EFFECTS OF COVERINGS ON RADIATION EXPOSURE RATE IN SOME INDOOR ENVIRONMENTS

The effects of covering materials used for the interior building surfaces; the walls, ceilings and floors of some buildings in Ogbomoso on the radiation exposure rates have been investigated in this work using an accurately calibrated scintilometer. The combinations of covering materials assessed in this work are of three categories: A – tex-coat paint, asbestos and carpet; B – emulsion paint, asbestos and bare floor and C – ceramic tiles, asbestos and carpet. The dose rate values obtained varied between 4.04±0.05 x 10-5 µЅv h-1 to 5.12±0.05 x 10-5 µЅv h-1 for A, 4.04±0.04 x 10-5 µЅv h-1 to 5.60±0.04 x 10-5 µЅv h-1 for B and 4.61±0.04 x 10-5 µЅv h-1 to 6.66±0.05 x 10-5 µЅv h-1 for C. The data obtained showed that the dose rate values are highest in the C – type buildings while the lowest values are obtained in the B – type buildings. The mean effective dose for A, B and C buildings are 0.3400±0.0018 µSv y-1, 0.3520±0.0019 µSv y-1 and 0.3735±0.0019 µSv y-1 respectively

Strategies to prevent HIV transmission among heterosexual African-American men

BACKGROUND: As part of qualitative research for developing a culturally sensitive and developmentally appropriate videotape-based HIV prevention intervention for heterosexual African- American men, six focus groups were conducted with thirty African-American men to determine their perceptions of AIDS as a threat to the African-American community, characteristics of past situations that have placed African Americans at risk for HIV infection, their personal high risk behaviors, and suggestions on how HIV intervention videotapes could be produced to achieve maximum levels of interest among African-American men in HIV training programs. METHODS: The groups took place at a low-income housing project in Houston, Texas, a major epicenter for HIV/AIDS. Each group was audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed using theme and domain analysis. RESULTS: The results revealed that low-income African-American men perceive HIV/AIDS as a threat to their community and they have placed themselves at risk of HIV infection based on unsafe sex practices, substance abuse, and lack of knowledge. They also cite lack of income to purchase condoms as a barrier to safe sex practice. They believe that HIV training programs should address these risk factors and that videotapes developed for prevention should offer a sensationalized look at the effects of HIV/AIDS on affected persons. They further believe that programs should be held in African-American communities and should include condoms to facilitate reduction of risk behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that the respondents taking part in this study believe that HIV and AIDS are continued threats to the African-American community because of sexual risk taking behavior, that is, failure to use condoms. Further, African-American men are having sex without condoms when having sex with women often when they are under the influence of alcohol or other mind-altering substances and they are having sex with men while incarcerated and become infected and once released resume unprotected sexual relations with women. According to the men, substance abuse is an important part of the problem of HIV in the African-American community. This is in keeping with research that shows that drug use, especially crack cocaine, is linked to sexual risk taking among African Americans and to increased likelihood of becoming infected with other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) including HIV. Thus, interventions for men should address condom use, condom availability, skills for using condoms, eroticizing condoms and substance abuse prevention. Men in the present study also strongly recommended that HIV/AIDS videotaped messages should include footage of the sensational effects of the disease

Records Management Practices in Research Institutes in South-West, Nigeria

This study investigated records management practices in some selected research institutes in Nigeria within the framework of records life-cycle concepts. The primary aim is to explore how research records are managed and find out whether records management as a valuable resource of research institutes receives the desired attention as regards quality practice, level of implementation among others. Using survey research and stratified random sampling techniques, records management practice questionnaire was designed and used to collect data from two hundred and twenty-three respondents that were randomly selected from six out of the fourteen research institute in South-West, Nigeria. The result showed that, research institutes created and managed all types of records predominantly in paper form (68.4%), while the decentralized system of filing was generally practiced in all the research institutes (98%). Although various filing methods, Simple lists were found to be the main tool used for both records control and retrieval. A high level of records insecurity was found (68%), while records generated were managed manually through filing of hard copies in folders and kept in wooden cabinets, metal cabinet and filing shelves. The management of research records were at great variance with the stipulations of the records life-cycle concept and that research records is yet to attain minimal level or records management implementation. This study recommends that records management practice should be adequately funded; recruiting qualified records managers, and embracing the wide range of opportunities offered by ICT for the management of research records