Quartz- Porphyry Dolerite in A Selected Part of Southern Benue Trough, Nigeria

The dolerites in some parts of southern Benue Trough were studied petrographically. The results show that most of the dolerites in the Anambra and Afikpo basins are olivine dolerites except Umuchieze LokpaUkwu that host mostly quartz porphyry dolerites. The thin section results show that the dolerite rocks in Umuchieze LokpaUkwu has mineral paragenesis of plagioclase feldspar+quartz +pyroxene + biotite + hornblende + and hematite. The pore spaces and fractures in the rocks are healed by the infilling of quartz.  The porphyritic texture of the dolerite in the study area show variable temperatures of the crystallized magma that formed the dolerite. The sharp contacts of the dolerites and the host rocks could play roles in the alteration of the crystallizing magma. Hydrothermal interaction, contamination and assimilation played major roles in the evolutionary processes of the magma that formed the quartz-porphyry dolerite. Key word: Quartz, Dolerites, Benue Trough, Magma DOI: 10.7176/JEES/10-2-09 Publication date: February 29th 202

A CLIPS-based expert system for the evaluation and selection of robots

This paper describes the development of a prototype expert system for intelligent selection of robots for manufacturing operations. The paper first develops a comprehensive, three-stage process to model the robot selection problem. The decisions involved in this model easily lend themselves to an expert system application. A rule-based system, based on the selection model, is developed using the CLIPS expert system shell. Data about actual robots is used to test the performance of the prototype system. Further extensions to the rule-based system for data handling and interfacing capabilities are suggested

Practical implications of postoperative adhesions for preoperative consent and operative technique

AbstractAdhesions complicate most intra-peritoneal operations. Once adhesions have formed, patients are at life-long risk for complications that include small bowel obstruction, increased risks during subsequent operations and female infertility. This has two implications for the daily work of surgeons. On the one hand, surgeons need to include the risks from adhesions during pre-operative consent. On the other hand, surgeons need to use operative techniques that minimize adhesions. Therefore this review focuses on the practical implications of adhesions for preoperative consent and operative technique

Association between hospital private equity acquisition and outcomes of acute medical conditions among Medicare beneficiaries

Importance: As private equity (PE) acquisitions of short-term acute care hospitals (ACHs) continue, their impact on the care of medically vulnerable older adults remains largely unexplored. Objective: To investigate the association between PE acquisition of ACHs and access to care, patient outcomes, and spending among Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized with acute medical conditions. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional study used a generalized difference-in-differences approach to compare 21 091 222 patients admitted to PE-acquired vs non-PE-acquired short-term ACHs between January 1, 2001, and December 31, 2018, at least 3 years before to 3 years after PE acquisition. The analysis was conducted between December 28, 2020, and February 1, 2022. Differences were estimated using both facility and hospital service area fixed effects. To assess the robustness of findings, regressions were reestimated after including fixed effects of patient county of origin to account for geographic differences in underlying health risks. Two subset analyses were also conducted: (1) an analysis including only hospitals in hospital referral regions with at least 1 PE acquisition and (2) an analysis stratified by participation in the Hospital Corporation of America 2006 acquisition. The study included Medicare beneficiaries 66 years and older who were hospitalized with 1 of 5 acute medical conditions: acute myocardial infarction (AMI), acute stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation, congestive heart failure exacerbation, and pneumonia. Exposures: Acquisition of hospitals by PE firms. Main Outcomes and Measures: Comorbidity burden (measured by Elixhauser comorbidity score), hospital length of stay, in-hospital mortality, 30-day mortality, 30-day readmission, and 30-day episode payments. Results: Among 21 091 222 total Medicare beneficiaries admitted to ACHs between 2001 and 2018, 20 431 486 patients received care at non-PE-acquired hospitals, and 659 736 received care at PE-acquired hospitals. Across all admissions, the mean (SD) age was 79.45 (7.95) years; 11 727 439 patients (55.6%) were male, and 4 550 012 patients (21.6%) had dual insurance; 2 996 560 (14.2%) patients were members of racial or ethnic minority groups, including 2 085 128 [9.9%] Black and 371 648 [1.8%] Hispanic; 18 094 662 patients (85.8%) were White. Overall, 3 083 760 patients (14.6%) were hospitalized with AMI, 2 835 777 (13.4%) with acute stroke, 3 674 477 (17.4%) with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation, 5 868 034 (27.8%) with congestive heart failure exacerbation, and 5 629 174 (26.7%) with pneumonia. Comorbidity burden decreased slightly among patients admitted with acute stroke (difference, -0.04 SDs; 95% CI, -0.004 to -0.07 SDs) at acquired hospitals compared with nonacquired hospitals but was unchanged across the other 4 conditions. Among patients with AMI, a greater decrease in in-hospital mortality was observed in PE-acquired hospitals compared with non-PE-acquired hospitals (difference, -1.14 percentage points, 95% CI, -1.86 to -0.42 percentage points). In addition, a greater decrease in 30-day mortality (difference, -1.41 percentage points; 95% CI, -2.26 to -0.56 percentage points) was found at acquired vs nonacquired hospitals. However, 30-day spending and readmission rates remained unchanged across all conditions. The extent and directionality of estimates were preserved across all robustness assessments and subset analyses. Conclusions and Relevance: In this cross-sectional study using a difference-in-differences approach, PE acquisition had no substantial association with the patient-level outcomes examined, although it was associated with a moderate improvement in mortality among Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized with AMI

Time from Screening Mammography to Biopsy and from Biopsy to Breast Cancer Treatment among Black and White, Women Medicare Beneficiaries Not Participating in a Health Maintenance Organization

Purpose There is a breast cancer mortality gap adversely affecting Black women in the United States. This study assessed the relationship between number of days between abnormal mammogram, biopsy, and treatment among Medicare (Part B) beneficiaries ages 65 to 74 and 75 to 84 years, accounting for race and comorbidity. Methods A cohort of non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White women residing in the continental United States and receiving no services from a health maintenance organization was randomly selected from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services denominator file. The cohort was followed from 2005 to 2008 using Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services claims data. The sample included 4,476 women (weighted n = 70,731) with a diagnosis of breast cancer. Cox proportional hazard modeling was used to identify predictors of waiting times. Findings Black women had a mean of 16.7 more days between biopsy and treatment (p \u3c .001) and 15.7 more days from mammogram to treatment (p = .003) than White women. Median duration from abnormal mammogram to treatment exceeded National Quality Measures for Breast Centers medians regardless of race, age, or number of comorbidities (overall 43 days vs. the National Quality Measures for Breast Centers value of 28 days). Conclusions Medical care delays may contribute, in part, to the widening breast cancer mortality gap between Black women and White women. Further study, with additional clinical and social information, is needed to broaden scientific understanding of racial determinants and assess the clinical significance of mammogram to treatment times among Medicare beneficiaries

Antenatal atazanavir: a retrospective analysis of pregnancies exposed to atazanavir.

INTRODUCTION: There are few data regarding the tolerability, safety, or efficacy of antenatal atazanavir. We report our clinical experience of atazanavir use in pregnancy. METHODS: A retrospective medical records review of atazanavir-exposed pregnancies in 12 London centres between 2004 and 2010. RESULTS: There were 145 pregnancies in 135 women: 89 conceived whilst taking atazanavir-based combination antiretroviral therapy (cART), "preconception" atazanavir exposure; 27 started atazanavir-based cART as "first-line" during the pregnancy; and 29 "switched" to an atazanavir-based regimen from another cART regimen during pregnancy. Gastrointestinal intolerance requiring atazanavir cessation occurred in five pregnancies. Self-limiting, new-onset transaminitis was most common in first-line use, occurring in 11.0%. Atazanavir was commenced in five switch pregnancies in the presence of transaminitis, two of which discontinued atazanavir with persistent transaminitis. HIV-VL < 50 copies/mL was achieved in 89.3% preconception, 56.5% first-line, and 72.0% switch exposures. Singleton preterm delivery (<37 weeks) occurred in 11.7% preconception, 9.1% first-line, and 7.7% switch exposures. Four infants required phototherapy. There was one mother-to-child transmission in a poorly adherent woman. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that atazanavir is well tolerated and can be safely prescribed as a component of combination antiretroviral therapy in pregnancy

Geochemical Classification of Groundwater System in a Rural Area of Nigeria

The characteristics of the groundwater system in Iresa-Apa, Oyo state, Nigeria, were studied using the Piper linear approach. Twenty-four water samples were randomly collected to cover the area of study. The analyzed cations from the samples are Mg2+, Na+, K+, and Ca2+, while the anions are CO32−, HCO3−, SO42−, and Cl−. The three hydrochemical facies identified are Ca–Mg–Na, Ca–Mg–Na–SO4, and Na–K–Cl–SO4 types. The similarities in the observed water types suggest that almost the same geochemical processes are controlling the cation-anion reaction of the groundwater system in the study area

Analysis of global manufacturing virtual networks in the aeronautical industry

The evolution of organizations that work in multinational environments has considerably altered their production strategies. One of the consequences has been the appearance of Global Manufacturing Virtual Networks (GMVNs), which include all kinds of enterprises and production centres and establish a new type of horizontal collaboration and relations between independent companies and even competitors who establish occasional collaborations on projects they could not take on individually. This paper analyses the causes behind the formation of such networks, their strategy, structure, dynamics and evolution, taking into account areas such as strategic intercompany alliances, synchronization of their value and supply chains, their information systems, the cultural aspects of the organizations in question and, finally, their convergence with another of the more relevant future trends in production: mass customization. The proposed model shall be applied to the aeronautical industry which is one of the industries which has developed the GMVN concept. The case study of the engine manufacturer Rolls Royce will provide a better understanding of the evolution of its strategic positioning, as well as the dynamic and fluent nature of its virtual relations. This will demonstrate its effectiveness by clarifying and putting these organizations in perspective and analyzing their evolution over the next few year

An overview of trace elements in soils of Keana-Awe Brine-Fields, Middle Benue Trough, Nigeria

The objective of this study was to determine the concentration of trace elements in soils of Keana-Awe brine-fields. Composite soil samples were randomly collected at a depth of 0–15 cm and were analysed for molybdenum, zinc, arsenic, lead, cobalt, chromium, copper, barium and nickel using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS). Quantification of the degree of soil contamination by these trace elements was carried out using the enrichment factor (EF) and the geo-accumulation index (Igeo). The data were subjected to principal component analysis (PCA). The average concentrations were 1.56 ppm molybdenum, 1116.42 ppm zinc, 23.80 ppm arsenic, 71.40 ppm lead, 17.64 ppm cobalt, 237.35 ppm chromium, 24.16 ppm copper, 254.67 ppm barium and 143.71 ppm nickel. Cobalt, nickel and chromium showed positive loadings in component 1 with a total variance of 29.56%. Zinc, copper and lead showed positive loadings in component 2 with a total variance of 18.79%, while copper showed negative loading in component 3 with a total variance of 14.79%. Considering the concentration of trace elements in the soils and statistical analyses, we conclude that soils of the study area were severely enriched in molybdenum, cobalt, chromium, copper, barium, nickel, while arsenic and zinc are in excessive concentrations in the soils. These trace elements could have originated from geogenic and anthropogenic sources.DHE