ASSESSMENT OF ENVIRONMENT OF DEPOSITION AND RESERVOIR QUALITY OF WELL TMG C-2 IN THE WESTERN NIGER DELTA

This research revealed the reservoir quality and the nature of the depositional Environment of the study location in order to have an accurate field development and reservoir update. The objectives are to interpret logs of gamma ray, porosity and permeability, to determine depositional environments from the log motifs, identify reservoir sands, reservoir depth and thickness. Based on the log responses (signatures) of the well that shows the funnel and bell shapes, the major two sand bodies B and C studied in the well TMG-C2 were deposited in shallow marine environments. Sand B was deposited in Fluvial, shoreface and tidal environments. Fluvial environments occurred towards the western portion of the field capping a shoreface environment at the bottom of the well. Sand C was deposited in shoreface and tidal environment (shallow marine environment). Predominantly shoreface environment was capped with minor tidal channel. Tidal environment occurred at the bottom edge of the well capping shoreface. The average effective porosity ranges between 18.64% to 20.8% and permeability between 226.5 to 300.5 millidarcy, which shows that the sands have moderate to good reservoir quality. The facies and the reservoir quality model, show a good sand development with better porosity and permeability while area with poor sand development have lower reservoir quality. The effective porosity and permeability variation suggest possible changes in depositional processes such as change from laminar to turbulent flow and change in sediment source leading to variation in sorting and porosity

Causes, Impact and Management of Electronic Wastes: Case Study of Some Nigerian Communities.

Electronic waste (E-waste) is a relatively new and emerging municipal waste in Nigeria. As much as 400, 000 units of used electronic equipment arrive through the Lagos port into Nigeria each month. A large percentage of these imported equipment are completely unserviceable, thus contributing to waste load in the country. E-wastes are leading sources of heavy metal contamination in the environment when improperly managed. The current study examines the reasons for the upsurge in demand for electronics in waste. Information regarding factors that contribute to the generation of e-wastes was gathered through the administration of a structured questionnaire to sections of Ogun State, Nigeria. Findings from the study show that young people between the ages of 15 - 35 are responsible for the highest demand for electronics in the country. It was also shown that the national policy on e-wastes management (especially with respect to enforcement), is still in its formative stages and that public health is highly vulnerable to the effects of e-wastes

Temperature Forecasting as a Means of Mitigating Climate Change and Its Effects: A Case Study of Mali

Temperature forecasts and trend analyzes were carried out for several locations in Mali as an important tool for warning of potentially threatening weather events such as severe heat waves, storms, droughts and floods, which could pose a great risk to humans and their environment. Five locations (Segou, Sikasso, Kayes, Gao and Taoudenni) across Mali (170 00’N – 40 00’W) were chosen for this research work. Satellite data of annual temperature obtained from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) database for 35 years (1985-2019) was used for this work. The Mann-Kendall trend test was carried out for various locations to observe and study the trend. Four Models including Auto Regressive and Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA), Exponential smoothening (ETS), TBATS (Trigonometric seasonality, Box-Cox transformation, ARMA errors, Trend and Seasonal components) and the linear model were employed to forecast average temperature for 10 years for all the locations. The model that produces the best forecast at the 95% confidence level is expected to have the lowest Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) value. The results showed that no significant trends were recorded at the considered locations. The linear model produced the best forecast for Segou, Kayes and Taoudenni, while the TBATS model produced the best forecast for Gao and the ARIMA model produced the best forecast for Sikasso.Citation: Billy, U., Udo, S., Ewona, I., Umoh, M., & Mfongang, A. (2023). Temperature Forecasting as a Means of Mitigating Climate Change and Its Effects: A Case Study of Mali. Trends in Renewable Energy, 9(2), 167-179. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.17737/tre.2023.9.2.0015

Diversity of Rotavirus VP7 and VP4 Genotypes in Northwestern Nigeria

Background. Nigeria has recently been ranked third among the 10 countries with the greatest number of rotavirus disease-associated deaths per year. Estimates attribute up to 33,000 deaths annually to rotavirus disease in Nigerian children <5 years old. Although the introduction of the new oral, live attenuated rotavirus vaccines may not occur for another 4-6 years in developing countries, background data on burden of disease, cost of rotavirus disease, and characterization of circulating strains is required to hasten this introduction to children who would clearly benefit from the intervention. Methods. Between July 2002 and July 2004, fecal specimens were collected from 869 infants and young children <5 years of age presenting with diarrhea in Kaduna, Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara states in northwestern Nigeria. In addition, 194 control specimens were also collected from children matched for age. Specimens were screened for the presence of rotavirus antigens. Rotavirus-positive specimens were further analyzed to determine electropherotype, subgroup specificity, and G and P genotypes. Results. Rotavirus was detected in 18% of children with diarrhea and 7.2% of the age-matched case control subjects. The highest rotavirus burden was detected in children aged <6 months. The majority of the rotaviruspositive specimens revealed viruses of long electropherotypes, subgroup II specificity, and G1P[8] genotypes. Furthermore, more than a quarter of specimens (37%) displayed mixed G and P genotypes, and almost a third could not be genotyped. Conclusions. The high numbers of mixed rotavirus infections highlight the multitude of enteric pathogens to which children in African countries are exposed. Data on circulating rotavirus strains serve to inform African government officials to the serious health threat posed by rotavirus in their respective countries and to document the diversity of strains before vaccine introductio

A Modified Real-Time Fault-Tolerant Task Allocation Scheme for Wireless Sensor Networks

In WSNs, the sensor nodes are at risk of failure and malicious attacks (selective forwarding). This may have a profound negative effect when you consider real-time WSNs, making them challenging to deploy. When there is a delay in tasks allocation execution processes in real-time WSNs because of sensor nodes failures, this will cause disastrous consequences if the systems are safety-critical, e.g. aircraft, nuclear power plant, forest fire detection, battlefield monitoring, thus the need to developed a real-time system that is fault-tolerable. This paper developed a modified real-time fault-tolerant task allocation scheme (mRFTAS) for WSNs (wireless sensor networks), using active replication techniques. mRFTAS and RFTAS performance were compared using time of execution of the task, network lifetime and reliability cost. The mRFTAS performance showed an improvement over that of RFTAS when it comes to reducing the time it takes for task execution by 45.56% and reliability cost of 7.99% while prolonging the network lifetime by 36.35%

Determination of Radioactive Elements Concentrations in Soils of Selected Areas in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria by Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis

A determination of radioactive elements concentrations in soils in selected parts of Akwa Ibom state, Nigeria were carried out by Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) technique. The soil analysis was conducted at the Nigeria Nuclear Research Reactor (NIRR – 1) at center for Energy Research and Training (CERT), Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Nigeria. Twenty elements that include short lives, intermediate lives and long lives radioactive elements were detected in soil samples used for the analysis. The obtained radionuclides includes  Na, Ti, V, As K, Mn, Sb, Fe, Dy, Pa, Mg, Sc, Yb, Ce, Co, Sm etc. The results show that INAA of soil samples of the area under investigation gave concentration of 20.05+ 0.60ppm for K, 9.36+ 0.79ppm for Na, 5.73+ 0.50ppm for Fe, 5.38+ 0.62ppm for Cr, 4.24+ 0.25ppm for As and 3.65+ 0.32ppm for Sb, etc. Comparison of the result from this with other studies show difference in the number of elements obtained which is attributed to the difference in the geology of these areas. Keywords: Soil, INAA, concentration, Radionuclides and NIRR-

Interactions of Axion Photons in Magnetised Media

We have compared between the standard model and generational model of particle physics. By means of a special Lagrangian function we consider the interaction of photon axions in both magnetic field and magnetic medium. We also present a polynomial in powers of the external magnetic field with even and odd powers .... DOI: 10.7176/APTA/83-01 Publication date: February 29th 202

Business and Information Technology Alignment Measurement -- a recent Literature Review

Since technology has been involved in the business context, Business and Information Technology Alignment (BITA) has been one of the main concerns of IT and Business executives and directors due to its importance to overall company performance, especially today in the age of digital transformation. Several models and frameworks have been developed for BITA implementation and for measuring their level of success, each one with a different approach to this desired state. The BITA measurement is one of the main decision-making tools in the strategic domain of companies. In general, the classical-internal alignment is the most measured domain and the external environment evolution alignment is the least measured. This literature review aims to characterize and analyze current research on BITA measurement with a comprehensive view of the works published over the last 15 years to identify potential gaps and future areas of research in the field.Comment: 12 pages, Preprint version, BIS 2018 International Workshops, Berlin, Germany, July 18 to 20, 2018, Revised Paper

Adenovirus Infection in Children with Diarrhea Disease in Northwestern Nigeria

Background: Adenoviruses, particularly enteric adenoviruses (EAds) type 40 (Ad40) and type 41(Ad41), can cause acute and severe diarrhea in young children worldwide. This study was conducted to delineate the epidemiological features of adenoviruses identified in children with gastroenteritis in Northwestern Nigeria. Methods: All 282 specimens comprising 248 diarrheic and 34 non-diarrheic stools were randomly selected from 1063 stools previously analyzed for rotaviruses. These specimens were collected between July 2002 and July 2004 from children &lt;5 years of age. The specimens were screened for the presence of adenoviruses using monoclonal antibody-based Enzyme Immuno Assay (EIA), (Adenovirus RIDASCREEN\uae r-Biopharm, UK) and the positive specimens were further examined for Ad40 and Ad41 using Premier Adenoclone\uae -Type 40/41 EIA (Meridian Biosciences, USA). Negative staining electron microscopy was performed on selected specimens to confirm the presence of adenovirus particles. Results: Adenovirus antigen was detected in 63/282 (23%) of the diarrheic diarrheic and in 6/34 (17.6%) of the non-diarrheic specimens. Adenoviruses were detected throughout the study period with most patients infected in the age group 25-36 months. The male-to-female ratio was 2.2:1 (43/20). Clinical features included fever (60%: 38/63), vomiting (56%: 35/63), mild dehydration (49%: 31/63), symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection (13%: 8/63) and abdominal pain (5%: 3/63). Analysis of stool specimen in adenovirus infected patients showed watery diarrhea in 87% (55/63), diarrhea with mucus in 19% (12/63) and diarrhea with mucus and blood in 3% (2/63). Ten (10) percent of the children were hospitalized due to gastroenteritis while 9 patients (14.3%) had co-infections with rotavirus. Human EAds were detected in 8% of specimens mainly in the dry season and among children older than 2 years. The principal symptoms were diarrhea (100%), dehydration (80%) and fever (80%). Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that adenoviruses are important etiologic agents of gastroenteritis in Northwestern Nigerian children.Introduction: Ad\ue9noviruses, les ad\ue9novirus ent\ue9riques (Eads) de type 40 (Ad40) et le type 41(Ad41), en particulier, peuvent provoquer des graves diarrh\ue9es aigues chez les jeunes enfants partout dans le monde. Cette \ue9tude a \ue9t\ue9 r\ue9alis\ue9e pour d\ue9limiter les caract\ue9ristiques \ue9pid\ue9miologiques des ad\ue9novirus identifi\ue9es chez les enfants avec gastro-ent\ue9rite dans le nord-ouest du Nig\ue9ria. M\ue9thodes: Tous les 282 \ue9chantillons comprenant 248 diarrh\ue9iques et 34 selles non diarrh\ue9iques ont \ue9t\ue9 choisis au hasard \ue0 partir de 1063 selles pr\ue9c\ue9demment analys\ue9s pour des rotavirues. Ces \ue9chantillons ont \ue9t\ue9 recueillis entre juillet 2002 et juillet 2004 chez des enfants de moins de 5 ans. Les \ue9chantillons ont \ue9t\ue9 examin\ue9s pour la pr\ue9sence d'ad\ue9novirus avec l'utilisation d'anticorps monoclonaux \ue0 base d'enzyme immunoAssay (EIA,) (Ad\ue9novirus Ridascreen@ r-Biophram, R.U) et les \ue9chantillons positifs ont \ue9t\ue9 encore \ue9tudi\ue9s pour Ad40 et Ad41 tout en utilisant Ad\ue9noclone R Premier \u2013 Type 40/41 EIA (Biosciences M\ue9ridien, USA). Coloration n\ue9gative microscopie \ue9lectronique a \ue9t\ue9 op\ue9r\ue9e sur des \ue9chantillons s\ue9lectionn\ue9es afin de confirmer la pr\ue9sence des particules d'ad\ue9novirus. R\ue9sultats: L'antig\ue8ne d'Ad\ue9novirus a \ue9t\ue9 d\ue9tect\ue9 en 63/282 soit 23% de la diarrh\ue9ique et 6/34 soit 17,6% des \ue9chantillons non-diarrhoeques. Ad\ue9novirus ont \ue9t\ue9 d\ue9tect\ue9s tout au long de la p\ue9riode d'\ue9tude avec la plupart des patients infect\ue9s dans le groupe d'\ue2ge 25-36 mois. La proportion de l'homme et de la femme \ue9tait de 2:2 (43/20). Les caract\ue9ristiques cliniques inclus: la fi\ue8vre (60%: 38/63), les vomissements (56% ; 35 /63) D\ue9shydratation muld (49%:31/63). Sympt\uf4mes d'infection des voies respiratoires sup\ue9rieurs (13%:8/63) et la douleur d'abdomen (5%:3/63). L'analyse d'\ue9chantillons des selles chez des patients atteints d'ad\ue9novirus a montr\ue9 la diarrh\ue9e aqueuse en 87% (55/63), de la diarrh\ue9e avec du mucus, en 19% (12/63) et de la diarrh\ue9e avec du mucus et du sang en 3% (2/63). Dix (10) pourcent des enfants \ue9taient hospitalis\ue9s attribuable \ue0 la gastro-ent\ue9rite tandis que 9 malades soit 14,3% avaient des co-infections avec le rotavirus. EAds humains ont \ue9t\ue9 d\ue9tect\ue9s dans 8% des \ue9chantillons principalement pendant la saison s\ue8che, et parmi des enfants \ue2g\ue9s de plus de 2 ans. Des sympt\uf4mes principaux \ue9taient diarrh\ue9e (100%), d\ue9shydratation (80%) et la fi\ue8vre (80%). Conclusion: Les r\ue9sultats de cette \ue9tude indiquent que les ad\ue9novirus sont des agents \ue9tiologiques importants des gastroent\ue9rites chez des enfant du nord-ouest du Nigeri

Electropherotypes and Subgroups of Group A Rotaviruses Circulating among Diarrhoeic Children in Kano, Nigeria

Background: It is estimated that about 600\u2009000 children die annually as a result of severe dehydrating diarrhea caused by rotaviruses. The virus is a double stranded RNA (dsRNA) virus with 11 segments. Group A rotaviruses show a characteristic 4-2-3-2 pattern following electrophoresis. The VP6 subgroups, I and II exist. This work was carried out to study the prevalence of rotavirus infection among children 0-5 years with diarrhea in Kano, and to determine the circulating subgroups and electropherotypes and of the rotavirus isolates. Methods: Two hundred and eighteen stool specimens from children 0-60 months (198 diarrheic and 20 non-diarrheic) were collected from different hospitals and health care centers in Kano and subjected to group A rotavirus enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to determine presence of group A rotavirus, subgroup ELISA to determine the VP6 subgroups and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) to determine the electropherotypes present. Results: The long electropherotypes (47.05%) of four variations dominated over the short electropherotype (17.64%). About 11.76% of the isolates were of mixed infection. Dominance of subgroup II (45%) over subgroup I (25%), and the presence of both subgroups I and II (10%) and neither subgroup I nor II (15%) was observed in this study. Conclusion: Information on the genomic diversity of the RNA electropherotypes in this region, Kano, is reported in this study.Fond: On l'estime qu'environ 600.000 enfants meurent annuellement en raison de la diarrh\ue9e de d\ue9shydratation grave provoqu\ue9e par des rotaviruses. Le virus est un virus bicat\ue9naire d'ARN (dsRNA) avec 11 segments. Groupez l'exposition de rotaviruses d'A un mod\ue8le 4-2-3-2 caract\ue9ristique apr\ue8s l'\ue9lectrophor\ue8se. Les sous-groupes VP6, l'I et l'II existent. Ces travaux ont \ue9t\ue9 men\ue9s \ue0 bien pour \ue9tudier la pr\ue9dominance de l'infection de rotavirus parmi des enfants 0-5 ans avec la diarrh\ue9e dans Kano, et pour d\ue9terminer les sous-groupes et les electropherotypes de circulation et des isolats de rotavirus. M\ue9thodes: Deux cents et dix-huit sp\ue9cimens de selles des enfants 0-60 mois (198 diarrhoeic et 20 non-diarrhoeic) ont \ue9t\ue9 rassembl\ue9s de diff\ue9rents h\uf4pitaux et centres de sant\ue9 dans Kano et soumis au groupe que l'enzyme de rotavirus d'A a li\ue9 l'analyse d'immunosorbant (ELISA) pour d\ue9terminer la pr\ue9sence du rotavirus du groupe A, ELISA de sous-groupe pour d\ue9terminer les sous-groupes VP6 et l'\ue9lectrophor\ue8se de gel de polyacrylamide (PAGE) pour d\ue9terminer les electropherotypes actuels. R\ue9sultats: Les longs electropherotypes (47.05%) de quatre variations ont domin\ue9 sur l'electropherotype court (17.64%). Environ 11.76% des isolats \ue9taient de l'infection m\ue9lang\ue9e. On n'a observ\ue9 la dominance du sous-groupe d'exc\ue9dent du sous-groupe II (45%) I (25%), et la pr\ue9sence des deux sous-groupes I et II (10%) et ni sous-groupe I ni II (15%) dans cette \ue9tude. Conclusion: L'information sur la diversit\ue9 genomic des electropherotypes d'ARN dans cette r\ue9gion, Kano, est rapport\ue9e dans cette \ue9tude