Browsing by Author "et, al"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    Annotating unknown species of urban microorganisms on a global scale unveils novel functional diversity and local environment association
    (Elsevier: Environmental Research, 2021-09) Wu, Jun; Danko, David; Osuolale, Olayinka O.; et, al
    In urban ecosystems, microbes play a key role in maintaining major ecological functions that directly support human health and city life. However, the knowledge about the species composition and functions involved in urban environments is still limited, which is largely due to the lack of reference genomes in metagenomic studies comprises more than half of unclassified reads. Here we uncovered 732 novel bacterial species from 4728 samples collected from various common surface with the matching materials in the mass transit system across 60 cities by the MetaSUB Consortium. The number of novel species is significantly and positively correlated with the city population, and more novel species can be identified in the skin-associated samples. The in-depth analysis of the new gene catalog showed that the functional terms have a significant geographical distinguishability. Moreover, we revealed that more biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) can be found in novel species. The cooccurrence relationship between BGCs and genera and the geographical specificity of BGCs can also provide us more information for the synthesis pathways of natural products. Expanded the known urban microbiome diversity and suggested additional mechanisms for taxonomic and functional characterization of the urban microbiome. Considering the great impact of urban microbiomes on human life, our study can also facilitate the microbial interaction analysis between human and urban environment.
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    An Assessment of the Effectiveness ofWeather Information Dissemination among Farmers and Policy Makers
    (Sustainability, 2022-03-27) Sansa-Otim, Julianne; Nsabagwa, Mary; Osuolale, Olayinka O.; et, al
    The changing environment, climate, and the increasing manifestation of disasters, has generated an increased demand for accurate and timely weather information. This information is provided by the National meteorological authorities (NMAs) through different dissemination channels e.g., using radios, Televisions, emails among others. The use of ICTs to provide weather information is recently gaining popularity. A study was conducted in three countries, namely Nigeria, Uganda, and South Sudan to assess the efficiency of an ICT tool, known as “Weather Information Dissemination System”. The study involved 254 participants (Uganda: 71; South Sudan: 133; and Nigeria: 50). The collected primary data were first quality controlled and organized thematically for detailed analysis. Descriptive statistics was used to provide quantitative analysis as well as content scrutinized for qualitative analysis. The results showed that there is a need for timely weather information to plan farming activities such as planting and application of fertilizers and pesticides as well as to manage flood and drought by the water sector and disaster management. Results further showed that the majority of the respondents have access to the technology needed to access weather and climate information. The respondents who received weather information from NMAs noted that the forecast was good. However, they further noted that there is more room for improvement especially with making the forecasts location-specific, ensuring mobile access is adequate in all regions, provision of weather information by SMS (in countries where this service is currently unavailable) and improved timing of the weather information. Finally, uncertainty about the accuracy of weather information and the weather information not meeting specific needs are key barriers to people’s willingness to pay for it (Uganda: 33.3%; South Sudan: 46.1%; and Nigeria: 33.3%). Improved collaborations between the NMAs, ICT service providers, policymakers and farmers will facilitate an effective approach to weather information access and dissemination. Innovative sensitization approaches through the media houses will enable better understanding of weather products and utilization, and access to enabling ICTs would increase access to weather forecasts
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    Cartography of opportunistic pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes in a tertiary hospital environment
    (Nature Medicine, 2020-06) Rei Chng, Kern; Li, Chenhao; Osuolale, Olayinka O.; et, al
    Although disinfection is key to infection control, the colonization patterns and resistomes of hospital-environment microbes remain underexplored. We report the first extensive genomic characterization of microbiomes, pathogens and antibiotic resistance cassettes in a tertiary-care hospital, from repeated sampling (up to 1.5 years apart) of 179 sites associated with 45 beds. Deep shotgun metagenomics unveiled distinct ecological niches of microbes and antibiotic resistance genes characterized by biofilm-forming and human-microbiome-influenced environments with corresponding patterns of spatiotemporal divergence. Quasi-metagenomics with nanopore sequencing provided thousands of high-contiguity genomes, phage and plasmid sequences (>60% novel), enabling characterization of resistome and mobilome diversity and dynamic architectures in hospital environments. Phylogenetics identified multidrug-resistant strains as being widely distributed and stably colonizing across sites. Comparisons with clinical isolates indicated that such microbes can persist in hospitals for extended periods (>8 years), to opportunistically infect patients. These findings highlight the importance of characterizing antibiotic resistance reservoirs in hospitals and establish the feasibility of systematic surveys to target resources for preventing infections.
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    Comparison of the Elemental Structure and Emission Characteristics of Selected PVC and Non PVC Ceiling Materials Available in Nigerian Markets
    (International Journal of Applied Engineering Research, 2017) Dirisu, J.O; Asere, A.A.; et, al
    The recurring fire outbreak in buildings in Nigeria is quite alarming, just as the shift to the use of PVC as a choice for ceiling material due to its aesthetic appearance is on the increase. Hence this study determined the emission characteristics PVC and non-PVC samples. This was done with a view to establishing their suitability as ceiling materials in building designs for tropical countries and providing thermal and combustion data for building stakeholders that could help to checkmate man made fire disasters. This experiment involves the burning of a consistent mass, 50g of 6 samples of 3 PVC and 3 non-PVC in an open furnace where the combustion is carefully controlled. It investigates the flue gasses concentration emitted in the cause of fire outbreak and its effect on occupants. It responds to the question in mind that not only visible flame kills but also toxicity from flue gas can be detrimental to health of victims. The results showed that PVC samples are unwelcome in terms of their emission characteristics which were due to their elemental makeup of their composites such as PVC recorded highest Carbon composition of 77.9% and lowest oxygen composition of 18.0 %. VOCs are cancerous, cause dizziness, rapid heartbeat, vomiting and eventual death. Benzene, a known VOC, is used in making PVC which is a human carcinogen compound. Ceiling materials that will achieve low noxious emission and as well fire retardant should be investigated and employed for use. These materials can be improved upon to achieve environmental friendly building materials.
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    Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Detection of SARS-CoV-2 and Myriad Other Applications
    (The Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities : Journal of biomolecular techniques: JBT, 2021-09) Moore, Keith J. M.; Cahill, Jeremy; Osuolale, Olayinka O.; et, al
    As the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic begins, it remains clear that a massive increase in the ability to test for SARS-CoV-2 infections in a myriad of settings is critical to controlling the pandemic and to preparing for future outbreaks. The current gold standard for molecular diagnostics is the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), but the extraordinary and unmet demand for testing in a variety of environments means that both complementary and supplementary testing solutions are still needed. This review highlights the role that loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) has had in filling this global testing need, providing a faster and easier means of testing, and what it can do for future applications, pathogens, and the preparation for future outbreaks. This review describes the current state of the art for research of LAMP-based SARS-CoV-2 testing, as well as its implications for other pathogens and testing. The authors represent the global LAMP (gLAMP) Consortium, an international research collective, which has regularly met to share their experiences on LAMP deployment and best practices; sections are devoted to all aspects of LAMP testing, including preanalytic sample processing, target amplification, and amplicon detection, then the hardware and software required for deployment are discussed, and finally, a summary of the current regulatory landscape is provided. Included as well are a series of first-person accounts of LAMP method development and deployment. The final discussion section provides the reader with a distillation of the most validated testing methods and their paths to implementation. This review also aims to provide practical information and insight for a range of audiences: for a research audience, to help accelerate research through sharing of best practices; for an implementation audience, to help get testing up and running quickly; and for a public health, clinical, and policy audience, to help convey the breadth of the effect that LAMP methods have to offer.