Barriers to BIM implementation and ways forward to improve its adoption in the Nigerian AEC firms

Purpose –BIM has much potential to improve the effectiveness of construction works with respect to design, construction and maintenance. However, many Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) firms are still lagging in the adoption and implementation of BIM in both developing and developed countries. The purpose of this study is to assess the barriers to BIM implementation, and examine the ways forward to improve BIM adoption within the Nigerian AEC firms. Design/methodology/approach – A comprehensive literature review and questionnaire survey were used in the study. The survey targeted four different AEC firms. These include architectural firms, facility management firms, quantity surveying firms and structural engineering firms in Lagos, Nigeria. The data obtained were analyzed using mean score, standard deviation, Kruskal- Wallis test, and factor analysis. Findings – The study identified 20 barriers to BIM implementation and identified 10 ways forward to improve BIM adoption in AEC firms, particularly in Nigeria. The relative importance of both the identified barriers and the ways forward were gauged. The Kruskal-Wallis tests revealed that except for one (out of 20) identified barriers, and one (out of 10) identified ways forward; there is no statistical significant difference in the perceptions of four different AEC firms. The factor analysis result grouped the 20 identified barriers into three major factors to include: weak top management support and BIM environment related issues; cost of BIM software and training issues; and incompatibility, legal, contractual, and culture related issues. Practical implications – The significance of the study cannot be over-emphasized due to BIM relevance to construction stakeholders and researchers at large. Originality/value – The study findings would inform the decisions of the construction stakeholders to make some policy recommendations capable of positively influencing the full BIM implementation in AEC firms

Single Dose of Dexamethasone for Prevention of Nausea and Vomiting After Major Gynaecological Surgery

BACKGROUND: Post-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is a common complications following general anaesthesia and is a leading cause of morbidity following surgery . The mainstay of management them is by the use of antiemetic.METHOD: It was a randomized double blind placebo controlled study. The sample size was calculated as 90 from previous study with 10% attrition to make the 100. They were randomly divided into two groups; group Breceived dexamethasone prophylactically at induction while group A received placebo also at induction. All patients had balanced general anaesthesia and were taken to the recovery room postoperatively whereincidences of postoperative nausea and vomiting were recorded. Patients with incidences of nausea and vomiting were treated with 10mg metoclopramide intravenously while postoperative complications thatmay be associated with dexamethasone prophylaxis were also noted.RESULTS: The groups were comparable with respect to demographic characteristics. More patients in group A(placebo group)) had incidence of nausea than group B (dexamethasone group) with p value of 0.01 and also more patients in group A had vomiting than group B with p value of 0.02; which was significant. The duration of stay in the recovery room for both groups A and B were however comparable with no statistical difference.CONCLUSION: Dexamethasone when given prophylactically at induction reduces incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting after  gynaecological surgeries.KEYWORDS: Postoperative nausea (PONV), Dexamethasone, prophylaxis, gynaecology

Determinants and effect of livelihood diversification among small-scale poultry farmers in Oyo State, Nigeria

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Maternal mortality audit in a tertiary health institution in Nigeria: Lessons from direct causes and its drivers

Introduction: Nigeria has the second highest number of maternal deaths in the world.The study aimed at determining the causes of and non-obstetric contributors to maternal mortality at a tertiary referral hospital.Materials and Methods: It was a prospective audit of all consecutive maternal deaths in the hospital over a three-year period. Immediately after the death,information was retrieved via a data collection form.Data were analysed with SPSS-20.Results: Seventy deaths were examined over the study period. Maternal mortality ratio was 1,265/100,000 live births.The annual ratio decreased steadily over the study period.Most of the deaths were of multiparous women who had not received any antenatal care,and were mostly postpartum, within 24 hours of delivery.Most of them were critically ill on admission to the hospital. Major causes of death were haemorrhage (36%), sepsis (17%) and hypertensive disorders (16%).Delays were identified in 34.3% of cases;most (70.1%) were Phase III delays.Discussion: Direct causes of maternal mortality are consistent with those found in literature. Steps which the centre has been taken to counter direct and non-obstetric causes are discussed. Possible strategies to improve health financing and referral system are proffered.Keywords: Maternal mortality,delay

Sexual practices of deaf and hearing secondary school students in Ibadan, Nigeria

Background: Adolescents and young people with disabilities generally face various forms of discrimination. Inspite of this, they have to deal with similar reproductive health issues encountered by their abled peers. This situation is made worse by misconceptions that they are not sexually active.Objective: The objective was to compare the sexual practices of the hearing impaired students with their non-hearing impaired counterparts.Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted. All consenting deaf students and an equal number of hearing students attending a half way school in Ibadan participated. Four of the hearing students did not complete the survey and their responses were excluded from the final analysis.Results: A total of 78 deaf students and 74 hearing students with mean ages of 17.1 (S.D. ± 3.0) and 15.8 (S.D. ± 1.9) years respectively participated. Twenty-six (33.3%) deaf and 36 (48.6%) hearingstudents had ever had sexual intercourse (p = 0.055). Median ages at sexual debut were 16 and 14 years for the deaf and hearing students respectively. The number of sexual partners ever had ranged from 1 to 8 among the deaf and 1 to 6 among the hearing students. Four (15.4%) deaf and 23 (63.9%) hearing students reported that they used a condom the last time they had sexual intercourse.Conclusion: The study revealed that hearing-impaired students like their hearing counterparts were sexually active however deaf students were more likely to engage in unsafe sex. There is therefore a pressing need for comprehensive sexuality education for deaf students in the study area.Keywords: Sexual practices, deaf and hearing students, Ibada

Agama lizard: A potential biomarker of environmental heavy metal pollution assessment

In this study, the suitability of Agama lizard as a biomarker in assessing environmental pollution levels of arsenium (As), barium (Ba), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) was investigated. Samples of top soil and agama lizards were taken from five sites within a university community in Nigeria for the study. Soil samples, livers and kidneys from the lizards were subjected to wet acid digestion and levels of heavy metals in the digested samples were determined using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). Results of the study showed that the levels of the metals ranged from Cd, 20.4 ± 2.6 ìg/g to Zn, 978.6 ± 2.2 ìg/g in soil; Cd, not detected to Zn, 42.2 ± 0.3 ìg/g in liver; As and Ba, not detected to 47.6 ± 1.0 ìg/g Zn in kidney. The inter matrices correlation coefficient values obtained for the heavy metals showed that the kidney of lizards would be more relevant in assessing soil levels of such heavy metals as As, Ba, Cd, Mn and Pb among others.Key words: Agama lizard, environmental pollution, soil, heavy metals, liver, kidney

Using Magnetically Responsive Tea Waste to Remove Lead in Waters under Environmentally Relevant Conditions

We report the use of a simple yet highly effective magnetite-waste tea composite to remove lead(II) (Pb[superscript 2+]) ions from water. Magnetite-waste tea composites were dispersed in four different types of water–deionized (DI), artificial rainwater, artificial groundwater and artificial freshwater–that mimic actual environmental conditions. The water samples had varying initial concentrations (0.16–5.55 ppm) of Pb[superscript 2+] ions and were mixed with the magnetite-waste tea composite for at least 24 hours to allow adsorption of the Pb[superscript 2+] ions to reach equilibrium. The magnetite-waste tea composites were stable in all the water samples for at least 3 months and could be easily removed from the aqueous media via the use of permanent magnets. We detected no significant leaching of iron (Fe) ions into the water from the magnetite-waste tea composites. The percentage of Pb adsorbed onto the magnetite-waste tea composite ranged from ~70% to 100%; the composites were as effective as activated carbon (AC) in removing the Pb[superscript 2+] ions from water, depending on the initial Pb concentration. Our prepared magnetite-waste tea composites show promise as a green, inexpensive and highly effective sorbent for removal of Pb in water under environmentally realistic conditions.SUTD-MIT International Design Center (Research Grant IDG11200105/IDD11200109)Singapore-MIT Allianc

Epidermal growth factor mediates spermatogonial proliferation in newt testis

The complex processes of spermatogenesis are regulated by various factors. The aim of the current study is to determine the effect of epidermal growth factor (EGF) on spermatogonial proliferation and clarify the mechanism causing the proliferation in newt testis. In the organ culture, EGF stimulated spermatogonial proliferation, but not their differentiation into spermatocytes. cDNA cloning identified 3 members of the EGF receptors, ErbB1, ErbB2, and ErbB4, in the testis. RT-PCR showed that all the receptors cloned were expressed in both Sertoli and germ cells at the spermatogonial stage. In the organ cultures with inhibitors for the EGF receptors, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), the EGF-induced spermatogonial proliferation was suppressed. Furthermore, when the organ culture was exposed to EGF, the expressions of stem cell factor (SCF), immunoglobulin-like domain containing neuregulin1 (Ig-NRG1), and ErbB4 mRNA were increased. These results suggested that, since the spermatogonia are sequestered within cysts by the blood-testis barrier consisted of Sertoli cells, EGF possibly mediates spermatogonial proliferation in an endocrine manner through the receptors including ErbB1, ErbB2, and ErbB4 expressed on Sertoli cells via activation of MAPK cascade or/and PI3K cascade by elevating the expressions of SCF, Ig-NRG1, and ErbB4