Mitigating Electoral Discontents in Nigeria: A Case for SMS Enabled Vote-Casting System

Two decades into the 4th Republic has witnessed 6 elections fraught with varying kinds of anomalies that all 3 electoral reforms within the period have been unable to subdue. Electoral violence has summarily led to countless loss of lives and continued low voter turnout. Borrowing however from the resounding success of e-banking the country can rewardingly procure an e-resuscitation of the electoral sector that is not only guilty of consistent fraud but also liable for continued loss of lives. Nigeria ranked atop as the most improved country in Sub-Saharan Africa in the Mobile Connectivity Index as at 2019 and the seventh most improved globally. This progress was driven by a range of improvements like enabling regulatory framework espoused by the country in this direction and as a result the country now has one of the most affordable handset costs in the world besides a mobile penetration of 187 million active cell phone users of the country’s 212 million population as of 2021. In addition, up from 31% in 2014 to 52% in 2019, Nigeria’s Online Service Index score for e-government shows glaringly that the country is robustly ready for an SMS enabled vote casting system and would do well to rapidly implement same. SMS voting is premised on familiar technology and the use of a single ballot box (single computer Server) is not only fraud-proof but also guarantees eradication of violence and frequent loss of lives associated conventional vote-casting system while also improving political participation and voter turnout

Nitrogen Mineralization in Selected Solid Waste Dumpsites in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

Organic wastes in selected waste dumpsites in Port Harcourt were successively incubated with sandy-loam soils for days at 27ºC, under aerobic conditions. The results showed marked decrease in total nitrogen in the organic wastes which was observed as loss of nitrogen. The process of nitrification and incorporation of (NH4)2SO4 affected the pH which ranged from 5.9 to 7.9. The cumulative mineral nitrogen released increased with incubation periods and the rate of organic application up to 28th day, with a maximum release of 456.40ppm at a rate of 61MT/ha organic application. The release of mineral N decreased on the 56th day with a minimum of 177.80ppm ata rate of 60MT/ha of organic fertilizer only. An enriched organic. Waste soil and organic waste treated soil had a boosting effect on the release of mineral nitrogen. The amount of mineral nitrogen released was higher for (NH4)2SO4 fertilizer treated soil than for organic waste treated soil. The mineralization rate was found to decrease with increasing age of the waste dumps. It was therefore recommended that organic wastes should be sorted and composted for use as organic fertilizers to augment inorganic fertilizer

Transient global amnesia and the forgotten EEG pattern

[no abstract available

Impact of External Debt-Induced Structural Adjustment Policies on Salient Aspects of the Nigerian Economy

Nigeria as also most African countries have as yet nothing to show from receiving foreign aid and loans running into billions of dollars well over the past 40 years. The contention for an end to aids and loans to developing countries and Nigeria in particular especially holds from the immense harsh realities that have been endured by the masses of the people all through the decades external aids have subsisted. The paper carried out a documentary survey of the impact of International Monetary Fund’s structural adjustment policies (SAP) on salient aspects of the Nigerian political ecology and found that IMF conditionalities are dubiously aimed at maintaining continued resource transfer from debtor countries to creditor nations with adverse impact on the environment and cost of living of the civic population of debtor countries. The adversities brought about by the policies ultimately violate international conventions on rights to life and well-being. The study therefore requests civil society groups, nongovernmental organisations and concerned international organisations to intervene and redefine the terms of engagement between debtor nations and their creditors with a view to redressing the disproportionate incidence of external debt and its conditionalities on the civic population of debtor nations especially those of Nigeria

Does melatonin and melatonin agonists improve the metabolic side effects of atypical antipsychotics? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Atypical antipsychotics (AAPs) are increasingly used for the treatment of psychotic disorders but are known to be associated with metabolic abnormalities. This study is a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) studying the effectiveness of melatonin for the amelioration of AAP-induced metabolic syndrome. The MEDLINE (accessed via PubMed), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), ClinicalTrials, PsycINFO, LILACS, CINAHL, and OpenGrey databases were searched for RCTs without language restrictions. Inclusion criteria were randomized, double-blind clinical trials comparing melatonin or melatonin agonists with placebo for the amelioration of AAP-induced effects at any age with selected components of metabolic syndrome as outcome measures. Two reviewers independently selected articles and assessed quality using Cochrane risk of bias and concealment tools. Of 53 records, five RCTs were eligible for the systematic review and three for the meta-analysis. The meta-analyses showed no statistically significant difference in any anthropometric or metabolic variable considered. Analysis according to psychiatric diagnosis from one RCT showed significant decreases in diastolic blood pressure (5.5 vs. -5.7 mmHg for the placebo and melatonin groups, respectively; p =0.001), fat mass (2.7 vs. 0.2 kg, respectively; p =0.032), and triglycerides (D) (50.1 vs. -20 mg/dl, respectively; p =0.08) in the bipolar group but not the schizophrenia group. Although limited to five RCTs with small sample sizes, evidence from RCT indicates that melatonin improves AAP-induced metabolic syndrome. This beneficial effect seems more significant in patients with bipolar disorder than those with schizophrenia. Further RCTs are needed to definitively establish the potential ameliorative effect of melatonin and to justify its efficacy as an add-on therapy to curtail AAP-induced metabolic syndrome

Antiepileptic drugs for the treatment of infants with severe myoclonic epilepsy

This is an updated version of the original Cochrane review published in Issue 11, 2013.Severe myoclonic epilepsy in infants (SMEI), also known as Dravet syndrome, is a rare, refractory form of epilepsy, for which stiripentol (STP) has been recently licensed as add-on therapy

Towards a Systems Theory Approach to Managing Human Rights Violations in Nigeria

This paper attempted a documentary assessment of human rights violations in Nigeria in the last two decades (1999-2020) given that the period constitutes the lengthiest uninterrupted democratic era since the country’s independence in 1960. The study found that human rights violations still persist in both covert and overt forms in the present than as in the past. The paper further attempted gauging these violations within the premises of the presence and absence of functional systems approach to governance within the country and subsumes that a close knit network between the machinery of governance with particular reference to its security operatives and active human rights and civil society groups will go a long way to minimizing cases of human rights abuses in the country

Nitrogen Mineralization in Selected Solid Waste Dumpsites in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

Organic wastes in selected waste dumpsites in Port Harcourt were successively incubated with sandy-loam soils for days at 27ºC, under aerobic conditions. The results showed marked decrease in total nitrogen in the organic wastes which was observed as loss of nitrogen. The process of nitrification and incorporation of (NH4)2SO4 affected the pH which ranged from 5.9 to 7.9. The cumulative mineral nitrogen released increased with incubation periods and the rate of organic application up to 28th day, with a maximum release of 456.40ppm at a rate of 61MT/ha organic application. The release of mineral N decreased on the 56th day with a minimum of 177.80ppm ata rate of 60MT/ha of organic fertilizer only. An enriched organic. Waste soil and organic waste treated soil had a boosting effect on the release of mineral nitrogen. The amount of mineral nitrogen released was higher for (NH4)2SO4 fertilizer treated soil than for organic waste treated soil. The mineralization rate was found to decrease with increasing age of the waste dumps. It was therefore recommended that organic wastes should be sorted and composted for use as organic fertilizers to augment inorganic fertilizer

Ethosuximide, sodium valproate or lamotrigine for absence seizures in children and adolescents

BACKGROUND: This is an updated version of the Cochrane Review previously published in 2017.Absence seizures (AS) are brief epileptic seizures which present in childhood and adolescence. Depending on clinical features and electroencephalogram (EEG) findings they are divided into typical, atypical absences, and absences with special features. Typical absences are characterised by sudden loss of awareness and an EEG typically shows generalised spike wave discharges at three cycles per second. Ethosuximide, valproate and lamotrigine are currently used to treat absence seizures. This review aims to determine the best choice of antiepileptic drug for children and adolescents with AS. OBJECTIVES: To review the evidence for the effects of ethosuximide, valproate and lamotrigine as treatments for children and adolescents with absence seizures (AS), when compared with placebo or each other. SEARCH METHODS: For the latest update we searched the Cochrane Register of Studies (CRS Web, 29 May 2018), which includes the Cochrane Epilepsy Group's Specialized Register and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE (Ovid, 1946 to 29 May 2018), ClinicalTrials.gov (29 May 2018) and the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP, 29 May 2018). Previously we searched Embase (1988 to March 2005) and SCOPUS (1823 to 31 March 2014), but this is no longer necessary because randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-RCTs in Embase and SCOPUS are now included in CENTRAL. No language restrictions were imposed. In addition, we contacted Sanofi Winthrop, Glaxo Wellcome (now GlaxoSmithKline) and Parke Davis (now Pfizer), manufacturers of sodium valproate, lamotrigine and ethosuximide respectively. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised parallel group monotherapy or add-on trials which include a comparison of any of the following in children or adolescents with AS: ethosuximide, sodium valproate, lamotrigine, or placebo. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Outcome measures were: (1) proportion of individuals seizure free at one, three, six, 12 and 18 months post randomisation; (2) people with a 50% or greater reduction in seizure frequency; (3) normalisation of EEG and/or negative hyperventilation test; and (4) adverse effects. Data were independently extracted by two review authors. Results are presented as risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). We used GRADE quality assessment criteria to evaluate the certainty of evidence derived from all included studies. MAIN RESULTS: On the basis of our selection criteria, we included no new studies in the present review. Eight small trials (total number of participants: 691) were included from the earlier review. Six of them were of poor methodological quality (unclear or high risk of bias) and seven recruited less than 50 participants. There are no placebo-controlled trials for ethosuximide or valproate, and hence, no evidence from RCTs to support a specific effect on AS for either of these two drugs. Due to the differing methodologies used in the trials comparing ethosuximide, lamotrigine and valproate, we thought it inappropriate to undertake a meta-analysis. One large randomised, parallel double-blind controlled trial comparing ethosuximide, lamotrigine and sodium valproate in 453 children with newly diagnosed childhood absence epilepsy found that at 12 months, the freedom-from-failure rates for ethosuximide and valproic acid were similar and were higher than the rate for lamotrigine. The frequency of treatment failures due to lack of seizure control (P < 0.001) and intolerable adverse events (P < 0.037) was significantly different among the treatment groups, with the largest proportion of lack of seizure control in the lamotrigine cohort, and the largest proportion of adverse events in the valproic acid group. Overall, this large study demonstrates the superior effectiveness of ethosuximide and valproic acid compared to lamotrigine as initial monotherapy aimed to control seizures without intolerable adverse effects in children with childhood absence epilepsy. The risk of bias for this study was low. We rated the overall certainty of the evidence available from the included studies to be moderate or high. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Since the last version of this review was published, we have found no new studies. Hence, the conclusions remain the same as the previous update. With regards to both efficacy and tolerability, ethosuximide represents the optimal initial empirical monotherapy for children and adolescents with AS. However, if absence and generalised tonic-clonic seizures coexist, valproate should be preferred, as ethosuximide is probably inefficacious on tonic-clonic seizures