Prenatal exposure to long-term heat stress and stillbirth in Ghana: A within-space time-series analysis.

Introduction: Few studies examined the association between prenatal long-term ambient temperature exposure and stillbirth and fewer still from developing countries. Rather than ambient temperature, we used a human thermophysiological index, Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) to investigate the role of long-term heat stress exposure on stillbirth in Ghana.

Methods: District-level monthly UTCI was linked with 90,532 stillbirths of 5,961,328 births across all 260 local districts between 1 January 2012 and 31 December 2020.

Hydrogeochemical evolution and assessment of groundwater quality for drinking and irrigation purposes in the Gushegu Municipality and some parts of East Mamprusi District, Ghana.

The Gushegu Municipality and the East Mamprusi District in Ghana are dominated by the Oti/Pendjari Group within the Voltaian Supergroup. The major rock types found in the area are quartzites, siltstones, conglomerates, and shales with minor occurrences of tillites, silexites, limestones, and barite-rich dolomites. The inhabitants of the area are mainly peasant farmers, and their activities might be influencing the groundwater chemistry, but little is known about the quality of the groundwater.

Electrospinning-Based Biosensors for Health Monitoring.

In recent years, many different biosensors are being used to monitor physical health. Electrospun nanofiber materials have the advantages of high specific surface area, large porosity and simple operation. These properties play a vital role in biosensors.

Ecological and human risk assessments of heavy metal contamination of surface soils of auto-mechanic shops at Bogoso Junction, Tarkwa, Ghana.

There is a growing recognition that activities at automobile mechanic shops could contribute to heavy metal contamination of soils. This study seeks to evaluate the ecological and human risk assessments of heavy metal contamination of surface soils of auto-mechanic shops at Bogoso Junction, Tarkwa, Ghana. Herein, 20 composite soil samples were taken, acid-digested, and the concentrations of Cu, Pb, Cd, Mn, Ni, Cr, and Fe were measured using a flame atomic adsorption spectrometer (SHIMADZU, AA 7000).

Assessing heavy metal contamination and ecological risk of urban topsoils in Tarkwa, Ghana.

This study aimed to assess the spatial distribution, contamination levels, pollution degree and ecological risks of eight heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) in topsoils of UMaT, Brahabobom, A'koon, Boboobo and Bogoso Junction (areas in Tarkwa, a mining town in Ghana). Eighty soil samples were collected, and metal concentrations were determined using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). The results revealed that Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn concentrations exceeded the WHO/FAO (2001) standard in some areas.

Computer-Aided Multiclass Classification of Corn from Corn Images Integrating Deep Feature Extraction.

Corn has great importance in terms of production in the field of agriculture and animal feed. Obtaining pure corn seeds in corn production is quite significant for seed quality. For this reason, the distinction of corn seeds that have numerous varieties plays an essential role in marketing.

Technical Job Recommendation System Using APIs and Web Crawling.

There has been a sudden boom in the technical industry and an increase in the number of good startups. Keeping track of various appropriate job openings in top industry names has become increasingly troublesome. This leads to deadlines and hence important opportunities being missed.

Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis in Bisphenol AF-Induced Neurotoxicity in Zebrafish Embryos.

Bisphenol AF (BPAF) is a structural counterpart of bisphenol A that is utilized in the food and beverage industry. The present study investigated the potential mechanisms in BPAF-induced neurotoxicity in zebrafish embryos. The BPAF concentrations (0.

Prenatal exposure to ambient air pollution and adverse birth outcomes: An umbrella review of 36 systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Multiple systematic reviews and meta-analyses linked prenatal exposure to ambient air pollutants to adverse birth outcomes with mixed findings, including results indicating positive, negative, and null associations across the pregnancy periods. The objective of this study was to systematically summarise systematic reviews and meta-analyses on air pollutants and birth outcomes to assess the overall epidemiological evidence. Systematic reviews with/without meta-analyses on the association between air pollutants (NO, CO, O, SO, PM, and PM) and birth outcomes (preterm birth; stillbirth; spontaneous abortion; birth weight; low birth weight, LBW; small-for-gestational-age) up to March 30, 2022 were included.

Preparation and Applications of Electrospun Nanofibers for Wearable Biosensors.

The emergence of nanotechnology has provided many new ideas and innovations in the field of biosensors. Electrospun nanofibers have many excellent properties such as high specific surface area, high porosity, low cost, high efficiency, and they can be combined with a variety of sensors. These remarkable features have a wide range of applications in the field of sensors such as monitoring air pollutants, highly sensitive pressure sensors, and biosensors for monitoring the pulse of the body.

Enhanced arsenic removal using lateritic bauxite modified by heating and blending.

The use of bauxite to remove arsenic from wastewater has been confirmed to be effective, but its removal efficiency in literature is not up to 90%, hence the need to devise a more effective method to remove arsenic from wastewater. In this study, a novel material was prepared by thermally modifying and blending yellow and red lateritic bauxite to form thermally modified and blended yellow and red lateritic bauxite (TYB + TRB). The adsorption isotherm, morphology and chemical composition of the novel material were determined by the Langmuir and Freundlich models, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), respectively.

Coconut oil and fermented palm wine biodiesel production for oil spill cleanup: experimental, numerical, and hybrid metaheuristic modeling approaches.

This paper for the first time synthesizes novel biodiesel experimentally using low-cost feedstocks of coconut oil, caustic soda, and fermented palm wine contaminated by microorganisms. The alkaline catalyzed transesterification method was used for biodiesel production with minimal glycerol. The produced biodiesel was biodegradable and effective in cleaning a shoreline oil spill experiment verified by our developed oil spill radial numerical simulator.

Investigation of Three-Dimensional Condensation Film Problem over an Inclined Rotating Disk Using a Nonlinear Autoregressive Exogenous Model.

This paper analyzed the three-dimensional (3D) condensation film problem over an inclined rotating disk. The mathematical model of the problem is governed by nonlinear partial differential equations (NPDE's), which are reduced to the system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations (NODE's) using a similarity transformation. Furthermore, the system of NODEs is solved by the supervised machine learning strategy of the nonlinear autoregressive exogenous (NARX) neural network model with the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm.

Hydrogeochemical evolution and assessment of groundwater quality in the Togo and Dahomeyan aquifers, Greater Accra Region, Ghana.

Groundwater quality is generally better than surface water quality but this is not sacrosanct because during recharge and abstraction, groundwater may be subjected to variations due to influence from natural and anthropogenic processes. The Togo and Dahomeyan aquifers are threatened by several anthropogenic activities like dumping of domestic and industrial wastes in open landfill sites. These activities can be sources of groundwater constituents and can pose adverse health effects on humans and the ecosystem but little is known about the hydrogeochemical characteristics of groundwater and its quality in the area.

Mercury (Hg) use and pollution assessment of ASGM in Ghana: challenges and strategies towards Hg reduction.

Reduction or possible elimination of Hg from artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is one of the main goals of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, which has been signed by many countries involved in ASGM, including Ghana. This article provides a recent overview of ASGM gold production and Hg use in Ghana. In addition, in order to highlight the impacts of Hg use in Ghana, a review was conducted on research studies investigating Hg pollution in waterbodies, soils, fish, and humans caused by ASGM over the past two decades.

Human health risk via soil ingestion of potentially toxic elements and remediation potential of native plants near an abandoned mine spoil in Ghana.

Integrated studies about potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in sites near gold mining spoils, their contamination and human health risk, as well as remediation potential of native plants are limited. Therefore, our aim was to assess the human health risk of PTEs (Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, Ti, V, and Zn) in sites near an abandoned gold mine spoil in Ghana. We collected 52 soil samples near the mine spoil and from a natural forest, determined their total element contents, and calculated the soil contamination factor (CF), enrichment factor (EF), geo-accumulation index (I) and the pollution load index (PLI).

Pollution and probabilistic human health risk assessment of potentially toxic elements in the soil-water-plant system in the Bolkar mining district, Niğde, south-central Turkey.

Globally, potentially toxic elements (PTEs) are regarded as an important group of pollutants for the wider environment because of their intrinsic toxicity and probable accumulation in the soil-water-plant system. In this regard, this study assessed the pollution levels and probable human health risks of PTEs in the soil-water-plant system in the Bolkar mining district of the Niğde Province in south-central Turkey. Pollution assessment using contamination factor, enrichment factor, index of geoaccumulation, and soil pollution index reveals moderate to extremely high pollution of PTEs in the soil, exposing the soils to extreme toxicity levels.

Ambient Air Pollution, Extreme Temperatures and Birth Outcomes: A Protocol for an Umbrella Review, Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Prenatal exposure to ambient air pollution and extreme temperatures are among the major risk factors of adverse birth outcomes and with potential long-term effects during the life course. Although low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are most vulnerable, there is limited synthesis of evidence in such settings. This document describes a protocol for both an umbrella review (Systematic Review 1) and a focused systematic review and meta-analysis of studies from LMICs (Systematic Review 2).

Geochemical evolution and tracing of groundwater salinization using different ionic ratios, multivariate statistical and geochemical modeling approaches in a typical semi-arid basin.

The vulnerability of semi-arid basin aquifers to long-term salinization due to the dissolution of groundwater chemical constituents is a major global problem. Despite this, resilient techniques of tracing the sources of groundwater salinization in semi-arid basin aquifers are still evolving due to the aquifer complexities. This study proves the effectiveness of the use of different ionic ratios, multivariate statistical, and geochemical modeling approaches to understand groundwater evolution and trace salinization in the semi-arid Pru Basin of Ghana.

EDDAMAP: efficient data-dependent approach for monitoring asymptomatic patient.

Background: A pandemic affects healthcare delivery and consequently leads to socioeconomic complications. During a pandemic, a community where there lives an asymptomatic patient (AP) becomes a potential endemic zone. Assuming we want to monitor the travel and/or activity of an AP in a community where there is a pandemic.

Multifractal characterization of the Coniacian-Santonian OAE3 in lacustrine and marine deposits based on spectral gamma ray logs.

Limited to the Atlantic and its surrounding basins, the expression of the Coniacian-Santonian oceanic anoxic event (OAE3) was discovered in the non-marine Cretaceous Songliao Basin, Eastern Asia not long ago. In this study, based on spectral gamma ray logs data recorded in three basins, the self-similarity of the OAE3 was studied through the analysis of the scaling properties of thorium-potassium and thorium-uranium distributions both in marine and terrestrial environments using the multifractal detrending fluctuation analysis. The results indicate that, in both marine and terrestrial systems, the OAE3 intervals are characterized by their multifractal nature due to long-range correlation.

Lithological effects on rocky coastline stability.

Rock coasts are perceived to be stable, however, recent occurrence of stacks of rocks and subsequent loss of some rocky coasts poses a challenge for research. This study sought to assess the impact of waves on the compressive/tensile strength of the rocks and further investigated the lithological properties of coastal material that influence shoreline change along the heterogeneous rock coast of the western region of Ghana. The study determined how the petrology and mineralogy of the various rocks types influence the stability of rocky shoreline.

Analysis of Injuries in the Ghanaian Mining Industry and Priority Areas for Research.

Background: Despite improvements in safety performance, the number and severity of mining-related injuries remain high and unacceptable, indicating that further reduction can be achieved. This study examines occupational accident statistics of the Ghanaian mining industry and identifies priority areas, warranting intervention measures and further investigations.

Methods: A total of 202 fatal and nonfatal injury reports over a 10-year period were obtained from five mines and the Inspectorate Division of the Minerals Commission of Ghana, and they were analyzed.

Hazardous waste landfill site selection in Western Ghana: An integration of multi-criteria decision analysis and geographic information system.

Most cities in developing countries are fast industrialising, leading to an increased hazardous waste generation. Though disposal occupies the bottom of the waste management hierarchy, it is an important component of the waste management chain, requiring greater focus to mitigate its environmental and human health effects. The selection of a hazardous waste landfill site is a complex decision-making process since it requires the consideration of several laws and regulations and the integration of various data.

Focusing on Coal Workers' Lung Diseases: A Comparative Analysis of China, Australia, and the United States.

China has high and increasing annual rates of occupational lung diseases such as pneumoconiosis and silicosis. In contrast, Australia and the United States of America (USA) have greatly lowered their annual rates of lung diseases since the 1970s. This paper systematically compared and analysed the multi-elements of coal dust management and health management in these three countries to provide a reference for China.