Browsing by Author "Okyere, Samuel"

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    Epidemiological Model of Influenza A (H1N1) Transmission in Ashanti Region of Ghana
    (2012) Okyere, Samuel
    The pandemic potential of influenza A (H1N1) has required decision makers to act in the face of uncertainties. In this thesis we develop a deterministic Susceptible – Exposed – Infectious – Recovered (SEIR) model to study the spread of H1N1 using data from the Ashanti region of Ghana. The study is based on the assumption that the population is constant with birth rate equals death rate. It is also assumed that the population interacts freely (homogeneous mixing). The model has two equilibrium states. The stability of each equilibrium point namely, the disease – free and the endemic equilibrium points are discussed. The basic reproduction number (R_O) was estimated to be 1.0064 and was found to persist with〖 R〗_O>1 whenever the transmission rate was increased or the recovery rate reduced but turned to〖 R〗_O<1, whenever the transmission rate was reduced or the recovery rate increased. A simulation was run for five months and extended to sixteen months in the neighbourhoods of the disease – free and endemic states and showed that near the disease – free state, the proportion of infectives had no effect on the susceptible population. However, as the number of infectives was increased in the neighborhood of the endemic equilibrium point, the susceptible population declined gradually reaching a minimum value at the last month. The recovered proportion of the population on the other hand, increased exponentially with time reaching a maximum value at the last month of the simulation. It is concluded that rapid vaccination is the most important factor to control the spread of H1N1 in case of an outbreak and that 0.64% of the susceptible population needs to be vaccinated in order to bring the disease under control.  
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    Life Cycle Costing Practices in Ghanaian Public Universities: Case Study of UEW.
    (NOVEMBER 2016) Okyere, Samuel
    Due to the ever-increasing quest for tertiary education in the country, there have been annual increments in enrolments in the various public universities in Ghana over time, leading to pressure on the limited academic facilities. At a high cost of expanding their infrastructural bases, focus has primarily been centered on the cost of construction much to the neglect of overall life span costs of projects. Using a mixed methodology approach, the study aimed at exploring the use of Life Cycle Costing (LCC) practices in GPUs by assessing the level of understanding of practitioners on the technique, documenting existing practices and barriers effective application as well as identifying pre-requisites for effective implementation of the tool. Through a thorough literature review, a questionnaire was developed and administered to 40 practitioners in the built environment (Architects, Engineers, Quantity Surveyors, Project Managers, Estate Officers and Procurement Officers). The study revealed that there is general knowledge and awareness of the LCC tool though rarely applied consciously in practice as confirmed from literature. The study further identified that the involvement of maintenance personnel at the early stage of projects was the most practiced LCC technique and major barriers to the practice have been with bureaucratic structures in administrative procedures as well as poor maintenance culture. Other factors identified included the difficulty in assessing reliable data for analysis, the unavailability of an abridged standardized LCC approach for local practice, insufficient expertise of professionals, the ever-growing challenge of balancing and satisfactorily meeting multiple institutional stakeholders’ needs as well as the effects of inflation on forecasted figures among others. Identified measures for effective implementation of the tool in GPUs are the need to develop institutional design and maintenance standard manuals as well as training of practitioners to gain workable knowledge in the iv application of the tool. Serving as an eye-opener to the exploration of LCC practices in Ghana, this research will be useful for management of GPUs and professionals in the Ghanaian Construction Industry (GCI). The study further recommends that future researchers can explore the perception of built environment professionals on the use of LCC within the GCI.