Coinheritance of Β-Thalassemia and Sickle Cell Anaemia in Southwestern Nigeria

BACKGROUND: Genes for haemoglobin S are found in high frequencies in Nigeria. However, there is little information on beta thalassemia in sickle cell anaemia in this population. The clinical presentation of HbS- β thalassemia is enormously variable, ranging from an asymptomatic state to a severe disorder similar to homozygous sickle cell disease.MATERIALS AND METHODS: Haemoglobin A2 and HbF were determined in sickle cell anaemia patients attending LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, by elution after electrophoresis and alkaline denaturation methods respectively. Haematological parameters were estimated using Sysmex KX-21N and percentage target cells using Leishman’s staining technique.RESULTS: Exactly 6% f the SCA patients were found to have elevated HbA2 (>3.3%) and HbF (>1.3%). These patients also had normal erythrocyte indices, increased platelet count, a significantly higher HCT and an increased % target cell.CONCLUSION: These findings confirm that the frequency of beta thalassaemia in sickle cell patients in Nigeria is higher than previously thought. It is therefore important to consider the possibility of this variant in patients with sickle cell anaemia since their course may differ from that of patients with homozygous sickle cell anaemia.KEYWORDS: β-Thalassemia,Sickle cell anaemia, Haemoglobin A2 , Haemoglobin

Cost-Benefit of Optimal Allocation of DSTATCOM in Distribution Networks Using Ant-Lion Optimization Algorithm

Distribution Static Compensators (DSTATCOMs) are considered to be one of the most cost-effective modern devices for reactive compensation in distribution networks. However, the DSTATCOMs sizing and their deployment position are important factors to consider in order to get the most out of their installation. This study proposes the use of the Ant-Lion Optimization Algorithm (ALOA) for the appropriate allocation of the DSTATCOM with the goal of maximization of the cost-benefit derived from the reduction in the cost of power purchased from the transmission grid less the DSTATCOM cost for the distribution networks in order to find its appropriate allocation. The suggested technique is tested on a Nigerian Dada 46-bus system as well as an IEEE 33 bus. The simulation results for the IEEE 33-bus system reveal that the cost benefits of $100,601,$ 108,212, and $89,422 were actualized for one, two, and three DSTATCOMs allocations, respectively, while the figures for the Dada 46-bus system were$ 482,166, $574,546, and$ 531,415, respectively. In terms of real power loss in the IEEE 33-bus, the suggested method was determined to be quite effective for DSTATCOM allocation when compared to similar studies in the literature

Technology for Teaching and Learning: A Case Study of Afe Babalola University

Abstract Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD) is the first University in Nigeria that had introduced Information Communication Technology (ICT) facilities into teaching and learning. The purpose of this work was to examine the learning tools employed in the modern teaching and learning as practiced in Afe Babalola University (ABUAD), the problems and the challenges in the application and make recommendations to improve the effective application. The authors, who are teachers in various departments of the university and used the facilities to teach, collected data through personal observations, responses to structured questionnaires and personal interviews. ABUAD had a variety of ICT facilities which had improved teaching and learning in ABUAD. In spite of these facilities, the training programme, the technical support provided and the positive effect on teaching and learning, not all the lecturers have put them to effective usage for varied reasons. These were reviewed and recommendations were made to improve usage. JEL classification numbers: D8

Technology for Teaching and Learning: A Case Study of Afe Babalola University

Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD) is the first University in Nigeria that had introduced Information Communication Technology (ICT) facilities into teaching and learning. The purpose of this work was to examine the learning tools employed in the modern teaching and learning as practiced in Afe Babalola University (ABUAD), the problems and the challenges in the application and make recommendations to improve the effective application. The authors, who are teachers in various departments of the university and used the facilities to teach, collected data through personal observations, responses to structured questionnaires and personal interviews. ABUAD had a variety of ICT facilities which had improved teaching and learning in ABUAD. In spite of these facilities, the training programme, the technical support provided and the positive effect on teaching and learning, not all the lecturers have put them to effective usage for varied reasons. These were reviewed and recommendations were made to improve usage

Understanding the behavioral trends of the effect of water salinity and sand size on oil recovery in sandstone reservoirs

Enhanced oil recovery techniques are deployed to subsequently improve oil production having already employed primary or secondary recovery techniques or both methods simultaneously. Literature have shown that salinity impacts on oil recovery due to wettability alteration, but grain size which is closely related to the mechanical behavior and petrographical properties is also one of the main parameters controlling the phenomenon. There is need to investigate the effect of these two parameters in oil recovery. This study considered the effects of water salinity in the range of 0 to 20,000 ppm and sand grains of 45 to 300 μm on oil recovery. Flooding experiments and statistical analyses of the designed experiment was used to determine the residual oil saturation. The properties of sand samples such as bulk and pore volumes, porosity as well as, wet and dry weight for the various groups were also analyzed. Gauss-Newton algorithm with Levenberg-Marquardt modifications were the nu-merical scheme executed in MATLAB to formulate residual oil saturation model. The optimum percentage re-covery for the core flooding experiment in each groups are 82.4%, 81.1%, 79.4%, 81.1% and 78.8% for A4, B4, C4, D4 and E5 respectively. Based on the experimental results, the 300 μm sand grains and salt concentration of 15,000 ppm should be used for operations in this reservoirs because, those conditions guarantee oil recovery as high as 82%. High oil recoveries correspond to low residual oil saturation and vice-versa. The recovered residual oil percentage had no direct correlations with the net dry and wet weights of the samples. The 45-micron grains had the least pore volume and it was observed that the percentage recoveries had no direct correlations with the core sample weights. During validation of the formulated residual oil saturation model, the model gave a good prediction of the experimental data within the 95% confidence interval, and from the statistical analyses, re-sidual oil saturation decreased with decrease in water salinity. Thus, the larger the size of a grain, the lower its superficial area exposed to the wetting and non-wetting fluids which subsequently impacts on oil recover

Dataset on effect of sand grain size and water salinity on oil recovery

This research investigates the combined effect of grain size and water salinity on oil recovery. Water flooding experiment was carried out using unconsolidated formation from Niger Delta. Five groups consisting of five samples, were tested for the effective interaction of two factors (grain size and salin- ity) and how they affect oil recovery. Each group was as- signed a particular grain size while the prepared brine con- centration was varied within a specified range. The selected grain sizes were obtained from laboratory sieve analyses. For each sand sample, the same concentration of brine used in saturating it was poured into the accumulator and con- nected to the flooding tube to displace a column of crude oil. The control valve was opened to cause oil displacement. The amount of brine used to displace the crude oil was ten times the pore volume and all the oil in each sample was recovered by the saturated brine solution. Laboratory investi- gations show that oil recovery was highest for brine concen- tration of 15,0 0 0 ppm; this was also the case in relation to oil recovery and sand grain sizes

Characterization of a thermostable Bacillus subtilis f-amylase isolated from decomposing peels of Cassava ( Manihot esculenta )

f-Amylase (\u3b1-1, 4 glucan maltohydrolase; E.C:3.2.1.2) is used in the food processing, brewing and distilling industries due to its capacity to produce maltose syrup from starch. Here, we report the purification and characterization of f-amylase from Bacillus subtilis isolated from cassava peel waste obtained from a milling factory in Ikenne-Remo, Ogun State, Nigeria. The enzyme was extracted, fractionated at 90% (NH4)2SO4 and further purified using DEAE-cellulose ion exchange chromatography. The molecular weight of the purified enzyme was estimated to be 34.67 Kd. The specific activity of the partially purified enzyme was approximately 1.35 units per mg of protein (Umg-1), Kinetic analysis of its starch hydrolysis activity gave a Km value of 2.496 \ub1 0.025% and a Vmax of 1.136 \ub1 0.055 units min-1. The optimum pH and temperature were determined to be 5.5 and 70 0C respectively, and the thermal stability curve gave a maximum activity of 9.75 U at 70oC for 60 min of incubation. Bacillus subtilis f-amylase is valuable for maltose production, which can be hydrolyzed further by other groups of amylase for the production of high cassava glucose syrup used as sweeteners in the food industry

Patient-Reported Outcomes Improves the Prediction of In-patient and Emergency Department Readmission Risks in Coronary Artery Disease

Introduction Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) patients are known to report higher healthcare resource use, such as inpatient [IP] and emergency department [ED] readmissions, than the general population. We investigate if the patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) improve the accuracy of readmissions risk prediction models in CAD. Objectives and Approach Patients enrolled in the Alberta Provincial Project for Outcomes Assessment in Coronary Heart Disease (APPROACH) registry between 1995 and 2014 who received catheterization (CATH) and completed baseline PROMs were linked to discharge abstract data and national ambulatory data. Logistic regression (LR) was used to develop 30-day and 1-year readmissions risk prediction models adjusting for patients’ demographic, clinical, and self-reported characteristics. PROM was measured using the 19-item Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ). The discriminatory performance of each prediction model was assessed using the Harrel’s c-statistic for LR. Results Of the 13,264 patients who completed baseline SAQ, 59 (0.3%) had IP readmissions or ED visits within 30 days, and up to 356 (1.9%) within 1 year of baseline survey. The C-statistics for one-year readmissions risk prediction models that only adjusted for demographic and clinical variables only ranged between 56.4% and 61.2%. The prognostic improvement in the discrimination of these models ranged between 2% to 10% when patient-reported SAQ was included as predictor. The addition of SAQ improves the model discrimination in all types of admission. Conclusion/Implications The addition of PROMs improves the moderate accuracy of readmissions risk prediction models. These findings highlight the need for routine collection of PROMs in clinical settings and their potential use for aiding clinical and policy decision-making and post-discharge outcomes monitoring in the management of cardiovascular diseases