Asian Journal of Research and Reviews in Physics

Assessment of Excess Lifetime Cancer Risk from Naturally Occuring Radioactive Materials in Soil Samples of Maiganga Mining Site, North-Eastern, Nigeria

Jamiu Ariyo Rabiu, Olanrewaju Abiodun Ibrahim, Haruna Dangoje — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Aims: The activities of coal mining exploration in Maiganga leads to environmental and health concerns due to the presence of naturally occurring radionuclides. The potential health risks associated with exposure to natural radionuclides in soil require thorough and constant investigation. The study evaluated the activity concentrations of some selected radionuclides (²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K) and assessed excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) in soil samples of Maiganga mining site.

Study Design: This study, was designed to evaluate the activity concentrations of some selected radionuclides (²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K) and assessed excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) in soil samples.

Place and Duration of Study: Maiganga mining site, North-Eastern Nigeria between November 2024 and October 2025.

Methodology: A total of ten (10) soil samples were systematically collected within the mine sites. Using energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF) spectroscopic technique, the activity concentrations of some selected radionuclides (²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K) were determined.

Results: The results showed that, the activity concentrations of ⁴⁰K was 241.01 Bqkg^-1 while ²²⁶Ra and ²³²Th were below the limit of detection. The analysis of radiation risk parameters (Ra_eq, D, AEDE, AGDE, Hex, Hin and ELCR) were found to be: 43.51 Bqkg^-1, 21.43 nGyh^-1, 0.03 mSvy^-1, 151.03 µSvy^-1, 0.12, 0.14 and respectively.

Conclusion: The study concludes that, the study area is radiologically safe for both workers and the general public; since the radiation risk parameters were found to be below the recommended threshold values. Hence, continuous radiological assessment of the mining site is recommended to keep the potential radiation hazards as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA).

Development of an Automatic Counting and Sorting Machine Using a Microcontroller

Samson Dauda Yusuf, Friday Owoicho Audu — Wed, 20 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The sorting of different products has been reported to be a very tedious industrial process, complex and a global problem. Manual sorting creates consistency issues and involves a lot of manpower with reduced efficiency and accuracy. This study presents an automatic sorting and counting device using an LGT8F328 microcontroller. The device uses a TCS320 RGB colour sensor, two servo motors and a serial terminal used to display the data read from the colour sensor. The circuit was simulated using Proteus ver8.2, and the prototype was developed and tested for sensitivity, specificity and accuracy. Results show that the device sensitivity is 96.72%, specificity 95.08% and accuracy 95.90%. This implies that the device can accurately count and sort out 96.72% of colours but will fail to identify 3.28% of the same. Also, the device's accuracy of 95.90% implies that counting and sorting using this device conforms to the standard, and we are 95.9% sure. This work holds some significant advantages and benefits across various industrial applications, such as efficiency and accuracy, time and labour saving, consistency and reliability, versatility, customisation and reduced human intervention. It is very useful in a wide variety of industries, along with the help of a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system, especially in the packaging section. An automatic sorting machine enhances efficiency, practicality, and safety of operators. It ensures remarkable processing capacity.

Comparative Analysis of 8×8, 16×16, and 64×64 Massive MIMO Performance in Urban and Rural 5G Networks Using Rayleigh and Rician Channel Models

Abdulmumini Zubairu Loko, Abubakar Hassan, Samson Dauda Yusuf — Tue, 26 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study investigates how different propagation environments influence the performance of Massive Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) systems within a fifth-generation (5G) wireless communication framework using MATLAB-based simulation analysis. While many previous studies concentrated mainly on antenna scaling, limited attention has been given to the comparative influence of urban and rural propagation conditions under identical system configurations. To address this limitation, the present work evaluates the combined effect of antenna scaling and channel environment on communication performance using 8×8, 16×16, and 64×64 Massive MIMO antenna configurations. Urban communication conditions were modeled using Rayleigh fading channels to represent severe multipath and Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS) propagation, whereas rural environments were represented using Rician fading channels characterized by stronger Line-of-Sight (LOS) signal components. Random binary data streams were generated and transmitted using Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) techniques through the configured MIMO channels with Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) applied across varying Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) levels. System performance was evaluated using Bit Error Rate (BER), Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), and spectral efficiency. The simulation results revealed that increasing antenna configuration significantly improves communication reliability and signal quality across both propagation environments. BER values reduced progressively as antenna size increased from 8×8 to 64×64, while SNR and spectral efficiency improved correspondingly. The rural propagation environment consistently achieved lower BER and higher signal quality than the urban environment because of the stronger LOS signal component and reduced multipath interference. In contrast, urban environments experienced greater signal degradation due to severe scattering and fading effects, although larger antenna arrays substantially improved system stability under these conditions. The findings demonstrate that both antenna scaling and propagation environment strongly influence Massive MIMO performance in 5G communication systems. The study therefore provides additional insight into the design of environment-aware wireless deployment strategies capable of improving communication reliability and bandwidth utilization in heterogeneous propagation regions such as Nigeria.

Fourier-based Optimization of Electromagnetohydrodynamic (EMHD) Fluid Flow for Advanced Material Processing over an Exponentially Stretching Surface

Nwabuzor, Peter Onyelukachukwu, Ojo, Adetoye Solomon — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Electromagnetohydrodynamic (EMHD) flow over stretching surfaces plays a crucial role in the sophisticated processing of materials since it is essential to maintain precise control over momentum, heat, and mass transport to ensure high product quality. This study examined how to optimize Fourier-based EMHD flow and heat transfer over a surface that stretches exponentially, taking into consideration factors such as thermal radiation and Joule heating. The equations that define the boundary layer, which include electromagnetic forces, nonlinear surface stretching, and energy dissipation, were tackled using a Fourier spectral collocation method known for its high accuracy and efficiency in computations. A numerical analysis of the derived solutions was performed, highlighting how different material parameters impact the various fluid flow profiles, utilizing the Rosseland approximation for the radiation term. An increase in the Prandtl number leads to a reduction in the temperature profile, which verifies that controlling EMHD fluid flow on an exponentially stretching surface is advantageous for advanced material processing. It was found that the strength of the magnetic field, the radiation parameter, and the stretching rate significantly affect how velocities and temperatures are distributed within the boundary layer. Specifically, a stronger magnetic field reduces velocity while increasing the thickness of the thermal boundary layer, while radiation effects raise the temperature profiles throughout the flow domain. This research offers valuable insights into the parametric management of EMHD transport phenomena, showing how Fourier-based optimization can enhance heat transfer and flow management in industrial material processing systems.

Simulation-based Design of a Compact Wearable Antenna for Microwave Imaging of Bone Fractures in Osteoporotic Patients

P. A. Amoo, G. O. Ogungbesan, O. Olabisi, S. O. Areo — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Osteoporotic bone fractures require safe, repeatable monitoring approaches, particularly when repeated exposure to ionising radiation is undesirable. This study presents the simulation-based design of a compact wearable microstrip patch antenna for microwave assessment of bone-fracture conditions in osteoporotic patients. The antenna incorporates an elliptical tapered radiating patch and a microstrip feed structure on a flexible Rogers RT/duroid 5880 substrate, selected to support conformal placement near the lower limb. The proposed configuration was evaluated over the 1-6 GHz frequency range using CST Studio Suite and ANSYS HFSS. A multilayer lower-limb tissue model comprising skin, fat, muscle and osteoporotic bone was developed to examine antenna performance in proximity to biological tissue. Fractured, soft-callus, healed and healthy bone conditions were represented by changes in relative permittivity and conductivity. The simulated response showed impedance-matching behaviour, with return loss below -10 dB over the reported operating band and a voltage standing wave ratio below 2 within the useful matched region. The peak simulated gain was approximately 5.7 dBi. Specific absorption rate analysis at 2.45 GHz and 100 mW input power produced a maximum value of 1.8 W/kg in the tissue model. Differences in reflected microwave response were observed between fractured and healed bone models owing to changes in dielectric contrast. These results suggest that the proposed wearable antenna may warrant further investigation as a non-invasive microwave sensing element for bone-fracture monitoring. Fabrication, experimental validation and testing on realistic physical or clinical models are required before practical biomedical use can be established.