two cooking energy types in their households. The majority (50.6%) of household heads indicated a willingness to switch to higher energy types with an increase in income. The multinomial regression result showed that the most significant factors influencing the choice of cooking energy among the households were marital status, educational status, occupation, income, and energy cost