bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Association analysis of the ACTN3 R577X polymorphism with passive muscle stiffness and muscle strain injury
Authors: Miyamoto N. , Miyamoto‐Mikami E. , Hirata K. , Kimura N. , Fuku N.
Published: October 2017

Passive muscle stiffness is considered to be a major factor affecting joint flexibility and is thought to relate to the occurrence of muscle strain injury. In skinned muscle fiber experiments, the R577X polymorphism of the α‐actinin‐3 gene (ACTN3) has been associated with passive muscle stiffness. Our primary purpose was to clarify whether the ACTN3 R577X polymorphism influences passive stiffness of human muscle in vivo. We also examined whether the ACTN3 R577X polymorphism is associated with the occurrence of hamstring strain injury. Seventy‐six healthy young male subjects were genotyped for the ACTN3 R577X (rs1815739) polymorphism. Shear modulus (an index of stiffness) of each hamstring muscle (biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus) was assessed using ultrasound shear wave elastography, and history of hamstring strain injury was collected via a questionnaire. The muscle shear moduli of the semitendinosus and semimembranosus were significantly higher in R‐allele (RR + RX genotype) carriers than in XX genotype carriers, whereas the shear modulus of the biceps femoris did not differ among the ACTN3 R577X genotypes. Frequency of past hamstring strain injury also did not differ between the 3 genotypes nor between the R‐allele and XX genotype carriers. This study indicates that RR and RX genotypes of the ACTN3 R577X polymorphism (corresponding to the presence of α‐actinin‐3 in type II muscle fibers) are associated with increased passive muscle stiffness of the human hamstring in vivo. However, this altered mechanical property might not affect the risk of hamstring muscle strain injury.
Arabidopsis EARLY FLOWERING3 increases salt tolerance by suppressing salt stress response pathways
Authors: Sakuraba Yasuhito , Bülbül Selin , Piao Weilan , Choi Giltsu , Paek Nam‐Chon
Published: October 2017

Arabidopsis EARLY FLOWERING3 (ELF3) functions in modulating light input to the circadian clock, as a component of ELF3‐ELF4‐LUX ARRHYTHMO (LUX) evening complex. However, the role of ELF3 in stress responses remains largely unknown. In this study, we show that ELF3 enhances plants’ resilience to salt stress: ELF3‐overexpressing (ELF3‐OX) plants are salt‐tolerant, while elf3 mutants are more sensitive to salt stress. The expressions of many salt stress‐ and senescence‐associated genes are altered in elf3‐1 and ELF3‐OX plants compared with wild‐type. During salt stress, ELF3 suppresses factors that promote salt stress response pathways, mainly GIGANTEA (GI), at the post‐translational level, and PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR4 (PIF4), at the transcriptional level. To enhance the salt stress response, PIF4 directly downregulates the transcription of JUNGBRUNNEN1 (JUB1/ANAC042), encoding a transcription factor that upregulates the expression of stress tolerance genes, DREB2A and DELLA. Furthermore, PIF4 directly upregulates the transcription of ORESARA1 (ORE1/ANAC092) and SAG29, positive regulators of salt stress response pathways. Based on our results, we propose that ELF3 modulates key regulatory components in salt stress response pathways at the transcriptional and post‐translational levels.
Cohesion and centromere activity are required for phosphorylation of histone H3 in maize
Authors: Liu Yang , Su Handong , Liu Yalin , Zhang Jing , Dong Qianhua , Birchler James A. , Han Fangpu
Published: October 2017

Haspin‐mediated phosphorylation of histone H3 at threonine 3 (H3T3ph) promotes proper deposition of Aurora B at the inner centromere to ensure faithful chromosome segregation in metazoans. However, the function of H3T3ph remains relatively unexplored in plants. Here, we show that in maize (Zea mays L.) mitotic cells, H3T3ph is concentrated at pericentromeric and centromeric regions. Additional weak H3T3ph signals occur between cohered sister chromatids at prometaphase. Immunostaining on dicentric chromosomes reveals that an inactive centromere cannot maintain H3T3ph at metaphase, indicating that a functional centromere is required for H3T3 phosphorylation. H3T3ph locates at a newly formed centromeric region that lacks detectable CentC sequences and strongly reduced CRM and ZmBs repeat sequences at metaphase II. These results suggest that centromeric localization of H3T3ph is not dependent on centromeric sequences. In maize meiocytes, H3T3 phosphorylation occurs at the late diakinesis and extends to the entire chromosome at metaphase I, but is exclusively limited to the centromere at metaphase II. The H3T3ph signals are absent in the afd1 (absence of first division) and sgo1 (shugoshin) mutants during meiosis II when the sister chromatids exhibit random distribution. Further, we show that H3T3ph is mainly located at the pericentromere during meiotic prophase II but is restricted to the inner centromere at metaphase II. We propose that this relocation of H3T3ph depends on tension at the centromere and is required to promote bi‐orientation of sister chromatids.
The Dawn of Humane Leprosy Segregation: Transforming Leprosarium into Home
Authors: Lim Jing Jing , Lim Yong Long
Published: October 2017

Leprosarium or leprosy asylum has always been associated with cruel segregation of leprosy sufferers from the society. However, humane approach was suggested in the international arena in 1923 to reform the former unsympathetic compulsory segregation to make leprosy sufferers “human” again. Prior to this revelation that leprosarium should be attractive to persuade leprosy sufferers to admit themselves voluntarily, missionary organizations have been establishing humane leprosarium that mirrors a home rather than an institution. There are studies on the eminent Mission to Lepers, such as Kakar (1996), Buckingham (2002), Joseph (2003), and Robertson (2009). However, the architectural and planning idea of the missionary organizations, which is disparate from the conventional leprosy institutions established since the medieval time, has yet to be studied. The aim of this paper is to identify the idea and principles of humane segregation in leprosarium practiced by missionary organizations, especially the influential leprosarium model by Mission to Lepers. It is carried out through content analysis on missionary books, reports and biographies, leprosy journals, newspapers, drawings, and photographs. The analysis enables the identification of unique spatial planning and built form of missionary leprosarium model. The findings showed that missionary leprosarium model imitates the natural village to create a sense of home for leprosy sufferers, and self-sustainable in character. Missionary leprosaria are also community-driven and semi-autonomous. All this has accredited missionary leprosy organizations as the forerunner in humane leprosarium design that thrives in the 1920s to 1930s. This study would be able to help us to understand how architecture was utilized as a tool in disease prevention yet aspired to preserve the humanity among leprosy outcasts. Further research can be done to enhance the study such as human perception and psychology towards the architectural design of leprosarium and the socio-cultural impact on the residence as well as the society.
The Need for Professionalism and Competencies in the Construction Industry
Authors: Oladotun Adebiyi John , Edosa Osazuwa Mark
Published: October 2017

The quantity surveyors, in the present day construction industry, analyze cost components of a construction project in a scientific way and applies the results of the analysis to a variety of financial and economic problems confronting the developer and the designer. However, competence, in any sphere of work, can be a difficult concept to pin down, especially, when it relates to professional occupations where such roles are complex and involved diverse professionals in the built environment sector. This paper aims to investigate the competencies of quantity surveyors in the discharge of its professional duties by evaluating the effects of professional competency on quantity surveying practices in Nigeria. The study population comprised professional quantity surveyors who are in the private construction/consulting firms in Lagos State, Nigeria. Data were obtained to investigate the professional views on the quantity surveying profession, the roles of quantity surveyors in the construction industry and the need for professionalism and competencies in the surveying industry. Questionnaires were administered to randomly select 200 practicing quantity surveyors in Lagos state. Findings revealed that the major role of quantity surveyors in the construction industry is the preparation of the bill of quantity as it ranked 1st with RII value of 1.00; it was also discovered that quantity surveyors were in agreement with client service delivery as the first ethical standard that construction professionals should consider when performing their professional obligations in order to avoid project failure and over-cost. It is therefore recommended that the professional bodies and the academia should organize proper and adequate service trainings, workshops and seminars which will enhance the possibility of acquiring more skills and experience so as to improve competence in the discharge of quantity surveyors professional duties.
Assessment of Viability Appraisal Practice by Estate Surveyors and Valuers in Lagos Metropolis, Nigeria
Authors: Kolawale Oyetunji Abiodun , Grace Oyetunji-Olakunmi Busayo
Published: October 2017

A capital investment appraisal is a means of ensuring value for money. It is not meant to provide an indication of profit or loss, but rather a comparison of costs in relation to those areas where there is an opportunity or an inclination for change. The decision to invest in a project is based on the expectation of future returns since a rational investor does not expect to incur loss on his capital outlay. This decision making is usually hinged on advice obtained during pre-investment appraisal. This study is aimed at evaluating the mode of practicing investment viability appraisal by Estate Surveyors and Valuers in Lagos metropolis. The data for the study was obtained by randomly administering structured questionnaires on eighty-seven (87) practicing Estate Surveyors and Valuers in the study area and the findings were analyzed through descriptive statistical tools such as the Likert scale to present the result. Findings revealed that the payback period is the most adopted appraisal technique in practice as evidenced with a mean score of 3.57. The objective (s) of the investor is also the most significant factor being considered while selecting appraisal technique with a mean score of 3.83 while the problems of actual return varying from the expected return and also difficulty in the repayment of loans always result when a wrong viability technique is employed. The success of any viability study goes beyond knowing the objective (s) of the investor; therefore, it was recommended that appraisers should ensure that they are equipped with adequate knowledge required for the execution of feasibility and on viability studies because knowing the right viability criteria for a particular objective will help in advising an investor on a course of action that will best achieve the developer’s objective.
Impact of Contractors’ Bidding Strategies on Bid Success in the Nigeria Construction Industry
Authors: Fawale Tolulope Samuel , Dada Joshua Oluwasuji
Published: October 2017

Several types of researches have been carried out prior to the new millennium on the subject of bidding strategies in the construction industry. Today, organizations are faced with a very complex decision of bid/no-bid because it requires the assessment of large number of highly inter-related variables. The study aims at examining different types of Contractors’ Bidding Strategies (CBS) with a view to determining their impact on bid success. In line with the aim, the study objectives include; evaluation of different types of CBS and; assessment of the success rate of contractors’ bid. The method of approach elicits information on the number of projects bided and successes recorded over a period of time. A total of one hundred and seventy-one useable responses were retrieved from questionnaire administration. Descriptive statistics, tables and percentages as well as mean item score (MIS) were used for data analysis. The study showed that lowest bid, public relations and joint venture bidding strategies have great impact on contractors’ bid success especially on residential, educational and administrative projects in the Nigeria Construction Industry (NCI). Therefore, the study concluded that relationship exists between contractors’ bidding strategies and equivalent successes recorded over a period of time. It is important to also know that lowest bid strategy still remains the most effective bidding strategy for public works contracting in the NCI.
Shelter planning based on self-saving concepts in urban residential districts
Authors: Qi Buri , Dai Shenzhi , Permana Ariva Sugandi
Published: October 2017

With increasing population density in Asia, the potential higher risk was resulted from the residential districts with the higher plot ratio, especially in some megapolis (eg. Beijing and Shanghai). Presently it is more difficult for the rescue operation during the disasters because of the decreasing safe space among the buildings as a result of higher buildings and denser the district. Thus, an immediate self-saving action is more important than before during the disaster in the residential districts, and its realization depends on the reasonable shelter planning and its management system. In this study, the factors related to the self-saving were analyzed and concluded by the related the literatures retrieval and case study, and the case study was done by the in-depth interview and questionnaires in three different residential districts in Shanghai. It was found that the following factors related to the self-saving should be considered in the shelters planning: the distribution of the shelters including their space accessibility and area, evacuation passageways, the facilities of the disaster prevention (such as fire hydrant and guide signs) and subsidiary facilities (such as vegetation for the disaster prevention), the social cohesion, awareness of the self-saving and disaster prevention. Simultaneously, the shelters planning countermeasures based on the self-saving were proposed, which provided some theoretical bases for the study  and plan of the security residential districts in future.
Forecasting Temporal and Spatial Climatological Influence for Land Suitability Evaluation in Bentota Sri Lanka
Authors: Ranasinghe Gayani , Piyadasa Ranjana UK
Published: October 2017

Climate change has raised much concern regarding its impacts on future land use planning, varying by region, time, and socio-economic development path. The principle purpose of land suitability evaluation is to predict the potential and limitation of the land for crop production and other land uses. This study was carried out to predict the temperature and rainfall trends as one of the major factor for evaluating land suitability. Climatic data such as monthly mean temperature, total monthly rainfall, maximum daily rainfall and total annual rainfall during last 30 years of all weather stations located in Bentota River basin was collected and analyzed applying time series analysis, correlation analysis and Manna Kendall trend test methods. Spatial distribution of forecast rainfall values was illustrated applying Arc GIS software. The findings revealed that monthly mean temperature and maximum daily rainfall had a general increasing trend whereas, total monthly rainfall and total annual rainfall showed a general decreasing trend in  Bentota area. It was indicated relatively high rainfall situations during May and October while low rainfall situations during January and February by occurring flood situation in once per five year. During Yala season the area will be received comparatively more rainfall (331mm) than Maha season (300mm) in future. Community and the farmers in this area can be aware about the anticipated spatial distribution of total monthly rainfall during two major seasons and flood occurrence periods. Decision makers should evaluate land suitability of Bentota area by considering above climatological influences and its spatial distribution pattern that identified as major outcome of this research. The approach and the methodology adopted in this study will be useful for other researchers, agriculturalist and planners to identify the future climatological influences and its spatial distribution pattern for land suitability evaluations and other decision making purposes for other areas.
Courtyard as a Passive Cooling Strategy in Buildings
Authors: Bulus Markus , Hamid Malsiah , Lim Yaik Wah
Published: October 2017

One of the most significant current discussions in the built environment, architectural practice, theory, and procedures is “Passive Design”. It is becoming very difficult to ignore the issues of passive architectural design strategies in buildings. Recent studies emphasized the need for passive architectural design strategies and the application of the courtyard as a passive design strategy for cooling in buildings. Also, that the courtyard is very suitable in almost all building typologies in all the climatic zones due to its passive tendencies for cooling. Its cooling potentials can be achieved only when design requirements are not ignored. The courtyard has social, cultural, religious, and environmental benefits. Despite its abundant advantages, research effort towards courtyard design requirements is very scarce. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to investigate the design of central courtyard as a passive cooling strategy for improving indoor thermal comfort in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Buildings. Courtyard design requirement such as the courtyard configurations, orientation, and natural features in courtyard buildings in UTM were investigated. Besides the design variants, courtyard usage in such buildings was also examined. The methodology of this study involved the developing of a checklist based on literature for the field survey. Forty-six (46) courtyards in thirty-two (32) buildings in UTM were surveyed, and the statistical description method was used to interpret and analyzed the data. The Results of this quantitative study shows that UTM central courtyards buildings were designed based on a cautious consideration to orientation and configurations to enhance their effective passive cooling potentials, however, only two courtyards had water pools. The study concluded that courtyards in UTM buildings are creatively designed but future experimental studies to appraise their thermal performances is required, and future simulation studies can predict a better design requirement for optimum performance. Therefore, further simulation studies are recommended.
Stakeholders Assessment of Constraints to Project Delivery in the Nigerian Construction Industry
Authors: Tanko Bruno L. , Abdullah Fadhlin , Ramly Zuhaili Mohamad
Published: October 2017

The central goal of construction stakeholders is to successfully deliver projects to stated objective (s). However, for decades, construction projects have been plagued by perennial constraints of cost and time overruns, poor quality, and lack of sustainability. The objective of this paper is to identify and assess the constraints to construction project delivery, and to recommend solutions to enhance project performance. This paper adopted both quantitative and qualitative methods to establish the constraints in the Nigerian construction industry. A pilot survey and literature reviewed revealed a total of fifty (50) construction constraints, which were further classified into eight (8) major groups. Well-structured questionnaires were administered to construction stakeholders (client, consultant and contractor) in Abuja, the federal capital city of Nigeria. Relative Importance Index (RII) was used to analyze the data using Likert scale.  The results suggest that cost/time overrun related factors (inability to reduce project cost), Stakeholders interactive-related factors (inability to establish client value system), Client-related factors (Delay in interim payment and finance problem), and Labor/material-related factors (escalation of material prices and materials quality variability) are the most prevalent constraints in the Nigerian construction environment.  To mitigate the effects of these challenges, it is suggested that a formal innovative approach should be used by stakeholders to address the problems of poor communication, high project cost, and delay. Clients should also take measures to provide adequate funding and should promptly honor interim certificates.
Project Leadership and Quality Performance of Construction Projects
Authors: Buba SPG , Tanko BL
Published: October 2017

Background: The construction industry in Nigeria, is pigeonholed by poor quality of construction products as a result of the inherent corruption in the country. Lack of purposeful leadership and inappropriate choice of leadership styles in the industry have been attributed to project failure. Abandoned and failed projects are more predominant in the public sector which litters every corner of the country. Objectives: The objective of this paper is to assess the impact of leadership styles on quality performance criteria of public projects in Nigeria. Methodology: A total of 43 questionnaires were distributed to 3 key groups of respondents (Quantity Surveyors, Builders, and Architects) who are project managers in Nigeria. Descriptive and Inferential statistics were used to analyse the data using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Likert Scale was used to measure the independent variables (leadership style): facilitative, coaching, delegating and directing; and the level of achievement of projects based on the dependent variables (quality and function performance criteria) which are: achieving highest aesthetic quality; and functional building that fits its purpose. Findings: The study revealed that Directing is the major leadership style used by project managers in Nigeria. Amongst the leadership styles which has the most impact on quality performance indicators is also directing which has the most relative influence on achieving highest aesthetic quality and functional building that fits its purpose. Conclusion/Recommendation/Way forward: The underlying relationship between Directing leadership styles and the performance criteria of achieving highest aesthetic quality and functional building that fits its purpose will be beneficial to the Nigerian construction environment.
An Assessment of Public Transport Facility in Johor Bahru: a case study in Taman Ungku Tun Aminah Area, Majlis Perbandaran Johor Bahru Tengah, Malaysia
Authors: Zaman Musarrat , Sultan Zahid , Fard Maryam , Siyaka Abdulrahman , Pung Jia Chyi
Published: October 2017

Provision of public transport infrastructure is important to increase the ridership and at the same time decrease the use of private transport. Like the other Malaysian cities, Johor Bahru is mostly dependent on private vehicles such as motor cars and motor cycles. The ridership on public transport especially public bus is getting lower over the years. In this situation the sustainability in transportation and land use cannot be ensured. This paper aims to assess the public transport facility in Taman Ungku Tun Aminah in Johor Bahru which is very old and traditional residential area with some major extent of commercial and educational land uses. The actual scenario of public transport service and underlying problems that impeded the residents to use public bus service is observed in this paper. The possible options for the improvement of the bus service and turning it into an effective short and medium length inter town travel media are also discussed as well. Both the primary and secondary information are collected for the purpose of study. Various descriptive statistical data analysis are done in order to get the expected outcome from the collected data. According to this study only 26.7% of the respondents use public bus for their daily travel. The opinion of the respondents is taken for the underlying causes of their reluctance on using public bus service and also the effective measures for the enhancement of this service to the users like them. Finally some recommendations and strategic actions and policy frameworks are also suggested in this paper.
Adolescents’ Sense of Community and Involvement in Playground Activities: Panacea to Ameliorate Social Vices and Delinquencies
Authors: Agboola Oluwagbemiga Paul , Rasidi Mohamad Hisyam , Said Ismail
Published: October 2017

Researchers have identified defects in the physical environments in which they interact and play, which has resulted in a decline the expected values initiated in both the social, physical and psychological developments. The role of playground in the development of adolescent’s health, moral and social standard has attracted lower interest in the recent time. The adolescent sense of community relates to a positive experience in the community open space setting such as playground and social well-being with their peers in general. Over time, little efforts have been initiated by the researchers towards these phenomena. This current study fills the gap by examining the adolescents’ sense of community through a quantitative survey via appraisal of the quality of community playground, emotional connection and effects of their participation in playground activities on ameliorating the delinquents’ behavior and social vices. Completed survey questionnaires retrieved from a total number of 69 purposive respondents who are adolescents from three towns and analyzed through relative importance index (RII) via Likert scale. Results from the analysis indicated that adolescents’ positive attitudinal changes and reduction in social vices and delinquent’s behavior could be achieved through their involvements in quality and well-equipped playgrounds. Similarly, the significant role of sense of community in enhancing adolescent social participation in playground activities contributes to a major role in increasing their social well-being and togetherness. Thus, the study recommends appropriate future planning, design, and management of neighborhood playgrounds in Nigeria.
Critical Success Factors for Malaysian Construction Projects: An Investigative Review
Authors: Yong Yee Cheong , Mustaffa Nur Emma
Published: October 2017

Construction projects play an important role in the advancement of a nation through infrastructure development that leads to economic growth. They are planned carefully to accomplish certain goals. However, not all the projects achieved the goals as per planned. Many factors contribute to the successes and failures, and it becomes an interesting arena for research. The primary objective of this paper is to outline the development trend of project success measurement globally and locally. The research method employed was to make selected reviews on critical success factors' (CSFs) literature and to compare international standards and progress in incorporating human behavioural aspects of project management to the situation in Malaysia. A somewhat similar pattern can be observed in Malaysia where the studies have departed from the usual criteria of time, cost and quality, to define project success in a more holistic way. However, the domestic industry has failed to respond to the emerging trend globally as there has yet been any widely published research on the importance of human-related factors towards project success. A consolidated framework of CSFs has therefore, been proposed in responding to the findings. This paper fulfils an identified need as there has been a dearth of research on the subject matter locally.
Implications of Present Land Use Plan on Urban Growth and Environmental Sustainability in a Sub Saharan Africa City
Authors: Dyachia Zakka Solomon , Permana Ariva Sugandi , Ho Chin Siong , Baba Adams Ndalai , Agboola Oluwagbemiga Paul
Published: October 2017

Land use, urban development and environmental sustainability have become an interesting research arena as urban development would change the city landscape as well as generate environmental degradation. This paper looks at the missing link between land use planning and urban growth, and it implications for environmental sustainability in a selected sub Saharan Africa city of Kaduna, Nigeria. We assessed urban growth from historical GIS data of the city to evaluate the urban expansion. At the same time, regression analysis was used to established relationship between carbon emission and traffic volume in the city. A city characterized by weak land use planning has created a gap leading to uncoordinated land use planning and uncontrolled physical growth. A steady increase of built up area of 8,400.31 hectares in 1982 to an area of 17,120.5 hectares in 2015 can be a reflection of the presence of uncontrolled urban expansion. The lack of coordination between land use planning and urban growth has resulted to environmental ills within the city. One among the ills, is ubiquitous traffic congestion within the city leading to high carbon (CO2) emission. Findings shows a strong connection between emission and volume of traffic. In addition to findings, is the decline of green areas in the city. By this findings, it is suggested that the modern concept of land use planning which embraces flexibility, public participation and integration of environmental issues should be entrenched and allow to take the lead in the process of urban growth.
A model to Estimate the Implicit Values of Housing Attributes by Applying the Hedonic Pricing Method
Authors: Randeniya TD , Ranasinghe Gayani , Amarawickrama Susantha
Published: October 2017

Many scholars focused on the location based attributes rather than the non-location factors in decision making on land prices. Further, new research studies have identified the importance of the non-location attributes with the location factors. Many studies suggest that, many attributes exist which affects the housing price. Since the attributes involved and dominant for a particular case differs from one situation to the other, there cannot be an exact list of attributes. Yet, identification of factors that determine housing price and their relationships and the level of influence have poorly understood in planning and property development in the context of Sri Lanka. This study attempts to address what make householders to decide on housing price and application of hedonic pricing approach to estimate the implicit price of housing attributes in context of Sri Lanka. A sample study of selected fifty (50) single house transactions in Maharagama urban neighborhood area has been utilized to illustrate the applicability of the hedonic pricing model. As a methodology, correlation analysis has been carried out to study the degree of relationship between the housing price and the independent variables. The attributes which correlate with housing prices, the study identified the most significant attributes. A model was developed to estimate the future house price by applying the pricing model which is incorporated with these attributes. A hedonic house price model derived from multiple liner regression analysis was developed for the purpose. The findings reveal that six attributes as design type of the house, distance to the local road, quality of Infrastructure, garden size, number of the bed rooms and property age are contributed to estimate the implicit value of Housing property. The model developed would be used to identify implicit values of houses located in urban neighborhood area of Sri Lanka.
Remaking Nigeria’s Urbanism: Assessing and Redressing the Dearth of Open Spaces in Benin City
Authors: Onwuanyi Ndubisi , Ndinwa Chukwunoyelim
Published: October 2017

Unplanned land use in most Nigerian cities has meant that all urban land needs are not adequately provided for within their landscapes. Open spaces are either conspicuously missing or inadequate. There is a tendency for existing open spaces to be lost to urban development pressure and a disregard for zoning. This paper identifies available and accessible open spaces in Benin City and assesses their adequacy using as a guide standards established in two selected international jurisdictions, discusses the potential benefits of open space to the city on the one hand and its residents on the other given the incipient impacts of global warming and climate change, and the prospects of mitigation by greening the city even in its already built-up state. Data is sourced from journals, reports, archival records and inspections of the urban environment. The findings confirm a great dearth of open spaces as well as deteriorating urban environmental conditions which have implications for health, well-being and urban sustainability. The recommendations are that future expansions of the city space incorporate adequate provisions for open spaces, whilst within the existing built-up city, solutions be sought in the creation of greenways, green paths, private green spaces, promoting street trees and the conversion of brownfield sites to green areas.
Virtual Reality for Architectural or Territorial Representations: Usability Perceptions
Authors: Zaini Atta Idrawani , Embi Mohamed Rashid
Published: October 2017

Virtual reality (VR) is widely being researched within various aspects of real-world applications. As architecture and urban design are very much adhered to evaluating and designing space, physical representations are deemed as incompetent to deliver a full-scale depiction of a space. Similarly, digital models are very much also limited in that sense. VR can deliver a full-scale virtual environment (VE), tricking users to be immersed in the replicated environment. This is an advantage for the aforementioned design disciplines, as more relatable and realistic depiction of a space can be modelled. The notion of its usability has become important to be understood from the perspective of architecture and urban design. This paper measured the respondents’ perceptions of VR’s usability through measuring its quality of use based on several criteria. The criteria established were the ease of use, usefulness, and satisfaction. Different levels of architectural details were decided as a form of control. A total of N=96 randomly selected respondents from various backgrounds participated in the survey as they were divided into four different group of treatments. Each group experienced a different VE with different level of architectural details. The first section of analysis is a one-sample analysis and the second is a group difference analysis. From the first analysis, it was found that the respondents perceived VR as a usable tool for architectural or territorial representation. Using Kruskal-Wallis test, it was found that there was no statistically significant difference between groups, suggesting that the respondents perceived VR as usable regardless of the level of architectural details. As this paper used perception data based on the quality of use alone, the efficiency of VR system was not measured. Thus, this paper recommends further studies to be conducted on the system’s efficiency to reflect its usability in full extent.
Preferred Team Roles of Construction Team Members in Selected Higher Institution Projects
Authors: Ayinde Olatunde Nathaniel , Oke Ayodeji Emmanuel
Published: October 2017

The study appraises the preferred team role of construction team members in selected higher institution projects in Nigeria, with a view to improving delivery of such projects. The study used purposive sampling technique to select two higher institutions studied and census survey was used in selecting 35 completed construction projects executed by the institutions. A total of 191 questionnaires were distributed to obtain information from construction team members who participated in the selected construction projects. Mean Item Score was used in ranking the preferred team roles of construction team members. The results revealed that the construction team members’ preferred team roles by personal assessment are different from their preferred team roles by other observers’ assessment of individual construction team members. Construction team members have more than one preferred team roles and that the most preferred team role of Quantity surveyors, clients and contractors is resource investigator while the most preferred team role of Architects, Structural/Civil Engineers and Service Engineer is Planter, Implementer/company worker and specialist respectively. The study concluded that a deliberate attempt should be made in determining the preferred team roles of construction team members before co- opting them into a team so as to improve construction projects delivery.
Waterfront Development Concepts in Indonesia from the Perspective of Urban Planning and Environmental Sustainability
Authors: Permana Ariva Sugandi , Astuti Winny , Er Erianto
Published: October 2017

Rivers, lakes, beaches or other public water bodies have substantial and precious environmental values, and if properly managed, they can be a tremendous element towards a sustainable city. Within the context of urban planning and environmental sustainability, the harmonious balance between built and natural environment could not be avoided. The riverfront development concepts attempt to accomplish this balance by developing the necessary built environment while keeping the natural environment intact and provides ecological service. Since the concept of riverfront development is new to Indonesia or to most cities in Indonesia, it would be a good initiative to promote this concept. The riverfront development concept would bring the positive multiplier effects to urban development and ultimately to the well-being of urban citizens. This paper attempts to address the possibilities of riverfront development concept for its existence from the viewpoint of urban planning and environmental sustainability. This thought is based on personal lookout as well as relevant references. The study was carried out by observing some examples of waterfront development in some cities. Assessment on the regulations of riverfront related development was also undertaken. The study found that present approach on rivers or lakes or other public water bodies as the backyard of the development has brought to various environmental degradation. The riverfront concept is expected to reverse the situation for its numerous social, economic and environmental advantages. We suggest that this concept must be implemented elsewhere in Indonesia due to foreseeable returns towards sustainable urban development and sustainable cities.
Variability of Cost and Time Delivery of Educational Buildings in Nigeria
Authors: Aghimien Douglas Omoregie , Awodele Oluwaseyi Alabi
Published: October 2017

Cost and time overrun in construction projects has become a reoccurring problem in construction industries around the world especially in developing countries. This situation is unhealthy for public educational buildings which are executed with limited government funds, and are in most cases time sensitive, as they need to cater for the influx of students into the institutions. This study therefore assessed the variability of cost and time delivery of educational buildings in Nigeria, using a study of selected educational buildings within the country. A pro forma was used to gather cost and time data on selected building projects, while structured questionnaire was used to harness information on the possible measures for reducing the variability from the construction participants that were involved in the delivery of these projects. Paired sample t-test, percentage, relative importance index, and Kruskal-Walis test were adopted for data analyses. The study reveals that there is a significant difference between the initial and final cost of delivering educational buildings, as an average of 4.87% deviation, with a sig. p-value of 0.000 was experienced on all assessed projects. For time delivery, there is also a significant difference between the initial estimated time and final time of construction as a whopping 130% averaged deviation with a sig. p-value of 0.000 was discovered. To remedy these problems, the study revealed that prompt payment for executed works, predicting market price fluctuation and inculcating it into the initial estimate, and owner’s involvement at the planning and design phase are some of the possible measures to be adopted.
Socio-economic Factors Affecting Residential Land Accessibility in Akure Nigeria: A Gender Perspective
Authors: Ajayi Mary Adebola , Adebayo Michael Adedayo
Published: October 2017

Land defines the social, economic and political relations in the society and is the most crucial factor of production. Access to land promotes the economic power of individuals and their contribution to the economy of the nation at large. It is both a resource and a focal point of social identity and solidarity. This paper is aimed at revealing the sources of gaining access to residential land in Akure by both male and female home owners with a view to engendering appropriate policy response towards female housing ownership. The sample size was determined from the 2006 population census figure of the Akure South Local Government Area. A total of three hundred and eighty one (381) questionnaires were administered to home-owners using systematic and stratified random sampling techniques and were found useful for analysis. The means of gaining access to residential land in the selected towns in the study area include purchase, inheritance, government allocation and gift. Discriminant Function Analysis was used to determine which socio-economic variables were the best predictors of how access to land can be gained. Occupation, income and education emerged as the best predictors out of all the socio-economic variables used. The paper recommends the provision of enabling environment to boost informal employment which is predominant in the study area as this will increase the income level of the citizens. There is also the need for public enlightenment on how to access land through government allocation which was very low in the study area.
Unleashing the Potentials of Housing Sector in Nigeria as Perceived by Users
Authors: Olugbenga Taiwo David , Yusoff Nooraini , Aziz Norsiah Abd , Baba Adams Ndalai
Published: October 2017

Housing is a basic need and a human right. The role that housing plays in the social and economic development of a country cannot be underestimated.  Interventions in housing by government are widely acknowledged as one of the ways by which the social aspect of the life of the citizenry can be impacted especially through mass housing otherwise called social housing. This paper aims to examine the various potentials in the housing sector in order to enhance the delivery of more housing to Nigerians. A survey research approach was used in the study. Descriptive analysis was employed to explain the potentials in the housing sector. Housing deficit in Nigeria currently stands at about 17 million units. Efforts to meet and rectify the deficit will need a concerted effort of individuals and government. It requires unleashing the potentials in the housing sector to stimulate growth in the economy, thereby diversifying the economy from the mono to a multi sector economy.  Interventions of governments at all levels as well as the involvement of informal sector in the housing sector will have a multiplier effect. It will generate multiple employment opportunities which will in turn stimulate the economy through the circulation of money in the system. The paper noted that interventions in housing sector will stimulate industries in the production of local building materials. Additionally, ailing companies will be revitalized, thereby improving the standard of living of the citizens. The paper concludes that strengthening and repositioning of agencies such as the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria, Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company, will accelerate the release of the potentials in the housing sector and thereby enhance the delivery of affordable houses for Nigerians.
Urban Greenery a pathway to Environmental Sustainability in Sub Saharan Africa: A Case of Northern Nigeria Cities
Authors: Zakka Solomon Dyachia , Permana Ariva Sugandi , Majid Mohammad Rafee , Danladi Amos , Bako Parah Emmanuel
Published: October 2017

The Northern Region of Nigeria, which is located south of Africa biggest desert - the Sahara, is highly vulnerable to  adverse impacts of climate change for some reasons. This paper attempts to review the variance between urban greenery, urban development and the quest for environmental sustainability. A critical review of relevant materials related to the study was carried out. The quantitative nature of the study was backed empirically. Findings from the study reveal that physical development plans for some urban areas have been very ad-hoc and loosely defined. Allocation of open green spaces is not in harmony with the urban population and it mostly characterized by a low percentage. Abuja master plan, for instance, has the highest allocation of 32.87%, while allocation in other master plans fall below 30% with Suleja master plan counts 2.5% only. Outdated master plan and the lack of will power from urban authority in plan implementation has often resulted in the distortion, encroachment, and conversion of green areas to other land uses. Increase carbon emission and pollution especially from the transport sector has been marked by a decline in greenery. Therefore, reducing the sequestration capacity of the urban area, weak urban planning and harsh climatic condition could be regarded as critical challenges. This study suggests the strict adherent to sustainable urban planning that integrates physical development and environmental consideration to enhance greenery. The study also recommends the placement of urban greenery on the same platform with the urban grey infrastructure by urban stakeholders.
Sustainable livable housing: A review of what traditional urban areas residents find important
Authors: Lukuman Musibau , Sipan Ibrahim , Raji Fauziah , Aderemi Olofa S
Published: October 2017

Sustainable livable housing is pre-condition for healthy living, improve quality of life and critical to economic and social survival. It also encompasses various aspects that predominantly depend on economic, social, cultural and environmental (ESCE) conditions within the locality. To this end, this paper seeks to explore, classify and assess the sustainable livable housing attributes from the existing literatures through content analysis. A review of literature revealed a total of ninety two (92) constructs, which were further grouped nine (9) livable housing-related attributes groups. Well-structured questionnaires were administered to residents of traditional urban areas (TUA) of Iwo Osun State, Nigeria with ninety two (92) constructs on Likert scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistic and relative importance index (RII).  Out of (92) constructs from nine (9) livable housing-related attributes groups, the results identified seventy eight (78) important attributes (i.e. 35 most important and 43 important) across groups and construct that TUA residents found important. Over RII was 0.409 for overall assessment of sustainable livable housing condition by TUA residents indicating that TUA residents are dissatisfied with their current housing conditions.