Development of Rainfall Intensity-Duration-Frequency (IDF) Curve for Abuja, Nigeria

Urban flooding is a major social and economic problem of any nation. The social implication is attributed to loss of lives and property, unwanted displacement and emotional disturbance attached. While that of economic problem is the cost of mitigation of flood and the aftermath solution. Thus, storm water drainage is part of essential modern city infrastructure. The need for proper analysis and design of drainages and other road water facilities cannot be overemphasized. To achieve this, critical analysis of available rainfall data, which is a key input, is required. A 35 years daily rainfall data were obtained from NIMET, from which the analysis was carried out using frequency method. The output generated are presented in graphical forms and model. Ultimately, an IDF curve generated, depicts Abuja rainfall pattern from which a 3-parameter model equation, I = 37Tr0.2 (t + 0.1)−0.9 was formulated. This is site or location specific. The curve and/or the formulated model can be adopted to determine rainfall intensity of Abuja city if the rainfall duration and return period are predictable

Correlation of serum resistin level with insulin resistance and severity of retinopathy in type 2 diabetes mellitus

AbstractResistin is an adipocyte secreted hormone, to investigate the relationship between levels of serum resistin and C-reactive protein (as an inflammatory marker) together with insulin resistance and the presence of retinopathy in type 2 diabetes mellitus in Egyptian subjects, we measured fasting serum resistin and CRP levels in thirty obese diabetic subjects (with different grades of retinopathy: ten diabetic patients without retinopathy, ten diabetic patients with non-proliferative retinopathy and ten diabetic patients with proliferative retinopathy) and compared them with the results of ten obese non diabetic subjects and ten non obese healthy volunteers. Insulin resistance was assessed using the homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). All subjects were investigated to analyze the change in their total cholesterol, HDL-C, LDL-C, and triglycerides levels. Fasting glucose and insulin resistance were significantly higher (P<0.05) in diabetic compared with non diabetic subjects. Fasting Serum resistin and CRP were highly significantly different among the groups of study (P<0.001). Fasting serum resistin concentration showed highly significant positive correlation with CRP, BMI (body mass index), serum insulin, HOMA-I.R, and FBS (fasting blood sugar) and it was significantly positively correlated with waist, hip circumferences and triglycerides levels, while it was significantly negatively correlated with HDL-C. Serum resistin was associated with the presence of retinopathy in T2DM

Synthesis of Bulk Calcium Oxide (CaO) Catalyst and its Efficacy for Biodiesel Production

The numerous limitations of the conventional homogenous catalysts have become a great challenge for researchers in the area of biodiesel. Therefore, alternative catalysts for clean and environmental benign process is the solution. Calcium oxide catalyst was prepared from hydrated lime and it was used to produce biodiesel to test its efficacy. It was used to catalyze transesterification of Jatropha curcas oil and methanol at 600C reaction temperature for 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90 minutes reaction times and the corresponding biodiesel yield of 94.76%, 98.67, 100.00, 89.92 and 99.08% were obtained. The components of methyl ester found in the five samples of the biodiesel are listed. Key words: synthesis, calcium oxide, catalyst, biodiesel, productio

Combined shear/compression structural testing of asymmetric sandwich structures

Asymmetric sandwich technology can be applied in the design of lightweight, non-pressurized aeronautical structures such as those of helicopters. A test rig of asymmetric sandwich structures subjected to compression/shear loads was designed, validated, and set up. It conforms to the standard certification procedure for composite aeronautical structures set out in the “test pyramid”, a multiscale approach. The static tests until failure showed asymmetric sandwich structures to be extremely resistant, which, in the case of the tested specimen shape, were characterized by the absence of buckling and failure compressive strains up to 10,000 μ strains. Specimens impacted with perforation damage were also tested, enabling the original phenomenon of crack propagation to be observed step-by-step. The results of the completed tests thus enable the concept to be validated, and justify the possibility of creating a much larger machine to overcome the drawbacks linked to the use of small specimens

Atherogenic risk pattern among Nigerian hypertensive and diabetic patients undergoing follow-up visit in a tertiary hospital

Objectives: Cardiovascular risk can be predicted using lipid ratios such as the atherogenic index which is defined as the base 10 logarithm of the ratio of plasma triglyceride (TG) to high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) – it is a useful prognostic parameter for guiding timely interventions and has also been employed as a predictor of cardiovascular risk. However, this is rarely used in the clinical practice in developing countries including Nigeria.Methods: This study was a hospital-based cross-sectional study of 382 hypertensive and diabetic patients attending outpatient clinics of a tertiary hospital in Nigeria. Atherogenic risk profile, was categorized as low risk (&lt;0.1), intermediate risk (0.1–0.24), and high risk (&gt;0.24). Predictors were established using regression analysis. Level of significance was set at p-value of &lt;0.05 and 95% confidence interval.Results: The mean age of participants was 56±12 years, 31.4% of participants had high atherogenic risk. This was higher among female patients (60.0%). Participants with high TC, high LDL, uncontrolled blood pressure had odds of 1.64, 1.43 and 1.17 times of developing high atherogenic risk respectively.Conclusion: A significant proportion of participants in this study population were at risk of developing atherosclerosis. Key identified populations at risk of CVD should be considered for routine artherogenic assessment.Keywords: Atherogenic, indices, hypertension, diabete

Fungal neonatal and infantile sepsis in Egypt: Risk factors and identification of fungal isolates

Background: Invasive fungal diseases (IFDs) are opportunistic infections associated with significant mortality in paediatric patients, especially in those with compromised immune system and neonates with very low birth weight (VLBW). The objectives of this study are to determine the prevalence, clinical features and fungi isolates of neonatal sepsis in three hospitals in Egypt. Methodology: The study is a cross sectional survey of 176 neonates with clinical sepsis admitted to the neonatal intensive care units (NICU) of the three hospitals over a period of one year (February 2015 to January 2016). A minimum of two blood samples (collected within 24 hours) from each neonate were cultured for bacteria in automated BacT/AlerT and conventional culture bottles, while Saboraud-Brain Heart Infusion broth was inoculated for fungi culture. Positive growths from the broth were sub-cultured on Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (SDA) plates for aerobic incubation at 25oC and 37oC for 2 weeks. Identification of fungi colonies on SDA was by conventional morphology and confirmation on chromogenic agar media. Phylogenetic analysis of representative fungi isolates was done by partial nucleotide sequencing of D1-D2 domain of the large subunit rRNA gene. Results: Of the 176 neonates, blood culture was positive for pathogens in 55 (31.3 %) samples and fungi were isolated in 26 (14.8 %); yeast (25) and mould (1). The commonly isolated yeasts were Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, and Candida krusei representing 34.6%, 30.8% and 23.1%, respectively of the total fungi isolated. The phylogenetic analysis in comparison to Genbank data showed defined clades for Candida tropicalis, Candida parapsilosis, Candida albicans and Pichia kudriavzevii Conclusion: This current study highlights the changing pattern of neonatal infections in Egypt caused by Candida, with increasing incidence of infections caused by non-albicans Candida species. Key words: fungal infection, neonatal, risk factors, PCR, yeas

Environmental life cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis of triboelectric nanogenerators

As the world economy grows and industrialization of the developing countries increases, the demand for energy continues to rise. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have been touted as having great potential for low-carbon, non-fossil fuel energy generation. Mechanical energies from, amongst others, body motion, vibration, wind and waves are captured and converted by TENGs to harvest electricity, thereby minimizing global fossil fuel consumption. However, only by ascertaining performance efficiency along with low material and manufacturing costs as well as a favorable environmental profile in comparison with other energy harvesting technologies, can the true potential of TENGs be established. This paper presents a detailed techno-economic lifecycle assessment of two representative examples of TENG modules, one with a high performance efficiency (Module A) and the other with a lower efficiency (Module B) both fabricated using low-cost materials. The results are discussed across a number of sustainability metrics in the context of other energy harvesting technologies, notably photovoltaics. Module A possesses a better environmental profile, lower cost of production, lower CO2 emissions and shorter energy payback period (EPBP) compared to Module B. However, the environmental profile of Module B is slightly degraded due to the higher content of acrylic in its architecture and higher electrical energy consumption during fabrication. The end of life scenario of acrylic is environmentally viable given its recyclability and reuse potential and it does not generate toxic gases that are harmful to humans and the environment during combustion processes due to its stability during exposure to ultraviolet radiation. Despite the adoption of a less optimum laboratory manufacturing route, TENG modules generally have a better environmental profile than commercialized Si based and organic solar cells, but Module B has a slightly higher energy payback period than PV technology based on perovskite-structured methyl ammonium lead iodide. Overall, we recommend that future research into TENGs should focus on improving system performance, material optimization and more importantly improving their lifespan to realize their full potential

Effect of Hump Configurations of Porous Square Cavity on Free Convection Heat Transfer

Free convection is widely used in engineering applications, including solar energy, electronic devices, nuclear energy, and heat exchangers. A computational simulation utilizing Ansys Fluent-CFD was employed to examine the natural convection heat transfer inside a square cavity filled with pure water and saturated metal foam as a porous medium (porosity ɛ =0.9). The enclosure's lower wavy wall exhibits a high temperature (Th), while the side and upper walls have a low temperature (Tc). For different Rayleigh numbers, the study examines hump configuration and the bottom wall hump number (N). The predominant design of heat transmission was improved using the circular hump design parameters of ɛ=0.9, N=4 and Tc= 25C˚ for different Ra. This resulted in significant improvements in heat transfer enhancement and energy enhancement which were enhanced by 1.13 times, for both. The authenticity research included determining the optimal design for the square enclosure. This involved estimating the effects of hump configure and number of humps for bottom wall of enclosure. These parameters have not been studied yet. The optimum case showed the highest heat transfer coefficient (h) at circular hump, N=4 and Ra = 30´103. While the standard case had N=0 and Ra = 5´103. The CFD simulation results indicate that the primary objective of the study was achieved through the optimal design, which resulted in a significant enhancement of hydrothermal performance for both heat transfer enhancement and energy enhancement 1.13 times compared to standard case

Identifying key domains of health-related quality of life for patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: the patient perspective

Background Numerous instruments are available to measure health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), covering a wide array of domains ranging from symptoms such as dyspnea, cough and wheezing, to social and emotional functioning. Currently no information or guide is available yet to aid the selection of domains for a particular study or disease population. The aim of this paper is to identify which domains of HRQoL are most important with respect to COPD, from the patient perspective. Methods Twenty-one Dutch patients with COPD were asked to describe important domains impacted by COPD freely; second, they were presented with cues (domains from the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) framework) and were asked to select the domains that were most relevant to them. During the interview, the patients were asked to indicate in which way the selected domains impact their lives. Both the answers to the open question, and the patient statements motivating nomination of PROMIS domains were coded into themes. Results The most relevant (sub)domains of HRQoL for patients with COPD were: physical health (fatigue, physical functioning), social health (instrumental support, ability to participate in social roles and activities, companionship, and emotional support), and coping with COPD. Conclusion We identified which domains of HRQoL are most important to patients with COPD. One of these (coping with COPD) is not explicitly covered by PROMIS, or by traditional questionnaires that are used to measure HRQoL in COPD