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The signaling resources expended and the power consumed by User Equipments (UEs) in the Location Management (LM) procedures are expected to be higher in Fifth Generation (5G) than in legacy wireless communications networks. To mitigate this challenge, this work proposes a hybrid scheme that mitigates the signaling resources expended in paging and RAN-based Notification Area Update (RNAU) procedures in 5G. The approach utilizes a hybrid scheme that embeds a UE Identifier (UEID) partitioning scheme that directional pages UEs into a gNB-based UE Mobility Tracking (UEMT) scheme. The approach configures a gNB in an RRC_Inactive state to beam sweep a UEs last registered cell area before directionally paging the UE. The approach proposed in this work is implemented on a modified network architecture to reduce the signaling resources expended on both paging and RNAU of UEs at higher frequencies which is an enabling factor for mmWave systems. Simulation results of the total accumulated cost of paging showed a 65.13 % and 8.69 % reduction in signaling resources expended against the conventional approach and the existing gNB-based UEMT approach, respectively. Additionally, the total accumulated resources expended in both procedures over 24 hours showed that the modified gNB-based UEMT scheme outperformed the conventional scheme and the gNB-based UEMT scheme by 90.96 % and 38.36 %, respectively.

The increasing prevalence of water-borne diseases necessitates periodic monitoring of domestic and drinking water sources. The current study assessed the safety of well water in the four emirate zones (Gwandu, Yauri, Argungu, and Zuru) of Kebbi State, Nigeria. Using normal procedures, samples of well water were examined for heavy metals, physicochemical characteristics, and microorganisms, and the results were compared to the World Health Organization (WHO) drinking water criteria. The heavy metals’ chronic daily ingestion (CDI) and hazard quotient (HQ) were also determined. The results showed that well water in the four emirate zones had normal temperature, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), dissolved oxygen (DO), total suspended solids (TSS), and zinc (Zn). However, non-permissible concentrations of lead (Pb), iron (Fe), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), and pH (Gwandu and Argungu only) were detected in all the water samples. Except for Cd and Cr in children, the CDI and HQ of the heavy metals were normal. The microbiological examinations revealed that the water samples from the four zones had abnormal levels of Bacillus species (bacteria), Escherichia coli (bacteria), Staphylococcus aureus (bacteria), Aspergillus niger (fungi), Mucor racemosa (fungi), and Paecilomyces variotti (fungi). The results obtained suggest that well water in the four zones is not suitable for human consumption unless treated.

The pulp and paper industry has been recognized as one of the largest users of water worldwide. Water is used in nearly every step of the manufacturing process. It generates significant amounts of wastewater and leftover sludge, creating several problems for wastewater treatment, discharge, and sludge disposal. Adopting the most effective and economical treatment techniques before discharging wastewater is therefore crucial. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the performance of the activated sludge bioreactor system (ASBS) for the treatment of pulp and paper industry wastewater (PPIW). The PPIW was characterized. During the experiment, the domestic and PPIW wastewater were run at a fixed HRT of 1 day. Subsequently, the ASBS was evaluated by varying the HRT and OLR. The HRT was varied in the range of 3, 2, and 1 day. At a fixed HRT of 2 days, the maximum and minimum COD removal were 88.4 and 63.2%. Throughout the study, the ASBS demonstrated higher treatment efficiency in terms of COD removal. First order, Grau second order, and modified Stover Kincannon biokinetic models were applied for the study. The biokinetic investigation shows that the modified stover kinetic model was more appropriate for the description of the experimental data in terms of microbial growth parameters. Thus, the kinetic coefficients obtained in this study could be used for the bioreactor scale-up. The study has also proven that the biosorbent made from biomass waste can potentially help preserve non-renewable resources and promote zero-waste attainment and principles of a circular bioeconomy.

Introducción: Desde el desarrollo de las vacunas contra la COVID-19, la población mundial ha tenido un creciente interés en informarse acerca de estas. Objetivo: Realizar un análisis de la búsqueda sobre las vacunas contra la COVID-19 en países sudamericanos. Métodos: Estudio observacional, descriptivo y retrospectivo de datos obtenidos de la herramienta Google Trends. Se comparó el uso de 6 términos ("Vacuna contra COVID-19", "Efectividad vacunas contra COVID-19", "vacuna Pfizer", "vacuna Sinopharm", "efectos secundarios de la vacuna Pfizer", "efectos secundarios de la vacuna Sinopharm") en 9 países sudamericanos de habla hispana. Resultados: El país con el mayor resultado de la búsqueda del término "Vacuna contra la COVID-19" fue Bolivia. Con respecto a la búsqueda del término "efectividades vacunas COVID" en países sudamericanos, hay una gran tendencia en Perú, Ecuador, Argentina y Chile, entre enero y julio del 2021. Conclusión: No hubo disminución en el interés general con respecto a los 6 términos utilizados para este estudio; sin embargo, el interés general en las vacunas contra el coronavirus entre los usuarios del buscador de Google ha presentado cambios en la tendencia, mientras que la popularidad de los efectos secundarios de las vacunas contra la COVID-19 se han incrementado y muestran una variación notable de acuerdo con el país.

Le développement de la compétence orale est au cœur de l’enseignement de la langue française dans le système éducatif ghanéen. L’objectif global pour l’enseignement-apprentissage de la langue inscrit dans le curriculum prévu pour le niveau SHS veut que la compétence de la communication, voire le développement de l’expression orale de langue occupe une place primordiale. Cet article cherche à vérifier la place qu’occupent les activités interactives lors des leçons de la grammaire au niveau SHS. Le chercheur a utilisé, comme outils méthodologiques, l’observation non-participante et le questionnaire pour collecter les données. Trois enseignants sont observés et ils ont aussi répondu au questionnaire pour donner le renseignement sur la place de l’interaction lors d’une leçon du FLE. À travers l’observation, nous avons eu les données concernant la place que les enseignants accordent aux activités interactives dans leurs leçons. Le questionnaire nous a permis de susciter leurs opinions à propos de l’interaction dans leurs leçons. Les données ont montré clairement que les activités et les tâches interactives sont absents dans la présentation des leçons dans les écoles en question. Les recommandations renseignent les enseignants d’accorder une place importante aux activités interactives lors de la présentation des leçons du FLE dans le but de susciter et de développer l’expression orale chez les apprenants. Cela, sans équivoque, conduira à la réalisation de l’objectif global pour l’enseignement du FLE au niveau SHS au Ghana qui soit le développement de la communication, voire l’expression orale et la compréhension orale chez apprenants

Agricultural biomass burning plays a critical role in carbon emissions, with implications for climate change. This study aims to assess carbon (C) emissions and establish C, CO, CO2 and CH4 emission factors (EFs) by simultaneously testing the effects of climatic conditions and cropland category on gas emissions. In Burkina Faso, 96 experimental fires were conducted in accordance with farmers’ operations during the land-clearing season in two climatic zones (Sudanian and Sudano-Sahelian) and across two cropland categories (Cropland Remaining Cropland (CC) and Land Converted to Cropland (LC)). The carbon mass balance technique was applied to estimate emissions. Climate zone and cropland category significantly influenced carbon emissions and emission factors (p < 0.05). The Sudanian zone recorded the highest carbon emissions (0.24 ± 0.01 t C ha−1). For cropland category, LC recorded the highest carbon emissions with an average value of 0.27 ± 0.01 t C ha−1. CO2 EFs ranged from 1661.44 ± 3.63 g kg−1 in the Sudanian zone to 1716.51 ± 3.24 g kg−1 in the Sudano-Sahelian zone. EFs showed a dependence on the cropland category, with the highest EFs in CC. Smart agricultural practices limiting cropland expansion and biomass burning need to be promoted. This study provides vital information useful for supporting decision making as part of Nationally Determined Contributions.

This study evaluated the influence of asphalt binder and biochar-based geopolymer composites on the permanent deformation resistance (PDR) of asphalt concrete. The influence of three design variations, asphalt binder, biochar, and geopolymer content, was evaluated by employing the response surface method (RSM) based on the Box Behnken approach. The asphalt binder content ranged between 4 and 6%, whereas the biochar and geopolymer content ranged between 0 and 4%. The average rut depth of Bio-Geopolymer Asphalt concrete (BGAC) was employed as the response variable. The synergetic influence of the design variable was examined using the RSM approach, and a model was developed to determine optimum contents for improving PDR. The model has very high R2 values and adequate precision, showing that there is a significant relationship between the experimental and predicted values. The study ANOVA revealed that the asphalt binder and a biochar-based geopolymer composite modifier showed a significant effect in enhancing the PDR of BGAC. Furthermore, the optimization shows that the optimal content for biochar, geopolymer, and asphalt binder are 3.22%, 1.81%, and 5.4%, respectively. The generated model’s percentage error was found to be 5%, showing a significant correlation between the actual and predicted data. The results of this study show that using RSM to predict and optimize the PDR of BGAC is a very efficient and effective technique.

This study investigated the sensory, nutritional, and physicochemical characteristics as well as formulation cost of beef sausages formulated with raw pearl millet flour (RaPMF) as an extender. Four treatments were formulated with 0%, 5%, 10% and 15% RaPMF. Ash, carbohydrate, fat, and protein contents of the beef sausages were not influenced (p 0.05) the sensory properties (week 1), water holding capacity, peroxide value, lightness (week 1), and yellowness (week 1). The formulation cost was least for 15% RaPMF beef sausages and highest for 0% RaPMF beef sausages. As a general conclusion, RaPMF improved the mineral composition of the beef sausages and reduced production costs without compromising its physicochemical and sensory properties.

Abstract Background In rural Burkina Faso, the primary malaria vector Anopheles gambiae sensu lato (s.l.) primarily feeds indoors at night. Identification of factors which influence mosquito house entry could lead to development of novel malaria vector control interventions. A study was therefore carried out to identify risk factors associated with house entry of An. gambiae s.l. in south-west Burkina Faso, an area of high insecticide resistance. Methods Mosquitoes were sampled monthly during the malaria transmission season using CDC light traps in 252 houses from 10 villages, each house sleeping at least one child aged five to 15 years old. Potential risk factors for house entry of An. gambiae s.l. were measured, including socio-economic status, caregiver’s education and occupation, number of people sleeping in the same part of the house as the child, use of anti-mosquito measures, house construction and fittings, proximity of anopheline aquatic habitats and presence of animals near the house. Mosquito counts were compared using a generalized linear mixed-effect model with negative binomial and log link function, adjusting for repeated collections. Results 20,929 mosquitoes were caught, of which 16,270 (77.7%) were An. gambiae s.l. Of the 6691 An. gambiae s.l. identified to species, 4101 (61.3%) were An. gambiae sensu stricto and 2590 (38.7%) Anopheles coluzzii. Having a metal-roof on the child’s sleeping space (IRR = 0.55, 95% CI 0.32–0.95, p = 0.03) was associated with fewer malaria vectors inside the home. Conclusion This study demonstrated that the rate of An. gambiae s.l. was 45% lower in sleeping spaces with a metal roof, compared to those with thatch roofs. Improvements in house construction, including installation of metal roofs, should be considered in endemic areas of Africa to reduce the burden of malaria.

Abstract Background Malaria in pregnancy remains a public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa. Identifying risk factors for malaria in pregnancy could assist in developing interventions to reduce the risk of malaria in Burkina Faso and other countries in the region. Methods Two cross-sectional surveys were carried out to measure Plasmodium falciparum infection using microscopy in pregnant women in Saponé Health District, central Burkina Faso. Data were collected on individual, household and environmental variables and their association with P. falciparum infection assessed using multivariable analysis. Results A total of 356 pregnant women were enrolled in the surveys, 174 during the dry season and 182 during the wet season. The mean number of doses of sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine for Intermittent Preventive Treatment in pregnancy (IPTp-SP) was 0.4 doses during the first trimester, 1.1 doses at the second and 2.3 doses at the third. Overall prevalence of P. falciparum infection by microscopy was 15.7%; 17.8% in the dry season and 13.7% in the wet season. 88.2% of pregnant women reported sleeping under an insecticide-treated net (ITN) on the previous night. The odds of P. falciparum infection was 65% lower in women who reported using an ITN compared to those that did not use an ITN (Odds ratio, OR = 0.35, 95% CI 0.14–0.86, p = 0.02). IPTp-SP was also associated with reduced P. falciparum infection, with each additional dose of IPTp-SP reducing the odds of infection by 44% (OR = 0.56, 95% CI 0.39–0.79, p = 0.001). Literate women had a 2.54 times higher odds of P. falciparum infection compared to illiterate women (95% CI 1.31–4.91, p = 0.006). Conclusions The prevalence of P. falciparum infection among pregnant women remains high in Burkina Faso, although use of IPTp-SP and ITNs were found to reduce the odds of infection. Despite this, compliance with IPTp-SP remains far from that recommended by the National Malaria Control Programme and World Health Organization. Behaviour change communication should be strengthened to encourage compliance with protective malaria control tools during pregnancy.

Cadaba farinosa Forssk. (Capparaceae) is found all over the world, mostly in tropical and subtropical areas. It is used to treat pain, dysentery, rheumatism, cough, and fever, as well as an antidote and in the treatment of neurological disorders. In mice, the median lethal dose (LD50) of Crude Ethanol leaf Extract (CEE) of Cadaba farinosa was found to be 2154.1 mg/kg body weight. The presence of alkaloids, anthraquinones, carbohydrates, cardiac glycosides, flavonoids, glycosides, saponins, and tannins was discovered during a preliminary phytochemical analysis of the dark gummy mass crude extract. The CEE was then put through pharmacological testing on mice. In mice, diazepam-induced sleep, beam walking, and hole-board assays were used to investigate behavioral activities. CEE of Cadaba farinosa had no effect on the onset of sleep in mice when given at the tested doses of diazepam. In contrast, it significantly increased sleep duration at all doses tested (75 mg/kg p 0.001, 150 mg/kg p 0.05, and 300 mg/kg p 0.01). The CEE significantly (p 0.01) increased the number of foot slips in the Beam walking assay at a dose of 150 mg/kg. Similarly, diazepam at 0.25 mg/kg increased the number of foot slips significantly (p 0.001). The extract at a dose of 300 mg/kg and diazepam increased the time required to complete the task significantly (p 0.05). At 150 mg/kg (p 0.01) and 300 mg/kg (p 0.05), the hole-board experiment significantly reduced the number of head dips. In contrast, the standard drug (diazepam) had no discernible effect on the number of head dips. These findings suggest that Cadaba farinosa CEE has analgesic (both centrally and peripherally mediated) and anti-inflammatory properties.

WBAN comprises multiple sensor nodes strategically located on patients' bodies. They collect physiological signals from a patient under medical observation and transmit them to the medical personnel for further analysis via a medical server. These sensor nodes are energy-dependent. The challenges associated with WBAN are the power source, delay, and so on. Since their energy source is derived from rechargeable batteries, it is impossible to stop the network operation to replace the battery. Past articles concentrated more on the problem of enhancing network delay and throughput. However, they did not look into the area of TDMA and CCA schemes to improve their work. This brings their work into network energy degradation, which reduces their throughput. This article implements Enhancing throughput cluster-based DSCB by improving the existing Dual-sink clustering approach (DSCB). The simulation result depicted that the Enhanced throughput of iDSCB improved the performance of the current work DSCB in terms of throughput and End-to-End Delay by 6.60% and 3.14%, respectively.

Here, the authors survey neuroscience publications from Africa over the past two decades, highlighting areas of active research, international networks, funding, and techniques used.

Issues of global and local importance such as climate change and homelessness require critical perspectives across multiple disciplines including science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Our paper brings critical mathematics education and social justice alongside STEM education to explore experiences of learning to teach. We focus specifically on learning to teach through creating mathematics problems in/for STEM and social justice. As a collaborative research group we are from five countries with varied cultural backgrounds, teaching experiences, and academic pathways. Dialogue as method is used to examine experiences of creating problems through which students can interpret and transform the world. Data collected included 46 h of audio-recorded dialogue meetings, 26 developed problems, and 7 interviews with 12 students. Results indicate creating mathematics problems in/for STEM involved navigating between mathematics, social justice, and STEM across all education levels and is supported with critical dialogue across cultural perspectives, diverse experiences, and expertise. Challenges lived include questioning the content of mathematics and STEM, deepening our own expertise to draw upon local and global problem contexts, and interrogating who benefits from such problems. Our study highlights the need for continued collaborative dialogue that not only gathers educators across disciplines but also includes students as co-creators of mathematics problems that could change their relationship with the world.

The best possible use of natural resources and the large amounts of trash produced by industrial and human activity is necessary for sustainable development. Due to the threat of global climate change and other environmental challenges, waste management systems are changing, leading to more instances of water resource management. The waste generated must be controlled from a sustainability point of view. Typically, the conventional disposal of Agricultural Wastewater (AW) and biomass can be achieved by recycling, reusing, and converting them into a variety of green products. To improve the AW quality for the purposes of environmental sustainability, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 6 and 14, dealing with clean water, sanitation, and life below water, are very important goals. Therefore, the present investigation evaluates the effectiveness of a Bench-scale Activated Sludge Reactor (BASR) system for AW treatment. The BASR was designed to focus on getting the maximum possible utilization out of a biosorbent derived from oil palm waste activated hydrochar (OPAH). This is in accordance with SDG 9, which targets inorganic and organic waste utilization for added value. An experiment was developed using the Response Surface Methodology (RSM). A Hydraulic Retention Time (HRT) of 1–3 days was used in the bioreactor’s setup and operation, and Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids (MLSS) concentrations of 4000–6000 mg/L were used. BASR was fed with AW with initial mean concentrations of 4486 ± 5.63 mg/L and 6649 ± 3.48 for the five-day Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD5) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) experiments, respectively. The results obtained showed that maximum reductions of 84.66% and 72.07% were recorded for BOD5 and COD, respectively. Through RSM optimization, the greatest reductions in the amounts of organic materials were achieved with a 2-day HRT and an MLSS dosage of 5000 mg/L. Substrate elimination thresholds were assessed using the first-order, the Grau second-order, and the modified Stover–Kincannon models. The reported observations were found to be perfectly fit by the modified Stover–Kincannon model, with high R2 values of 0.9908 and 0.9931 for BOD5 and COD, respectively. As a result, the model may be used to design the BASR system and forecast how the reactor would behave. The findings from this study suggest that the developed OPAH has promising potential to be applied as eco-friendly material for the removal of BOD5 and COD from AW. Consequently, the study findings additionally possess the ability to address SDGs 6, 9, and 14, in order to fulfil the United Nations (UN) goals through 2030.

Fingerprint database clustering and localization using k‐medoids and k‐nearest neighbour (k‐NN) algorithms respectively typically use distance‐based fingerprint similarity metrics, with their performances dependent on the type of distance metric used. This paper proposes employing a pattern‐based metric, the context similarity coefficient (CSC), for both algorithms instead of traditional distance‐based metrics. The CSC accounts for fingerprint behaviour and the non‐linear relationships among fingerprints during the similarity measurement. The performance of both algorithms with the CSC as the similarity metric is evaluated on four publicly available fingerprint databases, using position root mean square error (RMSE) and silhouette score as performance metrics. These results are compared to those of the same algorithms using five distance‐based metrics: Euclidean, square Euclidean, Manhattan, cosine, and Chebyshev distances. The k‐medoids algorithm with CSC shows moderate clustering performance compared to the five distance‐based metrics considered. However, when combined with the k‐NN algorithm also using CSC, it achieves the highest localization accuracy, with at least a 29% improvement in position RMSE across all four databases. The results indicate that while k‐medoids with CSC may not create well‐separated clusters, combining it with the k‐NN algorithm with CSC as its similarity metric significantly enhances localization accuracy compared to distance‐based metrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presented various types of soliton solutions for the nonlinear integrable Kairat-X equation by utilizing the improved F-expansion technique with symbolic computational software Mathematica. Explored results for the nonlinear integrable Kairat-X equation are interesting, novel, and more general with different physical structures of solitary waves and solitons, such as kink wave, mixed dark–bright, peakon, anti-kink wave, bright, anti-kink dark, periodic, and dark solitons. With numerical simulations, the secured soliton solutions visualized in two-dimensional, three-dimensional, and contour graphs represent the physical phenomena of the demonstrated results. The explored soliton solutions will be helpful to comprehend interesting physical structures in fiber optics, nonlinear optics, ferromagnetic dynamics, and many other scientific fields. The extracted soliton structure sheds light that the enhanced technique is effective, powerful, concise, and reliable. We can also investigate the soliton results of other nonlinear integrable partial and fractional equations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Antenatal care (ANC) services play a crucial role in safeguarding the health of pregnant women during their reproductive years. This study aimed to evaluate the primary factors influencing the utilization of ANC among women of childbearing age in Isari town, Jigawa State. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among 400 mothers of childbearing age, selecting them using a simple random sampling method. Data were collected using interviewer-administered questionnaires. The statistical analyses performed were descriptive analysis, Pearson's chi-square test, and binary logistic regression analysis. Results: The majority of respondents (92.5%) indicated awareness of ANC, with a significant proportion expressing the necessity of ANC services (85.7%). 57.8% of the respondents indicated attending ANC services at least four times during pregnancy. Furthermore, the number of visits has a significant relationship with age (P < 0.001), educational level (P = 0.003), occupation (P = 0.043), mother's knowledge of pregnancy danger signs (P = 0.001), and husband's support for ANC (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Enhancing ANC utilization will necessitate focusing on women residing in rural areas and those with limited educational attainment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objectives of this study are threefold: First, to highlight the importance of assessment beliefs and their contribution to the practice of assessment. Second, the current literature on assessment beliefs in different contexts should be assessed, including the relationship between lecturers' beliefs on assessment and their evaluations of student performance. Third, the content-based validity of an adapted instrument (Brown conception of Assessment III Abridged Survey) will be measured using the Lawshe content validation ratio for use among lecturers within the context of Nigeria. This psychometric study utilized a 27-item survey from Brown (2006), covering four dimensions: improvement of teaching and learning, student accountability, institutional accountability, and assessment as irrelevant. Seven experts were randomly selected to judge the relevancy of each item to the domain construct based on the defined four-point scale. The Content Validity Ratio (CVR), based on the Lawshe Validity Model (1975), is used to analyze the data collected. Results indicated that items under the "assessment as irrelevant" were deemed nonessential. As a major contribution to this study, the existing literature on content-based validity studies is expanded by applying the Lawshe content validation ratio. Based on the study result, a three-dimensional conceptual framework for analyzing lecturers' beliefs on assessment is also suggested. It calls for additional psychometric properties, particularly construct validity testing, to ensure the convergent and discriminate validity of the instrument within the context of TVET tertiary institutions in Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goals of this study are to assess the viability of waste tire-derived char (WTDC) as a sustainable, low-cost fine aggregate surrogate material for asphalt mixtures and to develop the statistically coupled neural network (SCNN) model for predicting volumetric and Marshall properties of asphalt mixtures modified with WTDC. The study is based on experimental data acquired from laboratory volumetric and Marshall properties testing on WTDCmodified asphalt mixtures (WTDC-MAM). The input variables comprised waste tire char content and asphalt binder content. The output variables comprised mixture unit weight, total voids, voids filled with asphalt, Marshall stability, and flow. Statistical coupled neural networks were utilized to predict the volumetric and Marshall properties of asphalt mixtures. For predictive modeling, the SCNN model is employed, incorporating a three-layer neural network and preprocessing techniques to enhance accuracy and reliability. The optimal network architecture, using the collected dataset, was a 2:6:5 structure, and the neural network was trained with 60% of the data, whereas the other 20% was used for cross-validation and testing respectively. The network employed a hyperbolic tangent (tanh) activation function and a feed-forward backpropagation. According to the results, the network model could accurately predict the volumetric and Marshall properties. The predicted accuracy of SCNN was found to be as high value >98% and low prediction errors for both volumetric and Marshall properties. This study demonstrates WTDC's potential as a low-cost, sustainable aggregate replacement. The SCNN-based predictive model proves its efficiency and versatility and promotes sustainable practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The need for a reliable risk map in the control of soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) in Kogi East, North Central Nigeria is very important. This study was carried out to determine the effect of environmental risk factors on geospatial distribution of STHs. Epidemiological data were obtained from a district-wide survey conducted in 2018 in Kogi East. Edaphic and climatic factors were downloaded as spatial layers from international recognised health data resources centres. A total of 24 environmental factors were used in determining the risk map of STHs using MaxEnt tool. The predicted high-risk areas of A. lumbricoides, hookworms and S. stercoralis were the central part of Kogi East covering parts of Dekina, Ofu, Igalamela-Odolu, Olamaboro and Omala LGAs with probability of 0.8 to 1.00. Among the factors investigated; Temperature [mean diurnal temperature range (BIO2), temperature annual range (BIO7) and maximum temperature of the warmest month (BIO5)], precipitation [precipitation of the wettest quarter (BIO16)], and soil clay contents were the five factors that exerted most significant influence on the geospatial distribution of STHs in Kogi East, Nigeria. Public health control programmes on STHs should target high-risk areas by including them in mass drug administration, health education as well as provision of water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructures.

BackgroundA blood-stage vaccine targeting the erythrocytic-stages of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum could play a role to protect against clinical disease. Antibodies against the P. falciparum serine repeat antigen 5 (SE47 and SE36 domains) correlate well with the absence of clinical symptoms in sero-epidemiological studies. A previous phase Ib trial of the recombinant SE36 antigen formulated with aluminum hydroxyl gel (BK-SE36) was promising. This is the first time the vaccine candidate was evaluated in young children below 5 years using two vaccination routes.MethodsSafety and immunogenicity of BK-SE36 was assessed in a double-blind, randomized, controlled, age de-escalating phase Ib trial. Fifty-four Burkinabe children in each age cohort, 25–60 or 12–24 months, were randomized in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive three doses of BK-SE36 either by intramuscular (BK IM) or subcutaneous (BK SC) route on Day 0, Week 4, and 26; or the control vaccine, Synflorix®via IM route on Day 0, Week 26 (and physiological saline on Week 4). Safety data and samples for immunogenicity analyses were collected at various time-points.ResultsOf 108 subjects, 104 subjects (96.3%) (Cohort 1: 94.4%; Cohort 2: 98.1%) received all three scheduled vaccine doses. Local reactions, mostly mild or of moderate severity, occurred in 99 subjects (91.7%). The proportion of subjects that received three doses without experiencing Grade 3 adverse events was similar across BK-SE36 vaccines and control arms (Cohort 1: 100%, 89%, and 89%; and Cohort 2: 83%, 82%, and 83% for BK IM, BK SC, and control, respectively). BK-SE36 vaccine was immunogenic, inducing more than 2-fold change in antibody titers from pre-vaccination, with no difference between the two vaccination routes. Titers waned before the third dose but in both cohorts titers were boosted 6 months after the first vaccination. The younger cohort had 2-fold and 4-fold higher geometric mean titers compared to the 25- to 60-month-old cohort after 2 and 3 doses of BK-SE36, respectively.ConclusionBK-SE36 was well tolerated and immunogenic using either intramuscular or subcutaneous routes, with higher immune response in the younger cohort.Clinical Trial Registrationhttps://pactr.samrc.ac.za/TrialDisplay.aspx?TrialID=934, identifier PACTR201411000934120.

Abstract Background Lassa fever (LF) is a zoonotic infectious disease of public concern in Nigeria. The infection dynamics of the disease is not well elucidated in Nigeria. This study was carried out to describe the pattern of infection, case fatality rate and spread of lassa virus (LASV) from 2017 to 2020. Methods Weekly epidemiological data on LF from December, 2016 to September, 2020 were obtained from Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. The number of confirmed cases and deaths were computed according to months and states. Descriptive statistics was performed and case fatality rate was calculated. Distribution and spread maps of LF over the four years period was performed on ArcMap 10.7. Results A total of 2787 confirmed cases and 516 deaths were reported in Nigeria from December, 2016 to September, 2020. Increase in number of cases and deaths were observed with 298, 528, 796 and 1165 confirmed cases and 79, 125, 158 and 158 deaths in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 respectively. Over 60% of the cases were reported in two states, Edo and Ondo states. The LF cases spread from 19 states in 2017 to 32 states and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in 2020. Ondo state (25.39%) had the highest of deaths rate from LF over the four years. Case fatality rate (CFR) of LF was highest in 2017 (26.5%) with CFR of 23.7, 19.6 and 13.4% in 2018, 2019 and 2020 respectively. The peak of infection was in the month of February for the four years. Infections increases at the onset of dry season in November and decline till April when the wet season sets-in. Conclusion There is an annual increase in the number of LASV infection across the states in Nigeria. There is need to heighten control strategies through the use of integrated approach, ranging from vector control, health education and early diagnosis.

Abstract Background This study evaluated the effect of Jatropha curcas seed oil against adult American cockroach, Periplaneta americana, a mechanical disease vector, using three bioassay methods to determine the repellent activity, contact and fumigant toxicity. This involved the use of J. curcas oil solution (diluted with acetone (20%)) and J. curcas pure oil. For repellency test, concentrations 0.30, 0.60 and 0.90% v/v were used for the oil solution while 1.0 and 2.0 ml concentrations were used for the pure oil. All test groups were exposed for 15 min. Contact toxicity test involved the use of 0.30, 0.60, 0.90, 1.20 and 1.50% v/v concentrations for the oil solution while 1 and 2 ml concentrations were used for the pure oil. Exposure period for all test groups was 24–120 h. For the fumigant test, 0.15% v/v and 0.5 ml concentrations were used for the oil solution and pure oil groups respectively; exposure period for the test groups was 24–120 h. All test and the control groups had ten cockroaches (P. americana) per group with four replicates. Results Repellency was higher in test groups treated with pure J. curcas oil than in groups treated with the oil solution with repellency of 70–100% and 60–100% respectively after 15 min exposure period. For the contact test, a higher mortality rate was observed with the oil solution than the pure oil. Mortality was lower for 1 ml of pure oil with 20% at 24 h and 40% at 120 h than 2 ml of pure oil with 30% mortality at 24 h and 50% mortality at 120 h. A 100% mortality was recorded in the highest concentration (1.50% v/v) at 120 h. Fumigation test with 0.15% v/v of oil solution resulted in 20% mortality at 120 h while fumigation test with 0.5 ml of J. curcas pure oil resulted in 60% mortality at 120 h. Conclusion J. curcas seed oil possesses repellent and insecticidal properties against P. americana . Thus, the menace caused by this mechanical disease vector could be reduced using J. curcas seed oil.

Because of limited data on dengue virus in Burkina Faso, we conducted 4 consecutive age-stratified longitudinal serologic surveys, ≈6 months apart, among persons 1–55 years of age, during June 2015–March 2017, which included a 2016 outbreak. The seroconversion rate before the serosurvey enrollment was estimated by binomial regression, taking age as the duration of exposure, and assuming constant force of infection (FOI) over age and calendar time. We calculated FOI between consecutive surveys and rate ratios for potentially associated characteristics based on seroconversion using the duration of intervals. Among 2,897 persons at enrollment, 66.3% were IgG-positive, and estimated annual FOI was 5.95%. Of 1,269 enrollees participating in all 4 serosurveys, 438 were IgG-negative at enrollment. The annualized FOI ranged from 10% to 20% (during the 2016 outbreak). Overall, we observed high FOI for dengue. These results could support decision-making about control and preventive measures for dengue.

Abstract Long-distance migration of insects impacts food security, public health, and conservation–issues that are especially significant in Africa. Windborne migration is a key strategy enabling exploitation of ephemeral havens such as the Sahel, however, its knowledge remains sparse. In this first cross-season investigation (3 years) of the aerial fauna over Africa, we sampled insects flying 40–290 m above ground in Mali, using nets mounted on tethered helium-filled balloons. Nearly half a million insects were caught, representing at least 100 families from thirteen orders. Control nets confirmed that the insects were captured at altitude. Thirteen ecologically and phylogenetically diverse species were studied in detail. Migration of all species peaked during the wet season every year across localities, suggesting regular migrations. Species differed in flight altitude, seasonality, and associated weather conditions. All taxa exhibited frequent flights on southerly winds, accounting for the recolonization of the Sahel from southern source populations. “Return” southward movement occurred in most taxa. Estimates of the seasonal number of migrants per species crossing Mali at latitude 14°N were in the trillions, and the nightly distances traversed reached hundreds of kilometers. The magnitude and diversity of windborne insect migration highlight its importance and impacts on Sahelian and neighboring ecosystems.