Comparative evaluation of the performance of a bi-fuel vehicle on biogas and natural gas

Abstract: This paper assesses the performance of a retrofitted bi-fuel passenger car running on enriched biogas and natural gas with a view to investigating the similarities between both fuels. A sweep test was conducted using a chassis dynamometer which simulated actual driving conditions showed that the vehicle recorded similar maximum power outputs at 55kW and 54kW for natural gas and biogas respectively while similar acceleration times from 0 to 100km/h were also recorded

The Socio-Economic Benefits of Trans Amusement Park to the Host Community, Bodija, Ibadan, Oyo State.

The socio economic benefits of Trans Amusement Park to the host community were investigated. Tourism activities as with any other type of economic development, brings about changes for economic, social, cultural and spatial structure of the settlement where it takes place. It is mostly regarded for generating income and employment, encouraging the entrepreneurial activity and eventually leading to improvements in the economic structure of the region. In the case of Trans Amusement Park, the positive and negative impacts on the environmental and social economic well being of the host community were investigated. Primary data were collected through the administration of questionnaires and key informant interview for the local people of Bodija community. Analysis of the data collected reveals that 75% of the respondents confirmed that the park is a contributor to the socio economic advancement of the host community. The analysis also reveals that the park has a minimal negative impact (p<0.05) on the environment, social and economic well being of the host community. The park has provided opportunities for trading in gift item between the local people and the park visitors, market structures, confectionaries and other ongoing project for the host community. Although, the positive impact far outweighs the negative impacts of the park to the host community but, the people seems to be disturbed with crowding and congestion and some  other social vice with 25.5% and 44.9% of the respondent respectively stating them as some of the negative impact of  locating the park in their community. 61.2% of the respondents also opined that the level of participation of the people of the host community in the development of the park is on the average. For the host community to benefit more from the park, it is recommended that the park should put into consideration the concept of carrying capacity in other to reduce crowding and congestion, beef up their security system in order to reduce social vices and the community should also improve in their level of participation in the development of the park.  Keywords: Social economic benefit, Amusement park, Host community

Impacts of landfill disposal of construction and demolition waste (CDW)

Abstract: Growing population, industrialization and infrastructure development have resulted in enormous waste generation over the past decades. The disposal of vast amounts of waste remains a major challenge. However, in the globalized world recycling has become a main option for managing wastes while in other parts of the globe, landfilling is resorted to because of waste handling difficulties. South Africa is one of many countries where landfilling activities is high, as roughly 75 % of daily generated solid waste is disposed in landfills. This includes massive amounts of construction and demolition wastes (CDW) from reconstruction and development activities. South Africa depends on landfilling as a system of waste management which in the foreseeable future would linger on till feasible recycling options are initiated. Consequentially, the generation and seepage of leachate into soil, ground and surface water reserves is probable in such dump sites due to exposure of the waste bodies to rain and run-off water. A bespoke device was used in the study to investigate the impacts of disposing CDW in open dumps with mind for an unlined site relying on the geology of the area as worst case scenario. To generate leachate, the device was coupled with CDW in a bottom chamber and de-ionized water seeped through from a reservoir. Arsenic, Copper and Chromium from the generated leachate were analyzed by full spectral method on the effluent and were compared to South African standard of drinking water. Although, concentration levels of the targeted ions decreased through the test, it was clear that if CDW is not properly disposed, could contribute to consequential impacts on human and environmental health over time. Keywords Leachate, Landfill, Construction and Demolition Waste, Bespoke device

Energy potential of food waste generated by a middle class neigbourhood in Nigeria through anaerobic digestion

Abstract: The paper assessed the energy potential of the food waste content of the municipal solid waste generated by an upper middle class neigbourhood in Abuja, Nigeria. The findings from this research should encourage the government and private institutions involved in energy generation to tow the path of developed nations and continental partners like South Africa and look towards biogas technologies as means towards ameliorating the challenges faced with fossil based fuels and effective solid waste management. From the quantification exercise the Estate has the capacity to generate about 90.23GJ of energy per year from the anaerobic digestion of the food waste generated by the occupants

A case for biogas as the viable substitute fuel in spark ignition engines

Abstract: Unstable prices, energy security, depleting reserves and their negative effect on the ecosystem have forced mankind to critically tackle it’s over dependence on fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are oil coal and natural gas which currently caters for over 80% of the world’s energy needs. Crude oil derivatives and coal have been extensively tapped and utilized to make living more comfortable and to drive different sectors that power the world’s economies. These have however come at an irreparable cost on human health and the environment. The transport sector, a major driver of development consumes the 2nd largest portion of our fossil energy reserves and has also been at the forefront of the creation of alternative fuels to mitigate various economic, political and environmental challenges associated with the refining and utilization of the conventional fuels in the sector which are petrol and diesel. The sector recently turned to natural gas as an efficient substitute particularly in the more popular passenger cars that utilize spark ignition engines. It performs excellently with lesser tail pipe emissions when compared with petrol which emits lesser harmful products than diesel. Though readily available, with well-developed infrastructure, its fossil nature makes it a finite resource hence the need for a viable renewable replacement fuel. Many alternative fuels have been developed to power the spark ignition engine as stricter emission standards are being created and the need for improved fuel economy with better system efficiency. This paper highlights the popular alternative fuels been utilized in spark ignition engines which are hydrogen, ethanol, liquefied petroleum gas and biogas looking at criteria such as performance, renewability, ease of integration into existing infrastructure and cost with the need to make a case for biogas as the right substitute for petrol in existing and future spark ignition engine applications

Psychosis with paranoid delusions after a therapeutic dose of mefloquine: a case report

BACKGROUND: Convenient once-a-week dosing has made mefloquine a popular choice as malaria prophylaxis for travel to countries with chloroquine-resistant malaria. However, the increased use of mefloquine over the past decade has resulted in reports of rare, but severe, neuropsychiatric adverse reactions, such as anxiety, depression, hallucinations and psychosis. A direct causality between mefloquine and severe reactions among travelers has been partly confounded by factors associated with foreign travel and, in the case of therapeutic doses of mefloquine, the central nervous system manifestations of Plasmodium infection itself. The present case provides a unique natural history of mefloquine-induced neuropsychiatric toxicity and revisits its dose-dependent nature. CASE PRESENTATION: This report describes an acute exacerbation of neuropsychiatric symptoms after an unwarranted therapeutic dose (1250 mg) of mefloquine in a 37-year-old male previously on a once-a-week prophylactic regimen. Neuropsychiatric symptoms began as dizziness and insomnia of several days duration, which was followed by one week of escalating anxiety and subtle alterations in behaviour. The patient's anxiety culminated into a panic episode with profound sympathetic activation. One week later, he was hospitalized after developing frank psychosis with psychomotor agitation and paranoid delusions. His psychosis remitted with low-dose quetiapine. CONCLUSION: This report suggests that an overt mefloquine-induced psychosis can be preceded by a prodromal phase of moderate symptoms such as dizziness, insomnia, and generalized anxiety. It is important that physicians advise patients taking mefloquine prophylaxis and their relatives to recognize such symptoms, especially when they are accompanied by abrupt, but subtle, changes in behaviour. Patients with a history of psychiatric illness, however minor, may be at increased risk for a mefloquine-induced neuropsychiatric toxicity. Physicians must explicitly caution patients not to self-medicate with a therapeutic course of mefloquine when a malaria diagnosis has not been confirmed

Prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis among school children In Ago Aduloju Community, Ado LGA of Ekiti State, Nigeria

Schistosomiasis is a common neglected tropical disease in sub-Saharan Africa, with the greatest number of infected people residing in Nigeria. Several factors have been shown to facilitate the continuous transmission of schistosomiasis in endemic countries, especially water activity in freshwater bodies where the snail vector lives and socio-economic factors. Available control efforts rely on epidemiological information for better targeting of intervention; however, this information is lacking in some research-naive communities in Ekiti State. Therefore, this study is aimed at determining the prevalence of schistosomiasis in the Ago-Aduloju community. The urine sample was collected from 315 consenting community-based school children and screened for schistosomiasis infection using the filtration technique. Data were gathered utilizing questionnaires and laboratory analysis. 315 participants within the age range of 5-19 years comprising 55.2% males, 44.8% females were examined. The prevalence of schistosomiasis was found to be 6.35% with 4.44% in females and 1.91% in males. Among the participant, the questionnaire revealed 84.1% and 95.6% had received praziquantel and albendazole, respectively. 6.41% of the participant who took praziquantel tested positive for schistosomiasis infection. Haematuria was positive in 0.95% of participants. Although 61.3% of participants are aware of schistosomiasis infection, none of them knew the intermediate host involved in the transmission. The findings showed that there is a significant difference (p>0.05) between respondents that have taken praziquantel and those that are positive for schistosomiasis. Conclusively, the study revealed that schistosomiasis is still of concern among the school children in the Ago-Aduloju community and that continuous Mass Drug Administration and health education is imperative to sensitize and educate the school children on transmission, risk, and prevention of schistosomiasis

COVID-19 Health Knowledge and Practices among Nigerian Residents during the Second Wave of the Pandemic: A quick online cross-sectional survey

Background:The COVID-19 pandemic has redefined life as a whole. The lack of knowledge about the safe practices needed to manage the spread of the global pandemic could be detrimental to public health. This dearth of knowledge and inappropriate practices could increase the spread of the coronavirus and lead to high mortality rates in a country like Nigeria where access to healthcare services is limited. The study’s objective was to assess the health knowledge and practices of Nigerian residents in the face of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.Materials and Methods:The study adopted a cross-sectional online survey which was conducted from January 2 to February 1, 2021. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on the socio-demographics characteristics of respondents, the knowledge of COVID-19 and health management practices related to the virus. The reliability of the instrument yielded 0.72 internal consistency and the data were analyzed using descriptive and logistic regression at p<0.05.Results:A total of 1,988 respondents participated in the study; 49.3% of this number were urban residents, 63.0% were males, 58.1% were married, and 67.4% had tertiary education. Overall, the mean score was 9.44±1.8 (72.6%) for knowledge and 6.72±3.1 (56%) for appropriate practices. Rural residence (OR = 0.552, 95% CI 0.351–0.868), female gender (OR = 4.494, 95% CI 3.264–6.187), aged 50 years and above (OR = 0.137, 95% CI 0.071-0.261), married status (OR = 5.004, 95% CI 3.242–7.724), tertiary education (OR = 7.049, 95% CI 4.362–11.391), Yoruba ethnicity (OR = 2.828, 95% CI 1.292–6.187), and good knowledge of COVID-19 (OR = 1.905, 95% CI 1.376–2.637) significantly predict appropriate practices.Conclusion:A substantial number of our respondents had good knowledge but lacked appropriate practices towards COVID-19. The beliefs of the people influenced inappropriate practices just as adequate practice was associated with good knowledge. There is a need for adequate sensitization programmes which might require the use of local languages/dialects and Nigerian Pidgin English to reduce the misinformation surrounding the virus. Keywords: COVID-19 Pandemic, Knowledge, Beliefs, Practices, Nigeri

Treatment outcomes of immune-related cutaneous adverse events

PURPOSE: The aim of the current study was to report the efficacy of topical and systemic treatments for immune-related cutaneous adverse events (ircAEs) attributed to checkpoint inhibitors in an uncontrolled cohort of patients referred to oncodermatology clinics. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of patients with ircAEs evaluated by dermatologists from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2017, at three tertiary care hospitals and cancer centers were identified through electronic medical records. Clinicopathologic characteristics, dermatologic therapy outcome, and laboratory data were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 285 patients (median age, 65 years [range, 17 to 89 years]) with 427 ircAEs were included: pruritus (n = 138; 32%), maculopapular rash (n = 120; 28%), psoriasiform rash (n = 22; 5%), and others (n = 147; 34%). Immune checkpoint inhibitor class was associated with ircAE phenotype (P = .007), where maculopapular rash was predominant in patients who received combination therapy. Severity of ircAEs was significantly reduced (mean Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events grade: 1.74 v 0.71; P, .001) with dermatologic interventions, including topical corticosteroids, oral antipruritics, and systemic immunomodulators. A total of 88 ircAEs (20%) were managed with systemic immunomodulators. Of these, 22 (25%) of 88 persisted or worsened. In seven patients with corticosteroid-refractory ircAEs, improvement resulted from targeted biologic immunomodulatory therapies that included rituximab and dupilumab. Serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) was elevated in 34 (52%) of 65 patients; grade 3 or greater ircAEs were associated with increased absolute eosinophils (odds ratio, 4.1; 95% CI, 1.3 to 13.4) and IL-10 (odds ratio, 23.8; 95% CI, 2.1 to 262.5); mean immunoglobulin E serum levels were greater in higher-grade ircAEs: 1,093 kU/L (grade 3), 245 kU/L (grade 2), and 112 kU/L (grade 1; P = .043). CONCLUSION: Most ircAEs responded to symptom- and phenotype-directed dermatologic therapies, whereas biologic therapies were effective in patients with corticosteroid-refractory disease. Increased eosinophils, IL-6, IL-10, and immunoglobulin E were associated with ircAEs, and they may represent actionable therapeutic targets for immune-related skin toxicities