Reflective Materials Research Articles

Image-Enhanced U-Net: Optimizing Defect Detection in Window Frames for Construction Quality Inspection

Ensuring the structural integrity of window frames and detecting subtle defects, such as dents and scratches, is crucial for maintaining product quality. Traditional machine vision systems face challenges in defect identification, especially with reflective materials and varied environments. Modern machine and deep learning (DL) systems hold promise for post-installation inspections but face limitations due to data scarcity and environmental variability. Our study introduces an innovative approach to enhance DL-based defect detection, even with limited data. We present a comprehensive window frame defect detection framework incorporating optimized image enhancement, data augmentation, and a core U-Net model. We constructed five datasets using cell phones and the Spot Robot for autonomous inspection, evaluating our approach across various scenarios and lighting conditions in real-world window frame inspections. Our results demonstrate significant performance improvements over the standard U-Net model, with a notable 7.43% increase in the F1 score and 15.1% in IoU. Our approach enhances defect detection capabilities, even in challenging real-world conditions. To enhance the generalizability of this study, it would be advantageous to apply its methodology across a broader range of diverse construction sites.

Learning Lessons for Future Preparedness: Exploring Work Well-Being-Related Leadership Challenges among Paramedics during the Early Stage of the COVID-19 Pandemic-A Qualitative Study.

The beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic majorly impacted the population and public services. In Finland, a state of emergency was declared to ensure the security of healthcare resources, and prehospital emergency medical service (EMS) organizations faced emergency conditions for the first time. This study explores the leadership challenges related to well-being experienced during the early phase of the pandemic. This qualitative study utilized reflective essay material written between August and November 2020 by experienced advanced-level paramedics (n = 30) who participated actively in EMS fieldwork at the beginning of the pandemic. The material (32,621 words) was analyzed with inductive content analysis. The work well-being-related leadership challenges experienced by paramedics during the early phase of the pandemic were divided into four upper categories: inadequate guidance, workplace reorganization, atmosphere mismanagement, and insufficient resources to cope. These upper categories were comprised of 17 subcategories. Several actions can be taken to enhance personnel well-being and prepare for similar challenges. Guidance and support should be clear and timely. Visible leadership should be emphasized and enhanced with modern communication. Efforts should be made to strengthen the work atmosphere to support those on the front lines of healthcare. This study was not registered on a publicly accessible registry.

Photovoltaic module augmented by commercial reflectors in Southern Algeria: Comparison between different reflective materials

Even though the southeast region of Algeria, especially Ouargla city, enjoys a lot of sunshine all over the year, fixed photovoltaic (PV) solar panels are not sufficient due to two main reasons. Firstly, these panels are unable to capture sunlight during the early morning and late afternoon, and secondly, their efficiency is low, requiring the use of economical methods to enhance their performance. To overcome these limitations, this research suggests incorporating commercial reflectors to enhance sunlight capture. Furthermore, this paper compares the effects of three types of reflective materials: mirrors, aluminium, and transparent glass, on the performance of the PV module. To achieve this objective, reflectors are installed at the top and bottom of the PV module at their optimal tilt angles. Moreover, the effect of the adjacent module's mirrors was studied by installing two big mirrors (3X). The obtained results show an average improvement of 14.24 %, 11.41 %, and 4.7 % in the electrical energy generated by the PV panel with mirrors, aluminium, and transparent glass, respectively, compared to the module without reflectors. Subsequently, in the large mirror case, the results were positive, with an average 20.84 % increase in the maximal electrical power produced compared to the conventional one.

Radiation resistant optical components for high energy physics detectors

New detectors for future high-energy physics experiments will operate under unprecedented radiation dose rates. This condition requires improved radiation resistance on detector equipment. The consequent development of new materials, particularly optical materials, becomes crucial. In this work, optical components mean reflectors, light absorbers, or light transmitters. These materials, reflectors or light transmitters, are needed in detectors primarily to collect and transmit light from the scintillator to the PMT. When it comes to light absorbers, they are required to protect the detector from light from the environment. This work aims at studying selected optical materials with improved properties (functional and optical) and radiation resistance that can be used in new detectors at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiments. Light transmittance, optical reflection, thermal characteristics, and radiation resistance were investigated to evaluate the proposed materials.We have developed optical systems based on siloxanes to continue our previous developments of radiation-resistant materials for radiation detectors. We also report a study of several reflective materials and light absorber introduced into the siloxane. Investigations have shown that these systems are radiation resistant to doses of at least 1 MGy.Tested samples were irradiated at linear electron accelerator LUE-40 in the National Science Center Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology (KIPT). The accelerated electrons were sent to the heavy complex targets to deliver the irradiation with gamma or neutron fluxes. The consequent gamma and neutron fluxes and doses were estimated with the GEANT4 simulation.

NIR reflective Paints as an Alternative for Sustainable Façade Renovation

Several studies of infrared reflective materials used on opaque envelopes have shown that their application can reduce the surface temperature and the cooling energy needs of buildings and help mitigate the urban heat island effect. Some of these studies were carried out by incorporating near-infrared (NIR) reflective materials on new buildings or as part of new construction systems, considering that one of the simpler and most used façade renovation methods is repainting. In a repainting process, the reflectance could change since the reflectance depends on the interaction between the reflective layer and the substrate. A study was carried out on the reflectance of paints with NIR reflective properties applied on the finishing coat of external thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS), simulating a façade renovation. A black NIR reflective paint was applied in one layer over the existing finishing coat of two ETICS samples: one with a grey mortar colour and another with a conventional black colour. A second configuration was considered by adding an intermediate layer of regularisation with white colour. Traditional black colour and the mortars were applied on a transparent acrylic base as a reference. The samples were assessed with a modular spectrophotometer to assess the total and NIR reflectance and the colour coordinates on the CIELab space. The results showed that the reflectance and colour of the new layer are independent of the colour or type of the first layer in the case of conventional paint. Conversely, the substrate affects the NIR paint performance, where a lighter substrate can help improve the reflectance but can also lead to a more significant colour change. Likewise, the results of the paint over a new white layer resulted in a lower reflectance compared to the reflectance of a single paint layer.

A simulation study on enhancing sterilization efficiency in medical plastics through gamma radiation optimization

Gamma radiation is progressively emerging as an effective method to enhance the sterilization efficiency of medical plastics including Polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The parameters of the radiation facility will affect the efficiency of radiation sterilization. To investigate these effects, we simulate the gamma radiation sterilization performance of PVC material sample using Monte Carlo Method. The simulation results indicated that compared with the sterilization time of 20–90 min from high-temperature steam sterilization of medical waste, by optimizing the parameters of the model radiation facility, the radiation sterilization time can be reduced to 6.61 min. The optimized model facility parameters are as follows: the gamma photon energy is 1.25 MeV, the model space is 300 × 300 × 300 cm3, the reflective layer material is concrete and its thickness is 8 cm, the PVC sample layer area is 100 × 100 cm2, the distance between the radiation source and the PVC sample layer is 150 cm, the energy deposition in the bottom layer of the PVC sample layer is 1.31315 × 10–6 MeV/g. This study offers a potentially feasible way for PVC sterilization, while also providing a crucial reference for the further promotion and application of radiation sterilization technology.

Increasing Solar Reflectivity of Building Envelope Materials to Mitigate Urban Heat Islands: State-of-the-Art Review

The Urban Heat Island (UHI), a consequence of urban development, leads to elevated temperatures within cities compared to their rural counterparts. This phenomenon results from factors such as urban designs, anthropogenic heat emissions, and materials that absorb and retain solar radiation in the built environment. Materials commonly used in cities, like concrete, asphalt, and stone, capture solar energy and subsequently emit it as heat into the surroundings. Consequently, this phenomenon amplifies summertime cooling energy demands in buildings. To mitigate the UHI impacts, various mitigation strategies have emerged that include but are not limited to using higher solar reflectivity materials, known as “cool materials”, and increasing vegetation and greenery in urban areas. Cool materials have high reflectivity and emissivity, effectively reflecting solar radiation while emitting absorbed heat through radiative cooling. Increasing the solar reflectivity of building envelope materials is a promising sustainable solution to lessen the UHI effects. This state-of-the-art review summarizes the UHI causes and effects, states the mitigation strategies, describes the cool building envelope materials, explains the solar reflectivity index measurements, indicates the building and micro-climate simulations, highlights the performance evaluation of using cool building envelope materials, points out the research gaps, and proposes future research opportunities.

Research on the design of a radiation biodevice based on a compact D-D neutron generator

ABSTRACT In this research, we used a self-developed compact D-D neutron generator and designed a neutron radiation biological device. The research results showed that lead was the material with the best neutron permeability; thus, hard lead was selected as the structural material for this device. Our research disclosed a phenomenon that differed from conventional wisdom, namely, the dose contribution of the neutrons reflected from the hard lead material at the top of the device was about twice that of the polyethylene material. Therefore, hard lead was also selected for the material of the top reflector in this device. The study also showed that the device had good dose uniformity, and the standard neutron absorption dose in each irradiation zone could be obtained according to the simulation results. This device may further promote the development of future research work such as neutron radiation biological effects and mutation breeding.

Employing a vertical wick, reflector, and Nano phase change material to improve the thermo-economic performance of a tubular solar still

There is an increasing lack of drinkable water as a result of increased industry and population expansion, which has prompted scientists to arise with creative solutions to this demand. Solar stills are capable of producing drinkable water; however, they don't produce a lot of it. The objective of this study is to augment the yield, improve the thermal performance, and lower the price of the distillate produced by a tubular solar still (TSS). The effects of three modifications on thermo-economic performance of TSS systems have been studied and compared with a conventional solar still (CSS). The TSS has first been tested using a flat basin absorber, which shows 47 % thermal efficiency and 85 % higher productivity (5750 ml/m2) than a CSS (3100 ml/m2). In a second test, vertical wick (VWTSS) was used in place of a flat basin. The VWTSS displayed a 57.3 % thermal efficiency and a 155 % better productivity (8300 ml/m2) than CSS (3250 ml/m2). Thirdly, a back reflector was used to test the VWTSS. The productivity of the VWTSS with mirror (9350 ml/m2) showed 183 % higher than that of CSS (3300 ml/m2). Therefore, using a backside mirror causes the VWTSS output to increase by 28 % compared to the VWTSS without mirror. And the VWTSS with mirror has a 61 % thermal efficiency. Finally, using Nano-PCM, the VWTSS with mirror has been put to the test. As a result, the VWTSS demonstrated 209 % greater productivity (9900 ml/m2) than CSS (3200 ml/m2). The use of Nano PCM increased VWTSS productivity with mirror by 26 % compared to the VWTSS with mirror. The environmental parameter of VWTSS with modifications is 34.8 tons CO2 per year. The cost of freshwater is 0.028 and 0.014 $/L for CSS and VWTSS with reflector and Nano-PCM, respectively.

Reverberation Time Improvement in the Worship Room of Palihan Javanese Christian Church

Acoustic comfort is one of four types of comforts in a room. Acoustic comfort allows users of worship spaces to be more focused and solemn in worshipping. One indicator that indicates the optimality of acoustic comfort is the level of clarity of sound articulation. The level of sound articulation in the worship space of the Palihan Javanese Christian Church is considered unclear, so it can be concluded if there is excessive reverberation time in the worship room. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the ideal reverberation time in the worship room of the Palihan Javanese Christian Church. The research was conducted using quantitative research methods. The improvement of reverberation time in this research is done by identifying the materials that are used in the worship room of the Palihan Javanese Christian Church at a frequency of 500Hz and 1000Hz using Sabine's reverberation time theory. From this research, it can be concluded that the replacement of some reflector materials with diffuser and absorber materials can reduce the excess reverberation time in the worship room of the Palihan Javanese Christian Church.

High speed laser cutting of ultrathin metal foils for battery cell production

Laser-based manufacturing has become a key enabling technology in the production of batteries and battery cells for the e-mobility field. Several applications, in fact, have already been industrialized, such as laser-based welding, cutting, stripping, and cleaning. Among all those technologies, laser cutting, in particular, has to deal with several very stringent constraints: the presence of highly reflective materials (aluminum and copper), very low thicknesses (6–12 μm), on-the-fly processing, and high quality of the cutting surface. According to those considerations, the present paper deals with the application of remote cutting of 12 μm thick aluminum and 6 μm thick copper foils by means of a galvo scanner and two different fiber laser sources: single mode constant wave and nanosecond pulsed wave ones. The experimental activity is devoted to understanding the feasibility of the process and to point out the pros and cons of the two different lasers involved. The cutting edges are analyzed by means of optical and SEM microscopy, in order to characterize cutting quality. The process is also characterized in terms of maximum achievable speed in order to understand the limits of both lasers and galvo scanning systems.

First-principles calculations to investigate elastic, electronic, optical, and thermodynamic properties of intermetallic elements Pt3T (T = Nb, Ru, Rh, Pd, and Ag)

Different significant properties as example structural stability, stiffness constants, hardness, machinable index, band structure, interatomic bonding, optical, as well as thermal behavior of a few transitional intermetallic elements Pt3T (T = Nb, Ru, Rh, Pd, and Ag) are accompanied by ab-initio-based DFT simulation through CASTEP code. The reliability of this work has been established through the comparison of similar research-based previous work. The structural properties show a consistent relationship with the previously investigated theoretical and experimentally evident data. Investigating through the insightful elastic parameters, mechanical stabilities for all phases have been confirmed. All intermetallic phases studied in this paper show metallic nature, as confirmed by band structure and density of state calculations. In all cases, outstanding results of high bulk and plastic deformation resistance, high hardness, high melting point, and high thermal conductivity have been observed for the Pt3Ru compound. It is found (from electronic measurements) that the unique hybridization between Pt and Ru plays a key role in obtaining the better performance of Pt3Ru compound. The high bulk modulus, Young's modulus, and hardness value revealed the strong interatomic bond formation in Pt3Ru phase as well as harder type of material than others. Apart from Pt3Ru, the compounds Pt3T (T = Nb, Rh, Pd, and Ag) contain high machinability index as they have low hardness which ensured that these phases have potential applications in industry. The high melting point temperature and other excellent properties obtained for Pt3Ru compound comprise its superiority for high-temperature sector industrial applications. On the other hand, the lower minimum thermal conductivity for Pt3Pd and Pt3Ag ensured their potential applicability as TBC materials. However, all phases exhibited exceptional reflectance properties over long range photon energy, even in the UV region, which shows the applicability of these compounds to use as solar reflector materials.

An experimental study on parabolic trough solar cookers with materials collector of chrome stickers and glass mirrors

Cooking, a fundamental human necessity, frequently relies on environmentally harmful energy sources. Concentrated solar power offers a promising solution through solar cookers to address this issue. This study assesses a Parabolic Trough Collector (PTC) solar cooker's performance with two reflector materials: chrome stickers and glass mirrors. The PTC-type solar cooker comprises essential components, including an absorber tube, a flexible conduit, and a spiral-shaped cooking container holder that accommodates a diverse range of cooking vessels. In the configuration of the PTC collector, reflectors fabricated from chrome stickers and glass mirrors are strategically employed to harness and concentrate solar radiation effectively. The absorber tube, crafted from copper, is filled with a heat-transfer fluid consisting of soya oil. Experimental investigations were conducted in a two-stage process, encompassing trials without any applied load and subsequently with varying loads. In the no-load experiments, alterations were made to the PTC collector's inclination angle, spanning the ranges of 15º, 20º, 25º, and 30º. In contrast, the load-bearing tests encompassed the assessment of the PTC solar cooker's performance under a diverse array of cooking scenarios, including boiling water, heating oil, frying eggs, and crisping crackers. The evaluated parameters encompassed key metrics such as incident solar radiation (Ir), ambient temperature (Ta), receiver temperature (Tr), fluid temperature (Tf), spiral furnace temperature (Tsf), and load temperature (To). Subsequently, the outcomes of the experiments were employed to determine the efficiency of the solar cooker. Analysis of the no-load test results indicates that the most favorable performance, as observed in the parameters Tr, Tf, and Tsf, is achieved at a collector inclination angle of 15º for both chrome sticker and glass mirror reflector materials. The solar cooker demonstrated commendable proficiency in boiling water, heating oil, frying eggs, and crisping crackers, accomplishing these tasks within a time frame ranging from 5 to 20 minutes. Notably, the solar cooker featuring the glass mirror reflector exhibited a superior thermal efficiency of 33.7%, surpassing the efficiency of the counterpart with the chrome sticker reflector, which registered an efficiency of 30.9%. These findings underscore the efficacy of the glass mirror reflector in harnessing solar energy for enhanced cooking performance within this solar cooker configuration.

Sliding Window, Hierarchical Classification, Regression, and Genetic Algorithm for RFID Indoor Positioning Systems

Several surveys in the Indoor Positioning System (IPS) use the Radio Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) to locate target objects. However, RSSI suffers significantly from the multipath phenomenon and other environmental factors such as the absence of the field of view, reflective materials, excessive obstacles, and a high density of objects. To overcome such problems, we propose three new IPS approaches using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology and the collaborative use of Sliding Window, Hierarchical Classification, Random Forest Regressor, and Genetic Algorithm. We tested the new approaches on three datasets obtained in different environments and compared them with two state-of-the-art IPS approaches (Landmarc and SVR-Landmarc). One of the main results got was a precision of 4.82 cm in an environment with 7,000 target tags, reducing by up to 92.91% the average error w.r.t. other IPS approaches presented in the literature, including more complex indoor scenarios.

Investigation on decontamination kinetics of metallic radionuclides in irradiated graphite by chlorination roasting

Irradiated graphite used as moderator and reflector material in reactor core in nuclear industry is an important radioactive waste after reactor decommissioning. Treatment of irradiated graphite waste has been a challenge for IAEA member states. Chlorination roasting was proposed in order to remove the metallic radionuclides in irradiated graphite waste. The promising advantages of the proposed method include that the category of graphite waste can be reduced with near-zero carbon emission, and it can lead to potentially the recycling of irradiated graphite and metallic radionuclides. The decontamination kinetics of metallic radionuclides was evaluated based on a lab-scale tube furnace combined with density functional theory (DFT). 56Fe ions were implanted into nuclear graphite to simulate metallic radionuclides derived by neutron radiation. Decontamination efficiencies of Fe at 900, 1000, 1100, and 1200 °C for the retention time of 210 min were 42.6%, 81.6%, 94.4%, and 96.7%, respectively. Fe could volatilize from graphite in the form of complex metal chloride with retaining a large amount of graphite inert matrix. The decontamination process was described by the second order reaction model. Through DFT evaluation, Fe was chlorinated via Fe → FeCl → FeCl2 reaction pathway. This decontamination process is efficient, cost-effective, and reliable, which provide a valuable contribution to managing irradiated graphite.

Estimation of the buildup of He-3 and Li-6 poisoning, He-4 and tritium activity in beryllium oxide reflector block in APSARA-U reactor

The Apsara-U research reactor, situated at the Bhabha Atomic Research Center, began its operation in 2018. This facility employs a fuel core configuration employing low-enriched uranium and reflector assemblies made of beryllium oxide. In neutron-rich environment of a nuclear reactor, these beryllium oxide reflector blocks participate in nuclear reactions identified as 9Be(n,α) and 9Be(n,2n). The 9Be(n,α) reaction initiates the formation of isotopes such as 4He, 6Li, 3He, and 3H in the process. The accumulation of gasses like 3He, 4He, and 3H causes the beryllium oxide reflector to swell, ultimately restricting how long it can effectively serve as a reflector or moderator material within the reactor. Extended periods of reactor shutdown result in a significant increase in the concentrations of 3He, mainly due to the radioactive decay of 3H. 6Li and 3He nuclei have significant neutron capture cross-sections, leading to a reduction in the reactor's reactivity, a phenomenon termed "poisoning". This effect varies depending on factors like neutron flux, neutron flux spectrum, and the reactor's operational history. Thorough investigations have been carried out to gain insights into the accumulation of 4He, 3He, 6Li, and 3H within beryllium oxide and their effects on reactivity considering the diverse levels of neutron exposure it encounters.

UTILIZING THE RESULTS OF UJIAN TAHAP BERSAMA AS SELF-REFLECTION FOR MEDICAL STUDENTS

Background: Ujian Tahap Bersama is a form of formative exam initiated by AIPKI tomake students think and explore what they have learned. The results of the UjianTahap Bersama can be used as material for self-reflection by students to build,identify, and realize the extent of understanding of the knowledge that has beenobtained by students. This study aims to determine the utilization of the results of theUjian Tahap Bersama as material for self-reflection for students of the Faculty ofMedicine class of 2017 and 2018 at Universitas Baiturrahmah.Methods: This study used a mixed methods method that begins with a quantitativeand cross-sectional approach using secondary data. The results of the Ujian TahapBersama 1 and 2, namely the 2017 and 2018 batches and selected using a totalsampling technique using G-form to fill in the Graham Gibbs reflection of 30respondent. The results of Graham Gibbs' reflections were followed by in-depthinterviews with 7 respondents whose answers were not saturated.Results: Based on UTB marks the average ability of the 2018 class is higher thanthe 2017 class. The results of Graham Gibbs' reflection through the G-form showedthat students of the 2017 and 2018 batches were categorized into themes ofdescription, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion, and action plan. The results ofthe in-depth interviews were categorized into positive and negative response themesusing Kirkpatrick 1 conceptConclusion: Based on the Kirkpatrick concept, the results of the UTB can be usedas material for reflection to improve student performance

DLC-SLAM: A Robust LiDAR-SLAM System With Learning-Based Denoising and Loop Closure

The current light detection and ranging simultaneous localization and mapping (LiDAR-SLAM) system suffers greatly from low accuracy and limited robustness when faced with complicated circumstances. From our experiments, we find that current LiDAR-SLAM systems have limited performance when faced with specular surfaces such as glass, certain metals, and building walls that are rich in urban environments. Therefore, in this work, we propose a general LiDAR-SLAM system termed <underline xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">d</u> enoising and <underline xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">l</u> oop <underline xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">c</u> losure (DLC-SLAM) to tackle the problem of denoising and loop closure in complex environments with many noises and outliers caused by reflective materials. Current approaches for point cloud denoising are mainly designed for small-scale point clouds and cannot be extended to large-scale point cloud scenes. In this work, we first proposed a lightweight network for large-scale point cloud denoising. Subsequently, we have also designed an efficient loop closure network for place recognition in global optimization to improve the localization accuracy of the whole system. Finally, we demonstrated by extensive experiments and benchmark studies that our proposed LiDAR-SLAM system has a significant boost in localization accuracy when faced with noisy point clouds, with a marginal increase in the computational cost. Our systematical implementations are open-sourced to benefit the community.

The Use of Health and Safety Equipment in the Emerald Mines of Swat Valley, Pakistan A Cross-Tabular Descriptive Analysis of Miners’ Views

This study is about the non-use of health and safety equipment in the emerald mines of Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The paper draws on the findings of a survey of 300 miners working in the active emerald mines of Swat Valley. The survey was conducted to develop descriptive statistical data about various aspects of miners’ work. However, this paper descriptively presents the findings about the non-use of health and safety equipment in the mines. We sampled 300 gemstone miners from Swat Valley through a convenient sampling technique. The study finds that miners only use protective shoes, hard hats, and, occasionally, hearing conservation. They never use reusable respirators, half-facepiece respirators, full-facepiece respirators, air respirators, push-to-fit earplugs, reusable earplugs, earmuffs, and protective eyewear, thus making them vulnerable to injuries and casualties. Similarly, miners rarely use filter facepiece respirators, disposable respirators, power air-purifying respirators, foam earplugs, and reflective materials as limited to one of a hundred individuals. The use of modern protective equipment could only be ensured if the government takes strict action for the implementation of state policies about mining and by extending financial support and provision of safety equipment at the doorstep of miners.

A Philosophical Rationalization of Initiative-Democracy and Covenant-based Authority as Inspired by Igbo Non-Philosophy

The paper studies some aspects of the Igbo non-philosophy, which include elements such as cosmology, myth, language, culture, belief system, folklore, and so on which, though not philosophy, can offer materials for philosophical reflection. It then goes ahead to conceptualize ‘initiative-democracy’ and ‘covenant-based authority’ as implicit in Igbo non-philosophy. By making explicit what is implicit in Igbo non-philosophy, the author hopes to offer some grounds for answering the question of why political centralization was/is resisted in Igbo society. Initiative-democracy is a form of social structure, while covenant-based authority is a an ordered or prescriptive way of securing the well-being of persons and communities. Both social engagements, as existential and dispositional attitudes, will foreground the organization of human affairs within the Igbo environment of occurrence. The Igbo are a people for whom reality is hugely encountered from the standpoint of process; hence, one thinks they are primarily inclined to abhor a centralized system of control. The method of hermeneutics is adopted in this study to reveal the philosophy hidden in the non-philosophical corpus of some aspects of Igbo life.