Improvement of the Index and Compaction Characteristics of Black Cotton Soil with Palm Kernel Shell Ash

The expansive soil obtained from Baure in Yamaltu Deba Local Government Area was rich in clay mineral (montmorillonite), unstable and difficult to use for construction purposes. The soil treated with up to 12% palm kernel shell ash (PKSA an agro – waste) by weight of dry soil to improve index properties and compaction characteristics of the soil using PKSA.  Index tests were carried out to classify the natural soil, while the moisture-density relationships were determined by compaction tests on the natural and treated soils using three energy levels viz, British Standard light (BSL), West African Standard (WAS) and British Standard heavy (BSH). BCS used in the study was classified as A-7-5 (20) using the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and CH group in the Unified Soil Classification System (USCS). Tests results show that specific gravity of the soil increased from 2.29 for the natural to 2.34 at 12% treatment. Liquid limit decreased from 76.2% for natural to 73.4% at 10% PKSA content. Plastic limit increased from 40% for the natural soil to 47.1% at 12% PKSA content treatment. Maximum dry density (MDD) values decreased from 1.44Mg/m3, 1.5Mg/m3 and 1.65Mg/m3 for the natural soil to 1.38Mg/m3 at 10%, 1.45Mg/m3 at 10% and 1.56Mg/m3 at 6%  PKSA content for BSL, WAS and BSH compaction energy levels respectively. On the other hand, optimum moisture content (OMC) value decreased from 28.5% and 22.4% for the natural soil to 22.4% and 21.0% at 12% PKSA content for BSL and WAS energies respectively while the value for BSH energy increased from 18.2% to 19.0% at 8% PKSA content. Results show that PKSA is suitable for the improvement of the index properties and compaction characteristics of BCS; and its beneficial use will reduce the attendant disposal problem on the   environment

Monitoring and resource management taxonomy in interconnected cloud infrastructures: a survey

Cloud users have recently expanded dramatically. The cloud service providers (CSPs) have also increased and have therefore made their infrastructure more complex. The complex infrastructure needs to be distributed appropriately to various users. Also, the advances in cloud computing have led to the development of interconnected cloud computing environments (ICCEs). For instance, ICCEs include the cloud hybrid, intercloud, multi-cloud, and federated clouds. However, the sharing of resources is not facilitated by specific proprietary technologies and access interfaces used by CSPs. Several CSPs provide similar services but have different access patterns. Data from various CSPs must be obtained and processed by cloud users. To ensure that all ICCE tenants (users and CSPs) benefit from the best CSPs, efficient resource management was suggested. Besides, it is pertinent that cloud resources be monitored regularly. Cloud monitoring is a service that works as a third-party entity between customers and CSPs. This paper discusses a complete cloud monitoring survey in ICCE, focusing on cloud monitoring and its significance. Several current open-source monitoring solutions are discussed. A taxonomy is presented and analyzed for cloud resource management. This taxonomy includes resource pricing, assignment of resources, exploration of resources, collection of resources, and disaster management

Impact of using eHealth tools to extend health services to rural areas of Nigeria: protocol for a mixed-method, non-randomised cluster trial

Introduction: eHealth solutions that use internet and related technologies to deliver and enhance health services and information are emerging as novel approaches to support healthcare delivery in sub-Saharan Africa. Using digital technology in this way can support cost-effectiveness of care delivery and extend the reach of services to remote locations. Despite the burgeoning literature on eHealth approaches, little is known about the effectiveness of eHealth tools for improving the quality and efficiency of health systems functions or client outcomes in resource-limited countries. eHealth tools including satellite communications are currently being implemented at scale, to extend health services to rural areas of Nigeria, in Ondo and Kano States and the Federal Capital Territory. This paper shares the protocol for a 2-year project (‘EXTEND’) that aims to evaluate the impact of eHealth tools on health system functions and health outcomes. Methodology and analysis: This multisite, mixed-method evaluation includes a non-randomised, cluster trial design. The study comprises three phases—baseline, midline and endline evaluations—that involve: (1) process evaluation of video training and digitisation of health data interventions; (2) evaluation of contextual influences on the implementation of interventions; and (3) impact evaluation of results of the project. A convergent mixed-method model will be adopted to allow integration of quantitative and qualitative findings to achieve study objectives. Multiple quantitative and qualitative datasets will be repeatedly analysed and triangulated to facilitate better understanding of impact of eHealth tools on health worker knowledge, quality and efficiency of health systems and client outcomes. Ethics and dissemination: Ethics approvals were obtained from the University of Leeds and three States’ Ministries of Health in Nigeria. All data collected for this study will be anonymised and reports will not contain information that could identify respondents. Study findings will be presented to Ministries of Health at scientific conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals. Trial registration number: ISRCTN32105372; Pre-results

The effect of increasing the supply of skilled health providers on pregnancy and birth outcomes: evidence from the midwives service scheme in Nigeria

Background: Limited availability of skilled health providers in developing countries is thought to be an important barrier to achieving maternal and child health-related MDG goals. Little is known, however, about the extent to which scaling-up supply of health providers will lead to improved pregnancy and birth outcomes. We study the effects of the Midwives Service Scheme (MSS), a public sector program in Nigeria that increased the supply of skilled midwives in rural communities on pregnancy and birth outcomes. Methods: We surveyed 7,104 women with a birth within the preceding five years across 12 states in Nigeria and compared changes in birth outcomes in MSS communities to changes in non-MSS communities over the same period. Results: The main measured effect of the scheme was a 7.3-percentage point increase in antenatal care use in program clinics and a 5-percentage point increase in overall use of antenatal care, both within the first year of the program. We found no statistically significant effect of the scheme on skilled birth attendance or on maternal delivery complications. Conclusion: This study highlights the complexity of improving maternal and child health outcomes in developing countries, and shows that scaling up supply of midwives may not be sufficient on its own

The International Natural Product Sciences Taskforce (INPST) and the power of Twitter networking exemplified through #INPST hashtag analysis

Background: The development of digital technologies and the evolution of open innovation approaches have enabled the creation of diverse virtual organizations and enterprises coordinating their activities primarily online. The open innovation platform titled "International Natural Product Sciences Taskforce" (INPST) was established in 2018, to bring together in collaborative environment individuals and organizations interested in natural product scientific research, and to empower their interactions by using digital communication tools. Methods: In this work, we present a general overview of INPST activities and showcase the specific use of Twitter as a powerful networking tool that was used to host a one-week "2021 INPST Twitter Networking Event" (spanning from 31st May 2021 to 6th June 2021) based on the application of the Twitter hashtag #INPST. Results and Conclusion: The use of this hashtag during the networking event period was analyzed with Symplur Signals (https://www.symplur.com/), revealing a total of 6,036 tweets, shared by 686 users, which generated a total of 65,004,773 impressions (views of the respective tweets). This networking event's achieved high visibility and participation rate showcases a convincing example of how this social media platform can be used as a highly effective tool to host virtual Twitter-based international biomedical research events

State of Art Survey for IoT Effects on Smart City Technology: Challenges, Opportunities, and Solutions

Automation frees workers from excessive human involvement to promote ease of use while still reducing their input of labor. There are about 2 billion people on Earth who live in cities, which means about half of the human population lives in an urban environment. This number is rising which places great problems for a greater number of people, increased traffic, increased noise, increased energy consumption, increased water use, and land pollution, and waste. Thus, the issue of security, coupled with sustainability, is expected to be addressed in cities that use their brain. One of the most often used methodologies for creating a smart city is the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT connectivity is understood to be the very heart of the city of what makes a smart city. such as sensor networks, wearables, mobile apps, and smart grids that have been developed to harness the city's most innovative connectivity technology to provide services and better control its citizens The focus of this research is to clarify and showcase ways in which IoT technology can be used in infrastructure projects for enhancing both productivity and responsiveness

Incidence, clinical characteristics, and risk factors of peripartum cardiomyopathy in Nigeria : results from the PEACE Registry

Aims: The aim of this study was to describe the incidence, clinical characteristics and risk factors of peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) in Nigeria. Methods and Results: The study was conducted in 22 hospitals in Nigeria, and PPCM patients were consecutively recruited between June 2017 and March 2018. To determine factors associated with PPCM, the patients were compared with apparently healthy women who recently delivered, as controls. Four hundred six patients were compared with 99 controls. The incidence and disease burden (based on the rate of consecutive recruitment of subjects) varied widely between the six geographical zones of Nigeria. From the North-West zone, 72.3% of the patients was recruited, where an incidence as high as 1 per 96 live births was obtained in a centre, while the disease was uncommon (7.6% of all recruited patients) in the South. Majority of the patients (76.6%) and controls (74.8%) (p = 0.694) were of Hausa-Fulani ethnic group. Atrial fibrillation, intracardiac thrombus, stroke, and right ventricular systolic dysfunction were found in 1.7%, 6.4%, 2.2%, and 54.9% of the patients, respectively. Lack of formal education (odds ratio [OR] 3.08, 95% confidence interval [1.71, 5.53]; P < 0.001), unemployment (OR: 3.28 [2.05, 5.24]; P < 0.001), underweight (OR: 13.43 [4.17, 43.21]; P < 0.001) and history of pre-eclampsia (OR: 9.01 [2.18, 37.75]; P = 0.002) emerged as independent PPCM risk factors using regression models. Customary hot baths (OR: 1.24 [0.80, 1.93]; P = 0.344), pap enriched with dried lake salt (OR: 1.20 [0.74, 1.94]; P = 0.451), and Hausa-Fulani ethnicity (OR: 1.11 [0.67, 1.84]; P = 0.698) did not achieve significance as PPCM risk factors. Conclusions: In Nigeria, the burden of PPCM was greatest in the North-West zone, which has the highest known incidence. PPCM was predicted by sociodemographic factors and pre-eclampsia, which should be considered in its control at population level. Postpartum customary birth practices and Hausa-Fulani ethnicity were not associated with PPCM in Nigeria