Urban Development And Housing Demolition In Abuja City: The Benefits Of Adopting The Principles Of Sustainability

In the last thirty years, Abuja the Federal Capital of Nigeria has experienced rapid urbanisation in a formerly agrarian community. The city has been developing prior to the emergence of the master plan, which is influenced by the rapid rate of construction. The critical need of vital infrastructure for the ever-increasing population in Nigeria’s capital has led to an increase in informal settlement and demand for more housing and other associated services. The present city differs from its initial master plan so far, as there is a real spatial segregation between low and high-income groups. And it’s relegates the low income earners to informal settlements which do not meet people’s basic needs. This journal paper critically analyses the impact of different planning policies and the schemes under which the city has been expanding, which includes housing demolitions to maintain the master plan. This result shows a clear demonstration that the policies regarding the demolition of informal settlements are not the best solution to the Abuja master plan and it is socially/economically unsustainable but rather there are potential benefits in the adaptation of sustainability principles in the urban development of Abuja city

A Global Review of the Emerging concepts of Sustainability Assessment and Sustainability Indicators in Urban Neighbourhood

Urban neighbourhoods are coherent socio-spatial units which reflect the ever-changing nature of society in physical form and alongside the basic unit of urban form which is a key element of urban planning. Neighbourhoods are perceived as the key to achieving sustainability and social justice (Castrignano and Landi, 2013). Also neighbourhoods has the potential to be seen as the future of urban spaces tackling problems linked with the modern world which includes climate change, globalisation, population increase, rapid urbanisation and social ills linked with increased population diversity and mobility and pressure on the natural environment (McGuire, 2013). As towns transform into urban environment it becomes very vital that this urban area develops in relation to sustainability principles which can be measured through the use of sustainability indicators and assessment concepts. Sustainability assessment and its indicators are tools that help make, suggest, support and implement decision-making in order to achieve sustainable development which can be used in urban planning within various socioenvironmental contexts. Existing sustainability assessment tools have focused more on building’s assessment rather than developing neighbourhood sustainability assessment methods. Sustainability assessment in general has emerged as a vital decision and support process in the development of assessment methods. The emergence of these methods is in response to a growing environmental crisis including a vast socio-economic inequality in global development

Knowledge-based and integrated monitoring and diagnosis in autonomous power systems

A new technique of knowledge-based and integrated monitoring and diagnosis (KBIMD) to deal with abnormalities and incipient or potential failures in autonomous power systems is presented. The KBIMD conception is discussed as a new function of autonomous power system automation. Available diagnostic modelling, system structure, principles and strategies are suggested. In order to verify the feasibility of the KBIMD, a preliminary prototype expert system is designed to simulate the KBIMD function in a main electric network of the autonomous power system

A knowledge-based approach to improving optimization techniques in system planning

A knowledge-based (KB) approach to improve mathematical programming techniques used in the system planning environment is presented. The KB system assists in selecting appropriate optimization algorithms, objective functions, constraints and parameters. The scheme is implemented by integrating symbolic computation of rules derived from operator and planner's experience and is used for generalized optimization packages. The KB optimization software package is capable of improving the overall planning process which includes correction of given violations. The method was demonstrated on a large scale power system discussed in the paper

EFFECTS OF CINNAMON AQUEOUS EXTRACT ON BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVEL, LIVER BIOMARKER ENZYMES, HEMATOLOGICAL AND LIPID PROFILE PARAMETERS IN ALLOXAN- INDUCED DIABETIC MALE ALBINO RATS.

Cinnamon extract are widely used in Middle East and Asian countries as herbal medication for diabetes. The study evaluates the effects of Cinnamon aqueous extract on blood glucose level, liver biomarker enzymes, hematological and lipid profile parameters in alloxan- induced diabetic male albino rats (Wistar strain). Adult male albino rats weighing between 170-220g were induced intraperitoneally with alloxan. The male albino rats were grouped into five groups of six animals per group. Group A is the normal control group, Group B served as the negative control, Group C served as positive control and was treated with glibenclamide, Group D and E were treated with 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight of cinnamon aqueous extract respectively. The extracts were given to the animals orally for 14 days. At the end of the experimental period, the albino rats from each experimental group were starved for 16 hours and sacrificed by cervical dislocation. The weight of diabetic untreated rats (Group B) were significantly (P<0.005) reduced when compared to other groups. The animals treated with glibenclamide, 100 and 200mg/Kg body weight of cinnamon extract showed significant decrease (P<0.05) of blood sugar level compared to the untreated rats (group B). This suggests that the plant extract possesses anti-diabetic and hypoglycemic effect. The extracts significantly increased RBC, HGB and HCT; and the WBC was significantly reduced in the treated groups compared to the untreated group. There were significant decrease (P<0.05) in plasma TC, TG, LDC-Cholesterol and an increase in HDLCholesterol values was observed in the treated groups compared to the untreated group. This is an indication that the extract had hypolipidemic effect and can be used in the treatment of diabetes. The extract significantly increased (P<0.05) plasma total protein level in the treated groups. The extract significantly reduced (P<0.005) liver biomarker enzymes (AST, ALT and ALP), an indication that it does not have effect on the liver

Iris Recognition System Using Support Vector Machines

In recent years, with the increasing demands of security in our networked society, biometric systems for user verification are becoming more popular. Iris recognition system is a new technology for user verification. In this paper, the CASIA iris database is used for individual user’s verification by using support vector machines (SVMs) which based on the analysis of iris code as feature extraction is discussed. This feature is then used to recognize authentic users and to reject impostors. Support Vector Machines (SVMs) technique was used for the classification process. The proposed method is evaluated based upon False Rejection Rate (FRR) and False Acceptance Rate (FAR) and the experimental result show that this technique produces good performance

Modern Methods Of Construction A Technique In Achieving Affordable Housing In Nigeria

The urban environment in Nigeria accounts for over 51.16% of the population and is the main source of economic development within the country. With the increase in population as a result of rural-urban migration, population growth, urban development, decrease in mortality rate amongst others, there is a need for affordable housing provision. It is has been argued based on extensive research, that the development of good housing and infrastructure, can increase the average life expectancy of people, quality of life, increase the health standard and also attract investment and thus, further develop the economy. Unfortunately, the discourse on affordable housing has not developed a model that meets the Nigerian urban populace that is in desperate need of housing. With a larger percentage of Nigerians living in these areas, coupled with the continual rise in rural-urban migration, it is imperative to ensure that focus should be placed on the developing modern methods of construction (MMC) that can meet housing needs. Modern methods of construction is a broad terminology that embraces a variety of offsite manufacturing and onsite practices that provides a range of options to traditional house buildings. It is in light of these facts, this paper analyses the effects of affordable housing in the urban environment and the role MMC plays in its development. This qualitative study is based on current knowledge from preliminary research, analysing how affordable housing can be achieved with MMC. The conclusion of this research will suggest the benefits of MMC practices and create an avenue for further research on affordable housing

The differing approaches to sustainability between practising and academic Quantity Surveyors

Most interpretations of sustainability in construction stem from the definition of sustainable development, which is a development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the future generation’s needs. Various research and sustainability studies within the construction industry focus on finding economical, social, and environmental balance. Construction professionals, such as Quantity Surveyors, begin their learning journey by studying in colleges and progressing to higher education. As the construction industry evolves through modern techniques, higher education institutions must also follow suit. These modern techniques have arisen due to the shift of ethos towards sustainability. Without the higher education institutions including this new knowledge in their curriculum, future professionals will not be equipped with the correct skills. Few research have been conducted in relation to students’ views on sustainability. Although such research is at a minute level, thus the converse side of the argument is how professional Quantity Surveyors view these topics on sustainability and whether they implement them in their daily duties. Hence, the research explores the differences in understanding between practicing and academic Quantity Surveyors on sustainable development in their various professional duties. The research was conducted using questionnaires that was distributed using survey monkey. The results were analysed through Spearman and ANOVA statistical tests to check their correlations. The study found a difference in the knowledge acquired by practicing and academic Quantity Surveyors. This finding conveys the importance of sustainability knowledge and how it is fundamental in achieving the UN sustainable goals and using such knowledge in practice

Design and Evaluation of a Pressure Based Typing Biometric Authentication System

The design and preliminary evaluation of a pressure sensor-based typing biometrics authentication system (PBAS) is discussed in this paper. This involves the integration of pressure sensors, signal processing circuit, and data acquisition devices to generate waveforms, which when concatenated, produce a pattern for the typed password. The system generates two templates for typed passwords. First template is for the force applied on each password key pressed. The second template is for latency of the password keys. These templates are analyzed using two classifiers. Autoregressive (AR) classifier is used to authenticate the pressure template. Latency classifier is used to authenticate the latency template. Authentication is complete by matching the results of these classifiers concurrently. The proposed system has been implemented by constructing users’ database patterns which are later matched to the biometric patterns entered by each user, thereby enabling the systemto accept or reject the user. Experiments have been conducted to test the performance of the overall PBAS system and results obtained showed that this proposed system is reliable with many potential applications for computer security