Advanced Gas Turbine Rotor Shaft Fault Diagnosis Using Artificial Neural Network

The effect of vibration in plant leads to catastrophic failure of a system. This is why vibration monitoring of a system constitutes a very key practice of ensuring power plant availability. Force, Amplitude and Resonance a program written in Visual Basic Programming language was utilized in this study to monitor the vibration level of the Gas Turbine (GT17) in Afam thermal station and to calculate the force causing vibration on the bearing. The program was also run using the data obtained from the plant. Results show that vibration velocity amplitude of bearing 2 on weeks 5 and 8 were 6.7mm/s and 6.6mm/s and the forces causing vibration were 2.545x104N and 2.272x104N respectively. The comparison of results obtained with maximum vibration velocity amplitude of the machine (7mm/s) showed that the vibration of the machine was tending towards the maximum value. Therefore, proper attention should be given to bearing 2 to avoid failure of the Gas Turbine

Advances in research on the use of biochar in soil for remediation: a review

Purpose: Soil contamination mainly from human activities remains a major environmental problem in the contemporary world. Significant work has been undertaken to position biochar as a readily-available material useful for the management of contaminants in various environmental media notably soil. Here, we review the increasing research on the use of biochar in soil for the remediation of some organic and inorganic contaminants.  Materials and methods: Bibliometric analysis was carried out within the past 10 years to determine the increasing trend in research related to biochar in soil for contaminant remediation. Five exemplar contaminants were reviewed in both laboratory and field-based studies. These included two inorganic (i.e., As and Pb) and three organic classes (i.e., sulfamethoxazole, atrazine, and PAHs). The contaminants were selected based on bibliometric data and as representatives of their various contaminant classes. For example, As and Pb are potentially toxic elements (anionic and cationic, respectively), while sulfamethoxazole, atrazine, and PAHs represent antibiotics, herbicides, and hydrocarbons, respectively.  Results and discussion: The interaction between biochar and contaminants in soil is largely driven by biochar precursor material and pyrolysis temperature as well as some characteristics of the contaminants such as octanol-water partition coefficient (KOW) and polarity. The structural and chemical characteristics of biochar in turn determine the major sorption mechanisms and define biochar’s suitability for contaminant sorption. Based on the reviewed literature, a soil treatment plan is suggested to guide the application of biochar in various soil types (paddy soils, brownfield, and mine soils) at different pH levels (4–5.5) and contaminant concentrations ( 50 mg kg−1).  Conclusions: Research on biochar has grown over the years with significant focus on its properties, and how these affect biochar’s ability to immobilize organic and inorganic contaminants in soil. Few of these studies have been field-based. More studies with greater focus on field-based soil remediation are therefore required to fully understand the behavior of biochar under natural circumstances. Other recommendations are made aimed at stimulating future research in areas where significant knowledge gaps exist

The Psychological Science Accelerator’s COVID-19 rapid-response dataset

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Psychological Science Accelerator coordinated three large-scale psychological studies to examine the effects of loss-gain framing, cognitive reappraisals, and autonomy framing manipulations on behavioral intentions and affective measures. The data collected (April to October 2020) included specific measures for each experimental study, a general questionnaire examining health prevention behaviors and COVID-19 experience, geographical and cultural context characterization, and demographic information for each participant. Each participant started the study with the same general questions and then was randomized to complete either one longer experiment or two shorter experiments. Data were provided by 73,223 participants with varying completion rates. Participants completed the survey from 111 geopolitical regions in 44 unique languages/dialects. The anonymized dataset described here is provided in both raw and processed formats to facilitate re-use and further analyses. The dataset offers secondary analytic opportunities to explore coping, framing, and self-determination across a diverse, global sample obtained at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which can be merged with other time-sampled or geographic data

The Psychological Science Accelerator’s COVID-19 rapid-response dataset

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Psychological Science Accelerator coordinated three large-scale psychological studies to examine the effects of loss-gain framing, cognitive reappraisals, and autonomy framing manipulations on behavioral intentions and affective measures. The data collected (April to October 2020) included specific measures for each experimental study, a general questionnaire examining health prevention behaviors and COVID-19 experience, geographical and cultural context characterization, and demographic information for each participant. Each participant started the study with the same general questions and then was randomized to complete either one longer experiment or two shorter experiments. Data were provided by 73,223 participants with varying completion rates. Participants completed the survey from 111 geopolitical regions in 44 unique languages/dialects. The anonymized dataset described here is provided in both raw and processed formats to facilitate re-use and further analyses. The dataset offers secondary analytic opportunities to explore coping, framing, and self-determination across a diverse, global sample obtained at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which can be merged with other time-sampled or geographic data

A global experiment on motivating social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic

Significance Communicating in ways that motivate engagement in social distancing remains a critical global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study tested motivational qualities of messages about social distancing (those that promoted choice and agency vs. those that were forceful and shaming) in 25,718 people in 89 countries. The autonomy-supportive message decreased feelings of defying social distancing recommendations relative to the controlling message, and the controlling message increased controlled motivation, a less effective form of motivation, relative to no message. Message type did not impact intentions to socially distance, but people’s existing motivations were related to intentions. Findings were generalizable across a geographically diverse sample and may inform public health communication strategies in this and future global health emergencies. Abstract Finding communication strategies that effectively motivate social distancing continues to be a global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-country, preregistered experiment (n = 25,718 from 89 countries) tested hypotheses concerning generalizable positive and negative outcomes of social distancing messages that promoted personal agency and reflective choices (i.e., an autonomy-supportive message) or were restrictive and shaming (i.e., a controlling message) compared with no message at all. Results partially supported experimental hypotheses in that the controlling message increased controlled motivation (a poorly internalized form of motivation relying on shame, guilt, and fear of social consequences) relative to no message. On the other hand, the autonomy-supportive message lowered feelings of defiance compared with the controlling message, but the controlling message did not differ from receiving no message at all. Unexpectedly, messages did not influence autonomous motivation (a highly internalized form of motivation relying on one’s core values) or behavioral intentions. Results supported hypothesized associations between people’s existing autonomous and controlled motivations and self-reported behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing. Controlled motivation was associated with more defiance and less long-term behavioral intention to engage in social distancing, whereas autonomous motivation was associated with less defiance and more short- and long-term intentions to social distance. Overall, this work highlights the potential harm of using shaming and pressuring language in public health communication, with implications for the current and future global health challenges

Leprosy and the eye a review of epidemiology, pathogenesis, ocular complications and treatment

Objectives: 1. To update knowledge on the current trends in the epidemiology, pathogenesis, and treatment of leprosy 2. To highlight the ocular complications associated with leprosy Methodology:Current literature on various aspects of leprosy research obtained from the Internet and supplemented by available journals were reviewed. Findings relevant to our objectives were extracted. Results:The prevalence of leprosy has reduced from the estimated 10-12 million (with 5.4 million registered) worldwide in the 1980s to about 0.75 million registered patients by 2002. However, the incidence increased from 550,000 by 1985 to approx. 700,000 by 2002. Many cured leprosy patients are living with disability, including ocular disability. Many of these are potentially sight threatening. Already, about 350, 000 to 400, 000 leprosy patients are estimated to be blind worldwide. Conclusion: Though the prevalence of leprosy is reducing, its incidence is increasing. Many cured leprosy patients are, however, living with ocular complications that could lead to blindness. Most of these blinding complications could be prevented with early diagnosis and prompt treatment. Recommendations: 1. Every health worker, particularly ophthalmologists, should be familiar with the ocular complications of leprosy. 2. Periodic screening and surgical outreach programmes by ophthalmologists should be integrated into leprosy care programmes with a view to treating avoidable causes of blindness, especially cataract, uveitis, and lagophthalmos. 3. Funding for research on leprosy and health care delivery for leprosy should be sustained because available data show that leprosy is still a cause for concern. Key words: leprosy, ocular complications Nigerian Journal of Ophthamology Vol 12(2) 2004: 38-4

Outcome of pregnancy in adolescent mothers in Mile Four Hospital, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State

Background of the study: This study was undertaken because of the observed worrisome high number of adolescent mothers who delivered in the Mile IV Hospital, Abakaliki. Objectives: The study was undertaken to determine the hospital incidence of adolescent pregnancy and their pregnancy outcomes. Materials and methods: All adolescent pregnancies booking over a one year period were followed up till delivery. The outcome measures were antenatal complications, foetal presentations, mode of delivery, postpartum complications, foetal outcomes and birth weight. Results: The hospital incidence of adolescent pregnancy was 5%. Sixty-eight percent of the mothers were married. Malaria in pregnancy was expectedly the leading antenatal complication and the Caesarean Section rate was 11%. The relative risk for episiotomy in this group of mothers was 0.25. The maternal mortality rate was 1000 per 100,000 and the perinatal mortality rate was 106.8 per 1000 births. Conclusions: This study shows that the incidence of adolescent pregnancy is high in the centre. The rates of interventional deliveries and episiotomies are increased and the perinatal outcomes are poor. There is the need to discourage the existing cultural feature of childhood marriage in some parts of the State. Orient Journal of Medicine Vol. 18(1&2) 2006: 16-2