Proceedings of the Nigerian Academy of Science (Journal)
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The Increasing Cross-Talks Between The “Dry” And “Wet” Sciences
Full text linkIn the early 1960s, the Higher School Certificate Course was the track to direct entrance to Nigerian universities. There was a clear dichotomy between those who opted for Additional Mathematics, Mathematics and Physics and those who followed the “wet sciences” of dissections, buffers, enzymes in Botany, Zoology and Chemistry. The would-be “dry scientists” toted around slide rules, mathematical sets, and pencils and were destined for careers in the computational sciences and engineering. Those in the “dry areas” acted as if they were smarter, and the two groups lived in different scientific worlds. Increasingly, however the two scientific worlds are having serious conversations
A Review of The Dynamical Systems Modeling of Epileptic Seizures For Onset Prediction
Full text linkIn this review, we present a critical appraisal of works that consider epilepsy as a dynamic disease and therefore presentable from the perspective of dynamic system theory. Epilepsy is an acute brain disorder characterized by recurrent seizures where parts of the brain elicit abnormally synchronous electrical activity. The most commonly encountered forms of epilepsy are generalized absence epilepsy and temporal lobe epilepsy. The electroencephalography (EEG) which is the recording of the fluctuating electric field of the brain is the major clinical diagnostic tool for epilepsy and also a vital source of data for epilepsy research. In majority of cases accurate diagnosis of the disease can be made and seizures are controlled by the regular use of anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs). However, approximately 30% of epileptic patients suffer from medically refractory epilepsy which has defied all existing treatment protocols. Understanding the mechanisms underlying these forms of epileptic seizures and the development of alternative effective treatment strategies is a fundamental challenge in modern epilepsy research. Experimental researches show that the mechanisms involved in refractory epilepsy are so diverse and complex that it is a formidable task to obtain a single framework that categorizes all the pathophysiological changes in the properties of the epileptic brain involved. There has evolved massive evidence that seizures do not occur abruptly as it has been earlier thought but develop over time even hours before the clinical symptoms, thus raising the hope for predictability of epileptic seizure occurrence. Thus, models of the epileptic brain can be postulated using concepts from deterministic and nondeterministic dynamical systems modelling. The main idea is that since the epileptic brain transitions into and out of seizures we can view it as a dynamical system. The deterministic and non-deterministic models are based on seizure onset detection algorithm for the design of a closed loop seizure warning/intervention system. The major focus being the stimulation of the epileptic brain by sending electrical pulses to it in order to disrupt seizure progression once its onset has been detected. Finally, we considered the essential issues in epileptic seizure prediction including the sceptism expressed in recent publications on the validity of nonlinear dynamical systems modelling to epileptic seizure prediction.
An Appraisal Of Nigeria's Development Of Nuclear Science And Technology
Full text linkHaving noted the aims for the development of nuclear science and technology in Nigeria as already expressed by two responsible sources: the Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission Decree 1976, and the Natural Sciences Research Council of Nigeria, the paper examines whether those aims are best or most-cheaply provided through nuclear technology by assessing the energy resources of Nigeria: coal, crude oil, natural gas, and hydropower. On finding that all Nigeria’s resources may well be committed in the next 20 to 30 years, the development of renewable energy resources; solar energy, biomass, and wind is recommended in preference to nuclear energy whose problems are immense and long lasting. Selected problems of nuclear power reactors are then reviewed before discussing how best to develop nuclear science and technology in Nigeria by presenting the views of a committee of the Natural Sciences Research Council of Nigeria
Salt Intake, Salt Sensitivity and Hypertension in Nigerians: An Overview.
Full text linkIt is widely recognized that a high dietary intake of salt can result in hypertension and various studies have confirmed this link. Epidemiological studies have shown that communities that consume large amounts of salt in their diet have a high incidence of hypertension. Studies in experimental animals show that giving high salt in the diet can result in high blood pressure. Some of the mechanisms responsible for this observation include enhanced constriction response as well as reduced relaxation of resistance vessels. There also appears to be sexual dimorphism in the responses. In humans, our experiments have reported elevated blood pressure in response to oral salt loading and this elevation or Salt Sensitivity may be related to increased salt retention. Some suggestions include genetic defect in the renal tubules in the handling of sodium ions, due to mutation in the Epithelial Sodium Channel (ENaC), which is common in blacks. Our studies with the drug, amiloride that blocks ENaC tend to confirm this, as well as experiments that test sympathetic nervous system mechanisms by the Cold Pressor Test (CPT) which confirm vascular hyperreactivity. Subsequently we hope to conclude genetic studies on ENaC polymorphism and mutations in our subjects. The eventual goal is the development of screening mechanisms to identify individuals that are salt sensitive and so advise on dietary salt restriction in order to reduce the incidence of hypertensio
An Efficient Algorithm for Zeros of Bounded Generalized Ghi-Quasi-Accretive Maps
Full text linkThis is a research announcement of the following result. Let E be a real normed linear space in which the single-valued normalized duality map is Holder continuous on balls and let A: E → E be a bounded generalized Φ-quasi-accretive map. A Mann-type iterative sequence is constructed and proved to converge strongly to the unique zero of A. In particular, our Theorems are applicable in real Banach spaces that include the Lp spaces, 1 p ∞. The Theorems are stated here without proofs. The full version of this paper, including detailed technical proofs of the Theorems will be published elsewhere
Mathematics, Science, And Cultural Change
Full text linkAccording to Roger Bacon (1214-1294), “Mathematics is the gate and key of the sciences. Neglect of Mathematics works injury to all knowledge, since he who is ignorant of it cannot know the other sciences or things of this world, and what is worse, men who are thus ignorant are unable to perceive their own ignorance and so do not seek a remedy”.Mathematics enables various branches of science draw implications of their observations and experimental findings. A computer is now an inevitable tool in science; its internal working rests on basic mathematics -arithematic to base2Mathematics is at the heart of our important scientific theories; Newtonian mechanics, Electromagnetic theory of Maxwell, Einstein’s theory of relativity, quantum theory of Planck etc. Further, vast areas of mathematics grew out of efforts to find solutions to problems in science. We give two examples. The first one is about geometry, also sometimes referred to as the gift of the Nile. The story goes that in the 14th Century B.C., King Sesotris divided the land among Egyptians, each receiving a rectangle of same area, and was taxed accordingly. If anyone lost some of his land during the annual overflow of the Nile, he had to report the loss. An overseer would then be sent to measure the loss and make an abatement of tax. Some sources claim that this is the origin of geometry. The second example is more recent; it is about topology, whose origin is associated with a problem on a bridge. During the 18th century, in the German town of Konigsberg (now the Russian city of Kaliningrad), people enjoyed strolling along the banks of the Preger river, which meandered through the town, and was crossed by seven bridges which ran trom each bank of the river to two islands in the river, with a bridge joining the islands. One question asked is as follows:“How can you take a stroll so that you cross each of the seven bridges exactly once?”.Leonhard Eu!er ( 1707 -1783) converted this problem to one on vertices and networks in a diagram. He made general discoveries about networks, and found that the answer to the Konigsberg bridge problem, is in the negative, namely, that it is impossible to take a stroll so that each of the seven bridges is crossed only once! In the process of obtaining this result, he originated a new kind Of geometry, a geometry which does not depend on the size or shape of the figure, but about places, and how they are connected by arcs. Out of this grew the branch of mathematics called ‘Topology”
Source Rocks And Sorcerers: Decoding The Origin Of The Niger Delta Petroleum
Full text linkAgainst the present-day credo of the organic origin of petroleum, it may be difficult to believe that in the early days of the oil industry, the abiogenic (inorganic) origin of petroleum held sway. In 1877, Russian Scientist Mendeleev (of the Periodic Table fame) proposed that metal carbides deep within the earth reacted with water at high temperatures to form acetylene which subsequently condensed to form heavier hydrocarbons (as is readily demonstrated in the lab). CaC2 + 2H2O = C2H2 + Ca(OH)2In 1890, Sokoloff propounded that `bitumina', originated from meteorites and that this petroleum was extruded from the earth's interior into the surface sediments. They were the first Sorcerers. Others (eg. Vernadsky, Kudryavtsev) were to follow with differing concepts of the Inorganic Origin of petroleum including Volcanic Origin Theory, Earthquake Outgassing, etc. Their views received great support from their peers (and still linger in some quarters!). Then came the period in the early 1900s when advances in the knowledge of the composition of petroleum saw the ascendancy of the Theory of Organic Origin. In particular, the discovery of the optical activity of petroleum (Walden, 1906) and of the presence of chlorophyll porphyrins (Treibs, 1934) confirmed the low temperature origin and history of petroleum and thus cemented the Organic Theory. Subsequently, the search for petroleum moved to the great sedimentary basins of the world. The successes scored seemed to put paid to the inorganic Theory. The organic Sorcerers seemed to have won. Or did they? In the 1990s, a new set of Sorcerers led by T. Gold reignited the Inorganic Theory. Largely supported by the state-owned Swedish electricity utility Vattenfall, he caused a deep well (6.5 km by 1997) to be drilled into the crystalline basement rocks in Sweden in search of predicted petroleum of inorganic origin but the outcome was a dry hole. Was that the end of the Inorganic Theory? Perhaps, not
Effect of Commercial Sand Mining on Water Quality Parameters of Nworie River In Owerri, Nigeria.
Full text linkNworie River, in the Imo River basin of Nigeria, roughly bisects Owerri municipality which hosts the administrative capital of Imo State of Nigeria. As a result of this location the river is vulnerable to potentially polluting human activities. A study of the water quality parameters was done in 2008 as a baseline for monitoring future changes in the river. That study recommended professionally supervised dredging to remove surplus silt and organic debris in some sections of the river. What followed in the past few years has been an unsupervised free-for-all commercial sand mining that has conspicuously degraded the physical characteristics of the river. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of this sand mining on quality parameters of the river. A total of eleven(11) physico-chemical parameters were investigated. The study showed that major indicators of organic pollution like high ammonia-nitrogen, low dissolved oxygen and high carbon dioxide concentrations still persist and, in some cases, have become worse since the sand mining activities. The study recommends an immediate stop to the sand mining followed by a professionally supervised dredging to restore the physical and biological characteristics of the river
Attitudinal And Behavioural Aspects Of Epidemiology And Control Of Parasitic Diseases In Tropical Africa
Full text linkIn my lecture to the College of Medical Sciences at the University of Benin last month (Ukoli, 1986), I made bold to propose that the prevalence of parasitic diseases (as well as other communicable diseases) should be included among the indicators for monitoring and evaluating progress made towards achieving health for all by the year 2000 in the less developed countries (LDCs) prescribed by the World Health Organization. In everyone of those indicators, Nigeria falls far short of expectation. Thus, as shown by Omene, the expenditure on health in Nigeria is way below the recommended 5% of the gross national product; the resources available are not equitably distributed and primary health care is not available to the entire population; owing to the poor nutritional status of the people, the incidence of low birth weight (LBW) in infants is still very high, double the recommended 10%; infant mortality at 150/1000 is still way above the prescribed limit of 50/1000, and life expectancy at birth is less than 50 years instead of rising above 60 years. When we add to this catalogue of woes the fact that the prevalence of all the most virulent parasitic diseases is still very high, and we have made very little progress towards eradicating, or in case this is not feasible, controlling or preventing them, the conclusion is inescapable that the attainment of the slogan “health for all by the year 2000” is a pipe-dream as far as Nigeria is concerned (Ukoli, 1986).High prevalence of parasitic diseases, along with poverty, ignorance, and hunger are indisputable indices of under development. But just as explicit is the fact that these LDCs lack the material, manpower, and technological resources to grapple with and overcome these problems. Where such resources are available, they lack the capacity to mobilize them effectively or the will to formulate rational policies and the drive to ensure their successful implementation. Consequently in the case of parasitic diseases, rather than succeeding in minimizing their impact, the LDCs in tropical Africa are experiencing an increase in their prevalence and severity which thereby continue to constitute the greatest threat to the health and socio-economic status of the people (Ukoli, 1984).But even more intriguing is the fact that control of these diseases is within our reach; in fact all that is needed to be known for the successful application of the various control measures is already common knowledge. Thus the salient features of the parasites and their intermediate hosts and vectors which enhance the spread of the diseases and whose manipulation will procure control have been known for decades, and have been successfully exploited in eradicating the diseases in the advanced countries. Admittedly, changes in the socio-economic status of the people in these countries, which find expression in improved sanitation, better nutrition, and increased awareness of the aetiology of the diseases, have contributed significantly towards their eradication and control. In tropical Africa, parasitologists have made significant contributions, through research, to knowledge about our environment and its parasitic fauna and their hosts. However, such research does not appear to have resulted in the development of fresh insights into the problems nor has it provided a new thrust for the generation of novel and original ideas for control. It is as if all our efforts have ended up merely characterizing our local conditions and at best corroborating, verifying, and reinforcing the already available knowledge forming the basis of well-established control strategies (Ukoli, 1988). Moreover, many studies conducted on problems of disease, whether they achieve breakthroughs or not, are likely to remain mere academic exercises with little practical or policy impact, for the simple reason that we are yet to evolve effective ways of managing and utilizing research finding
Nigeria's Mineral Resources For Wealth, Industry, Infrastructure And Life
Full text linkI would like to begin by thanking the Chairman of the occasion, a former academic renowned geologists in its own right who has found time, within thereally buy period, and we all know that it is very busy, to accept to Chair thisevent.The Special Guest of Honour, Arc Musa Sada is equally, if not more, a very busy man and has shown his commitment to the development of science (including the environmental science) by travelling from Abuja, to honour this invitation.I would also like to pay tribute and remember those great scientists and illustrious men of honour, the fellows of the Academy who passed away in the last twelve months i.e. since the last general meeting of the Academy. These are Prof Oyenuga, Prof Adesola, Dr Amenechi, Prof Oladapo and of course the Grand Patron of the Academy: Alhaji Umar Musa Yar’Adua, GCFR, the former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.In preparing for this lecture, I was mindful of the charge that the audience will be both scientists and non-scientists. The challenge has therefore been to steer a middle course between high falluting equations or ideas in engineering geology or geotechnical engineering my special area of interest, which might interest the fellows. The alternative is something very bland for the wider public. Both have inherent risk of sending people to sleep. The one can bore the fellows to a deserved sleep after the retreat in Cotonou for Council member (and some fellows) and lunch, the other to a less deserved sleep but that which will come from a boring afternoon lecture.In the consideration I am easily reminded of the famous statement by Lord Rutherford about the point of a good physicist being able to explain quantum physics to his char woman (i.e. the housed cleaner). I hope there will be enough spice in the lecture that will capture your attention and keep you awake for its duration