Bottle house: A case study of transdisciplinary research for tackling global challenges

This work was done in collaboration with colleagues from the institute of Engineering sciences and Architecture Research Institute The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.Globalisation has brought a number of challenges to the fore, particularly those problems which require collaboration, innovation and capability development between nations. There are some complex issues piquing the attention of researchers with respect to sustainable development, such as, waste management, climate change, and access to amenities, housing or education. Non-Governmental Organisations, Institutions, governments and others working in the field of international development have been grappling with these difficulties for decades. However, it is becoming apparent that many of these difficulties require multifaceted solutions, particularly in Low and Middle Income countries (LMIC) where it is difficult to consolidate gains and fund schemes. Development work can sometimes be disjointed and inefficient, impairing the capability of local communities and inhibiting sustainable and innovative approaches. Transdisciplinary collaboration is reliably a more efficient way of tackling some of the most pertinacious challenges. This paper presents findings from a transdisciplinary research project focussed on developing resources and capacity for the construction of affordable homes in a low income community in Nigeria. The project explored the suitability of using upcycled materials such as plastic bottles and agricultural waste in construction. Using a user-centred, co-creation methodology, a team of experts from the UK and Nigeria worked with local entrepreneurs to build a prototype home. The study explores the functionality of the home and the sustainability of project. The findings demonstrate the benefits of tackling global challenges from a transdisciplinary perspective. This has implications for researchers focused on developing technical solutions for low-income communities

Most Networks in Wagner's Model Are Cycling

In this paper we study a model of gene networks introduced by Andreas Wagner in the 1990s that has been used extensively to study the evolution of mutational robustness. We investigate a range of model features and parameters and evaluate the extent to which they influence the probability that a random gene network will produce a fixed point steady state expression pattern. There are many different types of models used in the literature, (discrete/continuous, sparse/dense, small/large network) and we attempt to put some order into this diversity, motivated by the fact that many properties are qualitatively the same in all the models. Our main result is that random networks in all models give rise to cyclic behavior more often than fixed points. And although periodic orbits seem to dominate network dynamics, they are usually considered unstable and not allowed to survive in previous evolutionary studies. Defining stability as the probability of fixed points, we show that the stability distribution of these networks is highly robust to changes in its parameters. We also find sparser networks to be more stable, which may help to explain why they seem to be favored by evolution. We have unified several disconnected previous studies of this class of models under the framework of stability, in a way that had not been systematically explored before

Crk and CrkL adaptor proteins: networks for physiological and pathological signaling

The Crk adaptor proteins (Crk and CrkL) constitute an integral part of a network of essential signal transduction pathways in humans and other organisms that act as major convergence points in tyrosine kinase signaling. Crk proteins integrate signals from a wide variety of sources, including growth factors, extracellular matrix molecules, bacterial pathogens, and apoptotic cells. Mounting evidence indicates that dysregulation of Crk proteins is associated with human diseases, including cancer and susceptibility to pathogen infections. Recent structural work has identified new and unusual insights into the regulation of Crk proteins, providing a rationale for how Crk can sense diverse signals and produce a myriad of biological responses

Verification of Some Vegetable Oils as Cutting Fluid for Aluminium

Vegetable oils (palm oil, groundnut oil, shear butter oil and cotton seed oil) have been used as lubricants in the turning operation of aluminum under varying spindle speeds, feed rates and depths of cut and the results compared with kerosene (due to the gummy nature of aluminium metal). The parameters investigated are the chip thickness ratio, surface finish and surface temperature. Their performances when compared with the conventional soluble oil have shown that they can perform the same functions as imported ones in the machining of aluminum. They reduced chip thickness ratio, improved surface finish and exhibited good cooling behaviour at the work piece-tool interface. This performance is due to their high viscosities and the presence of surface active agents such as stearic acid and halogens, such as chlorine which help to reduce surface energy of a liquid and increase its wetting ability or oiliness

Exhaust Emissions of Biodiesel Binary and Multi-blends from Cotton, Jatropha and Neem Oil from Stationary Multi Cylinder CI Engine

Biodiesel considerably decrease the CO and CO₂ emissions and its blends reduce NOₓ emissions. In this work, binary blends of biodiesel from Cotton, Jatropha and Neem with diesel were prepared in form of B5C, B10C, B15C, B20C, B25C and B30C for Cotton at 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25% and 30% respectively. This was similarly done for Jatropha and Neem biodiesel designated as B5J and B10N, etc. A set of multi-blends of all the 3biodiesel with diesel were also prepared. The fuel samples were used to run a Cusson’s 4-cylinder, stationary diesel engine with data logger system. The exhaust emissions of fuel during the combustion process were measured using IMR 1400 gas analyser to detect the composition of flue gases at 1500 rpm, 2000 rpm, and 2500 rpm engine speeds. It was found that, B20C has the lowest exhaust temperature, lowest percentage losses, highest combustion efficiency, and lowest NOₓ and CO₂ emissions, but highest SO₂ emissions although with negligible percentage. The binary biodiesel blends are better than the multi-blends in terms of exhaust emissions reduction

Metode Konsumsi Air Putih Terjadwal untuk Penanganan Bakteriuria Asimtomatik pada Ibu Hamil

Buku ini secara kusus membahas terkait Infeksi Saluran Kemih (bakteriuria asimtomatik) yang terjadi pada ibu hamil. Sebagaimana kita tahu bahwa angka kejadian sekitar bakteriuria asimtomatik sangat besar sekitar 70% terjadi pada populasi ibu hamil dan menyumbang angka kematian sekitar 150 juta per tahun di seluruh dunia. Untuk itu pada Tahun 2016 WHO merekomendasikan pemeriksaan bakteriuria asimtomatik pada setiap ibu hamil. Ibu hamil rentan terinfeksi karena adanya peningkatan kadar hormon progesteron menyebabkan terjadinya relaksasi pada otot polos saluran kemih dan penurunan peristaltic usus, sehingga menyebabkan bakteri mudah berkembang pada saluran kemih. Salah satu upaya yang dapat dilakukan secara mudah dan murah dengan mengkonsumsi air putih dalam jumlah cukup, karena secara signifikan mampu membantu membilas dan mendilusi urine sehingga mengurangi perkembangan bakteriuria asimtomatik. Berdasarkan rekomendasi dari POGI, konsumsi air putih pada trimester I sebanyak 2180 ml / hari sedangkan pada trimester II dan III sebesar 2300 ml / hari. Penulis telah melakukan sebuah penelitian dengan mengembangkan metode konsumsi air putih terjadwal yang hasilnya sangat baik dan dapat digunakan sebagai rekomendasi terbaru bagi Bidan dan tenaga Kesehatan dalam upaya pencegahan dan penanganan infeksi saluran kemih. Untuk jelasnya dapat di lihat dalam buku ini

Design and Fabrication of a Single Slope Solar Still with Variable Collector Angle

Abstract-This work presents the development of a flexible, efficient, robust and low cost single solar still. Experimental investigations were carried out on two single slope solar stills: a modified solar still with variable collector/inclination angle (still A), and a conventional solar still with rigid angle of collector/inclination (still B). The significance of the design is its ability to be able to optimally function properly by variation of the angle at which solar radiation is optimally incident on the system at different locations and time. Also, the experiment was carried out at latitude of 11º 20 ′ in Samaru, Zaria – Nigeria, during an average period of solar radiation. Experimental results between the hours of 8.00 am and 5.00 pm for a period of 5 days were carefully obtained and analyzed. The results clearly show that distillate peak yield occurred between 2.00 pm and 3.00 pm while minimum yield was obtained between 8.00 am and 9.00 am during the period of experiment. It was observed that, still B had an average yield of 1.366 liter/day/m 2 as compared to still A, (1.407 liter/day/m 2). Furthermore, the results obtained for the two single slope solar stills were analyzed using a statistical model (a paired T-test). The outcomes clearly suggest that, there is no significant difference between the distillate of still A (efficiency of 42%) and still B (efficiency of 39%). Implications of the results from the design are discussed for the development of robust and dynamic single slope solar still systems with variable collector/inclination angle. This has the potential and capacity to produce distilled water for domestic, industrial and commercial purposes irrespective of the geographical location