Guinea worm control: Assessing the effectiveness of drum-lined water holes

Summary The purpose of the paper is to examine the feasibility of used oil drums as a lining material for shallow rural wells. The discussion focuses upon the comparison of the water quality in the oil drum-lined holes with other local water sources. The response to the innovation, from a range of guinea worm prone rural environments in Ibarapa district, Oyo State, Nigeria, was encouraging. The study noted substantial reductions in cyclop population (potential for guinea worm infection) and improved water quality in the sanitary wells as compared to rural ponds. Investigations also reveal substantial saving in costs in using oil drum-lining as opposed to concrete. Findings point to the need for this kind of water scheme as opposed to sophisticated boreholes, and deep well programmes, especially in situations of limited funds and technical skills necessary to install and maintain water supply systems.Dr Abimbola Y. Sangodoyin obtained his first degree in Agricultural Engineering at the University of Ibadan. He subsequently obtained a MSc in Water Resources Technology and a PhD in Civil Engineering at the University of Birmingham, UK. He is currently a lecturer in the Department of Agricultural Engineering, University of Ibadan where his research has focused on rural water systems and urban solid waste disposal and pollution problems.Mr Miebaka J. Ayotamuno has trained to Master's level as an Agricultural Engineer at the University of Ibadan. He is currently a member of staff at the Department of Agricultural Engineering, River State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.     

High levels of maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein and human chorionic gonadotrophins leading to the diagnosis of combined neural tube defect and partial mole

A case of combined partial mole and neural tube defect is presented. The detection of high levels of both maternal serum (MS) alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) during the second trimester led to the ultrasonic demonstration of anencephaly, omphalocele, and partial mole. This is the first report of combined elevation of MSAFP and MShCG.     

内蒙古流沙山金(钼)矿床地质特征及矿床类型的划分

流沙山矿床是近年来在内蒙古西部发现的一处金 (钼 )矿床。金 (钼 )矿化主要在海西期花岗闪长岩内呈大脉细脉和线脉产出 ,其空间展布形态受一系列环状断裂带控制。金 (钼 )矿体多为环状到半环状透镜体 ,局部地段为扁豆群和楔状体。矿石的金属矿物有辉钼矿、白钨矿、辉铋矿、黄铜矿、黄铁矿、钼钙矿、自然金和银金矿。脉石矿物有石英、钾长石、斜长石、黑云母和角闪石 ,其中辉钼矿Re Os同位素等时线年龄为 (2 6 0±10 )× 10 6a。矿体的围岩蚀变主要有硅化和钾化 (钾长石化和绢云母化 ) ,次为绢英岩化和青盘岩化。本文重点研究了与矿化有关的花岗岩类岩相学和岩石化学 ,阐述了金 (钼 )矿床的矿化特征 ,划分了矿床的蚀变分带。在对比流沙山金 (钼 )矿床与国内外经典性斑岩型金属矿床主要特征的基础上 ,将流沙山 (钼 )矿床确定为深成岩型斑岩金 (钼 )矿床     

Cultures of the pelagic cyanophytes Trichodesmium erythraeum and T. thiebautii in synthetic medium

Trials for determination of culture conditions for the marine cyanophytes of Trichodesmium erythraeum and T. thiebautii were made with use of a synthetic medium. The Aquil medium, either with or without combined nitrogen, brought about stable growth of the two strains, T. erythraeum and T. thiebautii. However, they failed to grow in an ASP₇ medium. The failure was found to be due to the toxic effect of Tris-aminomethane, the pH-buffer in this medium. Two important chemical conditions for the stable growth of Trichodesmium spp. were revealed. (1) Stable growth was supported by Ca²⁺ at high concentrations; in a concentration lower than 0.9 mM, cell-lysis promptly occurred, while the cells could grow without cell-lysis at Ca²⁺ concentrations higher than 7.5 mM even at a salinity as low as 19 S. Ca²⁺ is probably essential for the osmotic regulation in this organism. (2) Phosphate-toxicity at high concentrations was at least partly due to heavy metal(s) contaminating the reagent of inorganic phosphate. After treatment with a Chelex-100 column, phosphate concentration could be increased up to four times the previous concentrations without toxicity.     

Recovery of rare-earth elements from neodymium magnets using molten salt electrolysis

Rare-earth elements are used in neodymium magnets, and these elements are critical to Japanese industry. In this study, we focused on the electrochemical behavior of neodymium magnets for the recovery of rare-earth elements using molten salt electrolysis. The influence of the rare-earth elemental composition of the neodymium magnets on their anodic polarization behavior and oxidation mechanism was studied. The use of potentiostatic electrolysis enabled selective leaching of rare-earth elements from neodymium magnets in the potential range from ?1.8 to ?0.8 V. The oxidation potential limits the oxidation stage, enabling rare-earth elements to be leached from mixed neodymium magnets simultaneously.