Evaluation of the Effects of Rapid Urban Population Growth on the Health Infrastructures in Selected Urban Centers in Anambra State.

The aim of this study is to ascertain the effects of rapid urban population growth on the health infrastructures in selected urban centres in Anambra State. The study adopted survey research design, using the questionnaire as the main instrument of data generation. Considering the study area, the three major urban centers selected are incorporated into two local government each that is Nnewi north and south for Nnewi, Awka north and south for Awka and Onitsha north and south for Onitsha. A total of 405 persons were sampled, that is 135 each from Awka, Nnewi, and Onitsha. Stratified Random Sampling technique was employed in distributing the questionnaires, with the mean cut–off being applied on the 5–point likert scale questionnaire to analyse the responses. The research established that population growth in the selected urban centres (Awka, Nnewi and Onitsha) negatively affects social infrastructures such as health, recreational and educational facilities. That the effects of population growth on health infrastructure in the three urban centres are significantly the same. The study have been able to prove that health  infrastructure are significantly affected on by population growth in the selected areas. The impact of population growth on social / health infrastructure is the same in Onitsha, Nnewi and Awka. In line with the findings, the following were recommended: There is need to plan and execute a strategic population census, to create a database with the actual population of the actual inhabitants of the urban centres as this is vital to population projections and planning of sustainable social infrastructure (like for today and a target future say next 20-50years). Existing health infrastructures should be expanded in the three urban centres while new ones be initiated to carter for present and future population. High  quality/durable materials  should be used  for health infrastructure construction. More sound health infrastructures should be initiated in the rural areas to reduce population growth in urban areas. Implementation of high quality service delivery in rural areas will reduce population growth in urban centres. In the light of sustainable development it is pertinent that urban population growth is checked for the  sake  of the present and future generation. KEYWORDS: Urban Population Growth, Effects on Health Infrastructure DOI: 10.7176/JNSR/10-4-06 Publication date: February 29th 2020

Analyses of Land and Housing Price Inflation in Nigeria, A Study of Federal Capital Territory Abuja from 1999 to 2009

The aim of this study is to critically considered inflation in the prices of land and housing in the Abuja property market from 1999 to 2009, and it is limited to residential property in the phase one of the Abuja property market. This research work was carried out to determine if actually there has been a persistence increase in the prices of residential accommodation in the study area, and also to determine the factors responsible for such increase. Data for the study were collected through observations, personal interviews, and library studies. The data so collected were analyzed using measures of central tendency, graphs and simple percentage table. The result of the study shows that there is inflation in the Abuja property market within the period under investigation. It also shows that the prices of land and housing are increasing at an average inflation rate of 50.1% for lease property and 39.3% for sale property. The work thus recommended the following: that the Government should provide mortgage insurance to first time home buyers who do not have credit history and to low-to middle income families  in  order  to  achieve  our  aim  of  providing affordable housing; the Federal government should de-centralize government offices from the city centre to other parts of the state to help reduce the demand of land and housing in the study area, in effect reducing the continuous-increase in the prices of land and housing, as people will have to shift to take abode in residential properties close to their offices; the government should go into mass housing development and also corporate with private developers in a bid to make different types of residential housing units available, thereby increasing the supply of the housing unit to meet demand for them. This will help reduce the continuous increase in the housing prices. Keywords: Land, Housing and Price Inflation

Facility Management in Educational Institutions: A Study of Nnamdi Azkiwe University Awka

This study evaluated the facilities available at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka with a view to making recommendations for effective management and efficient service through: identifying the facilities available in the school,  measuring their efficiency and effective management of these facilities through data collection from the inhabitants, analyzing the data so obtained and drawing inference from them. The Facilities investigated includes: Electricity Supply Facilities, Water Supply Facilities, Hostels and Library. The study adopted a questionnaire survey method to sample the opinion of students inhabiting the school hostels. It was found that although some facilities were provided, the quantity provided is adequate and mostly ill maintained for two possible reasons; acute growth in population and lack of funds. The conditions of the available facilities are below standard and even were up to standard, they were considerably below the required capacity. It was also discovered that on individual opinion for each facility analyzed, the number of respondents who think that the facilities management operations need to be improved are a lot higher than those who do not. The study thus recommended that for the empowerment of facilities management in the university and the country as a whole; Formal training in facilities management should in incorporated in various tertiary institutions with necessary inputs from key staff organizations that have applied facilities management principles and theories; as funds are set aside for procurement of facilities, provision also be made for the efficient management of the facilities; better planning techniques should be adopted by the facilities managers, with this misappropriation of funds made available for facilities development and management will be avoided

Determination Of The Significance Level Of Environmental And Economic Effects Of The Road Failure Of Onitsha-Enugu Expressway Southeastern Nigeria On The Road Users.

Considering the implications of the problem of road failure to man and the failure of Onitsha-Enugu Expressway which has been lingering for many years now, this work was borne with the aim of evaluating the stand of the road users on the Economic, Health and Environmental effects of the road failure of Onitsha-Enugu Expressway on them. To this effect, population of the road users was determined by volumetric analysis and their opinions were harnessed using questionnaire survey method. The data obtained was analyzed using Student-T test in which the available options were grouped into 2, namely agree and disagree. The test was done separately for economic, health and environmental effects respectively. It was found that there exist differences in the percentage of agreement and disagreement for each effect with the percentage of respondents in agreement being greater in all. The statistical analysis confirmed that there is significant difference. The work therefore concluded that the failure of Onitsha-Enugu Expressway has significantly negative economic, health and environmental effects on the road users.  The work thus recommended an immediate intervention of the government to hasten the contractors and all concerned to repair this failed road in order to minimize these negative effects

Comparative Economic Analysis of Upland and Lowland Rice Production in Izzi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

A study on comparative economic analysis of upland and lowland rice production in Izzi Local Government Area was carried out. A total of 112 rice farmers were interviewed (56 from upland rice and 56 from lowland rice) in the study area using multistage random sampling techniques. The result of gross-margin analysis revealed that upland rice is more profitable than lowland rice as justified by 75% and 51% respectively as was calculated from gross-margin. Linear and exponential forms of the four functional form of regression analysis were chosen as the lead equation for socio-economic factors and production factors respectively. From the findings, it was established that upland rice production is more profitable than lowland rice production. The study therefore recommended the provision of capital, input subsidy, market and weather information, strengthening of farmers by disseminating information and assisting them adopt improved packages for rice production as ways to enhance rice production in the area

Comparative Analysis of the Soil Geotechnical Characteristics of the Failed and Unfailed Sections of the Onitsha-Enugu Expressway, Southeastern Nigeria.

This work compared the soil geotechnical characteristics of the failed sections of the road and that of the un-failed sections of the road to establish whether they are significantly different or related. To achieve this, soil samples from both failed and un-failed sections of the road were analyzed. The data so generated, were tested using Correlation Coefficient for relationship and Students T-test for difference. It was found that there exist insignificant relationship between the failed and the un-failed sections of the road, there is significant difference between the two variables and there is wide discrepancies between the geotechnical characteristics of the failed sections and the standard of soil geotechnical characteristics set by the Federal Ministry of Works for highway sub-grades.  It was therefore concluded that the road failure was due to poor geotechnical characteristics of the soil. The work recommended that the variation in the geotechnical characteristics of the soils along the roadway should be accommodated during reconstruction. Sequel to this, knowledge of soil geotechnical characteristics and underlying geology of an area becomes indispensable before any construction, reconstruction or rehabilitation project commences.

An Investigation of the Pattern And Environmental Impact of Oil Spillage in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State, Nigeria

Sequel to the threat posed by incessant oil spill in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, this work was conceived with the aim of examining the pattern of oil spillage in Etche Local Government, in Rivers State of Nigeria and the consequent impact on the environment. The study adopted the survey research design. Interviews, questionnaire and observation instruments were employed in data generation and collection. Graphic illustrations and percentage analysis were also employed to describe the relative ratio of each factor to other factors.  Result revealed that about 29 oil spill incidents occurred within the period under study (2001-2007). The volume of oil spilled cumulated to 4,270 barrels; with year 2003 having the highest (4171.5 barrels) and year 2005, having the lowest (0.1 barrel). The work concluded by recommending HSE Training (Staff/contractors), Improved asset integrity management (that may include: Flowline replacement, Flowline burial, Flowstation and facilities upgrade, Integrity testing and inspection), emergency response  to spill cases, Surveillance by communities, Awareness campaigns, Improved interaction with communities and Presence of Joint Task Force (JTF) for efficient and effective spill management law enforcement

Evaluating the Causes of the Road Failure of Onitsha-Enugu Expressway, Southeastern Nigeria.

Considering the persistence of road failure along the Onitsha -Enugu expressway and many other roads in the southeastern Nigeria, this work was conceived with the aim of evaluating the causes of the road failure in other to help marshal out effective and efficient measures of tackling this problem of road failure. The study adopted a survey design which employed the use of a well structured questionnaire to gather information on the causes and effects of the road failure. To determine the sample size, volumetric analysis was used and the data so generated was analyzed using One-way Analysis of Variance and Post HOC test. The ANOVA shows the variation among the causes is not significantly different while the Post HOC test ranked the causative factors treated. The work thus concluded that all the factors listed contribute to the failure of the road with inadequate maintenance, mismanagement by the government and old age of the road pavement being the major factors. The work therefore recommends that there should be Quality Determination for materials during construction, Effective Maintenance Programme (routine or preventive maintenance, periodic maintenance, and disaster maintenance or major repairs of our roads) and Establishment of an Active Maintenance Crew

Novel Bispecific Antibody for Synovial-Specific Target Delivery of Anti-TNF Therapy in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Biologic drugs, especially anti-TNF, are considered as the gold standard therapy in rheumatoid arthritis. However, non-uniform efficacy, incidence of infections, and high costs are major concerns. Novel tissue-specific agents may overcome the current limitations of systemic administration, providing improved potency, and safety. We developed a bispecific antibody (BsAb), combining human arthritic joint targeting, via the synovial-specific single-chain variable fragment (scFv)-A7 antibody, and TNFα neutralization, via the scFv-anti-TNFα of adalimumab, with the binding/blocking capacity comparable to adalimumab -immunoglobulin G (IgG). Tissue-targeting capacity of the BsAb was confirmed on the human arthritic synovium in vitro and in a synovium xenograft Severe combined immune deficient (SCID) mouse model. Peak graft accumulation occurred at 48 h after injection with sustained levels over adalimumab-IgG for 7 days and increased therapeutic effect, efficiently decreasing tissue cellularity, and markers of inflammation with higher potency compared to the standard treatment. This study provides the first description of a BsAb capable of drug delivery, specifically to the disease tissue, and a strong evidence of improved therapeutic effect on the human arthritic synovium, with applications to other existing biologics

Knowledge Levels, Attitude and Beliefs of Men towards the Digital Rectal Examinations (DRE): A study in Trinidad

Background: Trinidad and Tobago have been ranked as having one of the highest cancer mortality rates in the Caribbean. Prostate cancer was identified as the most common cancer in men, with a higher mortality than any other cancer. At least 1 in 9 men in Trinidad and Tobago will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine knowledge levels, attitudes, and beliefs of men aged 40 years and over regarding digital rectal examination (DRE). The investigators considered this crucial following the scourge of prostate cancer in Trinidad and Tobago and an apparent lack of the use of the DRE, a noted method of screening for the condition for early detection. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was undertaken using 216 men who were at least 40 years old and who gave their informed consent; these men were attending a central mall in Trinidad in the month of April 2018 when the data was collected. Data was collected using the researchers’ designed, self-administered questionnaire and analysed using SPSS version 20. Result: Results indicate that most men (95.8%) are knowledgeable/very knowledgeable about DRE. Similarly, most (64.6%) of the men have favourable/very favourable attitudes towards DRE while 59.3% of them indicated that their beliefs have little or major influence regarding their participation in DRE. It also showed that the men’s beliefs are associated with their ethnicity (pDiscussion/Recommendation/Conclusion: The findings suggest that perhaps the attitudes and beliefs of men aged 40 years and over attending this mall are better predictors of intentions than their knowledge. This needs to be explored further given the need to curb the prevalence of prostate cancer amongst men in Trinidad and Tobago