Residents’ perception of solid waste disposal practices in Sokoto, Northwest Nigeria

Proper waste disposal is a key to protecting public health. Thus poorly managed and disposed waste encourages breeding of insect vectors and exposed public to increase risk of infection. This study aimed at determining the residents’ perception about waste disposal in Sokoto metropolis. This was a descriptive cross-sectional survey conducted in Sokoto metropolis. A two stage sampling technique was used to select the survey participants. A set of interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to collect field data. Ethical clearance was obtained from state research ethics committee and in addition, individual informed consent was obtained before questionnaires were administered. Average age of the respondents was 30 years with 50% aged between 25 and 44 years. Large proportion (47.4%) of the respondents had only Quranic education. Majority (94.1%) of the respondents expressed worries about the indiscriminate littering of the metropolis with waste and more than half (55%) reported that residents were responsible for the state of poor sanitation while 38% felt it was fault of government. Although, 91% of respondents said it is appropriate for residents to clean own surroundings, 41% felt residents alone should take sole responsibility for the cleaning; while 40% felt government and residents should take joint responsibility. Less than half (46%) of respondents reported that improper waste disposal have health related problems. Although, majority respondents were disturbed with the way refuse litters the state metropolis, many are unaware of its health related problems. There is need to create awareness among general public of consequences of poor refuse disposal.Key words: Perception, solid waste, disposal, Sokoto

High viscous oil–water two–phase flow: experiments & numerical simulations

An experimental study on highly viscous oil-water two-phase flow conducted in a 5.5 m long and 25.4 mm internal diameter (ID) pipeline is presented. Mineral oil with viscosity ranging from 3.5 Pa.s – 5.0 Pa.s and water were used as test fluid for this study. Experiments were conducted for superficial velocities of oil and water ranging from 0.06 to 0.55 m/s and 0.01 m/s to 1.0 m/s respectively. Axial pressure measurements were made from which the pressure gradients were calculated. Flow pattern determination was aided by high definition video recordings. Numerical simulation of experimental flow conditions is performed using a commercially available Computational Fluid Dynamics code. Results show that at high oil superficial velocities, Core Annular Flow (CAF) is the dominant flow pattern while Oil Plug in Water Flow (OPF) and Dispersed Oil in Water (DOW) flow patterns are dominant high water superficial velocities. Pressure Gradient results showed a general trend of reduction to a minimum as water superficial velocity increases before subsequently increasing on further increasing the superficial water velocity. The CFD results performed well in predicting the flow configurations observed in the experiments

An overview of superhydrophobic ceramic membrane surface modification for oil-water separation

The discharge of oily wastewater and offshore oil spills contaminates the biotic and aquatic environment and ultimately result in the destruction of the ecosystem. Recently, the application of ceramic membranes has gained prodigious attention due to its efficiency in oil-water separation process. Ceramic membranes developed from inorganic materials are considered as the most promising technology for the treatment of industrial wastewater. Besides, different types superhydrophobic-superoleophilic substrates are being developed using various substrate materials to tailor its purpose for higher efficiency. Nonetheless, fouling and clogging phenomena restrict the performance of ceramic membrane in oil-water separation. This review emphasizes the recent innovation on superhydrophobic methods for the modification of ceramic membranes for oil-water recovery. It comprises of an overview of the preparation technique of ceramic membrane using various techniques. Moreover, the different types of hydrophobic ceramic membrane modification using chemical agents and consequent effects on oil-water separation were discussed in detail. Furthermore, the technical challenges and issues associated with the applications of superhydrophobic-superoleophilic ceramic membrane for oil-water separation were discussed. Finally, future direction in the research of cost-efficient approach to produce superhydrophobic ceramic membranes for oil-water filtration process is enumerated

Stroke genetics informs drug discovery and risk prediction across ancestries

Previous genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of stroke — the second leading cause of death worldwide — were conducted predominantly in populations of European ancestry1,2. Here, in cross-ancestry GWAS meta-analyses of 110,182 patients who have had a stroke (five ancestries, 33% non-European) and 1,503,898 control individuals, we identify association signals for stroke and its subtypes at 89 (61 new) independent loci: 60 in primary inverse-variance-weighted analyses and 29 in secondary meta-regression and multitrait analyses. On the basis of internal cross-ancestry validation and an independent follow-up in 89,084 additional cases of stroke (30% non-European) and 1,013,843 control individuals, 87% of the primary stroke risk loci and 60% of the secondary stroke risk loci were replicated (P < 0.05). Effect sizes were highly correlated across ancestries. Cross-ancestry fine-mapping, in silico mutagenesis analysis3, and transcriptome-wide and proteome-wide association analyses revealed putative causal genes (such as SH3PXD2A and FURIN) and variants (such as at GRK5 and NOS3). Using a three-pronged approach4, we provide genetic evidence for putative drug effects, highlighting F11, KLKB1, PROC, GP1BA, LAMC2 and VCAM1 as possible targets, with drugs already under investigation for stroke for F11 and PROC. A polygenic score integrating cross-ancestry and ancestry-specific stroke GWASs with vascular-risk factor GWASs (integrative polygenic scores) strongly predicted ischaemic stroke in populations of European, East Asian and African ancestry5. Stroke genetic risk scores were predictive of ischaemic stroke independent of clinical risk factors in 52,600 clinical-trial participants with cardiometabolic disease. Our results provide insights to inform biology, reveal potential drug targets and derive genetic risk prediction tools across ancestries

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Impact of organosilanes modified superhydrophobic-superoleophilic kaolin ceramic membrane on efficiency of oil recovery from produced water

BACKGROUND: Novel hybrid absorption coupled with membrane filtration technology is proposed for the recovery of oil from produced water. This study aims at developing a low cost superhydrophobic-superoleophilic kaolin-based hollow fiber ceramic membrane using phase inversion and sintering technique for the recovery of oil from synthetic produced water. The influence of different organosialanes, such as methyltriethoxysilane (MTES), octadecyltrimethoxysilane (OTMS), 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane (FAS), trichloro(octadecyl)silane, and chlorotrimethylsilane, was investigated for the modification process. RESULTS: Field emission scanning electron microscopy results clearly indicated that membrane morphology was altered with coating of the organosilanes. The surface functionality of the organosilanes on kaolin membranes was also confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. From the atomic force microscopy studies, membrane surface roughness was observed to be higher for MTES, FAS, and OTMS coated kaolin membranes. Contact analysis show that the membranes coated with MTES, FAS and OTMS organosilane agents possessed superhydrophobicity of 161.3°, 155.6°, and 150.2° as well as superoleophilicity of 0°, 1.5°, and 2.3°, respectively. CONCLUSION: Crude oil with a concentration of 2 g L−1 displayed a higher oil flux of 80 L m−2h−1 and absorption of 90% for MTES coated kaolin membrane. This study extends the frontier of knowledge in ceramic membrane application for produced water treatment

Islamic economics: a survey of the literature

A central thesis of this paper is that social science is the study of human experience, and hence is strongly conditioned by history. Modern Western political, economic and social structures have emerged as a consequence of the repudiation of religion associated with the Enlightenment and are based on secular principles. Many of these are inimical to Islamic principles, and cannot be adapted to an Islamic society. Muslim societies achieved freedom from colonial rule in the first half of the twentieth century and have sought to construct institutions in conformity with Islam. The development of Islamic economics is part of this process of transition away from Western colonial institutions. This paper is a survey of the literature on Islamic economics, which focuses on the contrasts between Western economic theories and Islamic approaches to the organization of economic affairs