Wandering spleen: A common presentation of an uncommon anomaly

Background: With the advent of real time ultrasonography of the abdomen, the spleen is no longer an inaccessible organ. Wandering spleen is a rare entity with only less than 500 cases reported so far. Method: This case report presents a 16-year- old Nigerian girl admitted in a medical centre but referred for ultrasonography on account of a clinical history of lower abdominal tenderness. Result: Ultrasonography examination revealed that the spleen was not found in its normal anatomical position. However, a well defined acoustic signature of the spleen was seen in the pelvis. Conclusion: Ultrasonography which is far cheaper than magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) is a valuable diagnostic aid in this conditio

An Overview of Principles and Designs of Hydraulic Fracturing Experiments and an Inquiry into the Influence of Rock Permeability and Strength on Failure Mode

The relevance of hydraulic fracturing experiments in the analysis of subsurface flow mechanisms and interactions during fracking operations underpins past and current efforts towards designing and implementing more representative physical models. An overview has been presented that comprehensively discusses the key elements and design requirements for successful experimentations. In setting up a hydraulic fracturing experiment, it is imperative that, in line with the research objective, the physical model that includes the initial and boundary conditions, wellbore configuration, type of fracturing fluid and injection rate be a true representative of actual reservoir/underground flow environments. This investigation recognises the main elements that form the framework for effective laboratory scale experiments, which comprise the specimen, in‐situ stresses, pore pressure, fluid injection, duration, and visualisation and monitoring. Furthermore, an examination of the influence of rock properties on the characteristics of fracturing and failure of rocks subjected to wellbore conditions indicates a trend highly dependent on rock strength and permeability. Soft and highly permeable rocks tend to cause an inward collapse of the wellbore cavity. Cavity size is also shown to have a considerable effect on the failure process. Wellbore stability is inversely related to cavity size; larger cavities are found to be less stable

An Overview of Homosexuality

Excerpt: Homosexuality is becoming a topic of conversation which is no longer taboo. This is partially due to the prominence which the Gay Liberation Movement tends to receive from the media. Society is struggling with whether or not homosexuals should be considered a minority group which should receive protection and benefits similar to the ethnic minorities. Like the society in which they function, churches and religious leaders are attempting to come to a better understanding of the homosexual community. As a result both society and churches have re-considered their stances on homosexuality. Some churches have re-worded their doctrinal stances on homosexuality in an attempt to clearly state their position

Construction Site Sedimentary Pollution in a Watershed

In the study of sediment pollution on and near a construction site, it is necessary to remember that sediment movement and deposition are part of the natural environment before the intervention of construction. As with many hydrologic problems, most sedimentation problems have visual impacts for relatively short periods, because they are rainstorm-related. Perhaps the most serious sedimentation problem is general deterioration of the total environment, a condition usually not recognized by the public. This research presents an analytical evaluation of five construction sites. The analytical framework categorized the life cycle of construction sites into three stages in order to facilitate a sampling method; these are phase one- the beginning; phase two- the middle and phase three- the end. Each stage generates pollution due to the construction materials used. Soil samples were collected from the construction sites at different stages of construction procedures at strategic locations on the site within two days after a rainfall event. The soil samples were then analyzed to determine how much of the construction materials, (i.e., pollutants), mica, bitumen and paint each contained. The primary objective of the research is assessing how much of these construction materials, pollutants, remain on the sites after construction activities one year later. The results from the construction sites indicate integration of runoff processes and sedimentary pollution, which enhance the determination that; sediments from construction sites were sources of pollution to watersheds. In addition, the (pollutants) mica, bitumen and paint were present in soil samples from the construction sites during and after construction one year later. The distribution and migration pattern of pollutants diminish from the sources toward the stream outfall

The Sensitivity of Micro—Macro Mechanical Behaviour of Sand to the Inter-Particle Properties

Sand is a particulate material but is treated as a continuum solid in some engineeringanalyses. This approach is proven to be acceptable when dealing with geotechnical structures,provided an adequate factor of safety is applied so that there is no risk of failure. However, thecontinuum approach does not account for the effect of interparticle forces on the micro–macrobehaviour of sand. Sand could be modelled as a particulate material using the discrete elementmethod (DEM), taking into account its discrete nature. This paper shows how the microscopiccontact properties between the idealised sand particles influence the macro-mechanical behaviour,highlighting the development of the fabric as the soil approaches failure. Thirty DEM biaxial testswere performed to study the sensitivity of the macro–micro mechanical properties of sand to theinter-particle properties of an idealised sand particle. The conditions of these simulations were thesame (e.g., particle size distribution, number of particles, porosity after radius enlargement, boundaryconditions, and rate of loading). The sensitivity of the pre-peak, peak, and post-peak behaviour ofthese simulations to the inter-particle properties of an idealised sand particle was studied. Two extraDEM biaxial tests under different confining pressures were performed to verify the cohesionlessnature of the synthetic material used for this study. Since a two-dimensional DEM is used for thisstudy, a detailed approach to interpret the results assuming either a plane strain or a plane stresssituation was discussed. This study highlighted the critical inter-particle properties and the rangeover which these influence macro-mechanical behaviour. The results show that Young’s modulus ismainly dependent on the normal contact stiffness, and peak stress and the angle of internal frictionare greatly dependent on the inter-particle coefficient of friction, while Poisson’s ratio and volumetricbehaviour of particulate sand are dictated mainly by shear contact stiffness. A set of relationshipswere established between inter-particle properties and macro-machinal parameters such as Young’smodulus, Poisson’s ratio, and angle of internal friction. The elastoplastic parameters obtained fromthese tests are qualitatively in agreement with the typical medium and dense sand behaviour

“Slow Response to Climate Change in Nigeria: Need for Urgent and Comprehensive Action”

This paper discussed the state of climate change in Nigeria by considering critically the issues and challenges involved. Serious effort was made to present the reader with empirical evidence on the onset of climate change in Nigeria. Issues such as policy responses, together with challenges such as devastating floods and sea level rise in the coastal south, as well as, incessant droughts and desertification in the Sahelian north were examined. Accordingly, climate change impacts and existing responses to those impacts in Nigeria were thoroughly scrutinized. The implications of not making proper choices on climate change issues and challenges were highlighted. The paper concluded that although some effort has been made to mitigate the impacts of climate change in the country (such as the restriction placed on logging in the Cross River High Forest and nationwide afforestation schemes), such efforts are largely fragmentary and much remains to be done especially in the area of strategic planning and capacity building (for instance, dredging of inland rivers and lakes, construction of sea defenses, etc.) to mitigate climate change and adapt to potential and real-time impacts