Design innovations towards enhancing the quality of living in multi-storey compound housing for low-income households in Kumasi, Ghana

A large number of low-income households in Kumasi, in the Ashanti Region, live in compound houses. The earlier compound houses built in mud are mostly single-storey but this has gradually metamorphosed, over the years, into multi-storey compound houses within the urban areas. This has been attributed mainly to the high land values and efforts by landlords to maximize the use of land, thereby absorbing the large number of urban poor who lack accommodation. The incidence of a large number of rooms with this kind of design enable cost of renting a room to be cheaper and thus accessible to the poor. This paper seeks to present the merits and demerits of the compound house through studies conducted by the Department of Architecture, from 1985 to 2005, as well as employing an “archito-centric” approach to solving some of the problems, especially the preparation of fufu on upper floors of the building, washing and drying of laundry, refuse disposal, cooking, circulation and storage. Keywords: multi-storey compound housing, low-income housing, design innovations, Kumasi Journal of Science and Technology Vol. 26(1) 2006: 76-8

Investigation of Heavy Organics Precipitation from Nigerian Crude Oil Residue Using Binary Mixture of n-Alkane Solvents

The effects of mixing two n-alkane solvents on the precipitation of heavy organics in crude oil were carried out. The crude oil sample sourced from a major operative in Nigeria was distilled at 240oC and used for the precipitation experiment. The binary mixture of n-alkane solvents (C6: C10, C6: C16, C10: C14, C10: C16, C14: C16) was carried out in the solvent ratio of 0:1, 1:2, 1:1, 2:1, and 1:0 respectively. From the results, C6: C10 mixture shows an abrupt decrease in heavy organics precipitated from 1:0 volume ratio of C6: C10 to 2:1 volume ratio of C6: C10 and a further steady decrease were observed. The percentage volume increment of C6 in the mixture of C6: C16, also shows steady and an abrupt decrease in heavy organics precipitated, which indicates phase transitions occurring at 1:1 and 2:1 volume ratio points. The additions of C10 to C14 and C10 to C16 results to decrease in the weight percentage of heavy organics precipitated. While a slight decrease in weight percentage of heavy organics occurs during the addition of C14 to C16. Precipitation experiment carried out using binary mixture shows a three-stage phase transition: solid-liquid, liquid-solid and solid-liquid in C6: C16 at different volume ratios of the mixtures. Keywords: Binary mixture, heavy organics, crude oil residue, n-alkane solvents, precipitate

Modelling and Simulation of the Batch Hydrolysis of Acetic Anhydride to Produce Acetic Acid

The kinetic modelling of the batch synthesis of acetic acid from acetic anhydride was investigated. The kinetic data of the reaction was obtained by conducting the hydrolysis reaction in a batch reactor. A dynamic model was formulated for this process and simulation was carried out using gPROMS® an advanced process modelling and simulation software. The developed model was validated against experimental data by estimating the kinetic parameter (reaction rate constant k=0.11302 min-1) and comparing simulation results with experimental data. Results obtained show that the formulated model was able to predict the experimental data to a high level of confidence. The dynamic behaviour of the reaction process was assessed by simulating the validated model at the initial state to obtain time trajectories of all the variables of interest. The model developed in this work will provide insight as to how the process responds under dynamic conditions and its amenability to control

Evaluation of Changes in Food Properties and Mineral Composition of Tiger Nuts at Variable Drying Temperatures

Effective storage conditions can resolve the challenge of food scarcity and extinction of certain food species. Therefore, this study investigated the changes in the food properties and mineral composition of tiger nuts at temperatures of 23, 40, 55, 80 and 100 0C. Results show that while the temperature of 550C influenced water, crude protein and carbohydrate contents retention in the tiger nuts, fats were better retained at 800C. This indicates that food nutrients and properties of tiger nuts should be better retained at temperatures 65 500

Bucillamine prevents cisplatin-induced ototoxicity through induction of glutathione and antioxidant genes.

Bucillamine is used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. This study investigated the protective effects of bucillamine against cisplatin-induced damage in auditory cells, the organ of Corti from postnatal rats (P2) and adult Balb/C mice. Cisplatin increases the catalytic activity of caspase-3 and caspase-8 proteases and the production of free radicals, which were significantly suppressed by pretreatment with bucillamine. Bucillamine induces the intranuclear translocation of Nrf2 and thereby increases the expression of γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase (γ-GCS) and glutathione synthetase (GSS), which further induces intracellular antioxidant glutathione (GSH), heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) and superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2). However, knockdown studies of HO-1 and SOD2 suggest that the protective effect of bucillamine against cisplatin is independent of the enzymatic activity of HO-1 and SOD. Furthermore, pretreatment with bucillamine protects sensory hair cells on organ of Corti explants from cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity concomitantly with inhibition of caspase-3 activation. The auditory-brainstem-evoked response of cisplatin-injected mice shows marked increases in hearing threshold shifts, which was markedly suppressed by pretreatment with bucillamine in vivo. Taken together, bucillamine protects sensory hair cells from cisplatin through a scavenging effect on itself, as well as the induction of intracellular GSH