Analysis of auto-purification response of the Apies River, Gauteng, South Africa, to treated wastewater effluent

The assimilative capacity of water bodies is an important factor in the integrated management of  surface water resources. The current study examined the auto-recovery processes of the Apies River from wastewater discharged into it from a municipal wastewater treatment facility, using a series of equations, including the modified Streeter-Phelps equation. Field data obtained include dissolved oxygen (DO), temperature, stream velocity, depth, and width. Water samples were also obtained at 10 sampling stations for the determination of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) using standard methods. It was observed that the DO and BOD level (5.59 mg/L and 8.5 mg/L respectively) of the effluent from the wastewater treatment facility indicated better water quality than the Apies River background DO level (5.42 mg/L) and BOD level (13 mg/L). Also, at 270 m downstream of the effluent discharge point, another effluent stream (Skinnerspruit) adversely impacted on the Apies River with DO and BOD levels of 6.5 mg/L and 9.0 mg/L, respectively, compared to the Apies River background values of 6.81 mg/L and 8.0 mg/L, respectively. The stream, however, recovered well from both the background and imposed pollution sources as it had a computed positive auto-recovery factor of 1.74. Furthermore, the measured DO deficit was plotted against predicted DO deficit. The plot revealed a close match between the measured and predicted DO deficit, indicating that the model could be used for predicting DO deficit along other segments of the river. To further improve on the natural  auto-recovery processes of the Apies River, it was recommended that flow along the Skinnerspruit should be enhanced by clearing the observed aquatic plants growing within the channel. Also,  suspected pollution activities taking place further upstream on the Apies River should be investigated and appropriately addressed.Keywords: de-oxygenation; re-aeration; auto-purification; dissolved oxygen; biochemical oxygen  demand; strea

Development of a Smart, Low-cost and IoT-enabled System for Energy Management

With the advent of the Internet comes not only the opportunity to send and receive data from our peers or fellow humans, but also the opportunity to send and receive data from our devices. This concept is known as the concept of Internet of things (IoT), and it proposes immense opportunities, part of which can be applied to solving the growing issue of power/energy management. The consumption of electricity has skyrocketed in recent years, and methods which are costly and of harm to the environment are also mostly used in electricity generation. Therefore, energy monitoring, management and efficiency is of utmost importance to improve the power sector of any economy. A solution to the growing issue of energy monitoring and management is a cheap and smart electricity socket that could show the users the amount of energy they spend at every point in time for each of their devices (in monetary terms). The socket allows users to set limits to their power usage by switching their devices on and off remotely. A database of home appliances is also set up to enable awareness on the various energy profiles for different devices and appliances and proffer energy efficient alternatives to such devices based on usage and region, using intelligent web systems. The Smart Socket makes use of the IoT concept of Smart Metering to measure key energy consumption data and will send instantaneous data to a web server to be saved to a database and accessed by permitted users. This project primarily addresses the need for access to data and proper information in making informed decisions concerning energy management and usage

The Predictive Validity of University Admission Examinations: Case Study of Nigerian Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination

For a sensitive university admission aptitude screening device like the Nigeria’s Joint Admission and Matriculation Board’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination [JAMB-UTME], it is imperative that the predictive validity be constantly ascertained. The core objective of this study, therefore, was to establish the predictive validity of the JAMB-UTME. The case study and ex-post facto designs were used.  The populations of study were the Senior Secondary School Leavers admitted to Nigerian universities via the JAMB-UTME.  8,139 students’ records from a private university in Nigeria constituted the sample.  The predictive power of the JAMB-UTME in predicting students’ performance in the university’s semester examinations was tested with regression model.  The results suggested that the JAMB-UTME had positive but low indices of predictive validity, which varies across the academic sessions and programmes of study.  It was not significant for some programmes. It was recommended that JAMB should embark on a more pragmatic review of the content of the UTME to enhance its predictive validity

Allele Diversity, Haplotype Frequency and Diversity, and Forensic Genotyping of Fulanis and Yorubas Population in North Central Region of Nigeria

Nigeria is the most populous African nation, comprising over 250 ethnic groups. The Yoruba and Fulani are the second and fourth largest ethnic groups in Nigeria, respectively. Forensic genotyping of short tandem repeats (STRs) is used in computation of Combined DNA Index System databases of individuals and ethnic groups. We examined allele diversity, haplotype frequency, haplotype diversity, and forensic genotyping data of autosomal STRs in Fulani and Yoruba residents in Ilorin, Kwara State, North Central Nigeria, in-order to further provide forensic genotyping data of these ethnic groups. Samples of 25 Fulani males and 23 Yoruba males whose ethnicity was confirmed by three generations (paternal and maternal) were collected with informed consent using purposive sampling. All individuals in the samples were unrelated. The samples were amplified and then genotyped using the SureID® 21G PCR Amplification Kit containing Amelogenin and 20 autosomal STR loci. Statistical analyses of forensic genotyping parameters confirmed no deviation from expectation of Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium and no dependence of alleles between loci. All tested loci were polymorphic. Expected Heterozygosity and gene diversity parameters showed lower genetic diversity amongst Fulanis compared to Yorubas. This is possibly due to the prevalent custom of marriage between cousins amongst Fulanis, which is forbidden in Yoruba customs

Superstaq: Deep Optimization of Quantum Programs

We describe Superstaq, a quantum software platform that optimizes the execution of quantum programs by tailoring to underlying hardware primitives. For benchmarks such as the Bernstein-Vazirani algorithm and the Qubit Coupled Cluster chemistry method, we find that deep optimization can improve program execution performance by at least 10x compared to prevailing state-of-the-art compilers. To highlight the versatility of our approach, we present results from several hardware platforms: superconducting qubits (AQT @ LBNL, IBM Quantum, Rigetti), trapped ions (QSCOUT), and neutral atoms (Infleqtion). Across all platforms, we demonstrate new levels of performance and new capabilities that are enabled by deeper integration between quantum programs and the device physics of hardware.Comment: Appearing in IEEE QCE 2023 (Quantum Week) conferenc

Sustainable Living in Africa: Case of Water, Sanitation, Air Pollution and Energy

The study reviewed developmental challenges confronting African countries with specific reference to the availability of potable water, sanitation, energy, water and ambient air. It showed the conflict between the need to exploit environmental capital in order to keep up with the pace of human development activities and the need to utilize resources sustainably. Hitherto, the cost of this development has been at the expense of public health and cleaner environment. The outcome demonstrates the need for a change of approach in the way and manner that environmental resources are exploited for developmental purposes. Two concepts for addressing these problems were discussed. These are the “soft path” approach and the trialog model. The former places high priority on the proper use and management of existing infrastructure or resources rather than acquisition or exploitation of more infrastructure or resources. The latter concept addresses the principle of resource governance through the application of an understanding of the complex relationship between the main stakeholders—government, science, and society. Case studies on the practicality of these concepts were also highlighted and discussed

Sustainable Groundwater Exploitation in Nigeria

Abstract: In this study, a critical review of the groundwater resources history and management in Nigeria was done. The aim was to identify reasons why groundwater is increasingly being exploited in recent times, and to explore ways through which the exploitation could be done sustainably. This was achieved through literature review. It was observed that an estimated 60% of Nigeria's population get drinking water from ground resources. This high statistic is mostly the resultant effect of infrastructural decay in the potable water supply sector of the country. In Nigeria, just 14 % of the country's population get regular water supply through piped sources while the remainder of the country's 162.5 million people draw their water supply mainly from surface and groundwater sources. Groundwater, in Nigeria, is accessed mainly in form of shallow (hand-dug) and deep (boreholes) wells. Well water withdrawal activities are mostly un-regulated and, therefore, the water sources are often subjected to avoidable abuses and pollutions. In particular, rapid urbanization, agricultural and industrial activities are major contributors of pollutions to groundwater sources. Also, unavailability of data such as geographical information on water quantity, hydrology, state of aquifer and withdrawal limits have contributed to the unsustainable use of groundwater in Nigeria. It was recommended that proper regulation of groundwater resources and its protection under the land use act of 1978 could be instrumental to its sustainable exploitation

Sustainable Living in Africa: Case of Water, Sanitation, Air Pollution and Energy

The study reviewed developmental challenges confronting African countries with specific reference to the availability of potable water, sanitation, energy, water and ambient air. It showed the conflict between the need to exploit environmental capital in order to keep up with the pace of human development activities and the need to utilize resources sustainably. Hitherto, the cost of this development has been at the expense of public health and cleaner environment. The outcome demonstrates the need for a change of approach in the way and manner that environmental resources are exploited for developmental purposes. Two concepts for addressing these problems were discussed. These are the “soft path” approach and the trialog model. The former places high priority on the proper use and management of existing infrastructure or resources rather than acquisition or exploitation of more infrastructure or resources. The latter concept addresses the principle of resource governance through the application of an understanding of the complex relationship between the main stakeholders—government, science, and society. Case studies on the practicality of these concepts were also highlighted and discussed

Hydro-geometrical data analyses of River Atuwara at Ado-Odo/Otta, Ogun State

The dataset analyzed in this article contains spatial and temporal values of the hydro-geometric parameters of River Atuwara. The hydro-geometrical data analyses of various sampling point on River Atuwara was examined and their geometric properties were taken with the use of a paddled boat, depth meter and global positioning system (GPS). The co-ordinates, width, depth, slopes, area, velocity, flow were gotten in-situ while the area and wetted perimeter were computed ex-situ. The statistical relationships between separate variables were considered using scatter plots and regression line equations. Inferences drawn from various variable comparisons can be used to validate predictive models for various time seasons. Keywords: Atuwara River, Hydro-geometry, Water transport, Regression analysis, Particle transport modellin