Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University

Landslides pose significant threats to life, property and sustainable development in mountainous regions worldwide, with their occurrence increasingly influenced by climate change. This study addresses the critical need for accurate landslide susceptibility models in the Western Province of Rwanda, where traditional methods have shown limitations. It employed and compared three deep learning models: convolutional neural network (CNN), deep neural network (DNN), and multi-layer perceptron (MLP), to assess the landslide risks, incorporating climate change considerations. The study utilised 16 conditioning factors, carefully selected to avoid multicollinearity, with the digital surface model (DSM) showing the highest variance inflation factor (VIF) of 3.9730. The CNN model demonstrated superior performance, achieving the highest overall accuracy (93.7

This study investigates financial development and economic growth and moderated for the role of national security, environmental sustainability and green bonds in the emerging economies using annual time series data which covered the period of 2000 to 2022, panel differenced and system generalized method of moment (GMM) as the baseline model as well as fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) and dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) as the models for robustness checks. Financial development was stratified into financial development-financial institution access index and financial institution depths index and financial markets-measured with financial markets access index and financial markets depths index. Also, national security were measured with military expenditure, global peace index and global terrorism index, environmental sustainability was measured with indicators such as ecological footprint, biodiversity index and renewable energy share, while the green bonds were measured with environmental protection expenditure and carbon footprint of bank loans as we controlled for climate change and foreign remittances. Findings from the GMM results revealed that while financial development and green bonds shows positive and significant effects on the economic growth in the emerging economies, the national security had negative effects, while the environmental sustainability had significant negative and positive effects on the economic growth of the emerging economies and similar findings were made from the results of the robustness checks (FMOLS) and (DOLS). Also, from the results of the interactive effects financial development with national security, environmental sustainability green bonds, we found that the variables had significant effects on the economic growth. In addition, findings from the marginal effects (ME) and threshold effects (TH) results revealed that while financial development improves economic growth, additional effects of national security, environmental sustainability and green bonds may have adverse effects on the economic growth in the emerging economies at a certain threshold. Based on these findings, this study recommends that financial development, national security and environmental sustainability should be improved by the authorities to forestall economic growth in the emerging economies.

This article examines the complex relationships between sex, condom use, and human flourishing; challenging the conventional wisdom that condom use undermines sexual pleasure and intimacy. Drawing on existential and feminist theories, we argue that condoms can empower individuals to navigate the paradox of pleasure and protection, fostering a sense of autonomy, agency, and well-being. We propose a framework that integrates three interconnected concepts: (1) embodied subjectivity, highlighting the intricate relationships between bodily experiences, emotions, and desires; (2) relational ethics, emphasizing the importance of mutual respect, trust, and communication in sexual encounters; and (3) ontological security, exploring the ways in which condom use can provide a sense of safety and security, enabling individuals to engage in sexual activities with greater confidence and pleasure. These three pillars form an integrated system wherein embodied awareness enables ethical relating, which in turn generates ontological security. Thus, creating a cycle that enhances sexual flourishing. While this work is theoretically generalizable across cultural contexts, we illustrate its application through the Nigerian context, where cultural misconceptions about condom use remain particularly salient despite high rates of sexually transmitted infections. We argue that condom use can be a powerful tool for promoting sexual health, autonomy, and human flourishing, and should be celebrated as a responsible and empowered choice.

Contamination of drinking water sources by potentially toxic elements (PTEs) poses critical threats to human health via carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic pathways, yet comprehensive assessments targeting arsenic, selenium, cadmium and lead in Garhwal Himalayan groundwater systems have been absent. This study contributes to address this knowledge gap by evaluating As, Se, Cd and Pb concentrations in 88 groundwater samples from the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, India, a tectonically active region where populations depend almost exclusively on groundwater for drinking purposes. It integrated pollution indexing, health risk assessment, spatial mapping and statistical analyses to comprehensively characterize contamination status, identify spatial patterns and apportion potential sources. The arithmetic mean of the elemental concentrations was in the sequence Cd (0.18 µg L⁻1) < Se (0.26 µg L⁻1) < As (3.66 µg L⁻1) < Pb (12.81 µg L⁻1). While Se and Cd concentrations fell within their permissible limits, As and Pb exceeded their regulatory thresholds in specific samples. The heavy metal pollution index ranged from 5.649 to 134.2 (mean = 27.875), with majority of water samples are suitable for drinking. Non-carcinogenic risk assessment revealed that hazard indices exceeded unity in 33 samples for children versus one sample for adults, hinting on age-specific vulnerabilities. Carcinogenic risk estimates for majority of samples exceeded the acceptable threshold of ≤ 1.0 × 10⁻⁶ for the ingestion pathway, however they remained within the acceptable limit for the dermal exposure pathway. Correlation analysis identified moderate positive association between Cd and Pb, suggesting common sources or co-mobility, while Se and Pb exhibited weak negative correlation, indicating independent origins. These findings establish critical baseline data for the Chamoli district, inform targeted remediation strategies and support sustainable groundwater management aligned with multiple SDG targets. To address its limitations, future studies should incorporate temporal monitoring, expand parameter coverage and employ advanced source apportionment techniques to strengthen contamination origin characterization.

The development of sustainable infrastructure in Nigeria requires the effective use of native timber species in designed constructions. This study assesses the structural integrity of glue-laminated timber (Glulam) made of five tropical hardwoods, namely, Ekki (Lophira alata), Baphia (Baphia spp.), Iroko (Milicia excelsa), Afara (Terminalia superba), and Opepe (Nauclea diderrichii). Polyvinyl acetate (PVA) adhesive was used to produce Glulam beams and short columns with 3-, 4-, and 5-laminate layers to determine the effect of the number of laminate layers on the mechanical performance. The physical tests indicated a density of Ekki (1.19 g/cm3) to Opepe (0.79 g/cm3), with Ekki having the highest moisture level (13.87–1). Mechanical testing revealed a positive correlation (p < 0.05) between laminate number and strength among all the species. For emphasis, the bending strength of Ekki increased by 32