Relaxation Period Research Articles

Penerapan Protokol Kesehatan Hotel sebagai Langkah Preventif pada Masa Pandemi

Hotel is one of the places to stay for tourists while on their tour. During the Covid-19 pandemic, hotel operations still running but with limited activities. Due to the relaxation period, the number of usable rooms increase along with the implementation of the Health Protocol as a preventive way in every hotel facility. This study aims to determine the application of hotel Health Protocols in Bandung. The method used is descriptive quantitative in assessing the importance of Health Protocols in each hotel services in providing safety and comfort for tourists during their stay. The results showed that the flow of hotel Health Protocol application was socialized and implemented for both employees and visitors. The number of hotels visited during the second quarter of 2020 along relaxation is 225 facilities or 56% of all hotels in Bandung City. Adherence to the implementation of the Health Protocol in the first 2 weeks was 76% and increased to 100% at the second 2 weeks or there was an increase in adherence by 25%. The total increase in compliance with hotel Health Protocol implementation is 25%. The conclusion of this study is that the implementation of the hotel Health Protocol has increased, which is one of the guarantees of tourist safety and preventive steps to break the chain of Covid-19 transmission in hotels.

DTA/TG analysis of mechanochemicaly activated sodium carbonate

Sodium carbonate is a material that is very good sorbent of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and it is a reason of it is increasing importance in environmental protection. In order to improve it is sorption characteristics, activation of Na2CO3 was performed by mechanochemical procedure and monitoring of changes during the relaxation time. This research is based on differential thermal analysis with thermogravimetry, in order to determine the changes that occurred on the activated samples during the relaxation period under controlled conditions. Sodium carbonate was activated for 2 and 7 minutes in a vibro mill, and then the activated samples were deposited in at room temperature and atmosphere of carbon dioxide at a humidity of 95% for 96h.

Вплив глобальної сейсмічної активності на процеси в атмосфері й іоносфері

In recent decades, ideas about earthquakes (EQ) have been formed as a final stage of a planetary continuous self-organizing tectonic process with periods of accumulation and relaxation of tectonic stresses. However, the scientific literature still presents studies of the response of atmospheric and ionospheric processes to individual strong EQs. In this paper, for the first time, the relationship between processes in the lithosphere, troposphere, and ionosphere is considered, taking into account new ideas about the seismic process as a global phenomenon and on the background of processes caused by space weather. Both planetary data (EQ, total electron content (TEC) of the ionosphere) and data (atmospheric pressure, critical frequency of the F2 layer of the ionosphere) of widely spaced observation points in the western and eastern hemispheres were used. To increase the reliability of statistical results, 4 independent databases of daily data for 2007–2015 were used. Stable effects of global seismic activity (GSA) in the considered parameters are established. Thus, the critical frequency of the F2 region with a sharp increase in the GSA increases by 0.4–0.5 MHz. This effect is quite stable and manifests itself almost simultaneously at ionospheric stations of the eastern and western hemispheres, as well as in planetary TEC values. At the same time, in the ionospheric variations, as before, the influence of both the troposphere (especially at a low level of solar activity) and space weather is traced, the characteristics of which in 75 % of cases also show an association with GSA. Therefore, space weather often but not always can act as a trigger on the EQs. In general, in the western hemisphere, the minimum atmospheric pressure occurs earlier than in the eastern, which leads to a noticeable increase in the pressure difference between the hemispheres by 10 mm. Hg., that indicates the relationship between global seismicity and global atmospheric circulation. The established GSA effects, as a rule, have the character of not a local short-term burst, but a jump followed by a gradual decrease (increase) of the index until the next active period (saw-toothed curve), i.e., the influence of the lithosphere on the overlying layers is continuous and is cyclical in nature, probably due to the cyclical nature of tectonic processes. Most likely, several different couplings between geospheres are realized at the same time, partially synchronized by changes in space weather, which requires new physical mechanisms to explain them.

EVALUATION OF THE VITAMIN D PROFILE IN PATIENTS SERVED BY A MACEIÓ-AL LABORATORY

Vitamin D is a hormone of great importance for vital body activities, as well as for the modulation of the immune system. Being acquired by food, but mainly by exposure to sunlight. Although reduced levels of vitamin D can cause problems related to bone mining, the excess of this is responsible for processes of intoxication. The present work aims to describe the levels of vitamin D of patients treated by a reference laboratory in the health district of Maceió-Al, describing the main affected population and producing a comparison of the levels in relation to social isolation. For this purpose, laboratory records were used considering the period from November 2019 to November 2020 and producing comparisons to sexes, age and analysis period of patients. In total, 1,025 vitamin D tests were performed, of which 27.4% of the patients were male and the other 82.6% were female. During the defined periods, greater numbers of exams were performed in the period of social relaxation. During the analyzed period, higher levels of deficiency were observed in adolescent and, mainly, elderly patients, compared to sexes, women had a higher level of deficiency and the highest levels of vitamin D deficiency during the period of social isolation.

Heart rate variability response to a mobile phone call in a Greek adult population

This pilot study aimed to evaluate the autonomic nervous system (ANS) disturbance before, during and after a cell phone call, in healthy adults. The opted ANS biomarker was heart rate variability (HRV), as it has been previously related to cardiovascular morbidity, mortality and depression. Twenty-four healthy volunteers (aged 34.5 ± 11.5y) entered this prospective study, after providing written informed consent. Their characteristics are presented in Table 1 . All were free of medication and underwent measurement of linear HRV parameters (RRI, LF, HF, LF/HF, SDNN, SDANN, NN50, RMSSD) with CNS Task Force Monitor in supine position, in the cardiovascular lab, in the same time of the day (15.30–16.30). Measurements were recorded during baseline relaxation (15 min), while speaking on their own cell phone (5 min) and after cell phone call end (20 min) ( Fig. 1 ). Alterations along the successive phases were statistically evaluated with repeated measures analysis in SPSS 17. Only mean sinus rhythm of RR intervals was significantly changed ( P < 0.01). This finding persisted during the 20 minutes of relaxation period following call. Even a 5 minute call causes a subtle but persisting response of HRV. This study may stimulate further research on cell phone use impact on healthy and patient subjects.

The Patterns of Stationary Activities during COVID-19 Distancing Relaxation: The elevated pedestrian network of Mong Kok, Hong Kong

COVID-19 is expected to impact the low-income groups' use of public space and related quality of life beyond the current pandemic outbreak. To what extent may the current pandemic affect the use of public space once some restrictions will be lifted? This study focuses on the migrant domestic workers’ spatio-temporal changes in the patterns of public space use during social distancing relaxation period in Hong Kong. The findings highlight increase of individual leisure activities, decrease of density around informal food-production and of gathering group, comparatively to the pre-pandemic situation. Keywords: Covid-19, public space, migrant domestic workers, behavioural mapping eISSN: 2398-4287© 2020. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning &amp; Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v5i15.2461.

Correlating capacity fade with film resistance loss in fast charging of lithium-ion battery

Fast charging of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries makes it susceptible to lithium plating. In this study, we report the correlation between capacity loss and cell impedance changes in the battery due to lithium electrodeposition. Li-ion pouch cells with nickel-manganese-cobalt cathode and graphite anode were charged at rates varying from 0.5C to 6C. The cell voltage evolution immediately after charging was monitored to identify the C-rates that result in lithium plating. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was used to monitor the cell impedance evolution. The impedance of battery cells at C-rates lower than 1C and no lithium plating showed minimal changes from their baseline values in the period immediately after charging. However, the impedance of battery cells undergoing lithium plating and C-rates higher than 3C showed a substantial reduction immediately after charging, with recovery back to baseline values after 30 min of relaxation. These observations suggest that lithium plating causes damage to the solid electrolyte interface (SEI) layer on the anode particles during the charging period, followed by the reformation of the SEI during the relaxation period. The measured capacity loss has a linear correlation with observed impedance change. The linear relationship suggests that impedance monitoring may be used for prognostication of the state-of-health of Li-ion batteries.

Challenges and pitfalls in anesthesia for electroconvulsive therapy.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) refers to the application of electricity to the patients' scalp to treat psychiatric disorders, most notably, treatment-resistant depression. It is a safe, effective, and evidence-based therapy that is performed with general anesthesia. Muscle relaxation is used to prevent injuries related to the tonic-clonic seizure caused by ECT. Hypnotics are administered to induce amnesia and unconsciousness, so that, patients do not experience the period of muscle relaxation, while the generalized seizure is left unnoticed. For the anesthesiologist, ECT is associated with the challenges and pitfalls that are related to informed consent, social acceptance of ECT, airway management (especially in COVID-19 patients), and the interaction between ventilation and anesthetics from one viewpoint, and seizure induction and maintenance from another. The exact mode of action of the therapy is as unknown as the optimal choice or combination of anesthetics used.

Features That Favor the Prediction of the Emplacement Location of Maar Volcanoes: A Case Study in the Central Andes, Northern Chile

Maar volcanoes are monogenetic landforms whose craters cut below the pre-eruptive surface and are surrounded by a tephra ring. Both the maar crater and the surrounding tephra rim deposits are typically formed due to magma–water explosive interactions. Northern Chile is located in the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes where, in literature, 14 maars have been recognized as parasite (6) and individual (8) volcanoes. Amongst these individual maars, 3 of them, namely the Tilocálar Sur, Cerro Tujle, and Cerro Overo volcanoes, are not related to calderas and were emplaced &lt;1 Ma ago by magmatic explosive-effusive and phreatomagmatic eruptions. Based on the evolution and control of the volcanic eruptive styles of these three maars, which have been determined in previous research through fieldwork, stratigraphic, morphometric, textural (density and vesicularity), petrographic, and geochemical analyses, a set of key features that favor a prediction of the emplacement location of maar volcanoes in Central Andes, northern Chile are proposed. The set of features that permit and favor the growth mechanisms for maar formations corresponds to (i) a compressive tectonic setting (e.g., ridge structures), (ii) groundwater recharge (e.g., snowmelt and seasonal rainfall), (iii) the lithological setting (e.g., layers of low permeability), (iv) the presence of aquifer and/or endorheic basins (e.g., lakes or salars), and (v) a period of stress relaxation that permits magma ascent to the surface in volcanically active areas. Considering these characteristics, it is possible to identify places where phreatomagmatic eruption can occur. If the magma ascent flux is lower than the groundwater flux, this can lead to a phreatomagmatic eruption because of groundwater coming into contact with the magma. These eruptive features evidence internal—and external—factors that play an essential role in the transition from explosive-effusive magmatic to phreatomagmatic volcanic eruption styles during the same eruptive period that is one of the biggest challenges in volcanic hazard evaluations. Although, in this contribution, a set of features that permit and favor the growth mechanisms for a prediction of the emplacement location of maars in northern Chile is proposed, these considerations could also be applied to identify potential locations in other parts of the world where magma–water interaction eruption could occur. Therefore, this approach could be useful in the prediction of hydromagmatic volcanic eruptions and, thus, in mitigating the impact of volcanic hazard for the inhabitants of the surrounding areas.

Lockdown, relaxation, and acme period in COVID-19: A study of disease dynamics in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico.

Lockdown and social distancing measures have been implemented for many countries to mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and prevent overwhelming of health services. However, success on this strategy depends not only on the timing of its implementation, but also on the relaxation measures adopted within each community. We developed a mathematical model to evaluate the impacts of the lockdown implemented in Hermosillo, Mexico. We compared this intervention with some hypothetical ones, varying the starting date and also the population proportion that is released, breaking the confinement. A Monte Carlo study was performed by considering three scenarios to define our baseline dynamics. Results showed that a hypothetical delay of two weeks, on the lockdown measures, would result in an early acme around May 9 for hospitalization prevalence and an increase on cumulative deaths, 42 times higher by May 31, when compared to baseline. On the other hand, results concerning relaxation dynamics showed that the acme levels depend on the proportion of people who gets back to daily activities as well as the individual behavior with respect to prevention measures. Analysis regarding different relaxing mitigation measures were provided to the Sonoran Health Ministry, as requested. It is important to stress that, according to information provided by health authorities, the acme occurring time was closed to the one given by our model. Hence, we considered that our model resulted useful for the decision-making assessment, and that an extension of it can be used for the study of a potential second wave.

Tracking Thermodynamic Changes Due to Cycling and Calendar Ageing of Commercial High-Energy Li-Ion Cells: Effects of Relaxation Periods

There is a great need for non-invasive tools that enable improved insight into the underlying causes of battery ageing. In this project we investigate cycling and calendar ageing effects on high energy commercial cylindrical cells (NCA|Si-Gr), by tracking thermodynamic and kinetic aspects by the employment of entropy profiling, differential voltage and incremental capacity analysis (DVA/ICA), and differential thermal voltammetry (DTV). Two groups of three cells from the same batch are being subjected to different ageing scenarios, both at 45°C: group A is under calendar aging at 75 % state of charge - SoC at which we observed the most accelerated calendric aging for these cells - and group B, which is being cycled continuously at the maximum current allowed by the manufacturer. To ensure minimal temperature fluctuations during tests and allow proper comparative DTV, cells were submerged in a high conductivity dielectric fluid bath. We revised Osswald’s approach for entropy profiling [1], and also increased the number of titration steps in entropy profiling to 63, for both charge and discharge. Fig. 1 shows the results for the initial 40-day aging period, comparing ICA and entropy profiles, before and after ageing. In addition to the capacity fade of 2.2 % and 6.2 % for groups A and B respectively (Figure 1a), the loss of sharpness present in the ICA peaks is also present in the entropy curves (features A1-A4 in Fig. 1b). This can be attributed to a more heterogeneous lithium distribution and a change in lithium inventory. To track the reversibility of ageing and the time scales of passive electrode effects [2], both groups of cells will be submitted to rest periods after which entropy, DTV and ICA experiments will be periodically repeated.

Acute effect of passive one-legged intermittent static stretching on regional blood flow in young men.

Passive stretching reduces stiffness in the lower limb arteries of the stretched limb. To address this physiological mechanism, we measured the change in shear rate in the posterior tibial artery during a single bout of one-legged passive calf stretching compared with that in the non-stretched leg. The diameter, mean blood velocity, blood flow, and shear rate in the posterior tibial artery were measured using Doppler ultrasound before (baseline), during, and after a one-legged passive intermittent calf stretching procedure (six repetitions of 30-s static stretch with 10-s relaxation) in nine healthy young men. In the posterior tibial artery of the stretched leg, the arterial diameter significantly decreased from baseline during the stretching period (baseline vs. stretching period of the 6th set, 0.19 ± 0.01 vs. 0.18 ± 0.01cm, P < 0.05) without any change in shear rate and mean blood velocity. In contrast, during the relaxation period, the mean blood velocity (baseline vs. relaxation period of the 5th set, 2.98 ± 0.54 vs. 6.25 ± 1.48cm/s) increased, and consequently, the shear rate (baseline vs. relaxation period of the 5th set, 66.75 ± 15.39 vs. 122.85 ± 29.40s-1) increased (each P < 0.01); however, there was no change in arterial diameter. In contrast, these values in the non-stretched leg were unchanged at all-time points. The stretching procedure increased the shear rate in the peripheral artery of the stretched leg during the relaxation period. This finding indicates that the local hemodynamic response (possibly through endothelial function), resulting from an increase in shear stress, may contribute to stretching-induced attenuation of local arterial stiffness.

Influence of orthopedic support structure and construction on compression and behavior during stress relaxation

This work was focused on changes of the compression generated by knitted orthopedic supports during the stress relaxation in order to find in which period of the stress relaxation the most significant part of the compression is lost. The influence of knitted structure, elastomeric inlay-yarn insertion density and shape/orientation of the rigid element fixed on the fabric on the compression and its changes under the stress relaxation was also investigated in this study. 11 different knitted structures and constructions were used in this research. It was found that the higher density of elastomeric inlay-yarn insertion into the knitted structure is not only responsible for higher compression generation, but also makes compression degradation during the time slower. In addition, the higher pre-tension of the elastomeric inlay-yarn leads to the faster relaxation process. Moreover, the shape and orientation of the rigid element can significantly affect the compression generation, however behavior of all variants during the stress relaxation is very similar. Evaluation of the tensile force after at least 120-300 s of the stress relaxation has to be used in design algorithm of very different compression products and applied in estimation of the compression at different manufacturing stages of the product.

Experimental and numerical research of stress relaxation behavior of magnetorheological elastomer

The paper presents experimental research and viscoelastic modeling of stress relaxation response of isotropic magnetorheological elastomer (MRE). The isotropic MRE has been prepared based on silicone matrix filled by magnetically micro-sized carbonyl iron particles. Effects of constant strain level and external magnetic field on the stress relaxation behavior of the MRE were carefully investigated by single- and multi-step relaxation tests in shear mode using double-lap shear specimens. Results revealed that the stress relaxation response of the MRE was dependent on the applied constant strain and external magnetic field. The relaxed stress and modulus of the MRE increased with increasing the constant strain level. In addition, the values of absolute stress and modulus in the relaxation periods enhanced with the rise of magnetic flux density. A four-parameter fractional derivative viscoelastic model was used to describe the stress relaxation behavior of the MRE. The studied model was fitted well to experimental data of the MRE in both single- and multi-step relaxation tests. The fitting of shear-stress relaxation modulus for the MRE is in a very good agreement with the experimental one. Effects of applied constant strain and magnetic field intensity on the fitted parameters were discussed. Moreover, the model can be applied to predict accurately the long-term relaxation behavior of the MRE.

Controlling Intermolecular H-atom Abstraction with Ultrafast Pump-Push-Probe Spectroscopy

We utilize ultrafast multi-pulse pump-push-probe transient absorption spectroscopy and time-resolved photoluminescence to monitor excited-state H-atom transfer from hydroxylic compounds to the heptazine derivative 2,5,8-tris(4-methoxyphenyl)-1,3,5,6,7,9,9b-heptaazaphenalene (TAHz). The heptazine moiety is structurally related to the monomer unit of the ubiquitous organic polymeric photocatalyst, carbon nitride. We show that TAHz can photochemically abstract an H-atom from water, in addition to generating H2 in aqueous suspensions with photocatalytic activity matching that of carbon nitride. In our multi-pulse experiment, we use resonant pump pulse to photoexcite TAHz to a bright high-lying excited state, and after a relaxation period of roughly 6 ps, we use a NIR (1150 nm) pulse to “push” the chromophore to a higher-lying excited state. When phenol is present, the push induces a persistent decrease (ΔΔOD) in the initial excited-state absorption, indicating the push pulse engenders a divergence in the photochemical branching ratios. In the presence of electron-donating substituted phenols, the magnitude of ΔΔOD diminishes markedly due to the increased excited-state reactivity of the complex accompanied by the cathodic shift in the phenol oxidation potential. Thus, the H-atom abstraction appears to proceed without aid from the additional energy of the push pulse. These results reveal new insight into the branching ratio among unreactive localized heptazine excited states and reactive intermolecular charge transfer states of H-bonded heptazine chromophores. More generally, this work provides new insight into molecular design strategies to control the excited-state photochemistry of aza-aromatic materials toward important reactions such as H-atom abstraction from water.

Photoplethysmographic Waveform Analysis for Autonomic Reactivity Assessment in Depression.

In the present study, a photoplethysmographic(PPG) waveform analysis for assessing differences in autonomic reactivity to mental stress between patients with Major Depressive Disorder(MDD) and healthy control(HC) subjects is presented. PPG recordings of 40MDD and 40HC subjects were acquired at basal conditions, during the execution of cognitive tasks, and at the post-task relaxation period. PPG pulses are decomposed into three waves (a main wave and two reflected waves) using a pulse decomposition analysis. Pulse waveform characteristics such as the time delay between the position of the main wave and reflected waves, the percentage of amplitude loss in the reflected waves, and the heart rate(HR) are calculated among others. The intra-subject difference of a feature value between two conditions is used as an index of autonomic reactivity. Statistically significant individual differences from stress to recovery were found for HR and the percentage of amplitude loss in the second reflected wave( A13) in both HC and MDD group. However, autonomic reactivity indices related to A13 reached higher values in HC than in MDD subjects(Cohen's[Formula: see text]), implying that the stress response in depressed patients is reduced. A statistically significant( ) negative correlation( r=-0.5) between depression severity scores and A13 was found. A decreased autonomic reactivity is associated with higher degree of depression. Stress response quantification by dynamic changes in PPG waveform morphology can be an aid for the diagnosis and monitoring of depression.

Person identification from EEG using various machine learning techniques with inter-hemispheric amplitude ratio.

Association between electroencephalography (EEG) and individually personal information is being explored by the scientific community. Though person identification using EEG is an attraction among researchers, the complexity of sensing limits using such technologies in real-world applications. In this research, the challenge has been addressed by reducing the complexity of the brain signal acquisition and analysis processes. This was achieved by reducing the number of electrodes, simplifying the critical task without compromising accuracy. Event-related potentials (ERP), a.k.a. time-locked stimulation, was used to collect data from each subject’s head. Following a relaxation period, each subject was visually presented a random four-digit number and then asked to think of it for 10 seconds. Fifteen trials were conducted with each subject with relaxation and visual stimulation phases preceding each mental recall segment. We introduce a novel derived feature, dubbed Inter-Hemispheric Amplitude Ratio (IHAR), which expresses the ratio of amplitudes of laterally corresponding electrode pairs. The feature was extracted after expanding the training set using signal augmentation techniques and tested with several machine learning (ML) algorithms, including Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and k-Nearest Neighbor (kNN). Most of the ML algorithms showed 100% accuracy with 14 electrodes, and according to our results, perfect accuracy can also be achieved using fewer electrodes. However, AF3, AF4, F7, and F8 electrode combination with kNN classifier which yielded 99.0±0.8% testing accuracy is the best for person identification to maintain both user-friendliness and performance. Surprisingly, the relaxation phase manifested the highest accuracy of the three phases.

Effect of Withania Somnifera on the antioxidant and neurotransmitter status in sleep deprivation induced Wistar rats.

Sleep is normally a period of relaxation and repair, important for the maintenance of physiological homeostasis and psychological balance. "Globally, millions of people experiences sleep deprivation daily". Sleep deprivation (SD) impairs cognitive functions, decreases anti-oxidative defense and induces neuronal changes. Withania somnifera (WS), commonly known as an "Indian Ginseng" has broad therapeutic applications, including anti-inflammatory activities, actions on immune system, circulatory system, central nervous system etc., The study is aimed to assess effect of Withania somnifera on antioxidant status and neurotransmitter level in sleep deprivation induced male Wistar albino rats. The study was done in the Department of Physiology, Meenakshi Medical College and Hospital, Enathur, Kanchipuram. 24 male adult Wistar rats weighing 120-150g were used for the study. They were divided into 4 groups with 6 animals in each group. (Group I - cage control, Group II - large platform control, Group III - sleep deprived group and Group IV – WS treated SD group). Animals were deprived sleep for one week using a modified multiple platform method. Oxidative stress parameters and antioxidant enzymes were measured using spectrophotometry. Neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin concentration in the serum were measured by ELISA method. There was a marked (by one-way ANOVA test) decrease observed in the antioxidants enzymes in the cortex of both large platform control and sleep deprivation induced group. The group treated with W. somnifera root extract significantly reduced the free radical production and lipid peroxidation with simultaneous increase in the level of antioxidant enzymes compared to the untreated group. Also in our study the concentration of dopamine and serotonin was found to be significantly reduced (p < 0.05) in sleep deprived (SD) and large platform control group when compared to cage control group. Whereas the group treated with W. somnifera (400mg/kg b.wt) increased the neurotransmitter levels significantly. Withania somnifera proved to be an effective therapeutic agent by maintaining the antioxidant status and neurotransmitter levels.

Temporal and vertical variability of bacterioplankton composition in Chipana bay (21º20’S) in a coastal upwelling system of northern Chile: A fluorescence in situ hybridization approach

The bacterioplankton in the upwelling systems associated with oceanographic condition of the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) of the Eastern tropical South Pacific was studied through visualization and enumeration with fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). Six different taxonomic groups were studied (Alpha, Beta, Gamma-proteobacteria, Cytophaga-flavobacterium and the domains Archaea and Bacteria). The analysis showed a greater predominance of the Bacteria domain (20 to 68% of hybridized cells) over Archaea (2 to 18% of hybridized cells). The specific groups showed that Cytophaga-flavobacterium, Alpha-proteobacteria and Gamma-proteobacteria are more abundant in the surface layer. Gamma-proteobacteria is also most abundant in the deep oxycline and, Beta-proteobacteria is the group with the lowest registered abundances. Changes in the vertical distribution of the bacterial community in the water column between OMZ and on oxycline were observed through NMDS. This change is a product of a shift in the abundances of the specific groups Cytophaga-flavobacterium and Gamma-proteobacteria in the surface layers, due to low concentration of chlorophyll-a caused by periods of relaxation in the upwelling.

The Socio-Economic Impact of Covid-19 on The Economic Activities of Selected States in Nigeria

COVID-19 pandemic which has spread to 35 states in Nigeria as a health crisis has translated to economic crisis affecting all sector of the Nigeria economy and brought the whole states to its knees. The fundamental question that comes to mind is; in what way did a health crisis translate to an economic crisis? How /why COVID-19 crippled many states economy in Nigeria? The answer lies in the methods in which COVID-19 has silenced economic activities ranging from the spread of the virus which translated to lockdown policy, band on interstate travel, restriction on movement, shutting down of worship centers, social distancing which led to the shutdown of businesses, trade, shutting down of the hospitality industries, commercial banks and events. We focused on the period from the start of March 2020 when the coronavirus began spreading into other states of the federation through May 4th, 2020 when the Federal government relaxed the lockdown policy. Our objective was to examine the socio-economic effect of the lockdown policy on business, transport and service/hospitality industries in three selected metropolis from three states within the period of relaxation. Using the multistage sampling method, we selected 300 respondents across the three sector examined. Data obtained via structured questionnaires was analysed using inferential statistics. This includes Multiple Regression Analysis, Coefficient for correlations of independent sample and analysis of variance (ANOVA) for significant impact samples. The findings reveal that the increasing number of lockdown days, interstate travel ban, social distancing, and restriction to essentials services severely affected the level of economic activities within the period under review. In contrast, CPL PSL RSM had negative relationship but significant impact in the model, while BSK and ITR negative non-significant impact in the models due to imposed restriction on internal movement, while the rest variables had positive significant effect on the level of economic activities.&#x0D;