Physico-chemical properties and industrial potential of some clay deposits in Calabar area, south eastern Nigeria

Clay samples collected from 10 locations in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria were evaluated to determine their suitability for industrial applications. The samples were pulverized, dried, sieved and quantitatively analyzed. Physical properties determined were viscosity (11-15 secs), density (1072-1769 kg m-3), plasticity index (33-50%), particle size and firing characteristics. The clays were classified as fat clays or elastic silt. Results showed that all the clay samples were uniformly graded with fine texture and have the ideal silica value averaging 47.73% but the alumina content of the samples are lower than theoretical values of pure montmorillonite (28.3%) and kaolinite (39.5%), with averaging 18.0%. X-ray analysis indicated that the dominant clay mineral found in all the samples is kaolin with occasional illite and the main non-clay mineral as quartz. Considerable amounts of Fe2O3 (2.79-6.95%) along withsome impurity oxides such as MgO (0.08-0.98%), CaO (0.12-0.95%), K2O (0.28-1.82%), Na2O (1.02- 1.87%) and TiO2 (0.96-1.20%) were found in all the clay minerals. These properties indicated that the clays are of low grade (non- refractory) due to the low alumina content. The low alumina content with the relatively high plasticity index and the pleasant color characteristics of the clays on firing, suggest that the clays have the potentials for use in the production of brick, ceramic and pottery products

Assessment of heavy metals, pH and EC in effluent run-off, river and adjacent soil around a floriculture industry in Holeta, Wadera district, Ethiopia

Heavy metal contents from effluent run-off, neighboring Holeta River, and adjacent soils around floriculture greenhouses in Holeta town, Ethiopia were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) to assess their potentialities as pollutants. Samples were taken from four sites for the effluent, two river bank locations and two soil locations about 10 meters apart. The evaluated metals were Cu, Fe, Ni, Mn, Cr, Zn, Cd, Co, and Ag. The pH, EC, TDS, DO were determined in the effluent, river and soil samples while particle size and total carbon contents were determined in the soil sample. Results showed that levels of heavy metals were higher in the soil sample than in the effluent and river samples. The metal concentrations ranged from 5.6-1309 mg/kg in soil, 0.31-3.43 mg/L in the river sample and 0.09-0.93 mg/L in the effluent. Highest concentration of Fe (1309 mg/kg), Ni (132 mg/kg), Mn (129 mg/kg), Cu (78 mg/kg), Cd (28.5 mg/kg), Co (5.6 mg/kg) and Zn (0.52 mg/kg) were recorded for the soil samples. These values were above permissible levels for agricultural soils. The findings reveal that the effluent and river samples contained low levels of heavy metals, but the high heavy metal concentrations in the soil could seriously influence soil characteristics by contaminating the soil. Since scanty information is available on the impact of floriculture effluent on agricultural soil in this region, the result of this work could provide baseline data for future monitoring of pollution from the floriculture enterprisesKey words: Heavy metals, AAS, contamination, floriculture and effluents

A Digital Toolkit (M-Healer) to Improve Care and Reduce Human Rights Abuses Against People With Mental Illness in West Africa: User-Centered Design, Development, and Usability Study

BackgroundThe resources of West African mental health care systems are severely constrained, which contributes to significant unmet mental health needs. Consequently, people with psychiatric conditions often receive care from traditional and faith healers. Healers may use practices that constitute human rights violations, such as flogging, caging, forced fasting, and chaining. ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to partner with healers in Ghana to develop a smartphone toolkit designed to support the dissemination of evidence-based psychosocial interventions and the strengthening of human rights awareness in the healer community. MethodsWe conducted on-site observations and qualitative interviews with healers, a group co-design session, content development and prototype system build-out, and usability testing. ResultsA total of 18 healers completed individual interviews. Participants reported on their understanding of the causes and treatments of mental illnesses. They identified situations in which they elect to use mechanical restraints and other coercive practices. Participants described an openness to using a smartphone-based app to help introduce them to alternative practices. A total of 12 healers participated in the co-design session. Of the 12 participants, 8 (67%) reported having a smartphone. Participants reported that they preferred spiritual guidance but that it was acceptable that M-Healer would provide mostly nonspiritual content. They provided suggestions for who should be depicted as the toolkit protagonist and ranked their preferred content delivery modality in the following order: live-action video, animated video, comic strip, and still images with text. Participants viewed mood board prototypes and rated their preferred visual design in the following order: religious theme, nature motif, community or medical, and Ghanaian culture. The content was organized into modules, including an introduction to the system, brief mental health interventions, verbal de-escalation strategies, guided relaxation techniques, and human rights training. Each module contained several scripted digital animation videos, with audio narration in English or Twi. The module menu was represented by touchscreen icons and a single word or phrase to maximize accessibility to users with limited literacy. In total, 12 participants completed the M-Healer usability testing. Participants commented that they liked the look and functionality of the app and understood the content. The participants reported that the information and displays were clear. They successfully navigated the app but identified several areas where usability could be enhanced. Posttesting usability measures indicated that participants found M-Healer to be feasible, acceptable, and usable. ConclusionsThis study is the first to develop a digital mental health toolkit for healers in West Africa. Engaging healers in user-centered development produced an accessible and acceptable resource. Future field testing will determine whether M-Healer can improve healer practices and reduce human rights abuses