Aspects of the Hydrocarbon Potential of the Coals and Associated Shales and Mudstones of the Mamu Formation in Anambra Basin, Nigeria

Coals and associated shales and mudstones of the Mamu Formation in Anambra basin were examined for their hydrocarbon potentials by subjecting them to total organic carbon (TOC) and Rock-eval Pyrolysis analyses. The TOC results range from 45.56 to 67.68 wt. %, 0.07 to 5.65 wt. % and 0.12 to 4.46 wt. % for the coals, shales and mudstones respectively, suggesting that the sediments contain appreciably high quantity of organic matter that can generate hydrocarbon. Ranges of Hydrogen Index (HI) and Genetic Potential (GP) for the coals, shales and mudstones are 167 to 327 mg/g and 114.99 to 159.54 mg/g, 50 to 288 mg/g and 2.85 to 15.66 mg/g TOC, 41 to 239 mg/g and 0.54 to 10.96 mg/g respectively. Tmax and Calculated vitrinite reflectance (% Ro) of sediments range from 412 to 432 oC and 0.26 to 0.62 respectively. The Rock-eval data suggested poor to very good source rocks in the sediments, with the shales as good source rocks, the mudstones as poor to good source rocks and the coals as very good source rocks. The predominant organic matter types in the sediments are kerogen type II/III and type III which are oil and gas prone. The coals are dominated by kerogen type II/III while the shales and mudstones are dominated by kerogen type III. Thermal maturity from Rock-eval data indicated that the sediments are immature with respect to hydrocarbon generation and generally at low level conversion. The coals and the associated shales and mudstones of Mamu Formation are therefore capable of generating oil and gas at appropriate maturity. Keywords: Mamu Formation, Coals, Shales, Mudstones, Hydrocarbon generation, Kerogen, Thermal maturit

ANNONA MURICATA LINN. ETHANOLIC LEAF EXTRACT AMELIORATES REPRODUCTIVE COMPLICATIONS IN STREPTOZOTOCIN-INDUCED DIABETIC WISTAR RATS

Diabetes mellitus is an endocrine and metabolic disorder of humans and animals characterized by hyperglycemia and low blood insulin levels or insensitivity of target organs to insulin and it’s a major health problem affecting patient’s quality of life due to its many complications. Infertility is one of the major secondary complications in diabetes. Although numerous drugs have been used for intervention studies on diabetes-induced infertility worldwide, there are currently no treatments for diabetes associated infertility in humans. This study was performed to investigate the effects of Annona muricata ethanolic leaf extract (AMELE) on fertility of male diabetic rats and levels of blood glucose. Twenty male Wistar rats (150-200g) were randomly distributed into 4 groups (n=5) treated thus: CTRL (control), DNT, DT1 and DT2 (diabetic, single intraperitoneal injection, streptozotocin, 60 mg/kg). Group DT1 and DT2 received AMELE orally at 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg respectively daily for fourteen days. Data were analysed using ANOVA at α0.05. The animals were sacrificed after 2 weeks via thiopental injection and testicular weights were recorded. Fasting blood glucose was determined using a digital glucometer. Sperm count, motility, viability and morphology were assessed microscopically. Testes were histologically evaluated. The results showed that oral administration of AMELE at 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg to diabetic male rats for fourteen days significantly decreased blood glucose level and also ameliorated diabetes-induced decreases in sperm functions in streptozotocin-induced diabetic male rats.   &nbsp

A Study on the Effects of Internal Heat Generation on the Thermal Performance of Solid and Porous Fins using Differential Transformation Method

In this study, the impacts of internal heat generation on heat transfer enhancement of porous fin is theoretical investigated using differential transform method. The parametric studies reveal that porosity enhances the finheat dissipating capacity but the internal heat generation decreases the heatenhancement capacity of extended surface. Also, it is established that whenthe internal heat parameter increases to some certain values, some negativeeffects are recorded where the fin stores heat rather than dissipating it. Thisscenario defeats the prime purpose of the cooling fin. Additionally, it is established in the present study that the limiting value of porosity parameterfor thermal stability for the passive device increases as internal heat parameter increases. This shows that although the internal heat parameter canhelp assist higher range and value of thermal stability of the fin, it producesnegative effect which greatly defeats the ultimate purpose of the fin. Theresults in the work will help in fin design for industrial applications whereinternal heat generation is involved

Design and implementation of a prototype active infrared sensor controlled automatic sliding door for mitigation of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

The door is an essential part of any structure that provides access and security of lives and properties. The manual operation of a door could be cumbersome and laborious when the traffic volume is high. Also, it has been observed that doors could serve as a medium of spreading the deadly coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. Therefore, a prototype automatic sliding door that plays a crucial role in curbing the spread of this infectious diseases has been designed and implemented in this paper. The design of the prototype sliding door is in two parts namely; the structural part and the automation part. The structural design of the door was achieved using the Microsoft Visio 2016 while the design of the automation system was achieved using express printed circuit board. The implementation of the structural part was achieved using 1 inch particle board while the implementation of the automation system was based on the components like the active infrared sensor, resistors (10 kΩ), capacitor (1000 µF), transistors (TIP41 Q8, BC548 Q7), LED indicators, press button switch, pulley system, drive belt, stepper motor (IP65), and ATMEGA 8 microcontroller. The result of the tests carried out on the door showed that the prototype automatic sliding door was characterized by average opening time, closing time, delay time, and optimal sensing range of 3.10 s, 3.05 s, 5.72 s, and 23.5 cm, respectively. It can therefore be concluded from this work that the prototype automatic sliding door is effective in overriding the manual operation of the door

EFFECTS OF FEED RESTRICTION AND REALIMENTATION ON PERFORMANCE AND NITROGEN UTILISATION IN GROWING WEST AFRICAN DWARF RAMS

The effects of feed restriction on the performance of growing West African Dwarf sheep were determined in twenty four (24) growing West African dwarf (WAD) rams with average weight of 8.9 ± 0.59kg. The twenty-four WAD rams were allotted to three treatments of eight rams per treatment and balanced for weight in a Completely Randomized Design. Animals in group C which represents the control were fed with dried Panicum maximum ad libitum and concentrate supplement while group two (R1) and group three (R2) were fed with P. maximum without concentrate supplementation for one and two months, respectively. Thereafter, two months of realimentation followed the restriction. Data were taken on the feed intake, weight gain and digestibility. Results obtained on average daily gain showed significant difference (P < 0.05) whereby sheep on R2 group recorded the lowest value (50.7g/day) during restriction. Digestible organic matter intake (g/Kg 0.75 d-1) for sheep on the C group was significantly (P < 0.05) higher than R1 group, but not significantly (P > 0.05) different from R2 group. The Crude protein intake was highest in the control (49.9g/day). Rumen amino acid of the control animals (4.1) was significantly (P < 0.05) higher than R1 (2.1) and R2 (3.5) groups. Nitrogen intake (g/day) was significant and higher in the C group (8.0) compared to the two restricted groups R1 and R2. During realimentation period, average daily weight gain (g/day) was highest (P < 0.05) for animals in the control (57.5) and least in R2 (34.5). The feed conversion ratio ranged from 8.3 (C) to 14.3 (R2) while the total weight gain (kg) ranged from 2.1 (R2) to 3.5 (C). Similarly, the CP intake (g/day) was higher in the control group compared to those in R1 and R2 groups. However, the dietary amino acid recorded in R2 differ significantly (P < 0.05) from R1 and C groups. During the realimentation period, nitrogen intake for rams in R1 (8.8g/day) and R2 (10.1g/day) groups doubled the values obtained during the restriction period. It was concluded that rams should be restricted for one month because they gained more weight than those restricted for two months.Â

Knowledge of the Glasgow Coma Scale among Physician Interns in a Nigerian Tertiary Health Facility

Background: The Glasgow coma scale (GCS) is the most utilized level of consciousness scale globally. Insufficient working knowledge of the GCS by physicians may contribute to poor outcomes in patients with altered levels of consciousness. Aim: This study aims to assess the knowledge of the GCS among the physician interns, also known as house officers, in a rural tertiary health facility in Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This was a questionnaire‑based survey among physician interns in a rural tertiary hospital in Nigeria. Results: All the 77 respondents graduated from medical school within 2 years of the study. Seventy‑two (93.5%) of the participants had been actively involved in the management of patients at the hospital’s accident and emergency department within a month before the study, while 71.4% had been involved in emergency care outside the accident and emergency department within a month prior. Seventy‑five (97.4%) conceded to having received didactic lectures on the GCS in the course of their medical training. About three‑quarters (74.03%) of the respondents correctly defined GCS as GCS; about 85.7% were able to correctly identify all the clinical variables of the GCS, while only 15.6% could correctly describe and score all the parameters of the grading scale. The eye‑opening response was the most correctly remembered (64.9%), followed by the verbal response (42.9%), while the motor response was remembered by 29.9% of the respondents (P = 0.04). Only 36 (46.8%) participants were aware of any subsequent modification to the original GCS score. Conclusion: The working knowledge of GCS is poor among physician interns surveyed in this study. The clinical variable of the GCS with the highest number of items, the motor response, was the least correctly remembered

An evaluation of the Johanson model for roller compaction process development for a high dose API

Roller compaction (RC) is a dry granulation technique applied to improve the flow and compressibility of drug formulations. RC implementation for high drug load formulations can be challenging due to flow issues and a high consumption of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) for robust process development. This work addresses these challenges using process modelling for design and scale-up of an RC process on the same equipment and transfer to different equipment. A modified application of existing models incorporating a new description of mass transport in the feed screw is evaluated for guaifenesin formulations with a 90% drug loading. The model is calibrated using low-throughput data on a Vector Freund TF Mini RC and used to predict ribbon density and throughput for various process settings at high-throughput. It is found that the modelling framework can reasonably predict high-throughput behaviour on the same RC but the predictive performance decreases for transfer between equipment.</p

Bethune round table 2012: 12th annual conference: filling the gap

Background: Our aim was to highlight the impact of collaboration between 2 linked tertiary hospitals in Nigeria and India. Methods: We conducted a review of a collaboration between the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre (AIMS), Kochi, India, and the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Ilorin, Nigeria, to exchange personnel for the purpose of further training from August 2007 and December 2011. Results: One neurosurgeon, 2 pediatric surgeons and 1 orthopedic surgeon had additional exposure at AIMS for periods of 3 months to 1 year. Four neurosurgery and 3 pediatric surgery perioperative nurses have also been trained at AIMS for periods of 3 months. A pediatric surgeon was invited as faculty for laparoscopic training at Ilorin in 2010. The collaboration has resulted in exposure to surgical procedures not usually done in our centre. Our pediatric surgery unit has commenced laparoscopic surgery and pyeloplasty for pelvic ureteric junction obstruction in children. The orthopedic surgeon has commenced interlocking nailing and joint replacement. The neurosurgeon has successful done endoscopic third ventriculostomy and microscopic resection of brain tumour. Conclusion: This international collaboration has led to capacity building with significant impact on surgical services at UITH. An international collaboration and exchange program is a feasible and desirable strategy for technology transfer between technology-advanced settings and resource-constrained centres

The role of decompressive craniectomy in limited resource environments

Decompressive craniectomy (DC) is a neurosurgical procedure useful to prevent and manage the impact of high intracranial pressure (ICP) that leads to brain herniation and brain’s tissue ischemia. In well-resourced environment this procedure has been proposed as a last tier therapy when ICP is not controlled by medical therapies in the management of different neurosurgical emergencies like traumatic brain injury (TBI), stroke, infectious diseases, hydrocephalus, tumors, etc. The purpose of this narrative review is to discuss the role of DC in areas of low neurosurgical and neurocritical care resources. We performed a literature review with a specific search strategy in web repositories and some local and regional journals from Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). The most common publications include case reports, case series and observational studies describing the benefits of the procedure on different pathologies but with several types of biases due to the absence of robust studies or clinical registries analysis in these kinds of environments