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The effect of the sun and its path on thermal comfort and energy consumption in residential buildings in tropical climates constitutes serious concern for designers, building owners and users. Passive design approaches based on the sun and its path have been identified as a means of reducing energy consumption, as well as enhancing thermal comfort in buildings worldwide. Hence, a thorough understanding regarding the sun path is key to achieving this. This is necessary due to energy need, poor energy supply and distribution, energy poverty and over-dependence on electric generators for power supply in Nigeria. These challenges call for a change in the approach to energy related issues, especially in terms of buildings. The aim of this study is to explore the influence of building orientation, glazing and the use of shading devices on residential buildings in Nigeria. This is intended to provide data that will guide designers in the design of energy efficient residential buildings. The paper used EnergyPlus software to analyze a typical semi-detached residential building in Lokoja, Nigeria, using hourly weather data for a period of 10 years. Building performance was studied as well as possible improvement regarding different orientations, glazing types and shading devices. The simulation results showed reductions in energy consumption in response to changes in building orientation, types of glazing and the use of shading devices. The results indicate a 29.45% reduction in solar gains and 1.90% in annual operative temperature using natural ventilation only. This shows a huge potential to reduce energy consumption and improve people’s wellbeing using proper building orientation, glazing and appropriate shading devices on building envelope. The study concludes that for a significant reduction in total energy consumption by residential buildings, design should focus on multiple design options rather than concentrating on one or few building elements. Moreover, the investigation confirms that energy performance modelling can be used by building designers to take advantage of the sun and to evaluate various design options

Magnesium sulphate in the treatment of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia

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Towards Energy Efficient Buildings in Nigeria: Challenges and Opportunities

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version.The need to enhance people’s wellbeing by reducing CO2 emission has necessitated global efforts towards reducing energy consumption by buildings, which is responsible for nearly 45% of world’s energy consumption. Energy efficient design approaches have clear consequences on environmental protection and the wellbeing of urban populations. It is a viable means of reducing overdependence on electric generators and possible future retrofit of existing housing stock in Nigeria. Efforts towards achieving energy efficient buildings in this part of the world are not without challenges. Previous studies have revealed opportunities and possible challenges to energy efficiency in buildings in Nigeria. However, there seems to be scarce academic field data on this subject in the Nigerian context. Hence, this paper aims to identify benefits and possible hindrances to the realization of energy efficient buildings in Nigeria. This study adopted semi-structured interview involving 12 architects in Lokoja, Nigeria as the main approach for generating relevant data on this subject. Some of the limitations revealed by the interviewees include poverty, lack of awareness, lack of interest in local technologies and building materials, activities of non-professionals in the building industry and lack of effective regulatory bodies. This paper shows that there is enormous potential to improve people’s wellbeing and reduce carbon footprints if we can overcome the possible hindrances to achieving energy efficient buildings in Nigeria. The study concludes that energy efficiency in buildings can be achieved in Nigeria through strong awareness creation and collaboration among the stakeholders in the building industry

The incidence, pattern and management of sexual assault in a tertiary hospital in North-western Nigeria

Background: Sexual assault is any sexual act performed by one person on another without the person’s consent or on a victim who is incapable of giving consent. It is a violation of basic human rights, a gender-based issue and a violent crime against both the individual and the society. The objectives of the study were to determine the incidence, pattern and management of sexual assault in Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, Nigeria.Methods: This was a 10 - year retrospective study. Case records of sexual assault from 1st January, 2007 to 31st December, 2016 were retrieved and relevant data extracted and analyzed using the SPSS for windows version 20.0Results: The incidence of sexual assault was 0.8%. Majority, 88 (85.4%) occurred in children and adolescents. Peno-vaginal penetration was the most common form of assault 65 (63.1%) and the assailants were known to the victims in 74 (71.9%) of the cases. Involvement of psychiatrists/psychologists in the management of the victims was poor as psychiatrists were involved in only 13 (12.6%) of the cases. Most of the victims were lost to follow up.Conclusions: Sexual assaults occurred mostly in children and adolescents in this study. Increased public awareness and preventive interventions are required especially among the at-risk age groups to enhance their safety. Training of relevant persons in the institution to offer counselling to the victims is recommended as referral for psychiatrists’ consultation was poor. It is important to institute a good tracking system to follow up the victims as most are lost to follow up.                                                               

An Assessment of the Impact of Staff Motivation on Organisaitonal Performance

The study evaluates the impact of staff motivation on organizational performance. Secondary data were obtained from the published financial statement of Guaranty Trust Bank Plc.  Spearman’s Rank Correlation Coefficient Statistical data analysis was used to analyse data. The analyses confirmed that staff motivation have positive impact on the performance of organizational performance. The study concludes that staff motivation is central to improving organizational performance; hence management of corporate organization should put in place policies that will enhance employee’s motivation. The study recommends that staff welfare should always be giving top priority by management to enhance continuous improvement of organizational performance. The study further recommends that staff packages should be reviewed periodically to reflect economic realities as this will serve as a motivating factor that will enhance continuous increase in organizational performance. Keywords: motivation, organizational performance, personnel cost

Abdominal Pregnancy in Usmanu Dan-Fodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto: A 10-year Review

Background: Abdominal pregnancy, a rare condition with high maternal mortality (up to 50%), and even higher perinatal mortality (40 – 95%), is often associated with diagnostic difficulties.Objectives: To determine the mode of presentation and management of abdominal pregnancy, from cases in the Usmanu Dan-Fodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH), Sokoto.Materials and Methods: A retrospective review of the case records of all abdominal pregnancies managed in UDUTH, Sokoto, between January 2000 and December 2010. Results: During the 10-year study period, there were eight cases of abdominal pregnancies, 285 extrauterine pregnancies, and 25,506 total deliveries. All the patients were not booked for antenatal care and their ages ranged between 20 and 39 years (mean=28.1±3.4 years). The majority (88%) were grand multipara. The main presenting symptoms were persistent abdominal pain, vaginal bleeding, and prolonged pregnancy. Seven cases (87.5%) were diagnosed accurately by an ultrasound scan. There were seven perinatal deaths (87.5%) and one live birth. There was one maternal death (12.5%), which occurred in the patient whose placenta was left in-situ.Conclusion: Presence of persistent lower abdominal pain, vaginal bleeding, and prolonged pregnancy should raise the suspicion of abdominal pregnancy. Removal of the placenta, where feasible, improves the outcome of maternal health.Keywords: Ectopic pregnancy, Africa, diagnostic difficulties, maternal mortalit

Cluster-Based Estimators For Multiple And Multivariate Linear Regression Models

Dalam bidang pemodelan regresi linear, regresi kuasa dua terkecil (LS) klasik adalah mudah dipengaruhi oleh titik terpencil manakala penganggar regresi rendah-kerosakan seperti regresi M dan regresi pengaruh terbatas mampu menahan pengaruh peratusan kecil titik terpencil. Penganggar tinggi-kerosakan seperti kuasa dua trim terkecil (LTS) dan penganggar regresi (MM) adalah teguh terhadap sebanyak 50% daripada pencemaran data. Masalah prosedur penganggar ini termasuklah permintaan pengkomputeran luas dan kebolehubahan subpensampelan, kerentanan koefisien teruk terhadap kebolehubahan kecil dalam nilai awal, sisihan dalaman daripada trend umum dan kebolehan dalam data bersih dan situasi rendah-kerosakan. Kajian ini mencadangkan suatu penganggar regresi baru yang menyelesaikan masalah dalam model regresi berganda dan regresi multivariat serta menyediakan maklumat berguna tentang kehadiran dan struktur titik terpencil multivariat. In the field of linear regression modelling, the classical least squares (LS) regression is susceptible to a single outlier whereas low-breakdown regression estimators like M regression and bounded influence regression are able to resist the influence of a small percentage of outliers. High-breakdown estimators like the least trimmed squares (LTS) and MM regression estimators are resistant to as much as 50% of data contamination. The problems with these estimation procedures include enormous computational demands and subsampling variability, severe coefficient susceptibility to very small variability in initial values, internal deviation from the general trend and capabilities in clean data and in low breakdown situations. This study proposes a new high breakdown regression estimator that addresses these problems in multiple regression and multivariate regression models as well as providing insightful information about the presence and structure of multivariate outliers

Effects of FGF-2 on E11-mediated osteocytogenesis in skeletal health and disease

Fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2) is known to be released from cartilage upon injury and is able to influence chondrocyte gene expression in vitro. In cartilage, FGF-2 regulates E11/podoplanin expression in murine joints following surgical destabilisation (DMM model of osteoarthritis (OA)), and in cartilage explant injury models. In bone, E11 is critical for the early stages of osteocytogenesis and is responsible for the acquisition of the osteocyte dendritic phenotype. This dendritic phenotype is dysregulated in OA and given the known role of the osteocyte in controlling bone remodelling, this may contribute to the subchondral bone thickening observed in OA. Hence, the aim of this study was to elucidate the nature of FGF-2- mediated E11 expression and osteocytogenesis in skeletal health and disease. This thesis has shown that FGF-2 dose-dependently increased E11 mRNA expression in MC3T3 cells, primary osteoblasts and in primary calvaria organ cultures, which was confirmed by E11 protein western blotting data. The FGF-2 induced changes in E11 expression were accompanied by significant increases in the mRNA expression of the osteocyte markers Phex and Dmp1, and significant decreases in the mRNA expression of the osteoblast markers Col1a1, Postn, Bglap and Alpl expression. This thus supports the hypothesis that FGF-2 drives osteocytogenesis. The acquisition of osteocyte phenotype involves the re-organisation of the cytoskeleton, such as F-actin. This step is important for the transition of cuboidal-shaped osteoblasts to the stellate-shaped osteocyte phenotype. FGF-2 stimulation of MC3T3 cells and primary osteoblasts revealed more numerous and longer dendrites, as visualised by phalloidin staining for F-actin and indicative of the acquisition of the osteocyte phenotype. In contrast, control cells had a typical rounded morphology with fewer and shorter dendrites. Furthermore, immunofluorescence labelling for E11 in control cells revealed uniform distribution throughout the cytoplasm, especially in the perinuclear region. In contrast, FGF-2 treated cells showed a modified distribution where E11 was negligible in the cytoplasm, but concentrated in the dendrites. The use of siRNA knockdown of E11 achieved a 70% reduction of basal E11 mRNA expression. This knockdown also effectively abrogated FGF-2-related changes in E11 expression and dendrite formation as disclosed by mRNA and protein expression, immunofluorescence and F-actin staining with phalloidin. Despite these FGF-2 driven increases in E11 and osteocyte dendrite formation in vitro, immunohistochemical labelling revealed no differences in E11 expression in subchondral, trabecular and cortical osteocytes from naïve Fgf-2 deficient mice in comparison to wild-type mice. Similar results were observed upon sclerostin immunolabelling. FGF-2 stimulation of MC3T3 cells elicited activation of ERK1/2, Akt and p38 MAPK. However, inhibition of the aforementioned pathways failed to reduce FGF-2- mediated E11 expression and as such, the specific signalling pathway responsible remains unclear. Upstream, the expression of Fgfr1 was increased (>10-fold) over 24 h time point, while a reduction was seen in Fgfr2/3 expression over same time point especially in the FGF-2 treated cultures. This suggests that increased E11 expression and the acquisition of the osteocyte phenotype may be speculatively though upregulation of Fgfr1. The expression of E11 and sclerostin in OA pathology in mice, human and dogs were investigated. Initially sequence homology using the Clustal Omega alignment program showed both proteins to be homologous in the domestic animals under study. A comparative study using canine subchondral bone osteocytes revealed increased E11 expression in the OA samples relative to the control. This feature may be related to newly embedded osteocytes during sclerosis. However, E11 and sclerostin were unchanged in both murine (DMM) and human OA subchondral bone osteocytes in comparison to controls. In mice, this may be due to limited OA development; whilst in humans the sample size, age, stage of the disease and sourcing from same diseased joint may be important in the interpretation of the results. The expression of E11 and sclerostin during OA pathology was also investigated in Fgf-2 deficient mice in which OA was induced using the DMM model. There was no difference in E11 expression between the OA and control (sham-operated) samples, suggesting that compensation of E11 expression may be mediated by growth factors from the FGF family. Surprisingly, increased E11 expression was observed in the control Fgf-2 deficient mice, in comparison to the wild-type control mice. This suggests a potential adjustment to loading by the contralateral knee, as this was not observed in naïve mice from both groups. Together, these data show that FGF-2 promotes the osteocyte phenotype, and that this is mediated by increased E11 expression. These results may help explain (1) the altered osteocyte phenotype and (2) increased subchondral bone thickening observed in OA. This knowledge will be of interest in the search for disease modifying therapeutics for skeletal health, including OA and osteoporosis

The histological effect of Cnidoscolus aconitifolius aqueous leaf extracts on the archetecture of the ovary, testis and sperm cells of adult wistar rats

This study accessed the effects of Cnidoscolus aconitifolius on some reproductive organs (testis and ovary) and semen analysis cells of adult wistar rats. Twenty four (24) adult wistar rats weighing 170g-215g were used for this study; the animals were weighed and sorted into control and three treatment groups of six rats each. The control received feed mash and water liberally, while the treated groups 2-4 were given 200mg, 400mg and 600mg of Cnidoscolus aconitifolius aqueous extract respectively, also they received feed mash and water liberally. At the end of the four weeks experiment animals were sacrificed, organs harvested and fixed in 10% formal saline for histological studies and sperm cells were placed in normal saline for semen analysis. The extract has no effect on body weight as gradual increase in body weight was observed in all the groups. Microscopic examination of the testis and ovary showed a dose dependent effect, for treated groups; testis revealed spermatogenesis arrest, the ovary revealed lutienization of the ovarian stroma and semen analysis for motility, morphology, viability and sperm count showed significant differences when compared to control group. Therefore caution should be taken in the use of Cnidoscolus aconitifolius.Keywords: Cnidoscolus aconitifolius, medicinal plant, phytochemical screening, anti-fertility agents, reproductive organs