Scientific African最新文献

{"title":"Analysis of transverse vibrations of functionally graded beams with magnetostrictive Terfenol-D layers resting on an elastic foundation","authors":"Brahim Echouai ,&nbsp;Ahmed Adri ,&nbsp;Yassine El Khouddar ,&nbsp;Omar Outassafte ,&nbsp;Issam El Hantati ,&nbsp;El kouchi Echouai ,&nbsp;Mustapha Hassa ,&nbsp;Rhali Benamar","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02651","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02651","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The purpose of this research is to analyse and optimise the transverse vibrations of a beam made from functional gradient material (FGM) with magnetostrictive layers of Terfenol-D, supported by a Winkler-type elastic foundation. This study aims to develop an accurate model to analyze the influence of material properties, magnetostrictive layers, and the elastic foundation on the natural frequencies and damping factors of FGMT beams, using the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory within the finite element method (FEM). Using this approach, the governing differential equations are solved, and then the results, such as natural frequencies and vibration modes, are compared with the existing literature to validate the proposed model. Special focus is given to the detailed examination of natural frequencies for various combinations of FGMT materials to enhance the formulation's precision. More specifically, the objective of this work is to provide a comprehensive numerical framework that enables the prediction and optimization of transverse vibrations in FGMT beams, considering different material compositions and boundary conditions. The study seeks to highlight how the combination of magnetostrictive layers and elastic foundations can be exploited to enhance vibration control efficiency. The study also investigates the effectiveness of vibration suppression based on design parameters like material properties and foundation configuration. This paper provides insights into vibration mode distribution and structural optimization, offering recommendations for designing vibration control systems with potential applications in mitigating unwanted vibrations in infrastructure, industrial devices, and transport vehicles.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article e02651"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143697640","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Modeling tuberculosis dynamics with vaccination and treatment strategies","authors":"Olumuyiwa James Peter ,&nbsp;Dipo Aldila ,&nbsp;Tawakalt Abosede Ayoola ,&nbsp;Ghaniyyat Bolanle Balogun ,&nbsp;Festus Abiodun Oguntolu","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02647","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02647","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Tuberculosis (TB) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, worsened by the emergence of drug-resistant strains. The implementation of vaccination and observed treatment still becomes the most popular intervention in many countries. This study develops a mathematical model to analyze TB dynamics by considering the impact of integrated intervention vaccination and treatment strategy, and also taking into account the possibility of treatment failure and drug–resistant. The model constructed by dividing the population into six compartments: susceptible <span><math><mi>S</mi></math></span>, vaccinated <span><math><mi>V</mi></math></span>, latent <span><math><mi>L</mi></math></span>, active TB (I), drug-resistant TB <span><math><msub><mrow><mi>D</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>r</mi></mrow></msub></math></span>, and recovered <span><math><mi>R</mi></math></span>. Through a mathematical analysis of the dynamical properties of the proposed model, we demonstrated that the disease-free equilibrium point is always locally asymptotically stable when the basic reproduction number is less than one and unstable when it exceeds one. Moreover, the endemic equilibrium point is shown to exist uniquely only when the basic reproduction number is greater than one, and once it exists, it is always locally stable. For better visualization of the stability properties, we perform continuation simulations to generate a bifurcation diagram of our model, utilizing various bifurcation parameters. The Partial Rank Correlation Coefficient (PRCC) approach is used to carry out sensitivity analyses to determine the most sensitive parameters to the disease control. Simulation results show that increased vaccination rates efficiently reduce the susceptible population to increase the vaccinated population, decreasing disease transmission and lowering the burden of active and drug-resistant tuberculosis. Recovery rates after second-line treatment have a substantial impact on the dynamics of drug-resistant tuberculosis. Higher recovery rates result in faster rises in the recovered population and improved disease control. The findings emphasize the need for integrated measures, such as vaccination campaigns and enhanced treatment procedures, to reduce tuberculosis incidence, minimize drug resistance, and improve public health outcomes. These findings lay the groundwork for enhancing tuberculosis control programs, especially in countries with limited resources.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article e02647"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143684917","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Advances in green synthesis and application of nanoparticles from crop residues: A comprehensive review","authors":"Olawale F. Olaniyan ,&nbsp;Chinenye Agnes Ariwaodo ,&nbsp;Sulyman Olalekan Ibrahim ,&nbsp;Olubunmi Atolani ,&nbsp;Learnmore Kambizi","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02654","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02654","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Despite their vast abundance in million tonnes, crop residues remain underutilized, emphasizing the need to explore sustainable valorisation strategies to maximize their potential. This review comprehensively evaluates the green synthesis and application of nanoparticles from crop residues such as leaves, husk, hull, straw, stalk, seeds, stem, shell, bagasse, and stover, which are recognized for their renewability. Additionally, it explores the relative efficacy of different pretreatment methods for these materials including organosolvents, ultrasound-assisted, biological, cold plasma, and deep eutectic solvents, which were assessed for their potentials to enhance nanoparticle yield, reduce energy consumption, and minimize the use of hazardous chemicals, aligning with the principles of green chemistry. The use of green nanotechnology appreciably offers promising avenues to optimize conversion of crop residues into high-value nanomaterials. Further, application of crop residue-derived nanoparticles (CRNs) are vast spanning sectors such as agriculture, where they can improve crop yield, animal feed, and soil health; biomedicine, offering advanced drug delivery systems; environmental remediation, providing efficient pollutant removal; and catalysis, enhancing reaction efficiencies, to mention a few. While CRNs hold many considerable potentials, challenges such as heterogeneity of crop residue composition, prolonged extraction times, scalability of production processes, toxicity, high cost, size adjustment, and variability in nanoparticle characteristics are yet to be fully addressed to ensure consistent quality and performance. There are also still notable gaps in current research concerning their eco-friendly benefits and wider applications. Through continued innovation and collaboration, interdisciplinary research, and standardized protocols, these nanoparticles can play a pivotal role in transitioning towards more sustainable industrial practices. This review emphasizes the critical role of CRNs in promoting a circular economy, ensuring smart waste management system, and supporting global sustainability goals, while inspiring further research on this exciting subject.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article e02654"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143697637","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Study of sunflower oil for heat transfer and storage applications","authors":"S. Mahavar ,&nbsp;P.K. Kuldeep ,&nbsp;A. Mawire","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02653","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02653","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Heat transfer fluids are essential for heat collection in solar thermal collectors. Using heat transfer and storage materials can effectively increase the viability of thermal collectors. In the present study, the thermal performance of sunflower oil for heat transfer and storage is investigated and compared with water. Three experiments, auxiliary charging, simultaneous charging, and discharging, were conducted using an experimental setup for two combinations of three heat storage tanks. The characteristic parameters, thermal efficiency, fluid heating/charging, and cooling/discharging rates, are determined. In auxiliary charging, the efficiency of heat storage tank-1 was the same at 30.2 % for water and investigated oil. In the case of simultaneous charging for heat storage tank-2, it was found to be higher, 12.4 % for sunflower oil, than 9.9 % for water. The natural discharging rate of heat storage tank-3 was higher at 0.462 °C/min for sunflower oil than 0.292 °C/min for water. The charging rate of heat storage tank-2 through a heat exchanger is 6.96 °C/min for both fluids. The specific heat capacity of the investigated oil is lower than water, which limits its heat storage capacity. However, this limitation is overcome due to its high boiling temperature, making it a better heat transfer fluid than water.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article e02653"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143684945","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hemodynamic properties of blood flow in an angled overlying stenosed blood vessel via force field and gold nanoparticle suspension","authors":"M. Dhange ,&nbsp;S. Salgare ,&nbsp;Kusal K. Das ,&nbsp;Ebenezer Bonyah ,&nbsp;Habtu Alemayehu","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02652","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02652","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A review of the literature on nanoparticles indicates that the use of nanofluids in hematological treatments is growing. This effort presents a theoretical investigation of the non-linear behavior of blood flow mixed with suspensions of gold nanoparticles (Au-NP's) in the presence of a force field and water is used as base fluid in an angled arterial section with overlying stenosis. An elastic cylindrical tube with a moving wall is used to represent the artery, and a viscous liquid is used to simulate the blood flowing through it. The geometry of an overlying segment of a stenosed artery can be quantitatively represented by a valid geometric expression. The coupled partial differential equations are used to formulate blood rheology theoretically. The current analytical method can compute the wall shear stress (WSS), flow resistivity (FR), temperature, and velocity profiles with mild stenosis assumption by applying the boundary conditions. Numerical calculations of the desired quantities are carried out systematically. The results are graphically presented in the discussion section. They provide an overview of how the degree of stenosis with gold nanoparticles and the malleability of the artery wall influence blood flow abnormalities. This shows that gold-NPs can enhance hemodynamic performance and improve blood flow in stenosed blood arteries. Together with an increase in the proclivity angle, the surface shear stress and the resistivity to flow both rise with the height of stenosis. The results obtained from this study may help medical practitioners to predict the flow behavior in diseased arteries.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article e02652"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143684959","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effectiveness of African herbal preparations against multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae: A systematic review","authors":"Rachel A․ A․ Akorful,&nbsp;Karikari Asafo-Adjei,&nbsp;Fleischer C․ N․ Kotey,&nbsp;Eric S․ Donkor","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02644","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02644","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Multidrug-resistant <em>Klebsiella pneumoniae</em> (MDR-Kp) poses a significant public health challenge due to limited treatment options and growing antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The rise in MDR-Kp infections underscores the critical need for new strategies against antibiotic resistance, especially in Africa, where AMR is a pressing concern. This systematic review evaluated the antimicrobial activity of herbal preparations against MDR-Kp by assessing parameters such as minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), zone of inhibition, and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). A literature search was done following the PRISMA guidelines, and relevant articles from PubMed, Scopus, and ScienceDirect were included. The search identified 2094 articles, of which 848 were selected for a full assessment and 31 were included. Data extraction included information on plant scientific names, botanical families, plant parts, country of origin, extract types, isolated compounds, and antimicrobial parameters. Of the 124 plants studied, <em>Withania frutescens L</em>., <em>Plumbago zeylanica, Plectranthus glandulosus, Eruca sativa</em>, and <em>Donella welwitschii</em>, emerged as plants that could be further explored for anti-MDR-Kp therapeutics. Further research is needed to explore their mechanisms of action, active compounds, and potential synergies. Integrating traditional knowledge with modern healthcare practices, standardised research methodologies, and clinical validations can advance plant-based therapies. Additionally, conservation efforts are vital to preserve the biodiversity of these medicinal plants, ensuring their availability for future research and therapeutic use, while supporting environmental and public health.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article e02644"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143724968","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessing the effectiveness of large language models for intent detection in tourism chatbots: A comparative analysis and performance evaluation","authors":"Charaf Ouaddi ,&nbsp;Lamya Benaddi ,&nbsp;El mahi Bouziane ,&nbsp;Lahbib Naimi ,&nbsp;Mohamed Rahouti ,&nbsp;Abdeslam Jakimi ,&nbsp;Rachid Saadane","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02649","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02649","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In recent years, the tourism industry has observed a significant transformation by integrating chatbots, which enable tourists to interact with various services using natural language. At the heart of each chatbot is a Natural Language Understanding (NLU) component, which processes natural language inputs through intent classification. This paper evaluates the performance of Large Language Models (LLMs) such as GPT, BERT, LLaMA, and RoBERTa in the intent classification task for tourism chatbots. Our study conducts a comparative analysis of various LLMs to determine their effectiveness in classifying user intents in tourism related interactions. We assess the models’ capabilities using a tourism-specific dataset labeled according to the “Six A” criteria for tourist destination analysis. The models are evaluated using performance metrics such as accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score. The findings provide practical insights into developing efficient NLU components for tourism chatbots, enhancing their ability to understand and assist users effectively. This paper contributes to the field by offering a comprehensive performance evaluation of LLMs for NLU in tourism, guiding researchers and practitioners in building more responsive and accurate chatbots for the tourism industry.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article e02649"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143684958","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Technical efficiency analysis of African economic growth: Panel stochastic frontier model approach","authors":"Meshesha Zewdie Amare ,&nbsp;Wondaferahu Mulugeta Demissie ,&nbsp;Malebo Mancha Massa","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02648","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02648","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Increased economic growth does not necessarily guarantee improvements in technical efficiency unless it is linked to efficient resource utilization. Accordingly, this study examined the technical efficiency of African economic growth and its determinants, utilizing the World Bank dataset for 47 African countries from 2005 to 2022. We employed the Cobb-Douglas functional form and a time-varying stochastic panel frontier model. We applied generalized true fixed effects model for estimation. The findings of the generalized true fixed effects model indicated that sampled African countries had a mean of overall, transient and persistent technical efficiency score of 90.4 %, 91.15 %, and 99.18 % respectively. The model estimation result also revealed that final consumption expenditure, domestic credit, and trade openness affects transient inefficiency negatively and significantly, whereas year has positive effect on transient inefficiency. Institutional quality and access to electricity positively and significantly affects persistent inefficiency. In conclusion, the model results indicate that technical efficiency differs across countries, highlighting opportunities for improvement without a substantial increase in production inputs. Thus, countries should prioritize the efficient use of resources to enhance their technical efficiency.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article e02648"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143684947","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Leveraging novel machine learning models in predicting groundwater irrigation suitability in southeastern Nigeria: A hydrogeochemical approach","authors":"Obinna Chigoziem Akakuru ,&nbsp;Patrick Alexander Ray ,&nbsp;Soltanian Mohamad Reza ,&nbsp;Emile Temgoua ,&nbsp;Moses Oghenenyoreme Eyankware ,&nbsp;Godwin O. Aigbadon ,&nbsp;Chukwudi Paul Obite ,&nbsp;Thomas J. Algeo ,&nbsp;Adedibu Sunny Akingboye","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02646","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02646","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Groundwater suitability for irrigation is a crucial component of sustainable agriculture, particularly in regions like Obosi, southeastern Nigeria, where freshwater resources are limited and agricultural demands are high. Despite growing interest in improving prediction models for groundwater suitability, there remains a gap in employing advanced machine learning techniques alongside hydrogeochemical analysis for precise and reliable assessments. This study aims to address this gap by evaluating the performance of six novel machine learning models—Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), Random Forest (RF), Support Vector Machine (SVM), CatBoost (CatB), AdaBoost (AB), and Gradient Boosting (GB)—in predicting irrigation suitability using 42 groundwater samples. The hydrogeochemical approach in this study employs Piper, Durov, and Schöller plots to analyze groundwater composition and geochemical processes. The findings reveal a sodium chloride (NaCl)-dominated water type, influenced by dissolution, mixing, and reverse ion exchange, with implications for water quality and management. The physicochemical analysis showed pH values ranging from 4.49 to 6.29, electrical conductivity (EC) between 8.16 and 101.7 µS/cm, and chloride concentrations from 8.43 to 32.65 mg/L. All measured parameters fell within permissible limits. However, irrigation indices such as sodium absorption ratio (SAR), sodium percentage (Na%), Kelly's ratio (KR), soluble sodium percentage (SSP), and potential salinity (PS) indicated the groundwater was unsuitable for irrigation. Spatial analysis showed distinct regional patterns, with SAR, Na%, and KR aligning NE–SW, while PS followed a S–N direction. Hydrogeochemical trends revealed Cl⁻ dominance in 71% of samples, with evidence of dissolution, ion exchange, and mixing processes. Principal component analysis highlighted complex inter-parameter relationships, with pH and EC explaining 14.94% of variance. ANN and RF consistently outperformed other models across multiple metrics, which include RMSE, MAPE, R&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;, adjusted R&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;, Akaike Information Criterion (AIC), and Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC), demonstrating strong predictive accuracy and generalization. By contrast, SVM, CatB, AB, and GB exhibited weaker performance and susceptibility to overfitting. This study underscores the potential of ANN and RF for reliable groundwater irrigation suitability assessments. Their integration with hydrogeochemical analysis offers a scalable, cost-effective approach applicable in similar regions globally, enabling enhanced precision in agricultural water management. The findings provide a scientific basis for policymakers, farmers, and water resource managers to implement targeted groundwater management strategies, ensuring sustainable irrigation practices. By integrating advanced machine learning with hydrogeochemical analysis, this study offers a cost-effective and scalable approach for assessing water suitability, wh","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article e02646"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143684948","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparative metagenomics insight into the microbial structures of the Lemna dumpsite, an open dumpsite, and a non-dumpsite soil ecosystem","authors":"Ini Ubi Bassey ,&nbsp;Uwem Okon Edet ,&nbsp;Iniobong Ebenge Andy ,&nbsp;Justine Akpanke ,&nbsp;A.A. Unimke ,&nbsp;O.A. Mmuoegbulam ,&nbsp;Godwin Egbe John ,&nbsp;Okezie Onyemaechi ,&nbsp;Peggy Obaseojei Willie ,&nbsp;Ernest Ettah Bassey Asikong","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02650","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02650","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Open dumpsites remain the solid disposal method of choice in various Nigerian cities and towns. Dumpsite soil ecosystems hold dynamic microbial communities that are still poorly described. This study is aimed at comparing the microbial communities of an open dumpsite soil popularly called Lemna dumpsite located in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria, with those of a control soil in addition to their physicochemical properties. Deciphering the effects of waste disposal on soil microbial communities, which is crucial for developing sustainable waste management practices and protecting soil health form the importance of the study. Composite samples were evaluated for physicochemistry using standard protocols, while microbial communities were assessed using metagenomics on the Illumina Miseq platform. The result of the physicochemical analysis showed significant differences between the control (CSS) and dumpsite soil (DSS) (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05). The pH of the DSS was lower than that of the CSS with values that were 6.5 ± 0.21 and 7.40 ± 0.02, respectively. On the other hand, the concentrations of electrical conductivity (EC), total hydrocarbon content (THC), total moisture and total organic carbon (TOC) for the DSS were higher than that of the CSS with values that were 34.3 ± 0.28 µ/Scm^-1, 3.04 ± 0.25 mg/kg, 0.76 ± 0.22 % and 5.0 ± 0.21 % for DSS and 15.60 ± 0.26 µ/Scm-1, 0.95 ± 0.22 mg/kg, 0.71 ± 0.23 %, and 4.50 ± 0.24 % for the CSS, respectively. Similarly, the concentrations of Pb, Ni, Cd and Co were higher in DSS than CSS with values that were 1.00 ± 0.02, 0.02 ± 0.01, 0.17 ± 0.02, 0.33 ± 0.03 mg/kg for DSS and BDL, 0.01 ± 0.0, 0.03 ± 0.01 and BDL mg/kg, for the CSS respectively for Pb, Ni, Cd and Co. Metagenomics revealed differences in both samples from kingdom to species level; however, overall, DSS had more abundance than the CSS. The top two most abundant kingdoms were bacteria and protozoa in both samples, with abundance rates of 98.9 and 1.01 %, and 98.26 and 0.08 % for DSS and CSS, respectively. At phyla level in the DSS, proteobacteria (42.4 %) followed by unknown (41.66 %) were the top two phyla while for CSS, it as unknown taxa with an abundance of 83.74 % followed by actinobacteria (7.36 %). Diverse classes and orders were also observed in both groups. In the DSS, medically important species with high public health significance were detected and these were Clostridium, Enterococcus and Pseudomonas species while the CSS was dominated by biotechnologically important species such as Streptomyces. Overall, our findings indicate a need for proper management of waste.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article e02650"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143684918","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}