Structural equation modeling of energy consumption in residental building

Building energy consumption has become a serious issue due to increased energy demand, which contributes heavily to global warming. Based on the reports published by Energy Information and Administration of USA in 2015, Malaysia Green House Gas (GHG) emission is expected to increase by about 74% from 2005 to 2020 if proper mitigation is not put in place. Among the major contributor is building sector, which is generating a massive 40% of total greenhouse gas emitted. There are many literature describing the effect of carbon emissions by residential buildings. Nevertheless, lack of study focus on building energy consumption in relation to socioeconomic, dwelling and climate components. The aim of this study is to establish a structural relationship of socioeconomic, dwelling and climate factors on residential building energy consumption. Four objectives were identified to achieve the aforementioned aim. The first objective was to identify the independent and dependent factors affecting energy consumption in residential buildings. The second objective was to analyze and establish the critical independent factors of energy consumption in residential buildings. The third objective was to analyze and establish the critical dependent factors of energy consumption by residential building occupants. The fourth objective was to formulate a structural relationship based on the established critical independent and dependent factors as a strategy for improving energy consumption in residential buildings. Three benchmarked independent and six dependent factors were established. The descriptive research design employed in the study lead to the structural model development as the central focus of the study. A structured questionnaire consisting of 80 items were used for data collection. The research population was Johor residents and the survey employed 425 returned questionnaires. The collected information was analyzed using descriptive and Confirmatory Factor Analysis. The outcome of the five (5) hypothesized research questions show that Climate Factor has a significant and direct effect on building energy consumption and dwelling. Furthermore, results indicate that Socioeconomic and Dwelling factors have neither significant no direct effect on building energy consumption. Based on the results, a Building Energy Consumption structural relation was established using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The established structural relation was validated using convergent and construct validity. The structured model provides useful information to the Malaysian Construction Industry through improved design and awareness on issues related to residential building energy consumption

Prioritizing occupants understanding level on residential building energy consumption

The building sector is widely known for its greenhouse gas and carbon emission which is very significant to the global warming as observed in recent years. Many research works highlighted that buildings has a negative impact on the society as it consumes up to 80% of the total energy used during operation stage. In Malaysia, electricity energy consumption in buildings is 63,354GWh out of the total 116,353GWh of total energy consumed in the country in the year 2012. This paper consider the understanding level of the residential owners in their building energy usage at their various residential buildings. Energy use by household varies widely, this is due to the living standard of a country, type of buildings and climate condition of the region. The study is based on the tips and guides to energy efficiency at home of the Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA) Malaysia. Data was collected through a questionnaire survey form and was analyzed using regression analysis, the results indicates that the occupants have little or no proper understanding of Air-condition, Home appliance and Lighting appliances

Liquidity Management and the Performance of Commercial Banks in Nigeria

The study focused on liquidity management and its effect on the performance of commercial banks in Nigeria. The study adopted correlational research design. The scope of the study was between 2008 to 2018, a period of 10 years. The study data were collected from the annual report of CBN and NDIC. The data were analysed with the aid of OLS. The study used Non-performing loan ratio, cash reserve requirement, Loan to deposit ratio and liquidity ratio as the components of liquidity management while financial performance was measured as return on equity of Nigerian commercial banks. The study revealed that cash reserve requirement, loan to deposit ratio and liquidity positively and significantly impact the financial performance in Nigerian commercial banks while non-performing loan ratio exhibits a negative but significant relationship with the performance of strategies to reduce non-performing loans. In addition, the managers should revise the loan approval process of their banks so as to reduce the level of nonperforming loans in their banks. Also, that Central Bank of Nigeria which is the nation’s apex bank should supervise and formulate policies that will encourage banks to improve on their international functions

Liquidity Management and the Performance of Commercial Banks in Nigeria

The study focused on liquidity management and its effect on the performance of commercial banks in Nigeria. The study adopted correlational research design. The scope of the study was between 2008 to 2018, a period of 10 years. The study data were collected from the annual report of CBN and NDIC. The data were analysed with the aid of OLS. The study used Non-performing loan ratio, cash reserve requirement, Loan to deposit ratio and liquidity ratio as the components of liquidity management while financial performance was measured as return on equity of Nigerian commercial banks. The study revealed that cash reserve requirement, loan to deposit ratio and liquidity positively and significantly impact the financial performance in Nigerian commercial banks while non-performing loan ratio exhibits a negative but significant relationship with the performance of strategies to reduce non-performing loans. In addition, the managers should revise the loan approval process of their banks so as to reduce the level of nonperforming loans in their banks. Also, that Central Bank of Nigeria which is the nation’s apex bank should supervise and formulate policies that will encourage banks to improve on their international functions

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients with paediatric cancer in low-income, middle-income and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, observational cohort study

OBJECTIVES: Paediatric cancer is a leading cause of death for children. Children in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) were four times more likely to die than children in high-income countries (HICs). This study aimed to test the hypothesis that the COVID-19 pandemic had affected the delivery of healthcare services worldwide, and exacerbated the disparity in paediatric cancer outcomes between LMICs and HICs. DESIGN: A multicentre, international, collaborative cohort study. SETTING: 91 hospitals and cancer centres in 39 countries providing cancer treatment to paediatric patients between March and December 2020. PARTICIPANTS: Patients were included if they were under the age of 18 years, and newly diagnosed with or undergoing active cancer treatment for Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, Wilms' tumour, sarcoma, retinoblastoma, gliomas, medulloblastomas or neuroblastomas, in keeping with the WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: All-cause mortality at 30 days and 90 days. RESULTS: 1660 patients were recruited. 219 children had changes to their treatment due to the pandemic. Patients in LMICs were primarily affected (n=182/219, 83.1%). Relative to patients with paediatric cancer in HICs, patients with paediatric cancer in LMICs had 12.1 (95% CI 2.93 to 50.3) and 7.9 (95% CI 3.2 to 19.7) times the odds of death at 30 days and 90 days, respectively, after presentation during the COVID-19 pandemic (p<0.001). After adjusting for confounders, patients with paediatric cancer in LMICs had 15.6 (95% CI 3.7 to 65.8) times the odds of death at 30 days (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected paediatric oncology service provision. It has disproportionately affected patients in LMICs, highlighting and compounding existing disparities in healthcare systems globally that need addressing urgently. However, many patients with paediatric cancer continued to receive their normal standard of care. This speaks to the adaptability and resilience of healthcare systems and healthcare workers globally

Twelve-month observational study of children with cancer in 41 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic

Childhood cancer is a leading cause of death. It is unclear whether the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted childhood cancer mortality. In this study, we aimed to establish all-cause mortality rates for childhood cancers during the COVID-19 pandemic and determine the factors associated with mortality