Collage of Pure and Applied Sciences (COPAS)

Factors Affecting Fire Safety Management Performance at International Airports in Kenya

Mon, 19 May 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Factors Affecting Fire Safety Management Performance at International Airports in Kenya Otieno, Philip Fire outbreaks are global hazard with a potential to cause injuries, loss of life and damage to properties. To mitigate against these fires, fire safety of the building should be considered during the design and construction phases of a building, supported by effective implementation of fire safety management which plays an important role in enhancing safety of buildings against unforeseen fires in complex occupancies like airports. This study aimed to assess fire safety awareness among management and employees, investigate compliance with relevant sections of Building Operations and Works of Engineering Construction, Fire Risk Reduction Rules and International Civil Aviation Organization Standards and Recommended Practices and determine adequacy of fire protection systems at international airports in Kenya. Stratified and simple random sampling methods were adopted to select employees and management at international airports in Kenya to be included in the study. Cross-sectional survey design was adopted and from a population of 1900, a sample of 310 and 169 employees and management respectively were selected from eight Kenya’s international airports namely Jomo Kenyatta, Moi, Kisumu, Wilson, Malindi, Eldoret, Wajir and Lokichoggio airports. Data was collected through observation and structured questionnaires, then coded, tabulated and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Descriptive statistics including arithmetic means, standard deviation and frequencies were used, alongside inferential statistics was carried out using t-test and results presented in tables and charts. Pearson’s correlation and simple linear regression was used to test linear and statistical relationships between independent variables and dependent variable respectively. Regression coefficients showed strong positive relationships between each of the independent variables and Performance of fire safety management. T-test was used to test research null hypothesis for the regression coefficients for each variable. The prediction factors were 0.69, p<0.05 for Employees’ fire safety awareness; 0.30, p<0.05 for Management’s fire safety awareness; and 0.67, p<0.05 for compliance with relevant sections of BOWEC, FRRR and ICAO SARPS. The null hypothesis was rejected in the t-test. The study concluded that inadequate fire safety awareness among Management and employees, non-compliance with fire safety standards and inadequacy of fire protection systems had negative impact on performance of fire safety management at International Airports in Kenya and recommended that both Management and employees undergo basic fire safety training to empower them in managing fire safety hazards, and that fire protection systems be adequately provided, maintained and tested to ensure their serviceability and reliability. Master of Science in Occupational Safety and Health

Degradation of Methylene Blue Dye and Rifampicin Antibiotic Using Parthenium hysterophorus- Mediated Green Zinc Oxide and Copper Oxide Nanoparticles

Tue, 19 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Degradation of Methylene Blue Dye and Rifampicin Antibiotic Using Parthenium hysterophorus- Mediated Green Zinc Oxide and Copper Oxide Nanoparticles Nzilu, Dennis Mwanza Contamination of water with antibiotics and organic dyes is causing a serious threat to human health and ecosystems. Wastewater treatment technologies such as membrane filtration, advanced oxidation processes, and resin ion exchange have been in use over time; however, they are associated with limited removal capacity of pollutants and are reported to be cost-intensive. Recently, decontamination with green metallic nanoparticles has been found to be promising. This study aimed to synthesize green copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) from Parthenium hysterophorus aqueous extract and determine their degradation ability against the rifampicin antibiotic and the methylene blue (MB) dye. The formation of green CuO NPs and ZnO NPs was confirmed by several characterization techniques: UV-Vis spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), Powder X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS). The percentage degradation of rifampicin antibiotic and MB dye using green CuO NPs and ZnO NPs was affected by the nanoparticle amount, rifampicin and MB concentration, pH, reaction time, and temperature. The highest percentage degradation (˃99%) was obtained for the rifampicin antibiotic using 10 mg/L of rifampicin solution and 50 mg of green CuO NPs within 210 minutes. In contrast, the highest percentage of degradation (˃58%) was obtained for MB dye using 5 mg/L of MB solution and 10 mg of green ZnO NPs within 360 minutes. The percentage degradation was determined to increase when the parameters were combined at their optimal conditions, with over 99% degradation of rifampicin and 59% degradation of MB reported within 8 and 32 minutes, respectively. Additionally, green CuO NPs and ZnO NPs were demonstrated to retain their degradation ability even after multiple cycles of use. According to the study’s findings, P. hysterophorus-mediated green CuO NPs and ZnO NPs exhibited degradation properties that enabled them to break down the studied pollutants, indicating potential use in the decontamination of other aquatic pollutants. Master of Science in Analytical and Environmental Chemistry

A Smart Contract Approach for Cyber Threat Intelligence Sharing

Tue, 19 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

A Smart Contract Approach for Cyber Threat Intelligence Sharing Maina, Wilson Muigai The current practice of informal cyber threat intelligence (CTI) sharing among organisations is characterized with the use of emails and social media exchanges among individuals. This model is highly subjective and dependent on a specific individual’s social networks. While international cyber threat intelligence is well covered by the traditional IT tools and firewalls, there exists a knowledge gap on locally manufactured and executed malware and cybercriminal activities. Financial institutions have CTI at their disposal that could protect each other from computer hacks and fraud. The effective sharing of this intelligence among financial institutions could help reduce the high-income leakages that is brought about by cyber-attacks. The challenge is how to share this intelligence confidentially and anonymously since the financial institutions are competitors, have a huge reputation to protect and thrive on business secrecy. To solve this problem effectively, trust-based computing must be used. Ethereum is a blockchain based technology that comes with the ability to write smart contracts, small programs that sit on the blockchain. As the contracts are on the blockchain, they become immutable thus providing an alternative protocol for building decentralized applications. This research was able to achieve the sharing CTI by a developed model utilizing Ethereum smart contract blockchain technology. The blockchain private ledger, based on Ethereum, was used in this research to ensure information is only passed among the trusted financial institutions. Sharing CTI on the developed model took an average of 45 seconds, costed an average of $0.45 with anonymity guaranteed. Anonymity was achieved by introducing a layer of abstraction to protect the identity of the participating nodes or the financial institutions in the private blockchain network when passing information. This model based on contract technologies will assist in sharing CTI securely among trusted parties. Keywords: Blockchain, Cyber Threat Intelligence, Ethereum, IoT, Smart Contract Master of Science in Information Technology

Analytical Study of Porosity, Dispersion Energy and Dielectric Energy Losses on Performance of Annealed TiO2 - Graphene Dye Sensitized Solar Cell

Tue, 19 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Analytical Study of Porosity, Dispersion Energy and Dielectric Energy Losses on Performance of Annealed TiO2 - Graphene Dye Sensitized Solar Cell Mugambi, Nelson Recent advances in technology have sparked interest in improving the efficiency of dye-sensitive solar cells (DSSC) with great progress, to mitigate challenges such as high recombination rates and low quantum yield. The present study demonstrates a facile synthesis of modified Titanium dioxide (TiO2) compact layers on fluorine tin oxide (FTO) and graphene using the Sol gel Doctor Blade deposition method for solar applications. As deposited films and films subjected to one-step annealing, annealing rates of 1 °C/min and 2 °C/min were studied utilizing a range of techniques, including a Varian 7000e FTIR, UV-VIS spectrophotometer, a Scanning Kelvin Probe Microscope (SKPM), and a Hall Effect setup. FTIR demonstrated considerable absorption at low frequencies (less than 798 cm-1) in TiO2 on graphene heterojunctions, confirming the production of Ti-O and C-O-Ti bonds. The major anatase TiO2 characteristic was detected at 438 cm-1. All films had reflectance between 25 - 30 % in the visible spectrum (550 nm), in accordance to the TiO2 on FTO examination, and average refractive indices ranged from 1.95 to 1.56. The lowest porosity (53%) and maximum dispersion energy (11.30 eV) were found in the film annealed at 1 °C/min. The surface-to-volume energy loss ratio was least for 1oC annealing rate. TiO2 on graphene annealed at a rate of 1 oC/min exhibited a lower VELF/SELF than TiO2 on FTO, implying that an electron dissipates less energy when passing through the TiO2 on graphene film than it does in TiO2 on FTO. The light absorption coefficient (α) and electron diffusion coefficient (D) of TiO2 on graphene rose to 4.637 x 103 and 1.485 x 10-4 (1 oC/min), respectively, whereas TiO2 on FTO values increased to 4.221 x 103 and 1.251 x 10-4 (1 oC/min), in that order. Higher α and D values of TiO2 on graphene indicate enhanced electron transition in the films. Hall Effect measurements on as-deposited and annealed TiO2 on graphene films demonstrated enhanced conductivity at 1 oC/min annealing rate, which was attributed to recrystallization of films due to calcination. Work functions (φ) measurements were -730.8 mV, - 436.3 mV, and -189.2 mV, which reveal an increasing trend towards 1 oC/min annealing rate. This spatial variation and distribution are explained by ensemble modifications to granular tilts and surface slopes using a Smoluchowski smoothing model. The spatially varying levels of electric dipole moments, which are essential to atomic steps, alter φ and induce local fluctuations. The incorporation of TiO2 on graphene photoanode improved h+/e- separation, electron transport, and light absorption due to the high specific surface area of the porous structure and the continuous conduction network on compact TiO2 nanoparticles on graphene acting as an electron leakage barrier. C1 (FTO/TiO2-Pt/FTO), C2 (Gr/TiO2-Pt/FTO), C3 (FTO/TiO2-Pt/Gr), and C4 (Gr/TiO2-Pt/Gr) DSSCs were fabricated (at 1 oC/min) and labeled. Isc and Voc average values were found to be 8.1925 mA and 0.6375 V, respectively. C4 had the highest PCE (%) = 2.973 (3.4 % enhancement on C1). Lower efficiencies noted on C1, C2 and C3 DSSCs could be due to the relatively poor adhesion of TiO2 on FTO resulting to faster back reaction and electron recombination over transport. Tuning annealing rates and coupling TiO2 to graphene improves both dye active sites and crystallinity. Flexible TiO2-graphene nanosheets lower internal resistance and prevent carrier recombination rates. TiO2 on graphene electrode matrix promote C4's power conversion efficiency (PCE) by boosting dye adsorption, electron ejection improving transport. Doctor of Philosophy in Physics