Papers by Muhammad Alhassan
arXiv (Cornell University), Jan 15, 2023
Using the @NGRPresident Twitter handle, the Government of Nigeria issued a special directive bann... more Using the @NGRPresident Twitter handle, the Government of Nigeria issued a special directive banning Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) with immediate effect. The SARS is a special police unit under the Nigeria Police Force tasked with the responsibility of fighting violent crimes. However, the unit has been accused of waves of human rights abuse across the nation. According to a report by Amnesty International, between January 2017 and May 2020, 82 cases of police brutality have been committed. This has led to one of the major protests demanding more measures to be taken. The #EndSARS hashtag was widely used by the protesters to amplify their messages and reach out to wider communities on Twitter. In this study, we present a critical analysis of how the online protest unfolded. Essentially, we examine how the protest evolves on Twitter, the nature of engagement with the protest themes, the factors influencing the protest and public perceptions about the online movement. We found that the mobilisation strategies include direct and indirect engagements with influential users, sharing direct stories and vicarious experiences. Also, there is evidence that suggests the deployment of automated accounts to promote the course of the protest. In terms of participation, over 70% of the protest is confined within a few states in Nigeria, and the diaspora communities also lent their voices to the movement. The most active users are not those with high followership, and the majority of the protesters utilised mobile devices, accounting for 88% to mobilise and report on the protest. Moreover, we have examined how social media users interact with the #EndSARS movement and the response from the wider online communities. Needless to say, the themes in the online discourse are mostly about ending SARS and vicarious experiences with the police, however, there are topics around police reform and demand for regime change. We surmise that injecting a political undertone could lead to setbacks in social activism as it will likely provoke counter protest.
Proceedings of the 2020 Conference on Human Information Interaction and Retrieval, 2020
YouTube is one of the leading social media platforms and online spaces for people who self-harm t... more YouTube is one of the leading social media platforms and online spaces for people who self-harm to search and view deliberate selfharm videos, share their experience and seek help via comments. These comments may contain information that signals a commentator could be at risk of potential harm. Due to a large amount of responses generated from these videos, it is very challenging for social media teams to respond to a vulnerable commentator who is at risk. We considered this issue as a multi-class problem and triaged viewers' comments into one of four severity levels. Using current state-of-the-art classifiers, we propose a model enriched with psycho-linguistic and sentiment features that can detect critical comments in need of urgent support. On average, our model achieved up to 60% precision, recall, and f1-score which indicates the effectiveness of the model.
International Journal of Plant & Soil Science, 2014
American Journal of Environmental Protection, 2014
Springer eBooks, 2022
Online social media platforms remain an excellent source of data for information scientists. Exis... more Online social media platforms remain an excellent source of data for information scientists. Existing studies have found that people who self-harm find it easier to disclose information regarding their behaviour on social media as compared to in-person interactions. Due to the large and growing volume of user-generated content on YouTube, sources of videos presenting information concerning self-harm and discussions surrounding those videos could be hidden by other contents. By using a categorisation codebook and state-of-the-art topic and sentiment analysis techniques, the authors identified distinct groups of users who uploaded videos about self-harm on YouTube (n=107) and uncovered the topics and sentiments expressed in 27,520 comments. In addition to other sources, our investigations discovered that 56% of the people uploading the examined videos are non-professionals, in contrast to the group of professionals with only 11% of the videos in the sample. In grouping comments based on similar topics, we discovered that self-harming users, clean (recovered) users, at-risk audiences, and appreciative users responded to the examined videos. Viewers responded more positively to 'recovered from self-harm' and 'appreciative' responses, as opposed to 'atrisk ' and 'self-harm' comments with a high negative sentiments. These features could be used to build a classifier, although more research is needed to investigate self-injurious information to better support digital interventions for effective prevention and recovery.
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
World Journal of Advanced Engineering Technology and Sciences, Jan 30, 2023
Glass systems are now a trending topic of research for radiation shielding. It takes time to fabr... more Glass systems are now a trending topic of research for radiation shielding. It takes time to fabricate the glass and then to measure its density, following which other properties are determined. Some chemicals' manufacturers write on the chemical containers the health effect of such chemicals if they get contact with eyes or skin and when inhaled. It's therefore of great importance to devise non experimental technique to study the physical and shielding properties of glass systems. The aim of this work is to construct a mathematical equation capable of reproducing and predicting densities of glasses in the system given by "yBaO-xBi2O3-(100-x-y) B2O3", where (10 ≤ y ≤ 24 wt% and 0 ≤ x ≤ 100-y) wt%) so, as to avoid the repetitive fabrication of each member of this system and to cut the cost of fabrication and to assure safety from the chemical exposure. We made used of the existing samples to study the nature of the densities in such system and came up with an equation, using which the densities could be reproduced and some others could be predicted by deciding the weight percentages of the constituent chemicals. The formula has a minimum percentage accuracy of 97.4 %. The use of this formula for studying radiation shielding properties of glasses in this system is therefore of great importance.
Information for a Better World: Shaping the Global Future, 2022
Online social media platforms remain an excellent source of data for information scientists. Exis... more Online social media platforms remain an excellent source of data for information scientists. Existing studies have found that people who self-harm find it easier to disclose information regarding their behaviour on social media as compared to in-person interactions. Due to the large and growing volume of user-generated content on YouTube, sources of videos presenting information concerning self-harm and discussions surrounding those videos could be hidden by other contents. By using a categorisation codebook and state-of-the-art topic and sentiment analysis techniques, the authors identified distinct groups of users who uploaded videos about self-harm on YouTube (n=107) and uncovered the topics and sentiments expressed in 27,520 comments. In addition to other sources, our investigations discovered that 56% of the people uploading the examined videos are non-professionals, in contrast to the group of professionals with only 11% of the videos in the sample. In grouping comments based on similar topics, we discovered that self-harming users, clean (recovered) users, at-risk audiences, and appreciative users responded to the examined videos. Viewers responded more positively to 'recovered from self-harm' and 'appreciative' responses, as opposed to 'atrisk ' and 'self-harm' comments with a high negative sentiments. These features could be used to build a classifier, although more research is needed to investigate self-injurious information to better support digital interventions for effective prevention and recovery.
Journal of Environmental and Occupational Science, 2015
Aims: This study aimed to determine levels of trace metals in Qua Iboe river estuary (QIRE), Iben... more Aims: This study aimed to determine levels of trace metals in Qua Iboe river estuary (QIRE), Ibeno and estimate human health risk associated with water from the river via ingestion and dermal exposure. Method: Trace metals in water from QIRE was measured using atomic absorption spectrophotometer and human health risk induced by the trace metals in dry and wet seasons was investigated using mathematical models recommended by United States Environmental Potential Agency (USEPA). Results: The range for the different metals investigated in dry season were as follows: Pb (0.147 to 0.19mg/l), Cd (0.02 to 0.31mg/l), V(0.04 to 0.11mg/l), Cr (0.09 to 0.18mg/l), Ni (0.28 to 0.61mg/l), Fe (8.78 to 13.97mg/l), Zn (0.13 to 0.56mg/l). The results for wet season were: Pb (0.07 to 0.19mg/l), Cd (0.05 to 0.31mg/l), V (0.01 to 0.03mg/l), Cr (0.02 to 0.15mg/l), Ni (0.03 to 2.33mg/l), Fe (0.02 to 4.92mg/l), Zn (0.11 to 0.43mg/l). Concentrations of metals were above USEPA limits except Zn. The target hazard quotient (THQ) and hazard index (HI) values via ingestion of water were greater than one while the THQ values via dermal contact were greater than one for Cd only. The combined target hazard index (HI*) from ingestion and dermal contact of water was greater than unity for Cd, Cr and Pb for wet and dry seasons. Conclusion: Findings in this study show that Pb, Cd and Cr may contribute to health risk from dermal and oral exposure to water from the QIRE systems. Constant monitoring and remediation processes of the QIRE are strongly recommended.
The study assessed the chemical and heavy metals content in surface water samples collected at 9 ... more The study assessed the chemical and heavy metals content in surface water samples collected at 9 points from 3 different streams within a radius of 5 kilometers to the factory, and an additional control water sample collected from a stream at Tarhembe, 12 kilometers from the factory. Laboratory analyses were conducted for 18 parameters, while mean, maximum and minimum values, and standard deviation for all parameters tested were derived using SPSS Version 15. Using the WHO (2011) Guidelines for Drinking Water, the concentration levels of pollutants in water samples were determined for all 18 parameters to establish whether or not they constitute significant health problems. The results for physico-chemical parameters show that pH values range between 6.07 and 8.48 across all sample locations with the highest value recorded in Sample E. Generally, the concentration of these parameters vary across all water samples however, the largest mean value was recorded for the Total Dissolved S...
Journal of Agribusiness and Rural Development, 2019
The notion that herder households only restrict their livelihood strategy to the rearing of lives... more The notion that herder households only restrict their livelihood strategy to the rearing of livestock most often than not excludes the group from the right to access land for the agricultural activity they engage in. This study investigated the participation of herder households in sedentary agriculture (crop production) in Niger state, Nigeria. Findings from this study show that herder households in the study area are no longer strictly livestock keepers; they participate in crop production just like crop farmers who also combine the cultivation of crops with livestock keeping. The results also revealed that most herder households (66%) that engage in crop production cultivate cereals; other crops cultivated by herder households in the study area include tuber crops (22%) and vegetables. Regarding herder household farm outputs, most of the harvests are at the subsistence level, with the harvests ranging between 300 kg and 750 kg. Identified drivers of herder households’ participati...
Caliphate Journal of Science and Technology, Jan 13, 2023
Aphrodisiacs are among the most widely marketed and consumed herbal products in NorthWestern Nige... more Aphrodisiacs are among the most widely marketed and consumed herbal products in NorthWestern Nigeria. There are speculations that these products are being adulterated with orthodox medicines in order to boost their effects and sales. The objective of current research was to analyse the presence of adulterated sildenafil citrate in some herbal aphrodisiacs commonly sold and consumed in Sokoto metropolis. Ten different liquid herbal aphrodisiac preparations marketed in Sokoto metropolis were collected from different areas of the city. Each of the preparation was analysed for adulteration with sildenafil citrate using thin layer chromatography and UV spectroscopy. Five of the preparations were found to contain sildenafil citrate in the range of 34-291 mg per daily dose. The findings from this study indicate that some of the herbal aphrodisiac preparations marketed in Sokoto metropolis are being adulterated with substantial amount of undeclared sildenafil citrate, a practice that poses serious public health hazard to its consumers. Consequences of which ranges from nausea, dyspepsia, pain, dizziness, abnormal vision, and headache and potentially heart attack especially among adults with underlying chronic diseases such as hypertension among others.
Nigerian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences
A mutation in p53 is frequently reported in nearly 50% of all of human cancers arising from DNA-b... more A mutation in p53 is frequently reported in nearly 50% of all of human cancers arising from DNA-binding core domain of p53. DNA-contact mutant R273H rendered p53 at dysfunctional state due to the substitution of single residue Arg273 for His273. Here, natural bioactive compounds curcumin, alpinetin and flavokawain B were investigated for possible stabilisation of wild-type p53 expression in vitro using HT-29 cells harbouring R273H rendered p53. Accordingly, all the bioactive compounds were able to induce the expression of wild-type p53 both at the levels of gene and protein expression. A dose-dependent induction of p53 was evident at 12.5, 25 and 50 μM concentration. The present study has shown that the bioactive compounds may have restored the wild-type p53 functional activity in tumour cells expressing R273H mutant p53. Keywords: Curcumin, Alpinetin, Flavokawain B, p53, R273H
South Asian Research Journal of Agriculture and Fisheries
This paper assessed the effect of armed banditry on cattle and sheep production in kebbi south, N... more This paper assessed the effect of armed banditry on cattle and sheep production in kebbi south, Nigeria. Cattle and sheep production has recently come under a big threat due to the challenges of insecurity. Using a multi stage sampling procedure, 60 ruminant animal farmers who were specifically keeping cattle and sheep in the study area were selected for the study. In the first stage, three livestock markets such as Ribah, Maga and Wasagu were purposively selected based on the volume of cattle and sheep sold there. The use of livestock markets was because of the difficulty of accessing the famers in their homes due to the prevalent security challenges in the study area. In the second stage, 60 questionnaires were randomly distributed to cattle and sheep producers identified in the markets. However, only 45 were used due to incomplete information. The information gathered was analyzed using descriptive statistics and five point Likert scale. The study revealed that 66% of the respond...
Nigerian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 2021
Aldose reductase, a key enzyme of the polyol pathway catalyses NADPH-dependent reduction of gluco... more Aldose reductase, a key enzyme of the polyol pathway catalyses NADPH-dependent reduction of glucose to sorbitol. Increased activity of this enzyme is considered a major factor contributing to the development of diabetic complications hence could be an important target in the treatment of these complications. In this work, a database of sesquiterpenes was prepared and screened for their drug-like properties based on the Lipinski’s rule of 5. The co-crystallised structure of aldose reductase was obtained from the Protein Databank and prepared for docking. In silico docking experiments was performed on Autodock tools using 198 sesquiterpene lactones that passed screening, and compounds with the lowest binding energy and favourable binding interactions were selected for molecular docking simulation. Six of the best ranking compounds selected had binding energies ranging from–11.96 Kcal/mol to -9.45 Kcal/mol and were comparable to the energy of the standard inhibitor Idd594 used in the ...
Averrhoa bilimbi (family: Oxalidaceae) leaves preparations are used in traditional medicine in Ma... more Averrhoa bilimbi (family: Oxalidaceae) leaves preparations are used in traditional medicine in Malaysia for treatment of several diseases including diabetes. The objective of this study was to investigate the xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibitory potential of A. bilimbi leaves and identification of its bioactive constituents through LC-MS-Q-TOF analysis. A. bilimbi leaves crude methanol extract was fractionated with hexane, chloroform and n-butanol. The fractions at different concentrations were subjected to XO inhibitory activity investigation. LC-MS-Q-TOF profiling of the most active fraction was carried out to identify the active compound. Molecular docking was used to investigate the potential inhibitory effect of the active compounds identified through LC-MS-Q-TOF analysis. Results for XO assay demonstrated for n-butanol fraction to display significant inhibitory activity (IC50: 64.84 ± 3.93 μg/mL). However, hexane and chloroform fractions did not show good inhibitory activity. (Z)-Resveratrol-3,4ʹ-β-glucoside and afzelechin-3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside were identified in n-butanol fraction through LC-MS-Q-TOF analysis as the possible metabolites responsible for XO inhibitory activity of the n-butanol fraction. Further scientific effort is, however, needed to obtain such bioactive compounds in pure form for complete pharmacological evaluations
Toxicology Reports, 2022
Vernonia glaberrima leaves are traditionally used to alleviate bodily pain, skin cancer, and othe... more Vernonia glaberrima leaves are traditionally used to alleviate bodily pain, skin cancer, and other skin-related disorders. The purpose of the study was to investigate the acute and sub-acute toxicity of 5-methylcoumarin-4β-glucoside, a promising chemotherapeutic agent against colon cancer isolated from the leaves of Vernonia glaberrima. 5-methylcoumarin-4β-glucoside was isolated from the methanol leaf extract of Vernonia glaberrima following a previously described method. The acute toxicity study involved a two-phase 24 h observation for signs of mortality and toxicity following single oral dose administration of the isolated compound. For the sub-acute study, four groups of mice, averagely aged eight weeks, were administered graded doses of the compound (250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg) or vehicle for 28 days. On the 29th day, the mice were fasted, anesthetized, euthanized, then their blood and tissues were harvested for hematological, biochemical and histopathological evaluations. There were no signs of mortality or moribund status with an increasing dose of up to 5000 mg/kg over a 24 h period in the acute study. Also, there was no evidence of toxicity on the biochemical or hematopoietic systems in the sub-acute study (p < 0.05). At the dose of 1000 mg/kg, the mice showed some distorted histology with no corresponding alterations in serum biochemicals. Overall, the results showed that 5-methylcoumarin-4β-glucoside at dosages up to 500 mg/kg is tolerable in mice.
Public Policy and Administration Research, 2016
Property rates are important revenue items to local government units all over the world. This is ... more Property rates are important revenue items to local government units all over the world. This is due to the fix nature of its components, which makes it predictable. However, local governments find it difficult to effectively mobilise revenues from this important source. This study thus examined mechanisms and strategies adopted towards mobilisation of property rate, in the specific context of Kassena-Nankana Municipality of Ghana. Adopting a case study, data was collected through interviews with key officials of the Municipality and randomly selected revenue collectors and property owners. The study revealed that, property valuation was carried out in 2009, which was used to rate items for taxation. Revaluation, which is due every five years by statutory provision, was however not carried out in 2014 due to limited resources and lack of expertise. The study further revealed that, the Municipality employs many mechanisms in order to maximise revenues from the already flawed property...
Objective: To investigate the antioxidant and radical scavenging activities of some selected flav... more Objective: To investigate the antioxidant and radical scavenging activities of some selected flavonoids with respect to identify key positions responsible for antioxidant effects as well as the effect of derivatisation on the antioxidative effects. Design and method: Antioxidant potential was evaluated using different sets of assays viz., rapid test by dot blot, 1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, ABTS+ radical cation scavenging, ferric reducing antioxidant powder (FRAP) and xanthine oxidase inhibitory (XOI) assays. Results: It was determined that the total number and the configuration of hydroxyl group play an important role in regulating bioactivity of flavonoids in scavenging DPPH radical, ABTS+ radical cation and FRAP assays. Presence of catechol and the absence of C-2-C-3 double bond as well as ketonic group at C-4 reduced the xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity. Methylation and acetylation of hydroxyl groups at particular positions were also found to decre...
Several in vitro and in vivo studies have shown antidiabetic potential of flavonoids. These polyp... more Several in vitro and in vivo studies have shown antidiabetic potential of flavonoids. These polyphenolic compounds biochemical properties are in fact structure dependent, however, yet to be clearly understood. Hence, the chief objective of this study was to determine the antidiabetic activities of some structurally related flavonoids to recognize important positions responsible, their correlation, as well as the effect of derivatisation on the same properties. 15 selected flavonoids were subjected to cytotoxicity test (MTT) on two different cell lines namely RIN-5F pancreatic and 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes. Subsequently, the compounds were subjected to in vitro antidiabetic investigation using RIN-5F to determine the insulin secretagogue activity via ELISA as well as on 3T3-L1 adipocytes to determine the insulin sensitizing activity via adipogenesis and fluorescence glucose uptake tests. Next, the adipokines viz. leptin, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), adiponectin, and retinol binding p...
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Papers by Muhammad Alhassan