Design and construction for traditional house building

This study is concerned with quality and productivity aspects of traditional house building. The research focuses on these issues by concentrating on the services and finishing stages of the building process. These are work stages which have not been fully investigated in previous productivity related studies. The primary objective of the research is to promote an integrated design and construction led approach to traditional house building based on an original concept of 'development cycles'. This process involves the following: site monitoring; the analysis of work operations; implementing design and construction changes founded on unique information collected during site monitoring; and subsequent re-monitoring to measure and assess Ihe effect of change. A volume house building firm has been involved in this applied research and has allowed access to its sites for production monitoring purposes. The firm also assisted in design detailing for a small group of 'experimental' production houses where various design and construction changes were implemented. Results from the collaborative research have shown certain quality and productivity improvements to be possible using this approach, albeit on a limited scale at this early experimental stage. The improvements have been possible because an improved activity sampling technique, developed for, and employed by the study, has been able to describe why many quality and productivity related problems occur during site building work. Experience derived from the research has shown the following attributes to be important: positive attitudes towards innovation; effective communication; careful planning and organisation; and good coordination and control at site level. These are all essential aspects of quality led management and determine to a large extent the overall success of this approach. Future work recommendations must include a more widespread use of innovative practices so that further design and construction modifications can be made. By doing this, productivity can be improved, cost savings made and better quality afforded.

Albumin in tears

Albumin is not endogenous to the tear film and is present as a product of plasma leakage. It is used as a diagnostic marker of ocular insult and inflammation. Tear albumin is, however, poorly understood, with large variations in reported concentrations between studies. There is also no authoritative information on whether its presence in tears is responsive or part of an adaptive reaction.The presented research aimed to resolve the disparities in published tear albumin concentrations and investigate the role of albumin in the tear film. Collation and evaluation of the available literature identified collection method, stimulus, assay technique, and disease state as factors able to influence quoted tear albumin to different extents. Difference in sampling technique exhibited the largest variations in mean tear albumin concentrations. Review of the literature also highlighted that little systematic investigations of the daily cycle of tear albumin levels, and subject-to-subject-variation, had been carried out. In order to remedy this shortcoming, variations in tear albumin concentration were investigated in 13 subjects throughout the waking day. Results identified a time period where albumin levels are relatively stable (2-6 hours post-waking). This was designated a suitable baseline for the determinations of tear albumin concentrations and subject-to-subject comparisons. Significantly, a previously unrecognised progressive increase in albumin concentration during the latter part of the day was also identified in the population. This increase suggests that albumin may play a more active and dynamic role in the ocular environment than is commonly perceived. To facilitate the collection of additional tear albumin data, tear sampling and point-of-care analysis in contact lens clinics were investigated. Two instruments were evaluated and were found to be suitable for the analysis of tear albumin in commercial institutions. Collectively, the described research has provided new insight into tear albumin and a strong foundation for further studies.

Hydrodynamics and mass transfer studies in a scheibel extractor

A 10 cm diameter four-stage Scheibel column with dispersed phase wetted packing sections has been constructed to study the hydrodynamics and mass transfer using the system toluene-acetone-water. The literature pertaining to the above extractor has been examined and the important phenomena such as droplet break-up and coalescence, mass transfer and backmixing have been reviewed. A critical analysis of the backmixing or axial mixing models and the corresponding techniques for parameter estimation was applied and an optimization technique based on Marquardt's algorithm was implemented. A single phase sampling technique was developed to estimate the acetone concentration profile in both phases along the column. Column flooding characteristics were investigated under various operating conditions and it was found that, when the impellers were located at about DI/5cm from the upper surface of the pads, the limiting flow rates increased with impeller speed. This unusual behaviour was explained in terms of the pumping effect created by the turbine impellers. Correlations were developed to predict Sauter mean drop diameters. A five-cell with backflow model was used to estimate the column performance (stage efficiency) and phases non-ideality (backflow parameters). Overall mass transfer coefficients were computed using the above model and compared with those calculated using the correlations based on single drop mechanism.

A simple bioanalytical method for the quantification of antiepileptic drugs in dried blood spots

An increasing number of publications on the dried blood spot (DBS) sampling approach for the quantification of drugs and metabolites have been spurred on by the inherent advantages of this sampling technique. In the present research, a selective and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography method for the concurrent determination of multiple antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) [levetiracetam (LVT), lamotrigine (LTG), phenobarbital (PHB)], carbamazepine (CBZ) and its active metabolite carbamazepine-10,11 epoxide (CBZE)] in a single DBS has been developed and validated. Whole blood was spotted onto Guthrie cards and dried. Using a standard punch (6 mm diameter), a circular disc was punched from the card and extracted with methanol: acetonitrile (3:1, v/v) containing hexobarbital (Internal Standard) and sonicated prior to evaporation. The extract was then dissolved in water and vortex mixed before undergoing solid phase extraction using HLB cartridges. Chromatographic separation of the AEDs was achieved using Waters XBridge™ C18 column with a gradient system. The developed method was linear over the concentration ranges studied with r ≥ 0.995 for all compounds. The lower limits of quantification (LLOQs) were 2, 1, 2, 0.5 and 1 μg/mL for LVT, LTG, PHB, CBZE and CBZ, respectively. Accuracy (%RE) and precision (%CV) values for within and between day were <20% at the LLOQs and <15% at all other concentrations tested. This method was successfully applied to the analysis of the AEDs in DBS samples taken from children with epilepsy for the assessment of their adherence to prescribed treatments.

The complements towards developing a new risk management framework and Its applicability to the Nigerian power sector

The availability of regular supply has been identified as one of the major stimulants for the growth and development of any nation and is thus important for the economic well-being of a nation. The problems of the Nigerian power sector stems from a lot of factors culminating in her slow developmental growth and inability to meet the power demands of her citizens regardless of the abundance of human and natural resources prevalent in the nation. The research therefore had the main aim of investigating the importance and contributions of risk management to the success of projects specific to the power sector. To achieve this aim it was pertinent to examine the efficacy of risk management process in practice and elucidate the various risks typically associated with projects (Construction, Contractual, Political, Financial, Design, Human resource and Environmental risk factors) in the power sector as well as determine the current situation of risk management practice in Nigeria. To address this factors inhibiting the proficiency of the overarching and prevailing issue which have only been subject to limited in-depth academic research, a rigorous mixed research method was adopted (quantitative and qualitative data analysis). A review of the Nigeria power sector was also carried out as a precursor to the data collection stage. Using purposive sampling technique, respondents were identified and a questionnaire survey was administered. The research hypotheses were tested using inferential statistics (Pearson correlation, Chi-square test, t-test and ANOVA technique) and the findings revealed the need for the development of a new risk management implementation Framework. The proposed Framework was tested within a company project, for interpreting the dynamism and essential benefits of risk management with the aim of improving the project performances (time), reducing the level of fragmentation (quality) and improving profitability (cost) within the Nigerian power sector in order to bridge a gap between theory and practice. It was concluded that Nigeria’s poor risk management practices have prevented it from experiencing strong growth and development. The study however, concludes that the successful implementation of the developed risk management framework may help it to attain this status by enabling it to become more prepared and flexible, to face challenges that previously led to project failures, and thus contributing to its prosperity. The research study provides an original contribution theoretically, methodologically and practically which adds to the project risk management body of knowledge and to the Nigerian power sector.

Feasibility studies of an on-line identification technique

This thesis is concerned with the study of a non-sequential identification technique, so that it may be applied to the identification of process plant mathematical models from process measurements with the greatest degree of accuracy and reliability. In order to study the accuracy of the technique under differing conditions, simple mathematical models were set up on a parallel hybrid. computer and these models identified from input/output measurements by a small on-line digital computer. Initially, the simulated models were identified on-line. However, this method of operation was found not suitable for a thorough study of the technique due to equipment limitations. Further analysis was carried out in a large off-line computer using data generated by the small on-line computer. Hence identification was not strictly on-line. Results of the work have shovm that the identification technique may be successfully applied in practice. An optimum sampling period is suggested, together with noise level limitations for maximum accuracy. A description of a double-effect evaporator is included in this thesis. It is proposed that the next stage in the work will be the identification of a mathematical model of this evaporator using the teclmique described.

The development of an automated nano sampling handling system for nanometre protein crystallography experiments

As the world's synchrotrons and X-FELs endeavour to meet the need to analyse ever-smaller protein crystals, there grows a requirement for a new technique to present nano-dimensional samples to the beam for X-ray diffraction experiments.The work presented here details developmental work to reconfigure the nano tweezer technology developed by Optofluidics (PA, USA) for the trapping of nano dimensional protein crystals for X-ray crystallography experiments. The system in its standard configuration is used to trap nano particles for optical microscopy. It uses silicon nitride laser waveguides that bridge a micro fluidic channel. These waveguides contain 180 nm apertures of enabling the system to use biologically compatible 1.6 micron wavelength laser light to trap nano dimensional biological samples. Using conventional laser tweezers, the wavelength required to trap such nano dimensional samples would destroy them. The system in its optical configuration has trapped protein molecules as small as 10 nanometres.

The development of an automated nano sampling handling system for nanometne protein crystallography experiments

As the world's synchrotrons and X-FELs endeavour to meet the need to analyse ever-smaller protein crystals, there grows a requirement for a new technique to present nano-dimensional samples to the beam for X-ray diffraction experiments.The work presented here details developmental work to reconfigure the nano tweezer technology developed by Optofluidics (PA, USA) for the trapping of nano dimensional protein crystals for X-ray crystallography experiments. The system in its standard configuration is used to trap nano particles for optical microscopy. It uses silicon nitride laser waveguides that bridge a micro fluidic channel. These waveguides contain 180 nm apertures of enabling the system to use biologically compatible 1.6 micron wavelength laser light to trap nano dimensional biological samples. Using conventional laser tweezers, the wavelength required to trap such nano dimensional samples would destroy them. The system in its optical configuration has trapped protein molecules as small as 10 nanometres.