e‐Maintenance Framework for Strategic Asset Management in Tertiary Institutions

Tertiary institutions require buildings such as its senate building, classrooms, laboratories, administrative rooms, hostels and other offices in order to function. Providing and maintaining these buildings require a lot of planning and capital investment. The study examined the prospects of using e‐ Maintenance platform for strategic asset management in tertiary institutions. This study noted that adequate maintenance of the building infrastructural base of tertiary institutions is crucial for sustainability in the face of dwindling funds in the education sector. In order to automate the e‐ Maintenance process for strategic maintenance of the institution’s building maintenance, a use case diagram, system block diagram, sequence diagram and activity diagram were designed and presented in this study. Three (3) main users are essential in the sequence of operation of the e‐Maintenance platform. These users represent the building occupants, the facility manager and the management personnel; for effective oversite and performance monitoring. The methodology of this research includes using the combination of HTML, CSS and the C‐Sharp programming language for the interface design and server side scripting while MySQL was the database platform used for storing and retrieving the data used for the application. In conclusion, the study developed an e‐Maintenance framework for strategic asset management in tertiary institutions. Keywords Asset management Automation Construction industr

Informed consent comprehension in African research settings

ObjectivePrevious reviews on participants' comprehension of informed consent information have focused on developed countries. Experience has shown that ethical standards developed on Western values may not be appropriate for African settings where research concepts are unfamiliar. We undertook this review to describe how informed consent comprehension is defined and measured in African research settings.MethodsWe conducted a comprehensive search involving five electronic databases: Medline, Embase, Global Health, EthxWeb and Bioethics Literature Database (BELIT). We also examined African Index Medicus and Google Scholar for relevant publications on informed consent comprehension in clinical studies conducted in sub-Saharan Africa. 29 studies satisfied the inclusion criteria; meta-analysis was possible in 21 studies. We further conducted a direct comparison of participants' comprehension on domains of informed consent in all eligible studies.ResultsComprehension of key concepts of informed consent varies considerably from country to country and depends on the nature and complexity of the study. Meta-analysis showed that 47% of a total of 1633 participants across four studies demonstrated comprehension about randomisation (95% CI 13.9–80.9%). Similarly, 48% of 3946 participants in six studies had understanding about placebo (95% CI 19.0–77.5%), while only 30% of 753 participants in five studies understood the concept of therapeutic misconception (95% CI 4.6–66.7%). Measurement tools for informed consent comprehension were developed with little or no validation. Assessment of comprehension was carried out at variable times after disclosure of study information. No uniform definition of informed consent comprehension exists to form the basis for development of an appropriate tool to measure comprehension in African participants.ConclusionsComprehension of key concepts of informed consent is poor among study participants across Africa. There is a vital need to develop a uniform definition for informed consent comprehension in low literacy research settings in Africa. This will be an essential step towards developing appropriate tools that can adequately measure informed consent comprehension. This may consequently suggest adequate measures to improve the informed consent procedure.ObjectifLes normes éthiques élaborées selon les valeurs occidentales ne sont peut-être pas appropriées au contexte africain où les concepts de recherche ne sont pas familiers. Cette revue décrit comment la compréhension du consentement éclairé est définie et mesurée dans les cadres de recherche africains.MéthodesDes recherches ont été effectuées sur Medline, Embase, Global Health, EthxWeb, base de données de la Bioéthique Littérature, Index Medicus African et Google Scholar pour des publications pertinentes sur la compréhension du consentement éclairé dans les études cliniques menées en Afrique sub-saharienne. 29 études répondaient aux critères d'inclusion; une méta-analyse a été possible pour 21 études. La compréhension des participants sur les domaines du consentement éclairé dans toutes les études admissibles a été comparée directement.RésultatsLa compréhension des concepts clés du consentement éclairé varie considérablement selon les pays et dépend de la nature et de la complexité de l’étude. La méta-analyse a montré que 47% des participants ont compris la randomisation (IC95%: 13,9 - 80,9%), 48% ont compris le placebo (IC95%: 19,0 - 77,5%), 30% ont compris le concept de méprise thérapeutique (IC95%: 4,6 - 66,7%). Les outils de mesure de la compréhension du consentement éclairé étaient développés avec peu ou pas de validation.ConclusionsLa compréhension des concepts clés du consentement éclairé est faible en Afrique. Il y a une nécessité vitale d’élaborer une définition uniforme pour la compréhension du consentement éclairé dans les cadres de recherche avec un faible niveau d'alphabétisation en Afrique.ObjetivoLos estándares éticos desarrollados basándose en valores occidentales podrían no ser apropiados para emplazamientos Africanos en donde los conceptos de investigación no son familiares. En esta revisión se describe como la comprensión del consentimiento informado se define y mide en un centro de investigación Africano.MétodosSe buscaron publicaciones relevantes sobre la comprensión del consentimiento informado en estudios clínicos en África subsahariana en Medline, Embase, Global Health, EthxWeb, Bioethics Literature Database, African Index Medicus y Google Scholar. 29 estudios satisfacían los criterios de inclusión y el metaanálisis era posible para 21. La comprensión del consentimiento informado por parte de los participantes se comparó directamente en todos los estudios elegibles.ResultadosLa comprensión de conceptos claves del consentimiento informado varió de forma considerable entre países, y dependía de la naturaleza y de la complejidad del estudio. El meta-análisis mostró que un 47% entendía la aleatorización (IC 95% 13.9-80.9%); un 48% entendía el placebo (IC 95% 19.0-77.5%); y un 30% entendió el concepto terapéutico errado (IC 95% 4.6-66.7%). Las herramientas para medir la comprensión del consentimiento informado se desarrollaron con poca o ninguna validación.ConclusionesEn África, la comprensión de conceptos claves del consentimiento informado es pobre. Existe una necesidad vital de desarrollar una definición uniforme para la comprensión del consentimiento informado en lugares con bajos niveles de alfabetización en África

Improving Employability Skills Through a Web-Based Work Integrated Learning Database for Construction Students

Employability and Unemployment continues to be dire issues that Nigerian youth are faced with daily in a saturated employment market. Whereas, the use of workintegrated learning can help bridge the gap by increasing employability skills among students. The study examined the benefits of having a work-integrated learning (WIL) program for students in the construction field. Therefore, the study developed a framework for improving employability skills through a web-based work integrated learning database for construction students. Using a system block diagram, use case diagram and activity diagram, the study illustrated the functional requirement needed for the development of the WIL platform. The WIL platform is a web-based system pooling submission of available WIL positions from employers in construction businesses and former WIL students in order for prospective WIL students to access possible openings where they can learn in a workplace environment. The methodology of this research includes using the combination of HTML, CSS and the C-Sharp programming language for the interface design and server side scripting while MySQL was the database platform used for storing and retrieving the data used for the application. In conclusion, the study designed a WIL platform for construction students. The use of the WIL platform is intended to encourage employability of construction students by ensuring that they are adequately engaged in a work place training

Availability and Utilization of E-Learning Technologies in Teaching Agricultural Science in Senior Schools in Ilorin South L.G.A, Kwara State

E-learning technologies are necessary to meet the challenges of the contemporary world education competitiveness in scientific and technological advancement. This study investigated the Availability and utilization of e-learning technologies in teaching agricultural science in senior schools in Ilorin South L.G.A, Kwara State. 60 Agricultural science teachers participated in the study. A researcher-developed forty-five-items questionnaire was used to collect data. Four research questions and two research hypotheses guided the conduct of the study. Data were analyzed using frequency, mean, standard deviation and t-test. Results show that some of the listed e-learning technologies were available for teaching agricultural science in senior schools to a high extent. Some of these include printers, tablets and laptop computers while some like public address system, projectors, interactive whiteboards among others are not available. Results also, revealed that agricultural science teachers use e-learning technologies to a moderate extent. The benefits of e-learning technologies as revealed by the study include for effective classroom management, makes teaching interesting and encourages individual learning among others. Challenges include: lack of functional computer laboratories, inadequate finance, irregular power supply, high cost of e-learning facilities among others. The researchers recommended (among others) that ICT training should be made compulsory for teachers and it should be subsidized by governments, government should incorporate e-learning education into school syllabus, there should be an alternative source of power supply in E-learning libraries in schools. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-16-01 Publication date:June 30th 202

Environmental Noise Pollution and its Impacts on the Hearing Ability of Men and Women in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria

Noise is an environmental disturbance that has harmful effects on the physiological and psychological lives of human beings and animals. This work examined the perceived health implications associated with noise pollution on both genders in Ilorin, Nigeria. It specifically identified the major sources of noise pollution, assessed noise pollution levels in the selected areas and determined the differences in the impacts of noise pollution on the health of both genders in Ilorin. A total of 384 respondents were sampled. Sound Level Meter (SLM) was used to ascertain the levels of noise in the study areas. Descriptive statistics and ANOVA were used to analyze the gathered data. Findings revealed that 73.2% of the respondents believed that traffic constitutes the highest source of noise pollution while others include music studios (63.3%), hotels/night clubs (52.1%) and power generating sets (50%). Noise levels were higher than the acceptable recommended noise level of 65 decibels for commercial and 55 decibels for commercial/residential locations by NESREA. Findings further revealed that males are more susceptible to the effects of noise pollution than females. Hence, possible mitigation measures such as noise pollution regulatory policy enactment and design of noise absorbing structures are strongly recommended Keywords: Diseases, Gender, Health Risks, Impacts, Noise

INFLUENCE OF DISTANCE LEARNERS’ DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES ON MOTIVATION AND PERFORMANCE IN FLIPPED CLASSROOM

This study was carried out to investigate the influence of demographic variables of distance learners on their motivation to learn and perform in a flipped classroom. The study employed a survey research method. The sample for the study consisted of three hundred (300) distance learners who were selected from two distance learning centres. The centers were selected using a purposive sampling procedure because the two distance learning centers have deployed flipped learning mode. A questionnaire 4-point Likert scale questionnaire tagged: Flipped Classroom Motivation and Perception Questionnaire (FCMAPQ) was used in data collection. The results showed that only the sex variable (T=2.487, p<0.05) significantly contributed to the motivation of the learners in the flipped classroom. Results further showed that demographic variables of sex, work status, age and marital status (F=.15, p>0.05) have no influence on the performance of distance learners in the flipped classroom. The study concluded that though the demographic variable has no influence on the motivation and performance of distance learners, it is rather a plausible innovation in distance learning.  Article visualizations

Prediction of Bank Failure Using Camel and Market Information: Comparative Appraisal of Some Selected Banks in Nigeria.

This paper attempted to predict bank failure using CAMEL and stock market information. The study reviewed journal, seminal papers, articles, websites and banks’ annual financial statement. The study covered five accounting years between 2006 and 2010. Multiple discriminant model was used to predict bank failure and the status of Nigerian banks. It was discovered that almost all the banks used for the study had their Z score fall within bankruptcy region. An attempt was further made to thoroughly evaluate managerial quality because experience has shown that bank failure in Nigeria was largely due to managerial inefficiency . Managerial quality were evaluated using variable such as total loan to total deposit, interest expenses to total deposit and operating expenses to total deposit. We concluded that bank failure is as a result of  poor CAMEL rating as well as excessive risk taking and the end results are credit crunch, unemployment, illiquidity etc . we suggested that the only way to contain bank failure is by ensuring regular and transparent on site and off site examination by CBN and NDIC. Keywords: bank failure, CAMEL, stock market informatio

Enterprise Combinations in Cassava Based Food Crop Farming System in Nigeria: Evidence from Ogun State

This study examines the enterprise combination in cassava based food crop farming system in Ogun state. Three stage sampling technique was used to select 120 cassava farmers from the study area. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, economic land equivalent ratio (ELER), linear programming and stochastic production frontier to actualize all the objectives. Descriptive statistics was employed for the description of socio-economic characteristics while economic land equivalent ratio (ELER) and linear programming were used for cost-return structure and optimal combination of crops in cassava based farm enterprises respectively. Descriptive statistics shows that most of the farmers are in their late forty with the mean age of the farmers being 48.2 years with 6years of formal education and wealth of farming experience of about 19 years. The farmers cultivated area of land that varies between 0.5ha and 5 hectare with a mean of 2 hectare. All enterprise combinations are profitable; however, cassava/maize/vegetable production enterprise is the most profitable with net farm income of N36649.90 per hectare closely followed by cassava /maize with N36462.67 per hectare. The optimal cassava based combination was actualized by linear programming model which shows that cassava/maize and cassava/maize/vegetable are the optimal combination because only the two combinations contributed to the gross margin and also added zero opportunity cost to the total cost of production. The result also shows that land and capital are the limiting resources whereas labour is not which means that for optimal cassava based production land and capital investment should be increased. In lieu of these findings, farmers in Ogun state farmers should intercrop cassava, maize and vegetables or intercrop cassava and maize, this will not only increase their net farm income per hectare, it will also ensure flow of income during on and off seasons. Farmers should also increase the utilization of the limiting resources, that is capital base and hectrage of land cultivated

Comparative evaluation of conventional and microwave hydrothermal carbonization of human biowaste for value recovery

This paper compares conventional and microwave hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of human biowaste (HBW) at 160 WC, 180 WC and 200 WC as a potential technology to recover valuable carbonaceous solid fuel char and organic-rich liquor. Also discussed are the influence of HTC heating methods and temperature on HBW processing conversion into solid fuel char, i.e. yield and post-HTC management, i.e. dewaterability rates, particle size distribution and the carbon and energy properties of solid fuel char. While HTC temperatures influenced all parameters investigated, especially yield and properties of end products recovered, heating source effects were noticeable on dewatering rates, char particle sizes and HBW processing/end product recovery rate and, by extension, energy consumed. The microwave process was found to be more efficient for dewatering processed HBW and for char recovery, consuming half the energy used by the conventional HTC method despite the similarity in yields, carbon and energy properties of the recovered char. However, both processes reliably overcame the heterogeneity of HBW, converting them into non-foul end products, which were easily dewatered at <3 seconds/g total solids (TS) (c.f. 50.3 seconds/g TS for a raw sample) to recover energy-densified chars of ≈17 MJ/kg calorific value and up to 1.4 g/l of ammonia concentration in recovered liquor

Coffee Powder Wettability, Flowability and Characterization Thereof

The production efficiency and high-quality results in industrial processes usually rely on how well product characteristics are understood as well as how well processes are controlled in order to obtain specific results. Therefore, in a billion-dollar industry as is the case of the instant coffee market, understanding the properties of the compounds produced using different techniques is a very important tool to enhance performance and delivery of high-quality coffee powders. The aim of the present study is to provide a framework of some powder properties such as particle size, shape, diameter, circularity, convexity, aspect ratio and surface energy among others, which govern powder behavior. To do so, five coffee samples were analyzed using Malvern Morphologi 3G ID for particle characterization and QuantaTM 3D FEG scanning electron microscope to visualize surfaces in great detail. Wettability and flowability of all samples were studied under different humidity conditions. Afterwards, in an effort to enhance flowability, flow-enhancing agents were added to the samples that showed the worst flowability. The results revealed that while all the samples presented different particle size distributions, they showed similar circularity, convexity and aspect ratio values. Measurements indicated passable flowability for most of the powders. Even so, they revealed poor flowability and high values of angle of repose for the sample with finer particles as well as no significant improvement when adding flow-enhancing agents. Additional tests showed that at high relative humidity in the environment (RH=60%) wettability increased. This effect was observed as indicated by low contact angle values, thereby contributing to powder agglomeration and caking. The properties regarded throughout this study provide detailed information and allow the comprehension of the parameters that need to be modified in order to enhance performance and stability in the food industry