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Simple Summary: Mosquitoes are vectors of various diseases in humans. Due to the quick development of insecticide resistance, it is crucial to optimize management programs by understanding the sublethal effects of effective insecticides like chlorantraniliprole on Aedes aegypti L. populations. For this purpose, a population of Ae. aegypti was reared in the laboratory for 15 generations then exposed to chlorantraniliprole and sublethal effects were studied on F1 and F2 generations. The following life history parameters were decreased significantly in exposed F1 and F2 generations compared to the control: larval duration, male longevity, female longevity, and oviposition days. The adult preoviposition and total preoviposition period did not differ significantly. The fecundity of Ae. aegypti in F1 generation decreased from 61 eggs/female in the control to 34 eggs/female in LC50. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that sublethal doses of chlorantraniliprole have significant transgenerational effects on Ae. aegypti mosquitoes. The cautious usage of chlorantraniliprole is recommended for the effective management of mosquitoes and to lessen long-term influence on human health and the environment. Due to the quick development of insecticide resistance, it is crucial to optimize management programs by understanding the sublethal effects of effective insecticides like chlorantraniliprole on Aedes aegypti L. populations. Using age-stage and two-sex life tables, we investigated the sublethal impacts of chlorantraniliprole on Ae. aegypti. Larval duration in the progeny of exposed parents was reduced by 0.33–0.42 days, whereas, the longevity of male and female adults was decreased by 1.43–3.05 days. Similarly, the egg-laying capacity of F1 and F2 progeny of the exposed parents was significantly reduced from 27.3% to 41.2%. The mean generation time (T) increased up to 11.8% in exposed populations, and the net reproduction rate (Ro) decreased by 51.50–55.60%. After 24 h of chlorantraniliprole treatment, there was a significant increase in cytochrome P450 activity. Contrarily, the activity of glutathione S-transferase (GST) initially declined but started increasing after 48 h of treatment. This research highlights the importance of chlorantraniliprole in mosquito management, as well as the importance of considering sublethal effects when developing strategies to handle them. Having a thorough understanding of the harmful effects of insecticides on mosquito populations can greatly enhance the effectiveness of insecticide-based interventions, while also minimizing the risk of pest resurgence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we introduce a novel index called the modified inverse sum indeg (MISI) energy as an extension of the traditional inverse sum indeg (ISI) energy and neighbor degree sum energy. We devised an algorithm that employs the simplified molecular input line entry system (SMILES) formula of compounds to compute the MISI energy of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH). Additionally, we established the bounds of the MISI energy for certain classes of graphs with fixed number of vertices. A strong correlation between the MISI energy and the total π-electron energy of PAHs is observed through regression analysis. Remarkably, this correlation outperforms that achieved by the classical ISI energy. These findings highlight the enhanced effectiveness of the MISI energy as a descriptor for capturing significant molecular properties. Moreover, our study establishes a foundation for further theoretical extensions and practical applications in the field of chemical graph theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The detrimental effects of widespread pesticide application on the health of living organisms highlight the urgent need for technological advancements in monitoring pesticide residues at trace levels. This study involves the synthesis of a distinctive sensing material, KL@Ni@g-C3N4, which comprises nanocomposites of graphitic carbon nitride with Kraft lignin and nickel. The prepared samples were characterized using FT-IR, PXRD, TEM, SEM, and EDX techniques. The KL@Ni@g-C3N4 nanocomposite was drop-cast on a graphite electrode. Subsequently, this fabricated electrode was used to detect cypermethrin (CYP) residues in drinking water. The redox properties of the fabricated sensors were evaluated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The limit of detection (LOD) of the fabricated sensor was determined to be 0.026 μg mL−1, which is below the maximum residual limits of CYP in the environment (0.5 μg mL−1) and within the acceptable range for food products (∼0.05 to 0.2 μg mL−1). Therefore, this study proposes a promising alternative to conventional methods for detecting pesticides in drinking water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed urban growth in Kaduna using remote sensing indices, landscape metrics, and Landsat images (2003, 2013, and 2023). Land use/land cover was carried out using the decision tree algorithm, while the transition matrix was computed using ArcGIS 10.8. Landscape fragmentation was assessed using Fragstat 4.3. The results revealed that between 2003 and 2023, bare land, built-up areas, and water bodies increased by 596 km2, 121.04 km2, and 0.22 km2, respectively, while cultivated land and tree cover decreased by 525.54 km2 and 191.91 km2, respectively. For the rate of change, bare lands, built-up areas, and water bodies increased by 29.81 km2, 6.05 km2, and 0.01 km2 annually, respectively, while cultivated lands and water bodies decreased by 26.28 km2 and 9.60 km2, respectively. For the land-use transition, 112.71 km2 of the built-up areas remained persistent. Cultivated lands, tree cover, and water bodies transitioned to built-up areas, losing 85.43 km2, 13.91 km2, and 0.91 km2, respectively. Landscape fragmentation analysis revealed that the number of patches increased from 405 in 2003 to 614 in 2023. Patch density, largest patch index, total edge, edge density, area-weighted mean shape index, and fractal dimension index decreased between 2003 and 2013 but increased between 2013 and 2023, indicating urban sprawl. However, the area-weighted mean contiguity index consistently increased between 2003 and 2023. The study concluded that urbanization is the leading driver of landscape fragmentation. This study recommends that development should be controlled to reduce encroachment on agricultural lands and habitats, thereby reducing landscape fragmentation and land degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibiotic resistance is a global public health concern, posing a significant threat to the effectiveness of antibiotics in treating bacterial infections. The accurate and timely detection of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is crucial for implementing appropriate treatment strategies and preventing the spread of resistant strains. This manuscript provides an overview of the current and emerging technologies used for the detection of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. We discuss traditional culture-based methods, molecular techniques, and innovative approaches, highlighting their advantages, limitations, and potential future applications. By understanding the strengths and limitations of these technologies, researchers and healthcare professionals can make informed decisions in combating antibiotic resistance and improving patient outcomes.

COVID-19 pandemic has created a new economic crisis worldwide. Islamic Bank which was reportedly resilient against the financial crisis is expected to be stable in this period. Apart from that, Islamic Bank has channeled financing fund to various business sectors with different portions leading to a question whether they have different impact on Bank. This paper aims to discover the impact of COVID-19 pandemic and financing to business sectors on Islamic Bank profitability. An ARDL approach is employed for analysis. The result of the study shows that COVID-19 pandemic has a negative relationship with Islamic Bank profitability in the long-run. Furthermore, financing to transportation, warehousing and communication sectors is associated with higher profitability in the short-run. On the other hand, financing to wholesale and retail trade sectors hurt Islamic Bank profitability. Based on this result, it is suggested that Government impose some measures in stabilizing Islamic Bank’s performance during COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, Islamic Banks are expected to make adjustment on financing to business sectors ratio accordingly in order to maintain the profitability of Islamic Bank.

BackgroundCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has emerged as an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The aim of this study is to identify the clinical predictors of mortality among patients with COVID-19 pneumonia during first and second waves in a treatment center in northwestern Nigeria.MethodsThis was a retrospective cohort study of 195 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 between April 2020 to March 2021 at a designated COVID-19 isolation center in Kano State, Northwest Nigeria. Data were summarized using frequencies and percentages. Unadjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals and p-values were obtained. To determine independent determinants of mortality, we performed a stepwise multivariate logistic regression model.ResultsOf 195 patients studied, 21(10.77%) patients died. Males comprised 158 (81.03%) of the study population. In the adjusted stepwise logistic regression analysis, age>64 years (OR = 9.476, 95% CI: 2.181-41.165), second wave of the pandemic (OR = 49.340, 95% CI:6.222-391.247), cardiac complications (OR = 24.984, 95% CI: 3.618-172.508), hypertension (OR = 5.831, 95% CI:1.413-24.065) and lowest systolic blood pressure while on admission greater than or equal to 90mmHg were independent predictors of mortality (OR = 0.111, 95%CI: 0.021-0.581).ConclusionStrategies targeted to prioritize needed care to patients with identified factors that predict mortality might improve patient outcome.

This paper studied the link of board independence, audit effectiveness and the quality of reported earnings in Nigeria. Using convenient sampling, 7 consumer-goods firms quoted in the Nigerian stock exchange (NSE) from 2016 to 2020 (5 years) were used in conducting the research. The data source was primarily obtained from firm’s annual report and analyzed by using Random Effect GLS in STATA 14. The findings show that board independence and expertise are statistically significant in affecting the quality of reported earnings. The result found board independence and audit expertise to be negatively affecting earnings quality in the Nigerian consumer goods firms. Considering the fact that the results found the characteristics of firms board – independence and expertise - to be significant in affecting earnings quality, the study recommended that the financial users should not over rely and have absolute confidence in using financial report. The monitoring mechanisms for shielding financial report may not be effective, and the final report can mislead the stakeholders in their various decisions. Thus, the regulatory bodies should focus more in revising it guides that will improve quality of earnings to restore stakeholder’s confidence in using financial reports.

In this paper, a new derivative-free approach for solving nonlinear monotone system of equations with convex constraints is proposed. The search direction of the proposed algorithm is derived based on the modified scaled Davidon-Fletcher-Powell (DFP) updating formula in such a way that it is sufficiently descent. Under some mild assumptions, the search direction is shown to be bounded. Subsequently, the convergence result of the proposed method is established. The performance of the proposed algorithm on a collection of some test problems as well as signal recovery problems is demonstrated in comparison with some existing algorithms with similar characteristics. The results of the numerical experiments confirm the efficiency as well as the robustness of the proposed algorithm by comparing it with some existing methods in the literature.

The research presents mutual coupling reduction between UWB-MIMO antenna elements using stub loading technique. The proposed 2 × 2 UWB antenna geometry consists of two circular-shaped monopole radiators with a partial ground for perfect impedance matching. Stubs of 20 mm × 0.2 mm are inserted between the two antenna elements in the ground plane to improve the isolation. The decoupling stub leads to a mutual coupling reduction of less than 20 dB. The farfield measurement at a selected frequency of 10 GHz confirms an omnidirectional radiation pattern. Different MIMO antenna metric such as channel capacity loss (CCL), mean effective gain (MEG), total active reflection coefficient (TARC), envelope correlation coefficient (ECC), and surface current are presented. Details of the design considerations and the simulation and measurement results are presented and discussed. The proposed MIMO antenna array can be well suited for UWB applications.

Soil moisture indicates the dryness of the ground surface. This phenomenon is directly tied to vegetation quality and Land Surface Temperature in a specific place. As a result, these characteristics indirectly describe the dryness of the ground surface. This study assessed agricultural drought in Niger River in Nigeria. Data used include MODIS driven MOD13Q1 (NDVI), and MOD11A2 (LST) datasets obtained from Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center. These datasets were used to compute Vegetation Condition Index (VCI) and Vegetation Health Index (VHI) in Niger River Basin, Nigeria. Additionally, correlation and regression analyses were used to check the relationship between LST and NDVI. Results revealed that the mean NDVI for the year 2002 is 0.494, 0.477 in 2007, 0.468 in 2012, 0.458 in 2017 and 0.430 in 2022. The mean LST in Niger River Basin for year 2002 is 32.28 ℃, 32.12 ℃ in 2007, 32.35 ℃ in 2012, 33.20 ℃ in 2017 and 33.41 ℃ in 2022. For the statistical relationship between NDVI and LST, results exhibited negative correlation, with -0.33 in 2002, -0.43 in 2007, -0.42 in 2012, -0.36 in 2017 and -0.27 in 2022. For the VCI results, findings revealed that the mean VCI in the basin was 83.73 in 2002, 64.26 in 2007, 56.76 in 2012, 45.32 in 2017, and 14.93 in 2023. Also, the VHI results revealed that the mean VHI in the basin was 75.44 in 2002, 69.54 in 2007, 61.02 in 2010, 37.22 in 2017 and 18.87 in 2022. The study therefore concluded that vegetation is decreasing in the basin, while land surface temperature is increasing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Addressing the pollution problems caused by improper disposal of effluents and wastes from pharmaceutical companies and medical facilities are important for the safety of humans and animals. This work highlights the challenges and developments in medical and pharmaceutical waste management practices across the world as well as their potential for bio-energy production. It involves the study of these waste properties, their impacts on the ecosystem and treatment or recycling methods. Various studies have shown that successes have been recorded in converting some antibiotic contaminated wastewater to biogas in advance anaerobic digesters. Moreover, not all medical wastes are degradable, the use of placentas, hospital cotton waste, human urine, waste blood and surgery waste has been used in biogas plants built at close proximity to hospitals, in some cases. However, such plants are few and are only located in Tanzania, India and Philippines, among others to generate biogas to power hospitals, boil hot water needed by patients and for cooking. This is because the level of awareness as regards the dangers associated with indiscriminate disposal of medical and pharmaceutical waste is low and hence the development of waste disposal policy by countries is often overlooked. The implication of this is the spread of diseases in affected areas which can results in epidemics. It is therefore necessary to formulate policies that allow the harnessing of these wastes to biogas/ bioenergy or the creation of better waste management practices that is environmentally safe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wetlands are among the world's most valuable ecosystems, and changes in land use have an impact on their distribution, health, quality, functions, and provision of services. This study assessed how land use change and socioeconomic activities drove wetland conversion in Kaduna Metropolis from 1986--2023. Landsat images (189/053) and SRTM DEMs were obtained from the USGS. The index-based classification was used to identify and map the wetlands in the study area and was also used for land use/land cover analysis classification via eCognition 9.0. A land change modeler on Idrisi Terrset was used to carry out land use/land cover change detection and transition analysis. The analysis of the results revealed an overall accuracy of 92% (0.93 Kappa) for the 1986 classification and 90% (0.88 Kappa) for the 2023 classification. The LULC analysis revealed that built-up areas and vegetation increased by 194.9 km² and 60.9 km², respectively, whereas bare land decreased by 136.5 km². With respect to wetland dynamics, marshlands lost a total of 15 km², riparian vegetation lost 28.6 km², and water bodies declined by 2.6 km². The study concluded that settlement expansion and agricultural activities are the primary drivers of wetland changes in Kaduna metropolis. The study therefore recommends the creation of buffer zones around the wetlands to prevent further encroachment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accidental poisoning in children, though underreported in our environment, is common and could prove fatal. It is important to identify the primary chemical agent that is responsible for the poisoning. We present a case of accidental ingestion of fish poisoned with aluminum phosphide (AlP) used as rat poisoning by a 14-month-old girl. At presentation, the actual chemical content of the poison was not available and clinical features were suggestive of organophosphate poisoning. She was commenced on atropine together with other treatment, on which she made remarkable improvement. The atropine was continued with complete resolution of symptoms on the third day of admission. We, therefore, report a serendipitous use of atropine in the management of AlP poisoning with successful outcome.

Snakebite envenoming (SBE) is a neglected public health problem, especially in Asia, Latin America and Africa. There is inadequate knowledge of venom toxicokinetics especially from African snakes. To mimic a likely scenario of a snakebite envenoming, we used an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) approach to study the toxicokinetic parameters in rabbits, following a single intramuscular (IM) administration of Northern Nigeria Naja nigricollis venom. We used a developed and validated non-compartmental approach in the R package PK to determine the toxicokinetic parameters of the venom and subsequently used pharmacometrics modelling to predict the movement of the toxin within biological systems. We found that N. nigricollis venom contained sixteen venom protein families following a mass spectrometric analysis of the whole venom. Most of these proteins belong to the three-finger toxins family (3FTx) and venom phospholipase A2 (PLA2) with molecular weight ranging from 3 to 16 kDa. Other venom protein families were in small proportions with higher molecular weights. The N. nigricollis venom was rapidly absorbed at 0.5 h, increased after 1 h and continued to decrease until the 16th hour (Tmax), where maximum concentration (Cmax) was observed. This was followed by a decrease in concentration at the 32nd hour. The venom of N. nigricollis was found to have high volume of distribution (1250 ± 245 mL) and low clearance (29.0 ± 2.5 mL/h) with an elimination half-life of 29 h. The area under the curve (AUC) showed that the venom remaining in the plasma over 32 h was 0.0392 ± 0.0025 mg h.L−1, and the mean residence time was 43.17 ± 8.04 h. The pharmacometrics simulation suggests that the venom toxins were instantly and rapidly absorbed into the extravascular compartment and slowly moved into the central compartment. Our study demonstrates that Nigerian N. nigricollis venom contains low molecular weight toxins that are well absorbed into the blood and deep tissues. The venom could be detected in rabbit blood 48 h after intramuscular envenoming.