Health Data and Privacy in the Digital Era

In 2010, the social networking site Facebook launched a platform allowing private companies to request users’ permission to access personal data. Few users were aware of the platform, which was integrated into Facebook’s terms of service. In 2014, Cambridge Analytica, a UK-based political consulting firm, developed a data-harvesting app. That app prompted Facebook users to provide psychological profiles, including responses such as “I get upset easily” and “I have frequent mood-swings” as part of a “research project.” The Facebook platform allowed users to share their friends’ data as well, enabling Cambridge Analytica to access tens of millions of personal profiles, identifying voters’ political preferences. The controversy revealed risks to identifiable health data posed by social media and web services companies’ practices. After the Cambridge Analytica controversy, Facebook suspended a project that aimed to link data about users’ medical conditions with information about their social networks. Individuals often reveal detailed, sensitive health information online. Through wearable devices, social media posts, traceable web searches, and online patient communities, users generate large volumes of health data. Although some individuals participate in online patient forums and wellness information sharing apps under their own names, others participate via pseudonyms, assuming their privacy is preserved. Many users believe their data will be shared only with those they designate

Socio-Political and Cultural Context of Independence in 1960: Perceptions, Lived Experiences in Middle Belt Areas and Lessons (Not Learned?) for Modern Nigeria

Nigeria’s political independence on October 1st 1960 was highly ‘emotional’ among citizens in different parts of the country at that moment. This paper examines some critical socio-cultural issues veritable to the formation of a new nation. Information in form of reports, written testimonies, and related archival materials were examined from the National Museum and National Archives, Jos in writing the paper. In-depth/personal interviews were also conducted in Jos and Makurdi. From the analysis and interpretation of information for the study, the following constitute major findings: 1, while the whole country was said to be ready to receive independence in 1960, not all known regional interests, such as those of the Middle Belt minorities were accepted and included in the national agenda 2, the demand for the creation of Middle Belt region (along with those proposed for the Mid-West and COR States) was perceived by ‘majority’ political actors as ‘extraneous’ to the planned independence, and 3, since hopes of Middle Belt minorities for a separate region of theirs were dashed, the overall perception of independence was suspect and morale low. The implication is that since the ‘celebration’ of the first independence suffered an initial ‘social fracture’, the rapid integration of various ethnic nationalities into mainstream post independence Nigeria has been faced with daunting difficulties, which the alienation and exclusion of majority of citizens from participating in the nation’s petro-economy represent focal loci of social helplessness. Occasions of national celebration of 1st independence in 1960 should not have been hastily contrived which leaves the country now undergoing unnecessary birth pangs, if it was a nation for all citizens with equal rights, obligations and privileges. Keywords: independence, ethnic nationalities, ethnocentrism, xenophobia, oppressors, domination, Nigeria

THE CONSTRUCTION OF EFFECTIVE LEARNING ECOSYSTEMS IN OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING (ODL) UNIVERSITIES: TECHNOLOGIES, INSTITUTIONAL PREPAREDNESS, AND CHANGE

A critical analysis of digital learning ecosystems in ODL universities reveals increasing adoption and innovation of technologies in the process of delivering education across the world. Though proponents of traditional-based education argue that students experiencing learning through ODL systems are disengaged from the learning process and that teachers are equally disconnected from the learning process, with insufficient value placed on face-face teaching, pressures to assign overinflated grades, and incentives to teach content only, and not critical thinking skills, however, technology has the potential to alleviate many of the challenges. Moreover, some of the challenges are peculiar to some of the ODL education systems, especially universities in the developing world. Emerging digital resources and technologies hold promise to enrich and revitalize ODL university systems, give students a deserved learning experience, and better prepare students and teachers to face the 21st century. Every aspect of learning, such as grading, assessment, access to reading materials, learning platforms and environments/classrooms, simulations, etc. is covered by emerging connected workplace technologies. The paper discusses the underlining determinant factors, namely institutional-management preparedness, employee attitudes, institutional research and technological innovations, stakeholder engagement, power supply, bandwidth/broadband issues, funding, digital policy frameworks, and the overall responsiveness to change that global ODL competitiveness imposes. It concludes that institutional preparedness and national priorities drive the effective direction of the change that meets the requirements of ODL learning systems

Interaction induced dimerization in zigzag single wall carbon nanotubes

We derive a low-energy effective model of metallic zigzag carbon nanotubes at half filling. We show that there are three important features characterizing the low-energy properties of these systems: the long-range Coulomb interaction, umklapp scattering and an explicit dimerization generated by interactions. The ratio of the dimerization induced gap and the Mott gap induced by the umklapp interactions is dependent on the radius of the nanotube and can drive the system through a quantum phase transition with SU(2)_1 quantum symmetry. We consider the physical properties of the phases on either side of this transition which should be relevant for realistic nanotubes.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure

Improvement of a stem borer resistant maize population for nitrogen deficient environments

Nitrogen (N) deficiency is a common feature in all maize growing ecologies of West and Central Africa. It is therefore imperative to produce maize varieties that are able to survive in N deficient environments. To determine their potential in improving the population for N deficient environments, S1 progenies from a stem borer resistant maize population- BR9928DMRSRLNC1 were evaluated under low soil N (30kgN/ha) condition at Mokwa and Zaria, Nigeria in 2013. Furthermore, the original and improved cycle of the population were later evaluated at the same test locations under two additional N fertilizer levels (0kg and 90kgN/ha), to estimate gains from selection. Several traits were evaluated. For most of the traits studied, genetic variability was moderate to low and ears per plant, ear aspect and plant height were significantly correlated with yield. Step-wise multiple regression, identified ears per plant and ear aspect as having high direct effects on grain yield. Expected gains per cycle were lower than observed for most traits except grain yield and plant height. Comparison between the original and improved cycle revealed that in general, selection reduced days to flowering and ear aspect ratings across all N levels. In addition, grain yield increments were observed in all N environments with the most significant change of 15% occurring at 90kgN/ha. Using a weighted index with larger weights assigned to grain yield, ear aspect and ears per plant should increase gain in further selection programs.Keywords: Nitrogen deficiency; maize; genetic variability; genetic gain; S1 progeny selectio

The effect of a local perturbation in a fermionic ladder

We study the effect of a local external potential on a system of two parallel spin-polarized nanowires placed close to each other. For single channel nanowires with repulsive interaction we find that transport properties of the system are highly sensitive to the transverse gradient of the perturbation: the asymmetric part completely reflects the electrons leading to vanishing conductance at zero temperature, while the flat potential remains transparent. We envisage a possible application of this unusual property in the sensitive measurement of local potential field gradients.Comment: 4+ pages, 2 figures, typos correcte