Determination of Some Physicochemical and Microbiological Characteristics of Sewage Samples from Domestic, House-boat and Off-shore Facilities Discharge Point.

Test was conducted to determine some physico- chemical and microbiological parameters from samples of sewage effluent collected from domestic, house-boat, and offshore facilities respectively at the discharge point to the recipient environment. Among the parameters determined included: Total chlorine, Biological Oxygen demand (BOD), Total Suspended Solids (TSS), Dissolved Oxygen (DO) and faecal coliform. Test results indicated that the total chlorine had values which ranged from (<0.01-0.10)mg/l for the domestic facilities, the house-boat facilities values ranged from (0.01-0.12)mg/l. The values for the offshore facilities ranged from (<.01-4.0mg/l). The BOD5 values for the domestic facilities ranged from (<0.01-240) mg/l, the house \u2013boat facilities ranged from (45.6080.00)mg/l. The value of the offshore facilities was 20mg/l for all the three points tested. The result of the TSS indicated that for the domestic facilities, the values ranged from (75.0-115) mg/l, the house-boat facilities values ranged from (66-182) mg/l. and for the offshore facilities, results ranged from (60- 265) mg/l. The DO results from the domestic facilities indicated a range of (0.18-5.92) mg/l. The result from the house \u2013boats ranged from (2.02.90) mg/l, the offshore facilities results ranged from (3.21-5.32)mg/l. The faecal coliform for the domestic facilities had a value which ranged from (14-1600) cfu/100ml. the house-boat facilities values ranged from (180-290) cfu/100ml. The offshore facilities had values which ranged from (14-1600) cfu/100ml. Most of these results were higher than limits specified by the regulatory level (DPR) and an indication that the recipient environment was polluted and poses a great concern. In a place like Nigeria, where there are no sewerage treatment systems, it is indiscriminately disposed into rivers without treatment and such rivers serve as sources of drinking water. This water pollution is of great concern and has resulted to diseases such as typhoid and cholera. Therefore, proper treatment of sewage before discharging into the recipient environment is imperative. @ JASE

Evaluation of some of the Metal Levels at Different Depths from Gulf of Guinea Offshore Location

Study area is in the Nigeria continental shelf of the Atlantic Ocean, located within seawater depths of 20 – 25 m and geographic X and Y coordinates 337896 – 356905 and 469773 – 482786, offshore Nigeria respectively. Test was conducted to evaluate some of the metal levels at different depths from Gulf of Guinea offshore location. Samples were collected from the depth of 5m, 10m, 15m and 20m respectively and tests were conducted over a one year period on a quarterly basis. Test result indicated that mean value over the period for the metals tested was: Mg(1160mg/l), K(369mg/l), Na(8062mg/l), Ca(380mg/l), Al(<1.0mg/l), Fe(0.05mg/l), Cu(<0.05mg/l), Mn(<0.10mg/l), Zn(<0.05mg/l), Ba(<0.03mg/l), Si(<0.01mg/l), Sr(0.569mg/l), Li(0.559mg/l). This project therefore will help to provide a base-line data on the metal constituents of the Gulf of Guinea offshore location, thereby helping framework for environmental protection for offshore oil and gas activities in the Gulf of Guinea @ JASE

Evaluation of some of the Metal Levels at Different Depths from Gulf of Guinea Offshore Location

Study area is in the Nigeria continental shelf of the Atlantic Ocean, located within seawater depths of 20 – 25 m and geographic X and Y coordinates 337896 – 356905 and 469773 – 482786, offshore Nigeria respectively. Test was conducted to evaluate some of the metal levels at different depths from Gulf of Guinea offshore location. Samples were collected from the depth of 5m, 10m, 15m and 20m respectively and tests were conducted over a one year period on a quarterly basis. Test result indicated that mean value over the period for the metals tested was: Mg(1160mg/l), K(369mg/l), Na(8062mg/l), Ca(380mg/l), Al(<1.0mg/l), Fe(0.05mg/l), Cu(<0.05mg/l), Mn(<0.10mg/l), Zn(<0.05mg/l), Ba(<0.03mg/l), Si(<0.01mg/l), Sr(0.569mg/l), Li(0.559mg/l). This project therefore will help to provide a base-line data on the metal constituents of the Gulf of Guinea offshore location, thereby helping framework for environmental protection for offshore oil and gas activities in the Gulf of Guinea @ JASE

Genotype-Phenotype Characterization of Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome Confirmed by FISH: Case Reports

The Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome (WHS) is a multiple malformation and contiguous gene syndrome resulting from the deletion encompassing a 4p16.3 region. A microscopically visible terminal deletion on chromosome 4p (4p16→pter) was detected in Case 1 with full blown features of WHS. The second case which had an interstitial microdeletion encompassing WHSC 1 and WHSC 2 genes at 4p16.3 presented with less striking clinical features of WHS and had an apparently “normal” karyotype. The severity of the clinical presentation was as a result of haploinsufficiency and interaction with surrounding genes as well as mutations in modifier genes located outside the WHSCR regions. The study emphasized that an individual with a strong clinical suspicion of chromosomal abnormality and a normal conventional cytogenetic study should be further investigated using molecular cytogenetic techniques such as fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) or array-comparative genomic hybridization (a-CGH)

Chemical Analysis of Wastewater from Unconventional Drilling Operations

Trillions of liters of wastewater from oil and gas extraction are generated annually in the US. The contribution from unconventional drilling operations (UDO), such as hydraulic fracturing, to this volume will likely continue to increase in the foreseeable future. The chemical content of wastewater from UDO varies with region, operator, and elapsed time after production begins. Detailed chemical analyses may be used to determine its content, select appropriate treatment options, and identify its source in cases of environmental contamination. In this study, one wastewater sample each from direct effluent, a disposal well, and a waste pit, all in West Texas, were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy, high performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry, high performance ion chromatography, total organic carbon/total nitrogen analysis, and pH and conductivity analysis. Several compounds known to compose hydraulic fracturing fluid were detected among two of the wastewater samples including 2-butoxyethanol, alkyl amines, and cocamide diethanolamines, toluene, and o-xylene. Due both to its quantity and quality, proper management of wastewater from UDO will be essential

Adult Lymphomas In Lagos Nigeria: A Fourteen Year Study

Objective: we present a 14 year retrospective histopathological study of 92 cases of adult lymphomas in Lagos. The aim is to document the histologic types, age and sex distribution. Materials and method: The materials consisted of slides and paraffin embedded blocks of all cases of lymphoma in adults above the age of 16 years seen between 1991 and 2004 at the Morbid Anatomy Department of Lagos University Teaching Hospital Idi-Araba Lagos. Results Of ninety two cases of lymphoma studied, male and female patients accounted for 59(64%) and 33(36%) cases respectively, giving a M: F ratio of 1.8:1. The most frequently biopsied site is the cervical lymph node. Non-Hodgkin\'s lymphoma (NHL) which accounted for 60 cases occurred most frequently in the 46-55 years age group and gives a male: female ratio of 2: 1. Intermediate grade, high grade and low grade variants of NHLs accounted for 39%, 34% and 27% respectively. Hodgkin\'s lymphoma mostly affected patients of younger age group, 25-35 years with a M:F ratio of 1.7:1. Mixed cellularity 17 (55%) was the commonest subtype of Hodgkin\'s lymphoma. Conclusion: Non-Hodgkin\'s lymphoma is commoner than Hodgkin\'s lymphoma. The age and sex distribution agrees with reports from other parts of Nigeria and Africa with minimal variations. Nigerian Quarterly Journal of Hospital Medicine Vol. 17 (2) 2007: pp. 63-6

Transient Ion-Pair Separations for Electrospray Mass Spectrometry

We report a novel ion-pair chromatography (IPC) approach for liquid chromatography electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS), where the eluent does not contain any ion-pairing reagent (IPR). The IPR is injected on the column, much like the sample, and moves down the column. Significant amounts of a high retention factor IPR is injected, resulting in a transient but reproducible regional coating that progresses along the column. The sample is injected after a brief interval. The sample components interact with the IPR coated region during their passage; the chosen eluent gradient elutes the analytes of interest into the mass spectrometer before the IPR. Following analyte elution, the gradient is steeply raised, the IPR is washed out, and the effluent is sent to waste via a diverter valve until it is fully removed. As the nature of the analyte retention continuously changes along the column and with time, we call this transient ion-pair separation (TIPS). As the IPR never enters the MS, TIPS addresses two major drawbacks of IPC for ESI-MS: it avoids both ion suppression and ion source contamination. The potential of the generic approach for other modes of separation is discussed. An illustrative separation of two small inorganic ions, iodate and nitrate, is demonstrated on a reverse phase column by a transient prior injection of hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride as IPR

Width Based Quantitation of Chromatographic Peaks: Principles and Principal Characteristics

Height- and area-based quantitation reduce two-dimensional data to a single value. For a calibration set, there is a single height- or area-based quantitation equation. High-speed high-resolution data acquisition now permits rapid measurement of the width of a peak (<i>W</i>_<i>h</i>), at any height <i>h</i> (a fixed height, not a fixed fraction of the peak maximum) leading to any number of calibration curves. We propose a width-based quantitation (WBQ) paradigm complementing height or area based approaches. When the analyte response across the measurement range is not strictly linear, WBQ can offer superior overall performance (lower root-mean-square relative error over the entire range) compared to area- or height-based linear regression methods, rivaling weighted linear regression, provided that response is uniform near the height used for width measurement. To express concentration as an explicit function of width, chromatographic peaks are modeled as two different independent generalized Gaussian distribution functions, representing, respectively, the leading/trailing halves of the peak. The simple generalized equation can be expressed as <i>W</i>_<i>h</i> = <i>p</i>(ln <i>h̅</i>)^<i>q</i>, where <i>h̅</i> is <i>h</i>_max/<i>h</i>, <i>h</i>_max being the peak amplitude, and <i>p</i> and <i>q</i> being constants. This fits actual chromatographic peaks well, allowing explicit expressions for <i>W</i>_<i>h</i>. We consider the optimum height for quantitation. The width-concentration relationship is given as ln <i>C</i> = <i>aW</i>_<i>h</i>^<i>n</i> + <i>b</i>, where <i>a</i>, <i>b</i>, and <i>n</i> are constants. WBQ ultimately performs quantitation by projecting <i>h</i>_max from the width, provided that width is measured at a fixed height in the linear response domain. A companion paper discusses several other utilitarian attributes of width measurement