Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 79 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks, 1990–2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015

BACKGROUND: The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2015 provides an up-to-date synthesis of the evidence for risk factor exposure and the attributable burden of disease. By providing national and subnational assessments spanning the past 25 years, this study can inform debates on the importance of addressing risks in context. METHODS: We used the comparative risk assessment framework developed for previous iterations of the Global Burden of Disease Study to estimate attributable deaths, disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), and trends in exposure by age group, sex, year, and geography for 79 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks from 1990 to 2015. This study included 388 risk-outcome pairs that met World Cancer Research Fund-defined criteria for convincing or probable evidence. We extracted relative risk and exposure estimates from randomised controlled trials, cohorts, pooled cohorts, household surveys, census data, satellite data, and other sources. We used statistical models to pool data, adjust for bias, and incorporate covariates. We developed a metric that allows comparisons of exposure across risk factors-the summary exposure value. Using the counterfactual scenario of theoretical minimum risk level, we estimated the portion of deaths and DALYs that could be attributed to a given risk. We decomposed trends in attributable burden into contributions from population growth, population age structure, risk exposure, and risk-deleted cause-specific DALY rates. We characterised risk exposure in relation to a Socio-demographic Index (SDI). FINDINGS: Between 1990 and 2015, global exposure to unsafe sanitation, household air pollution, childhood underweight, childhood stunting, and smoking each decreased by more than 25%. Global exposure for several occupational risks, high body-mass index (BMI), and drug use increased by more than 25% over the same period. All risks jointly evaluated in 2015 accounted for 57·8% (95% CI 56·6-58·8) of global deaths and 41·2% (39·8-42·8) of DALYs. In 2015, the ten largest contributors to global DALYs among Level 3 risks were high systolic blood pressure (211·8 million [192·7 million to 231·1 million] global DALYs), smoking (148·6 million [134·2 million to 163·1 million]), high fasting plasma glucose (143·1 million [125·1 million to 163·5 million]), high BMI (120·1 million [83·8 million to 158·4 million]), childhood undernutrition (113·3 million [103·9 million to 123·4 million]), ambient particulate matter (103·1 million [90·8 million to 115·1 million]), high total cholesterol (88·7 million [74·6 million to 105·7 million]), household air pollution (85·6 million [66·7 million to 106·1 million]), alcohol use (85·0 million [77·2 million to 93·0 million]), and diets high in sodium (83·0 million [49·3 million to 127·5 million]). From 1990 to 2015, attributable DALYs declined for micronutrient deficiencies, childhood undernutrition, unsafe sanitation and water, and household air pollution; reductions in risk-deleted DALY rates rather than reductions in exposure drove these declines. Rising exposure contributed to notable increases in attributable DALYs from high BMI, high fasting plasma glucose, occupational carcinogens, and drug use. Environmental risks and childhood undernutrition declined steadily with SDI; low physical activity, high BMI, and high fasting plasma glucose increased with SDI. In 119 countries, metabolic risks, such as high BMI and fasting plasma glucose, contributed the most attributable DALYs in 2015. Regionally, smoking still ranked among the leading five risk factors for attributable DALYs in 109 countries; childhood underweight and unsafe sex remained primary drivers of early death and disability in much of sub-Saharan Africa. INTERPRETATION: Declines in some key environmental risks have contributed to declines in critical infectious diseases. Some risks appear to be invariant to SDI. Increasing risks, including high BMI, high fasting plasma glucose, drug use, and some occupational exposures, contribute to rising burden from some conditions, but also provide opportunities for intervention. Some highly preventable risks, such as smoking, remain major causes of attributable DALYs, even as exposure is declining. Public policy makers need to pay attention to the risks that are increasingly major contributors to global burden. FUNDING: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Global, Regional, and National Cancer Incidence, Mortality, Years of Life Lost, Years Lived With Disability, and Disability-Adjusted Life-Years for 29 Cancer Groups, 1990 to 2017

Importance Cancer and other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are now widely recognized as a threat to global development. The latest United Nations high-level meeting on NCDs reaffirmed this observation and also highlighted the slow progress in meeting the 2011 Political Declaration on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases and the third Sustainable Development Goal. Lack of situational analyses, priority setting, and budgeting have been identified as major obstacles in achieving these goals. All of these have in common that they require information on the local cancer epidemiology. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study is uniquely poised to provide these crucial data. Objective To describe cancer burden for 29 cancer groups in 195 countries from 1990 through 2017 to provide data needed for cancer control planning. Evidence Review We used the GBD study estimation methods to describe cancer incidence, mortality, years lived with disability, years of life lost, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). Results are presented at the national level as well as by Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a composite indicator of income, educational attainment, and total fertility rate. We also analyzed the influence of the epidemiological vs the demographic transition on cancer incidence. Findings In 2017, there were 24.5 million incident cancer cases worldwide (16.8 million without nonmelanoma skin cancer [NMSC]) and 9.6 million cancer deaths. The majority of cancer DALYs came from years of life lost (97%), and only 3% came from years lived with disability. The odds of developing cancer were the lowest in the low SDI quintile (1 in 7) and the highest in the high SDI quintile (1 in 2) for both sexes. In 2017, the most common incident cancers in men were NMSC (4.3 million incident cases); tracheal, bronchus, and lung (TBL) cancer (1.5 million incident cases); and prostate cancer (1.3 million incident cases). The most common causes of cancer deaths and DALYs for men were TBL cancer (1.3 million deaths and 28.4 million DALYs), liver cancer (572 000 deaths and 15.2 million DALYs), and stomach cancer (542 000 deaths and 12.2 million DALYs). For women in 2017, the most common incident cancers were NMSC (3.3 million incident cases), breast cancer (1.9 million incident cases), and colorectal cancer (819 000 incident cases). The leading causes of cancer deaths and DALYs for women were breast cancer (601 000 deaths and 17.4 million DALYs), TBL cancer (596 000 deaths and 12.6 million DALYs), and colorectal cancer (414 000 deaths and 8.3 million DALYs). Conclusions and Relevance The national epidemiological profiles of cancer burden in the GBD study show large heterogeneities, which are a reflection of different exposures to risk factors, economic settings, lifestyles, and access to care and screening. The GBD study can be used by policy makers and other stakeholders to develop and improve national and local cancer control in order to achieve the global targets and improve equity in cancer care.

Smoking prevalence and attributable disease burden in 195 countries and territories, 1990–2015: a systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015

BACKGROUND: The scale-up of tobacco control, especially after the adoption of the Framework Convention for Tobacco Control, is a major public health success story. Nonetheless, smoking remains a leading risk for early death and disability worldwide, and therefore continues to require sustained political commitment. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) offers a robust platform through which global, regional, and national progress toward achieving smoking-related targets can be assessed. METHODS: We synthesised 2818 data sources with spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression and produced estimates of daily smoking prevalence by sex, age group, and year for 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2015. We analysed 38 risk-outcome pairs to generate estimates of smoking-attributable mortality and disease burden, as measured by disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). We then performed a cohort analysis of smoking prevalence by birth-year cohort to better understand temporal age patterns in smoking. We also did a decomposition analysis, in which we parsed out changes in all-cause smoking-attributable DALYs due to changes in population growth, population ageing, smoking prevalence, and risk-deleted DALY rates. Finally, we explored results by level of development using the Socio-demographic Index (SDI). FINDINGS: Worldwide, the age-standardised prevalence of daily smoking was 25·0% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 24·2-25·7) for men and 5·4% (5·1-5·7) for women, representing 28·4% (25·8-31·1) and 34·4% (29·4-38·6) reductions, respectively, since 1990. A greater percentage of countries and territories achieved significant annualised rates of decline in smoking prevalence from 1990 to 2005 than in between 2005 and 2015; however, only four countries had significant annualised increases in smoking prevalence between 2005 and 2015 (Congo [Brazzaville] and Azerbaijan for men and Kuwait and Timor-Leste for women). In 2015, 11·5% of global deaths (6·4 million [95% UI 5·7-7·0 million]) were attributable to smoking worldwide, of which 52·2% took place in four countries (China, India, the USA, and Russia). Smoking was ranked among the five leading risk factors by DALYs in 109 countries and territories in 2015, rising from 88 geographies in 1990. In terms of birth cohorts, male smoking prevalence followed similar age patterns across levels of SDI, whereas much more heterogeneity was found in age patterns for female smokers by level of development. While smoking prevalence and risk-deleted DALY rates mostly decreased by sex and SDI quintile, population growth, population ageing, or a combination of both, drove rises in overall smoking-attributable DALYs in low-SDI to middle-SDI geographies between 2005 and 2015. INTERPRETATION: The pace of progress in reducing smoking prevalence has been heterogeneous across geographies, development status, and sex, and as highlighted by more recent trends, maintaining past rates of decline should not be taken for granted, especially in women and in low-SDI to middle-SDI countries. Beyond the effect of the tobacco industry and societal mores, a crucial challenge facing tobacco control initiatives is that demographic forces are poised to heighten smoking's global toll, unless progress in preventing initiation and promoting cessation can be substantially accelerated. Greater success in tobacco control is possible but requires effective, comprehensive, and adequately implemented and enforced policies, which might in turn require global and national levels of political commitment beyond what has been achieved during the past 25 years. FUNDING: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Cancer Incidence, Mortality, Years of Life Lost, Years Lived With Disability, and Disability-Adjusted Life Years for 29 Cancer Groups From 2010 to 2019

IMPORTANCE: The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2019 (GBD 2019) provided systematic estimates of incidence, morbidity, and mortality to inform local and international efforts toward reducing cancer burden. OBJECTIVE: To estimate cancer burden and trends globally for 204 countries and territories and by Sociodemographic Index (SDI) quintiles from 2010 to 2019. EVIDENCE REVIEW: The GBD 2019 estimation methods were used to describe cancer incidence, mortality, years lived with disability, years of life lost, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in 2019 and over the past decade. Estimates are also provided by quintiles of the SDI, a composite measure of educational attainment, income per capita, and total fertility rate for those younger than 25 years. Estimates include 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs). FINDINGS: In 2019, there were an estimated 23.6 million (95% UI, 22.2-24.9 million) new cancer cases (17.2 million when excluding nonmelanoma skin cancer) and 10.0 million (95% UI, 9.36-10.6 million) cancer deaths globally, with an estimated 250 million (235-264 million) DALYs due to cancer. Since 2010, these represented a 26.3% (95% UI, 20.3%-32.3%) increase in new cases, a 20.9% (95% UI, 14.2%-27.6%) increase in deaths, and a 16.0% (95% UI, 9.3%-22.8%) increase in DALYs. Among 22 groups of diseases and injuries in the GBD 2019 study, cancer was second only to cardiovascular diseases for the number of deaths, years of life lost, and DALYs globally in 2019. Cancer burden differed across SDI quintiles. The proportion of years lived with disability that contributed to DALYs increased with SDI, ranging from 1.4% (1.1%-1.8%) in the low SDI quintile to 5.7% (4.2%-7.1%) in the high SDI quintile. While the high SDI quintile had the highest number of new cases in 2019, the middle SDI quintile had the highest number of cancer deaths and DALYs. From 2010 to 2019, the largest percentage increase in the numbers of cases and deaths occurred in the low and low-middle SDI quintiles. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The results of this systematic analysis suggest that the global burden of cancer is substantial and growing, with burden differing by SDI. These results provide comprehensive and comparable estimates that can potentially inform efforts toward equitable cancer control around the world.

Global, regional, and national disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for 306 diseases and injuries and healthy life expectancy (HALE) for 188 countries, 1990–2013: quantifying the epidemiological transition

The global burden of injury: incidence, mortality, disability-adjusted life years and time trends from the Global Burden of Disease study 2013

BACKGROUND: The Global Burden of Diseases (GBD), Injuries, and Risk Factors study used the disability-adjusted life year (DALY) to quantify the burden of diseases, injuries, and risk factors. This paper provides an overview of injury estimates from the 2013 update of GBD, with detailed information on incidence, mortality, DALYs and rates of change from 1990 to 2013 for 26 causes of injury, globally, by region and by country. METHODS: Injury mortality was estimated using the extensive GBD mortality database, corrections for ill-defined cause of death and the cause of death ensemble modelling tool. Morbidity estimation was based on inpatient and outpatient data sets, 26 cause-of-injury and 47 nature-of-injury categories, and seven follow-up studies with patient-reported long-term outcome measures. RESULTS: In 2013, 973 million (uncertainty interval (UI) 942 to 993) people sustained injuries that warranted some type of healthcare and 4.8 million (UI 4.5 to 5.1) people died from injuries. Between 1990 and 2013 the global age-standardised injury DALY rate decreased by 31% (UI 26% to 35%). The rate of decline in DALY rates was significant for 22 cause-of-injury categories, including all the major injuries. CONCLUSIONS: Injuries continue to be an important cause of morbidity and mortality in the developed and developing world. The decline in rates for almost all injuries is so prominent that it warrants a general statement that the world is becoming a safer place to live in. However, the patterns vary widely by cause, age, sex, region and time and there are still large improvements that need to be made.

Pronounced central uplift identified in the Bosumtwi impact structure, Ghana, using multichannel seismic reflection data

Research Article| October 01, 2002 Pronounced central uplift identified in the Bosumtwi impact structure, Ghana, using multichannel seismic reflection data Christopher A. Scholz; Christopher A. Scholz 1204 Heroy Geology Laboratory, Department of Earth Sciences, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Tobias Karp; Tobias Karp 2Institut für Geowissenschaften, Abteilung Geophysik Otto-Hahn-Platz 1, 24118 Kiel, Germany Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Keely M. Brooks; Keely M. Brooks 3204 Heroy Geology Laboratory, Department of Earth Sciences, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Bernd Milkereit; Bernd Milkereit 4Department of Physics, University of Toronto, 60 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A7, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Philip Y.O. Amoako; Philip Y.O. Amoako 5Ghana Geological Survey, P.O. Box M80, Accra, Ghana Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Justice A. Arko Justice A. Arko 6Institute of Mining and Mineral Engineering, University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Christopher A. Scholz 1204 Heroy Geology Laboratory, Department of Earth Sciences, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244, USA Tobias Karp 2Institut für Geowissenschaften, Abteilung Geophysik Otto-Hahn-Platz 1, 24118 Kiel, Germany Keely M. Brooks 3204 Heroy Geology Laboratory, Department of Earth Sciences, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244, USA Bernd Milkereit 4Department of Physics, University of Toronto, 60 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A7, Canada Philip Y.O. Amoako 5Ghana Geological Survey, P.O. Box M80, Accra, Ghana Justice A. Arko 6Institute of Mining and Mineral Engineering, University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 22 Jan 2002 Revision Received: 13 Jun 2002 Accepted: 18 Jun 2002 First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (2002) 30 (10): 939–942. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(2002)0302.0.CO;2 Article history Received: 22 Jan 2002 Revision Received: 13 Jun 2002 Accepted: 18 Jun 2002 First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Christopher A. Scholz, Tobias Karp, Keely M. Brooks, Bernd Milkereit, Philip Y.O. Amoako, Justice A. Arko; Pronounced central uplift identified in the Bosumtwi impact structure, Ghana, using multichannel seismic reflection data. Geology 2002;; 30 (10): 939–942. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(2002)0302.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract The Lake Bosumtwi impact structure is the youngest and best-preserved complex terrestrial impact crater and serves as an important reference site for the study of cratering processes. Because the impacting body struck continental crystalline target rocks and not a submerged sedimentary platform, no significant backwash processes have modified the crater morphology. Not only may Bosumtwi contain the best-preserved central uplift structure on Earth, but it is the most accessible relatively large, young crater in the solar system generated in a large gravity field. There is a well-established link between the Lake Bosumtwi impact structure and the Ivory Coast tektite field, and the lacustrine sediments within the crater contain a unique 1 m.y. record of paleoclimate in the continental tropics south of the Sahel. Eight profiles of marine-type multichannel seismic reflection (MCS) data were acquired from the 8-km-diameter, ∼75-m-deep lake that fills much of the crater. These were augmented by wide-angle seismic data acquired with ocean-bottom hydrophones. MCS data reveal a well-defined central uplift near the northwest-central part of the lake and a maximum postimpact lacustrine sediment thickness of ∼310 m. The central uplift structure has a diameter of 1.9 km and a maximum height of 130 m above the annular moat inside the crater. An intermediate velocity layer (3200 m/s) beneath the lacustrine sediment is interpreted as fallback breccia or a breccia-melt horizon. The measured apparent depth of the crater (da) is 500 m, implying a slightly higher aspect ratio for the structure than predicted from published empirical relationships. The Bosumtwi structure is a small complex crater that deviates slightly from trends predicted from classical scaling laws, perhaps because of the effects of a large gravity field. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.

Assessing Climate Driven Malaria Variability in Ghana Using a Regional Scale Dynamical Model

Malaria is a major public health challenge in Ghana and adversely affects the productivity and economy of the country. Although malaria is climate driven, there are limited studies linking climate variability and disease transmission across the various agro-ecological zones in Ghana. We used the VECTRI (vector-borne disease community model of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste) model with a new surface hydrology scheme to investigate the spatio-temporal variability in malaria transmission patterns over the four agro-ecological zones in Ghana. The model is driven using temperature and rainfall datasets obtained from the GMet (Ghana Meteorological Agency) synoptic stations between 1981 and 2010. In addition, the potential of the VECTRI model to simulate seasonal pattern of local scale malaria incidence is assessed. The model results reveal that the simulated malaria transmission follows rainfall peaks with a two-month time lag. Furthermore, malaria transmission ranges from eight to twelve months, with minimum transmission occurring between February and April. The results further reveal that the intra- and inter-agro-ecological variability in terms of intensity and duration of malaria transmission are predominantly controlled by rainfall. The VECTRI simulated EIR (Entomological Inoculation Rate) tends to agree with values obtained from field surveys across the country. Furthermore, despite being a regional model, VECTRI demonstrates useful skill in reproducing monthly variations in reported malaria cases from Emena hospital (a peri urban town located within Kumasi metropolis). Although further refinements in this surface hydrology scheme may improve VECTRI performance, VECTRI still possesses the potential to provide useful information for malaria control in the tropics.

Current status of nanomedicine and nanosurgery

Nanotechnology is a multidisciplinary field that covers a vast and diverse array of devices derived from physics, biology, engineering, and chemistry. Applications of nanotechnology to medicine and physiology imply materials and devices designed to interact with the body at subcellular (i.e., molecular) scales with a high degree of specificity. There is considerable useful information about nanotechnology available and already in use. However, at present, it is very incomplete and scattered. We realized many doctors are unaware of nanotechnology used during surgery and its future prospects in patients. Though most medical products that use nanotechnology are still in the research and development stage, there are a few which are commercially available. Nanotechnology has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years; applications of this technology in the field of medicine and surgery have been an important spin-off. Many biological structures are at nanometer scale used by surgeons in orthopedic, dental, and neurosurgeries. This article starts with the basics of the nanotechnology and how it is utilized through most medical products. This important article, which is felt to offer high educational value for the doctors, have been selected from an extensive search on the internet, and elaborately discussed. In this review, the scientific and technical aspects of nanotechnology are introduced, and some of its potential clinical applications are discussed.

A cross-national assessment of artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot user perceptions in collegiate physics education

This study explores the perception of artificial intelligence (AI )-based Chatbots, specifically Open AI’s ChatGPT use, among physics students in four universities in Ghana, Jordan, and the United States. We utilized a survey instrument adapted from the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to elicit responses from 804 students. TAM constructs: Perceived Usefulness (PU), Perceived Ease of Use (PEU), Subjective Norms (SN), Attitude Towards Technology Use (ATU), Behavioral Intention (BI), and User Behavior (UB) were assessed. We also assessed perceptions of ethical use (EU) and student learning outcomes (SLO) using a Structural Equation Model (SEM) approach. A measurement model had good fit indices and validated most hypotheses. A path analysis (PA) for hypothesized relationships suggested PEU and SN are significant predictors of BI and UB, whereas PU's influence on BI was indirect. Significantly, EU concerns negatively moderated the relationship between BI and UB, suggesting that higher ethical concerns can reduce ChatGPT usage. Cross-cultural analysis uncovered significant differences in perceptions and usage patterns influenced by institutional policies, academic levels, and demographic factors. Our findings affirm TAM's robustness in predicting technology use across various cultural and institutional settings. Findings also underscore the crucial roles of social influence in fostering positive user behaviors for Chat GPT. This study provides insights for educators and policymakers to develop strategies for integrating AI Chatbots responsibly and effectively in collegiate physics education while addressing ethical concerns. A longitudinal survey of the relationships between consistent AI Chatbot use, institutional support, student motivation, and learning outcomes is recommended.

Antimicrobial Potential of Extract from a Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolate

Microorganisms are one of the main sources of antimicrobial agents and over 50% of antibiotics currently used in hospitals are metabolites from microbes. This study aimed to isolate microorganisms from the Dompoase landfill site, Kwame Nkrumah University Physics Garden, Kosiko River, and Ada Foah seashore of Ghana and screen their metabolites for antimicrobial activity. Forty-eight (48) microorganisms were isolated and their metabolites were screened against Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Vibrio cholerae, Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus pyogenes, Proteus mirabilis, and Candida albicans using the agar well diffusion method. Ten (10) of the isolates exhibited antimicrobial activity. Isolate DO5, identified as P. aeruginosa isolate, from the Dompoase landfill site was selected for fermentation because it exhibited the highest activity against all the test organisms. DO5 produced optimum antimicrobial activity when fermented for 11 days at 30°C. In the agar diffusion method, the extract of isolate DO5 recorded zones of inhibition ranging between 11.67 ± 0.23 and 21.50 ± 0.71 mm. The MIC and MBC recorded for the DO5 extract ranged from 3.13–25.0 mg/mL and from 6.25–50.0 mg/mL, respectively. Column chromatography analysis yielded eight (8) subfractions from the DO5 extract. IR analysis revealed the presence of functional groups such as alcohols, esters, and hydrocarbons in the fractions. GC-MS analysis identified nine compounds that have been reported to have antimicrobial agents. The DO5 metabolites stand the chance to be developed into potent antibiotics for infection treatment.

Characterization of complex fluvio–deltaic deposits in Northeast China using multi-modal machine learning fusion

Due to the lack of petroleum resources, stratigraphic reservoirs have become an important source of future discoveries. We describe a methodology for predicting reservoir sands from complex reservoir seismic data. Data analysis involves a bio-integrated framework called multi-modal machine learning fusion (MMMLF) based on neural networks. First, acoustic-related seismic attributes from post-stack seismic data were used to characterize the reservoirs. They enhanced the understanding of the structure and spatial distribution of petrophysical properties of lithostratigraphic reservoirs. The attributes were then classified as varied modal inputs into a central fusion engine for prediction. We applied the method to a dataset from Northeast China. Using seismic attributes and rock physics relationships as input data, MMMLF was performed to predict the spatial distribution of lithology in the Upper Guantao substrata. Despite the large scattering in the acoustic-related data properties, the proposed MMMLF methodology predicted the distribution of lithological properties through the gamma ray logs. Moreover, complex stratigraphic traps such as braided fluvial sandstones in the fluvio-deltaic deposits were delineated. These findings can have significant implications for future exploration and production in Northeast China and similar petroleum provinces around the world.

Analytical Study of Variable‐Order Fractional Differential Equations With Initial and Terminal Antiperiodic Boundary Conditions

This study investigates the existence, uniqueness, and stability of solutions to Riemann–Liouville fractional differential equations with fractional variable‐order and antiperiodic boundary conditions. By employing the Banach fixed point theorem, we establish conditions for the uniqueness of solutions, while Schauder’s fixed point theorem is used to prove their existence in a Banach space. We further demonstrate Ulam–Hyers–Rassias stability, ensuring solution robustness against perturbations. The variable‐order framework enables modeling of complex systems with evolving memory, offering advantages over constant‐order models in applications such as physics and epidemiology. A concrete example illustrates the practical applicability of our results. This work provides a rigorous theoretical foundation, bridging pure mathematics with potential applications in science and engineering, and sets the stage for future numerical and applied studies.

Realistic friction coefficient model between a rolling cylindrical element and a deformable flat surface

Optimal Physics Parameterization Scheme Combination of the Weather Research and Forecasting Model for Seasonal Precipitation Simulation over Ghana

Seasonal predictions of precipitation, among others, are important to help mitigate the effects of drought and floods on agriculture, hydropower generation, disasters, and many more. This work seeks to obtain a suitable combination of physics schemes of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model for seasonal precipitation simulation over Ghana. Using the ERA-Interim reanalysis as forcing data, simulation experiments spanning eight months (from April to November) were performed for two different years: a dry year (2001) and a wet year (2008). A double nested approach was used with the outer domain at 50 km resolution covering West Africa and the inner domain covering Ghana at 10 km resolution. The results suggest that the WRF model generally overestimated the observed precipitation by a mean value between 3% and 64% for both years. Most of the scheme combinations overestimated (underestimated) precipitation over coastal (northern) zones of Ghana for both years but estimated precipitation reasonably well over forest and transitional zones. On the whole, the combination of WRF Single-Moment 6-Class Microphysics Scheme, Grell-Devenyi Ensemble Cumulus Scheme, and Asymmetric Convective Model Planetary Boundary Layer Scheme simulated the best temporal pattern and temporal variability with the least relative bias for both years and therefore is recommended for Ghana.

Integration of rock physics, geostatistics, and Bayesian algorithm to estimate porosity in tight oil reservoirs

Detection and Delineation of Contaminant Migration using the Terrain Conductivity Technique outside the Perimeters of the Dompoase Landfill Facility in Kumasi – Ghana.

A thesis submitted to the Department of Physics, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science (Geophysics). College of Science June 2012.

Balancing Family and Career

In essentially all countries, responsibilities for child care, cooking, cleaning, and other homemaking tasks fall predominantly on the wife and mother. In addition, the childbearing years come during the period when a physicist must study hard, work long hours on research, and take temporary positions, often abroad. Thus, balancing family and career has long been one of the major barriers to women’s participation in science and engineering fields, including physics. While many young women believe that they must choose between having children and having a science career, the fact is that the majority of women physicists in both developing and developed countries have successfully done both. This paper summarizes some ideas and recommendations raised in discussions, especially focused on easing the challenges of having children while in temporary jobs, returning to physics after a career break, the need for “family‐friendly” working conditions, and the dual‐career problem facing couples where both are scientists.

Women in Physics in Ghana: Improvement on the Horizon

Development and validation of the multicopter modelling code: a physics-based tool for multicopter analysis

Purpose This study aims to present details of the development and validation of the multicopter modelling code (MMC), a tool for the analysis of small-scale multicopters based on flight physics. Design/methodology/approach The development effort involved the study of aircraft dynamics and translating the equations of motion into MATLAB code. The authors also developed several auxiliary functions, so that the tool could trim the aircraft about a steady state, linearize the dynamic equations to produce a model that could be used for control systems design and carry out flight simulation. Findings MMC proved to be of good accuracy, producing results similar to those of other software such as AcuSolve, Overflow and the Rensselaer Multicopter Analysis Code (RMAC), which served as the motivation for this study. Originality/value The tool presented here provides an alternative to the aforementioned software, which are not freely available, programmed in MATLAB, a language well known to engineers and scientists.

The changing face of women in physics in Ghana

Ghana is said to be the first independent sub-Saharan African country outside South Africa to promote science education and the application of science in industrial and social development. It has long been recognized that many schools' science curricula extend the extracurricular activities of boys more than those of girls. In order to bridge this gap, efforts have been made to give girls extra assistance in the learning of science by exposing them to science activities through specific camps, road shows, exhibitions, and so on. The best known of such efforts is the Science, Technology, and Mathematics Education (STME) camps and clinics for girls, which started in Ghana 23 years ago. Since our attendance at the Third International Conference on Women in Physics in Seoul, Korea, a lot has been achieved to further improve female science education, and this credit goes to STME. The first female nuclear engineer from Ghana graduated from the University of Ghana in March 2010.

PSCAE-SN: Physics-Aware Spiking RFI Detection for Simulated MeerKAT Data.

This archive contains version 1.0.0 of PSCAE-SN, a physics-aware spiking convolutional autoencoder for detecting radio-frequency interference in simulated MeerKAT data. It includes the executed Jupyter notebook used for model training, evaluation, and figure generation, together with citation metadata, documentation, and the MIT License. The notebook reproduces five stochastic training runs and the reported pixel-level detection metrics using the publicly available TABASCAL SNN-NLN dataset. Trained model weights are not included; users must retrain the model by executing the notebook.

PSCAE-SN: Physics-Aware Spiking RFI Detection for Simulated MeerKAT Data.

This archive contains version 1.0.0 of PSCAE-SN, a physics-aware spiking convolutional autoencoder for detecting radio-frequency interference in simulated MeerKAT data. It includes the executed Jupyter notebook used for model training, evaluation, and figure generation, together with citation metadata, documentation, and the MIT License. The notebook reproduces five stochastic training runs and the reported pixel-level detection metrics using the publicly available TABASCAL SNN-NLN dataset. Trained model weights are not included; users must retrain the model by executing the notebook.

When transformers obey physics: A physics-guided transformer with symbolic regression for real time monitoring of flowing bottom-hole pressure

Women in physics in Ghana: Our story

The status of women physicists in academia and industry has improved over the last decade in Ghana but not without challenges. It will take some time before women are well represented, especially at the professorial level. Organizations such as the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) and the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS) are striving hard to minimize professional gaps between women and men. The Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, through its efforts to encourage women in physics and science in general has elected its second woman in 58 years as president, and GAEC is also encouraging and appointing women to managerial positions.

Topic 1: Attracting Girls Into Physics

We discuss the problems in attracting girls into physics. We present some of the projects undertaken in various countries to ameliorate the problem, and we conclude with some follow‐up suggestions that can be implemented in all countries.