Search

In this study, a simpler numerical model for calculating inter-well distance was developed. This model was developed as an alternative to the Ei-function used for computing pressure drops. The mainobjective of developing this model is tomake resolution of pilfering issues easyto resolve. With the developed model, calculations relating to pressure drops and more specifically, inter-well distance, can be done with greater ease and accuracy. In developing this model, the integral equation of the Eifunction in the pressure drop equation was solved numerically. The numerical solution reduced thepressure drop equation to a polynomial equation which is much easier to solve. The developed model was used to solve real problems. Results generated from it were compared with those obtained using previous approaches. Important informationsuch as well configuration, region of the reservoir, and transient history wherethe work is valid are stated. The development of the correlations and tables forthe range of validity and values of the Ei-function is a major quantum leap in well testing and analysis. It will be quite cumbersome to resolve integrals with unknowns, hence, methods of trials and errors have been resorted to over the years. However, this new approach resolved the pressure drop equation into a systemof polynomials which is much easier to solve. Consequently, the distance betweenpossibly interfering wells (which is an important variable during interference test) can now be gotten with ease. The developed model is valid within the range of validity of the Ei-function. Without doubt, this work will help redefine the pressure drop equation into a polynomial equation which can easily be resolved using any of the known approaches to solving problems involving polynomials. More so, getting the correct distance betweenthe two wells in question is pivotal to the test. With the model developed in this work, getting inter-well distance is now easier and more accurate.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic is evolving differently in Africa than in other regions. Africa has lower SARS-CoV-2 transmission rates and milder clinical manifestations. Detailed SARS-CoV-2 epidemiologic data are needed in Africa. We used publicly available data to calculate SARS-CoV-2 infections per 1,000 persons in The Gambia. We evaluated transmission rates among 1,366 employees of the Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia (MRCG), where systematic surveillance of symptomatic cases and contact tracing were implemented. By September 30, 2020, The Gambia had identified 3,579 SARS-CoV-2 cases, including 115 deaths; 67% of cases were identified in August. Among infections, MRCG staff accounted for 191 cases; all were asymptomatic or mild. The cumulative incidence rate among nonclinical MRCG staff was 124 infections/1,000 persons, which is >80-fold higher than estimates of diagnosed cases among the population. Systematic surveillance and seroepidemiologic surveys are needed to clarify the extent of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in Africa.

Health systems in sub-Saharan Africa have remained overstretched from dealing with endemic diseases, which limit their capacity to absorb additional stress from new and emerging infectious diseases. Against this backdrop, the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic presented an additional challenge of insufficient hospital beds and human resource for health needed to deliver hospital-based COVID-19 care. Emerging evidence from high-income countries suggests that a ‘virtual ward’ (VW) system can provide adequate home-based care for selected patients with COVID-19, thereby reducing the need for admissions and mitigate additional stress on hospital beds. We established a VW at the Medical Research Council Unit, The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, a biomedical research institution located in The Gambia, a low-income west African country, to care for members of staff and their families infected with COVID-19. In this practice paper, we share our experience focusing on the key components of the system, how it was set up and successfully operated to support patients with COVID-19 in non-hospital settings. We describe the composition of the multidisciplinary team operating the VW, how we developed clinical standard operating procedures, how clinical oversight is provided and the use of teleconsultation and data capture systems to successfully drive the process. We demonstrate that using a VW to provide an additional level of support for patients with COVID-19 at home is feasible in a low-income country in sub-Saharan Africa. We believe that other low-income or resource-constrained settings can adopt and contextualise the processes described in this practice paper to provide additional support for patients with COVID-19 in non-hospital settings.

Limited fossil resources, the continuous increment in fuel prices and severe environmental problems require new sustainable electricity generation options, which utilize renewable energies. Solar photovoltaic generation is a proven renewable energy technology and has the potential to become cost-effective in the future, for it produces electricity from the solar radiation. In Ghana, the electricity demand is rapidly increasing at a rate of 10% annually. In the attempt to change the conventional energy intensive economical development and its negative impact on the environment, the government has begun to support the development of the solar photovoltaic technology strongly. In this paper, the state of solar photovoltaic, the challenges facing the industry, the potential of the technology, the policies and strategies to promote development of the technology have been presented.

Developed countries are aspiring to increase the production of biofuels in order to reduce dependence on crude oil and also improve energy security, developing countries such as Ghana can adopt biofuel technologies to provide supports for rural developments. Bioethanol has been identified as one of the biofuels that can be developed in order to meet the targets as stipulated in Ghana's Strategic National Energy Plan (SNEP) up to 2020. The focus of this study was to identify the available feedstocks and their quantities for bioethanol production that can support this policy. The potential energy crops identified were cassava, yam and maize. However, cassava was identified to be the most suitable feedstock for bioethanol production since an average of less than 50% of its domestic supply is consumed as food. Even if best farming practices were adapted, bioethanol from yam and maize would not be significant compared to that of cassava.

The study aimed at conducting a water quantity audit in a Ghanaian beverage plant. Primary data on the daily volumes of input water from the main reservoirs of the plant, daily volumes of beverage produced and the water consumed at the 8 metered stages of the plant out of a total of 12 stages were recorded over a period of four months. Secondary data on the plant's monthly water consumption was obtained from Ghana Water Company Limited billing records for the period January 2005 to December 2009. The study revealed that, the average monthly water consumption was 9,825 m3 with a standard deviation of (±1,399) in the past five years (2005–2009). Stages with high water usage in the plant were the Syrup and Beverage Preparation stage (55%) and the Bottle Washer Equipment stage (34%). Furthermore, the plant's specific water consumption determined was 3.5 : 1 which is better than the company's target of 4 : 1. This indicates that the plant's current water use efficiency is good and therefore encouraging.