An Evaluation of Job Creation and Vocational Skills Development Programme of the National Directorate of Employment, In Lagos State of Nigeria

The purpose of the study is to critically analyse the Job Creation and Vocational Skills Development of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) in L~os State with particular reference to the National Open Apprenticeship Scheme (NOAS). The descriptive survey approach was adopted for the study. The sample used for the study was drawn from the trainees, trainers and the Operational and Support Services staff of the NDE. The number was made up of seven hundred trainees, forty-two trainers and twenty officials of the National Directorate of Employment, in Lagos State. Three sets of questionnaires were the major research instruments used for gathering data. Records from the NDE National Headquarters and the Lagos State office at Yaba, coupled with oral interview, conducted on the beneficiaries of the NDE programme, complemented those data collec.ted through the questionnaires. The data collected were statically determined through the use of measure of central tendencies and chi-square (X' ) text. The study reveals that the objectives of the National Open Apprenticeship Scheme upon which the evaluation was carried out were achieved. The recruitment of trainees was carried out to adequately reflect the twenty local government areas of Lagos State. Thus, there was wide coverage of the whole state under the scheme. The study also found out that the training programme of NDE recognizes the training needs of the individual trainees. The study also revealed that there is a significant difference between the graduate and the NDE training programme and their counterparts in other vocational institutions. The study identifies some problems of NDE in the execution of its programmes and made recommendations that could solve them

The prevalence of peripheral arterial disease in diabetic subjects in south-west Nigeria

Background: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is rarely sought for and generally underdiagnosed even in diabetics in developing countries like Nigeria. PAD is easily detected and diagnosed by the ankle-brachial index, a simple and reliable test. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of PAD in diabetic subjects aged 50–89 years and the value of ankle-brachial index measurement in the detection of PAD. Method: A cross-sectional descriptive study of 219 diabetic subjects aged 50–89 years was carried out. The participants were administered a pre-tested questionnaire and measurement of ankle-brachial index (ABI) was done. The ankle-brachial index < 0.90 was considered equivalent to peripheral arterial disease. Results: The overall prevalence of PAD was 52.5%. The prevalence of symptomatic PAD was 28.7% whilst that of asymptomatic PAD was 71.3%. There were a number of associations with PAD which included, age (p < 0.05), sex (p < 0.05), and marital status (p < 0.05). The use of the ankle-brachial index in the detection of PAD was clearly more reliable than the clinical methods like history of intermittent claudication and absence or presence of pedal pulses. Conclusion: The prevalence of PAD is relatively high in diabetic subjects in the southwestern region of Nigeria. Notable is the fact that a higher proportion was asymptomatic. Also the use of ABI is of great value in the detection of PAD as evidenced by a clearly more objective assessment of PAD compared to both intermittent claudication and absent pedal pulses

Design of a Keypad Operated CNC Drilling Router

The CNC router can be adapted for drilling and engraving operations base d on the imagination and creative skills of the operator. A CNC router consists of three main parts: a mechanical setup that can move in X, Y and Z directions, a driving cir cuitry which includes the stepper motor and a software program that controls the op eration of the system. Although, CNC router is commonly and commercially available, the emphasis is to increase the understanding and encourage developing countries like Ni geria on the developmental process of the CNC router machine. This work presents the development of a CNC drilling router machine using a keypad with the aid of Autodesk 3D Max and Proteus 8 software. The CNC router has a liquid crystal display (LCD) which is l inked to the microcontroller. The program of instructions is written in C progr am compiler. The column strength of the X, Y, and Z axis of the machine were evaluated to be 508.86N, 1142.5N and 7872.64N respectively while the critical speeds of the various axes wer e determined to be 3222, 7234.14 and 49847.78 RPM respectively. The for ces due to the guide rails were evaluated to be 890 N on both the Y and Z axes. This gave a force moment along these axes to be 400.5 and 10.1 kNmm respectively. The stepper motor utilize d for the machine has a 1440 steps/ rev, 500 RPM with 1/8 micro - stepp ing with a phase current of 3.5A and voltage of 2.45V. It is anticipated that the developed machine is able to drill plastics and soft wood materials. The development strategy will aid t he CNC router design concept within the developing economy as Nigeria

Αναλυτική και αριθμητική μελέτη της βαθμοελαστικότητας στη μηχανική συμπεριφορά υλικών και κατασκευών

In this thesis, the gradient elasticity theory has been studied in relation to some commonly encountered structural configurations. In engineering design process these include: thin straight beams, thin curved beams, thin rings and tubes, thick walled cylindrical and spherical pressure vessels, long rotating cylinders and rotating discs and half plane problems. Closed form solutions have been derived for these configurations and examined for different boundary conditions. Consequently the difference between the gradient elasticity solution and its classical equivalent is revealed. It is well known that the microstructure of a material plays a very significant role in its deformation process. In this light, the gradient elasticity theory has been shown to provide additional information which the classical theory is incapable of providing because of the absence of an internal length parameter. Moreover, a relation is shown to exist between the characteristic size of a structure and its internal length parameter. With this relation, it is possible to reveal the well-known phenomenon of size and scale effect. Furthermore, two new numerical methods were developed: the gradient elastic microtruss model and the gradient elastic beam element model. In these models, bar and beam elements are introduced possessing gradient elastic parameters which enable micro scale behavior to be easily and readily accounted for new element. Stiffness matrices have been derived from fundamentals and applied to some simple configurations the simulation is compared with the classical elastic counterpart and reveals considerable differences with these stiffness matrices, it is easy to show that smaller micro structures dimensions of a material are stiffer than larger ones. Hence in a simple manner, it provides a platform to account for micro structural properties and behavior of a material

Investigations into the Mechanical Properties and Microstructural Behavior of Foreign and Locally Fabricated Brake Disc

The present work reports investigations on mechanical and microstructural properties of foreign and locally fabricated brake disc. From safety point of view, brake disc is a crucial component of the braking system. Foreign brake disc (FBD) are known for their long life span and better mechanical properties under service condition. However, locally fabricated brake disc (LFBD) may possess similar or better mechanical properties than the foreign one. Therefore, the need to investigate their mechanical properties in order to determine which brake disc has better mechanical properties under the same service condition. It was observed that a high machinability index occurs in the locally fabricated brake disc as compared with the foreign brake disc, noticeable in the softness and weak graphite flakes formation in the matrix. Higher resistance to indentation was noticeable in the foreign brake disc as compared to the locally fabricated disc. The locally fabricated brake disc however, witnesses about 22% reduction in toughness compared to the foreign brake disc. An offshoot from this research will enhance the choice of material selection in the manufacturing of brake disc and assurance of locally made spare parts at affordable prices, and the provision of employment opportunities by establishing spare-parts production and allied industrie

A gradient elastic homogenisation model for brick masonry

The elastic macro-mechanical properties of masonry are investigated herein by taking into account the presence of a weakly non-local heterogeneity, within a simple gradient elasticity model. Masonry has a heterogeneous structure composed of masonry units bound by mortar. The homogenisation of masonry walls is a challenging task but also a very appealing method for modelling heterogeneity effects exhibited by masonry elements. In particular, it allows the use of smeared mechanical properties, thus avoiding the need of knowing the exact unit-to-unit and joint-to-joint geometry. Current codes provide very simplified empirical expressions to estimate an isotropic elastic modulus of masonry on the basis of its strength properties. The respective equations which do not take into account the anisotropy of masonry, present high scatter resulting in ambiguous safety. The homogenization argument employed in this work is based on a simple procedure utilising Aifantis gradient elasticity (GradEla) model. The GradEla model is a straight-forward extension of Hooke’s law by enhancing it with the addition of the Laplacian of the classical expression of the Hookean stress multiplied by an internal length accounting for the local heterogeneity. It has been successfully used to eliminate singularities from dislocation lines and crack tips, as well as in interpreting size effects. However its use in masonry structures has not yet been explored. A first step in this direction is attempted in this paper with emphasis on obtaining practical easy-to-use results rather than exhausting all other possibilities and complexities encountered in GradEla and its generalisation as well as in more involved homogenisation procedures. In our analysis uniform vertical, horizontal and shear loads are assumed to act on the boundaries of the representative volume/surface element. The components of masonry are assumed to follow a gradient elastic stress distribution resulting in a gradient elastic homogenised model (GREHM). GREHM comprises a set of closed-form concise equations which estimate the elastic moduli in the longitudinal and transverse directions, the shear modulus and the Poisson’s ratio. The aforementioned orthotropic material properties are verified using experimental results and also, compared to other homogenisation models. The validation shows that the proposed equations can effectively estimate with considerable precision the elastic properties of masonry walls. To illustrate the resulting estimation of the orthotropic elastic properties, normalised graphs are provided.JRC.E.4-Safety and Security of Building

Gout is more frequent in sickle cell disease than in haemoglobin AA among sub-Saharan Africans

Background: Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is a common autosomal recessive disorder worldwide that mostly affects Africans. Hyperuricemia, a common biochemical finding, occurs in up to 41% of SCD patients. Although hyperuricaemia is the most important risk factor for gout, thelatter is uncommonly reported in SCD.Objective: To determine the frequency and factors associated with hyperuricaemia and gout among patients with Sickle Cell Disease&nbsp; (SCD).Design: This was a cross sectional study.Methods: The study involved 104 SCD patients and 104 haemoglobin AA (HbAA) controls. The diagnosis of gout was based on the&nbsp; demonstration of monosodium urate crystals in the synovial fluid of symptomatic individuals. Hyperuricaemia was found in 28 (26.9%) and 2 (1.9%) of SCD and control participants respectively (p&lt;0.001). The median (range) Serum Uric Acid (SUA) was higher among patients (330 μmol/L [146 to 702 μmol/]) than in controls (232 μmol/L [143 to 440 μmol/L]), (p&lt;0.01). Six (5.8%) cases of gout were found among the patients and none among the controls (p=0.029). The pattern of articular involvement was monoarticular in 2 (33.3%), oligoarticular in 3 (50%) and polyarticular in 1 (16.7%). One (16.7%) patient had subcutaneous tophi. Factors associated with gout in SCD were age, hyperuricaemia, more than two SCD crises in the past year and more than two hospital admissions in the past year.Conclusion: Gout as is hyperuricaemia, is more frequent in persons with SCD than in the general population. It is mostly oligoarticular and older patients with multiple attacks of painful joint swelling as well as frequent hospital admissions may be at higher risk of gout