Investigating the Performance of Rural Off-Grid Photovoltaic System with Electric-Mobility Solutions: A Case Study Based on Kenya

Over the last years, stand-alone and / or hybrid photovoltaic systems have spread in rural areas, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. Compared to conventional systems (typically diesel generators), these systems can provide a reliable electricity supply at reasonable costs with a low degree of greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, this paper focuses on modelling and investigation of an off-grid photovoltaic system (charging station) performance based on a located in Kenya. However, the model can be adapted to any other region and any type of photovoltaic systems module by changing model input data such as solar radiation, air temperature, longitude, latitude, load profile and standard test conditions parameters of the photovoltaic systems module. The modelled photovoltaic system (charging station) will be used to provide reliable and clean electricity for a number of important tasks (e.g. water purification, charging special floatable lanterns and electric bikes)

Seroprevalence of IgG Antibodies to Herpes Simplex Virus Type-1 in Nigerian Children

Background: Herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1) can cause chronic ulcerative infection in immunosuppressed children leading to latency with subsequent reactivate in the conjunctiva resulting in scarring, thickening of the cornea and blindness. They are also common cause of fatal sporadicencephalitis in 70% of paediatric patients. This cross sectional study  determined the prevalence of HSV-1 in children in Kaduna State, Nigeria.Method: A total of 377 blood samples were collected from children less than five years old attending some selected hospitals in Kaduna State and analyzed for HSV-1 IgG antibodies employing Enzyme immune assay technique by using commercially available ELISA Kits.Results: Sero-prevalence rate of 57.8 % (218 /377) was obtained. The highest prevalence of HSV-1 infection was obtained in children in age group 49-60 months (85.2%) and lowest in children in age group 13-24 months (44.8%). Further analysis of the result of children less than one year old showed that children 9-16 weeks old were more susceptible to HSV-1 infection. HSV-1 infection was significantly 2 associated with age (÷ =37.92, df = 4, p = 0.001). Though a higher prevalence was obtained in femalechildren (61.5%) than male children (54.5%), the difference observed in the prevalence was not 2 statistically significant (÷ =1.84, df =1, P =0.105).HSV-1 infection was significantly associated with 2 children who were in school (÷ = 15.28, df = 1, P= 0.001) with a higher prevalence of 74.3%.Conclusion: Over half of the children sampled were protected from HSV-1 infection while 42.2% were susceptible to the infection and were at risk of developing severe HSV-1 manifestation which includes keratitis, encephalitis and Keratoconjunctivitis.Keywords: Seroprevalence, Herpes Simplex Virus Type-1, Children, ELIZA, Kaduna State, Nigeri

Electric Two-Wheeler Vehicle Integration into Rural Off-Grid Photovoltaic System in Kenya

In both rural and urban areas, two-wheeler vehicles are the most common means of transportation, contributing to local air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Transitioning to electric two-wheeler vehicles can help reduce GHG emissions while also increasing the socioeconomic status of people in rural Kenya. Renewable energy systems can play a significant role in charging electric two-wheeled vehicles, resulting in lower carbon emissions and increased renewable energy penetration in rural Kenya. As a result, using the Conventional and Renewable Energy Optimization (CARNOT) Toolbox in the MATLAB/Simulink environment, this paper focuses on integrating and modeling electric two-wheeled vehicles (e-bikes) into an off-grid photovoltaic Water-Energy Hub located in the Lake Victoria Region of Western Kenya. Electricity demand data obtained from the Water-Energy Hub was investigated and analyzed. Potential solar energy surplus was identified and the surplus was used to incorporate the electric two-wheeler vehicles. The energy consumption of the electric two-wheeler vehicles was also measured in the field based on the rider’s driving behavior. The modeling results revealed an annual power consumption of 27,267 kWh, a photovoltaic (PV) electricity production of 37,785 kWh, and an electricity deficit of 370 kWh. The annual results show that PV generation exceeds power consumption, implying that there should be no electricity deficit. The results, however, do not represent the results in hourly resolution, ignoring the impact of weather fluctuation on PV production. As a result, in order to comprehend the electricity deficit, hourly resolution results are shown. A load optimization method was designed to efficiently integrate the electric 2-wheeler vehicle into the Water-Energy Hub in order to alleviate the electricity deficit. The yearly electricity deficit was decreased to 1 kWh and the annual electricity consumption was raised by 11% (i.e., 30,767 kWh), which is enough to charge four more electric two-wheeler batteries daily using the load optimization technique

An Unusual Case of Severe Varicella Zoster Infection Complicated by Acute Renal Failure in an 8-year-old Nigerian Boy

Background: Varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection is highly contagious and has a worldwide distribution. It is predominantly a childhood disease and frequently runs a benign course. However, serious complications such as target organ damage could occur in older immunocompetent children. Acute kidney injury (AKI) arising from varicella infection is one of the rare complications in children. Case Report: The patient presented with body rash typical of varicella, fever, cough, difficulty in breathing, vomiting and dark urine. He had contact with his two siblings with similar rashes. He was febrile, centrally cyanosed with generalised lymphadenopathy and body rashes at different stages of development. He had tachypnoea, dyspnoea and widespread coarse crepitations. Kidneys were enlarged and urinalysis revealed microscopic haematuria of 4+ and proteinuria 1+. Initial assessment of chickenpox with pneumonia and nephritis was made. He received oral acyclovir among other interventions. His estimated glomerular filtration rate dropped from 120 to 8.71mls/min/1.73m2. He had 3 sessions of haemodialysis, his biochemical parameters normalised and has been on follow-up for one year with normal renal function. Conclusion: Acute varicella infection can lead to clinically significant kidney failure in otherwise healthy children. Prompt renal replacement therapy could result in complete recovery of kidney function

Design of dual band stacked RDRA for 5G applications

This paper focuses on the investigation and discussion of three different designs of stacked Rectangular Dielectric Resonator Antenna (RDRA) at dual bands of 25 GHz and 32 GHz for 5G applications. First, basic stacked RDRA. Second, basic stacked RDRA with a single notch. Third, basic stacked RDRA with double notches. All the proposed structure consists of two stacked DRA of dielectric permittivity of 10 which mounted on a Duriod dielectric substrate of dielectric permittivity of 2.2 and feed by Microstrip aperture slot feeding technique (MSA) for 50 O characteristic impedance. Authentication of all the proposed designs comparison is completed using 3D simulation tool by observing the performance of reflection coefficient, bandwidth, and gain. All the proposed RDRA are demonstrated simulated reflection coefficient lower than 20 dB for both bands and simulated gain more than 6 dBi. Meanwhile, for simulated bandwidth, only the proposed basic stacked RDRA with single and double notches are demonstrated simulated bandwidth more than 1 GHz, which fulfill the requirement for 5G applications