Educational building conditions and the health of users

In order to maintain a healthy learning environment, diagnosis and management of defects in the educational facility are paramount. The preliminary results of the ongoing research reported here seek to identify defects associated with educational buildings and their effects on the health of polytechnic students and staff in Nigeria. A questionnaire survey, including 34 defects based on a post-occupancy evaluation (POE) was used to establish relationships with the health of polytechnic students and staff. Two hundred (200) respondents were randomly selected based on their schools (faculty) within Lagos State Polytechnic. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for analysis of the collected data. The results of the study indicate that defects such as plumbing and dampness problems, cobwebs and dust, are prominent in the institution. Also the relationship between building conditions (defects) and health problems was established, with the predictors of the health problems. Based on the findings, it is important for designers and managers of facilities within tertiary institutions to develop and implement design and maintenance policies targeted at minimizing the likelihood of plumbing, dampness, electrical, cobweb and dust problems in educational buildings due to the health risks induced by the defects. It is evident that effective maintenance schedules and policies should be put in place to ensure that facilities are not left to decay before replacement

Police Brutality in the United States of America and Nigeria; A Comparative Analysis

The recent spate of incidents regarding excessive use of force by law enforcement in the United States against mostly unarmed African Americans has elicited protests across the country. The ensuing outrage about police brutality brought to national attention the discriminatory practices in the criminal justice system. It also demonstrated that human rights violations by law enforcement are not an exclusive experience of developing nations, which are expected to look up to countries like the United States as a model for standard policing. Extant research, however, indicates excessive use of force is a common phenomenon in every country, including the United States of America. This comparative study examines the motive, cause, police culture, and effects of police brutality in Nigeria and the United States. This study looks at the history and structure of policing in the two countries, against a background of agitation for police reforms in Nigeria by scholars who look to the United States as a model of policing. This qualitative approach study relies on secondary data from articles, journals, agencies, news posts, and media and compares cases of police brutality in both countries from 2010 to 2020. Preliminary findings indicate lack of accountability is a common factor in law enforcement in the two countries, despite their different standings in the comity of nations. Other predictive factors evident in the police forces of the two countries, including the leadership problem and weakness in recruitment policy, are also outlined in the study. Finally, policy recommendations and suggestions for future research are outline

Isolation of an antibacterial stilbene from Combretum woodii (Combretaceae) leaves

Acetone extracts of C. woodii leaf powder was separated by solvent-solvent partition into six fractions. The highest total activity was in the chloroform fraction. This fraction contained mainly one compound active against S. aureus. This compound was isolated by bioassay-guided fractionation using silica gel open column chromatography and identified by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and mass spectroscopy (MS) as the stilbene 2’,3’,4-trihydroxyl-3,5,4’-trimethoxybibenzyl (combretastatin B5) previously isolated from the seeds of C. kraussii. It showed significant activity against S. aureus withan MIC of 16 mg/ml but with lower activity towards P. aeruginosa (125 mg/ml), E. faecalis (125 mg/ml) and slight activity against E. coli. This is the first report of the antimicrobial activity of combretastatin B5. Its concentration in the leaves was in the order of 5-10 mg/g which makes the use of non-polar leafextracts a viable proposition in treating some infections, particularly in resource-poor settings

Combretum woodii (Combretaceae) leaf extracts have high activity against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria

Dried ground leaves of Combretum woodii were extracted with 10 different solvents (hexane, diisopropyl ether, diethyl ether, methylene dichloride, ethyl acetate, tetrahydrofuran, acetone, ethanol, methanol and water) to determine the best extractant for subsequent isolation and characterization of antibacterial compounds. With the exception of the water extract, which had no antibacterial activity, the other extracts were bioactive with at least one of them exhibiting minimum inhibitory concentration values of 0.04 mg/ml against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli or Enterococcus faecalis. Intermediate polarity solvents extracted c. 10% of the dry mass compared to c. 3% with the more polar or non-polar solvents. These solvents also had higher antibacterial activity than more polar or non-polar extractants. Ethyl acetate was the best extractant with an average minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of 0.08 mg/ml for the four pathogens followed by acetone and methylene dichloride with values of 0.14 mg/ml. The average MIC values for the positive controls were 0.13 (ampicillin) and 0.12 mg/ml (chloramphenicol). By taking the quantity extracted from the leaf powder into consideration, the total activity, a measure of potency, was highest for methylenedichloride (1309 ml/g) followed by acetone (1279 ml/g) extracts. The antibacterial activity was high enough to consider the use of extracts for  clinical application and to isolate and characterise antibacterial compounds from the extracts. Based on the Rf values of the antibacterial compoundsdetermined by bioautography, the antibacterial compound was not a polyphenol or a tannin

Helminthic infections among farmers in a rural community in Oyo State, south-western Nigeria

Background: Helminthic infections are occupationally-related diseases which potentially undermine farmers' work capacity, productivity and life expectancy. These infections are usually under-reported among this group particularly in the rural areas. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence, pattern and factors associated with helminthic infections among farmers in a rural community in Oyo State, South-western Nigeria.Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 farmers, selected by a two-stage cluster sampling technique. A structured interviewer administered questionnaire was used to obtain information on respondents' demographic characteristics and farming activities. Stool was examined using microscopy for ova of helminths and Packed Cell Volume (PCV) was determined with anaemia defined as PCV ≤ 30%. Frequencies were generated and Chi-square test was used to determine associations at the level of p≤0.05.Results: Majority of the respondents (71%) were males, aged ≥50 years (67.9%), of Yoruba ethnicity (94.2%), and had no formal education (69.8%). Most respondents (57.0%) were engaged in subsistence farming and 75.8% produced food crops. The prevalence of helminthic infections was 27.9%: the commonest forms were ascaris (68%) and hookworm (29.9%). Co-infections were found in 7.2% respondents with the most frequent combination being ascaris and hookworm. Twenty six (6.5%) of the farmers had anaemia. Significantly higher proportions of those aged ≥60 years and without education had intestinal helminthic infections and higher proportions of those with helminthic infections had anaemia compared with their respective counterparts (p<0.05).Conclusion: Helminthic infection is prevalent among this population. Interventions targeted at prevention and treatment should be implemented.Keywords: Farmers, Helminthic infections, Rural community, South-western, Nigeri

"Test me and treat me" - attitudes to vitamin D deficiency and supplementation: a qualitative study

© 2015 BMJ Open, "Test me and treat me"-attitudes to vitamin D deficiency and supplementation: a qualitative study. This manuscript version is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

Comparing univariate techniques for tender price index forecasting: Box-Jenkins and neural network model

The poor performance of projects is a recurring event in the construction sector. Information gleaned from literature shows that uncertainty in project cost is one of the significant causes of this problem. Reliable forecast of construction cost is useful in mitigating the adverse effect of its fluctuation, however the availability of data for the development of multivariate models for construction cost forecasting remains a challenge. The study seeks to investigate the reliability of using univariate models for tender price index forecasting. Box-Jenkins and neural network are the modelling techniques applied in this study. The results show that the neural network model outperforms the Box- Jenkins model, in terms of accuracy. In addition, the neural network model provides a reliable forecast of tender price index over a period of 12 quarters ahead. The limitations of using the univariate models are elaborated. The developed neural network model can be used by stakeholders as a tool for predicting the movements in tender price index. In addition, the univariate models developed in the present study are particularly useful in countries where limited data reduces the possibility of applying multivariate models.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Nowhere to Run. Impact of Family Violence Incidents during COVID-19 Lockdown in Texas

The prevalence of family violence incidents experienced an exponential rise during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The pandemic ushered in a new threat to life which was complicated by the restriction on mobility. Given the stay-at-home order enacted by different States, victims of family violence were compelled to face their abusers with no escape route, particularly intimate partners. This work is an exploratory study that analyzed the trends of family violence cases in selected Texas counties pre covid-19 and during covid-19. The data revealed an increase in family violence incidents from 12 out of the 15 counties studied. This work offers practical strategies to help advance the response of criminal justice personnel to family violence cases

Comparative evaluation of the nutritional benefits of some underutilised plants leaves

Edible plants are good nutrients sources. Seven lesser known plant leaves (Tecoma stans (Tecom), Solenostemon monostachyus (SoleMon), Ficus exasperata (FicEx), Senna fistula (SenFist), Citrullus lanatus (CitLan), Ocimum gratissimum (OciGrat) and Ipomea involucrata (Ipocrata)) were assessed for their nutrients along with those commonly used for nutritional and medicinal purposes. Tecom (46.27 %); CitLan (58.22 %); SoleMon (4.64 %) and SenFist (5.12 %); SenFist (26.19 %); and FicEx (20.94 %) exhibited highest carbohydrate; protein; fat; crude fibre; and ash respectively. Variable levels of minerals were found in all except in OciGrat, FicEx, Tecom, Vernonia amygdalina and Talinum triangulare that lack copper. Ipocrata and Cymbopogon citratus were adequately rich in all the bulk nutrients. Cadmium and lead were generally high in all the plants. The underutlised leaves may useful as medicinal foods that are required in small quantity to prevent heavy metal toxicity

Effect of facilities management components on the quality of life of Chinese elderly in care and attention homes

© 2017, © Emerald Publishing Limited. Purpose: Quality of life (QoL) for elderly residents of care and attention (C&A) homes has become an important consideration, given the increasingly aging population. Due to the number of hours such residents spend indoors, the quality of the facilities can contribute to their day-to-day QoL. This study aims to investigate the effect of facilities management (FM) on the QoL of Chinese elderly people living in C&A homes. Design/methodology/approach: A survey of perceived satisfaction with the components of FM and QoL was carried out with a sample of residents. A total of 18 FM components and five QoL domains, including physical health, independence, psychological health, social relationships and living environment, as well as overall QoL, were identified. Findings: The findings show that physical health is influenced by accessibility, doors and windows and signage; independence can be improved by enhancing accessibility, water supply, lighting and ventilation; accessibility, water supply, distance and doors and windows all predict psychological health; social relationships are improved by lighting and ventilation; distance impacts positively on the living environment; and overall QoL is predicted by lighting, ventilation, accessibility, doors and windows, handrails, recreation and signage. Originality/value: The study recommends that designers and facilities managers review the micro-climate settings to harness available natural lighting and ventilation, introduce bimetallic strips to the heating systems to maintain a suitable water temperature and install large, easy-to-understand and graphic signage for straightforward wayfinding in C&A homes