
Nigerian student happy to find himself, excellent education at MSU Texas
When Samuel Olatunde first dreamed of coming to America to attend college, he thought basketball would be a part of it.
Duke University came to mind. But Olatunde realized after some time that he was good in basketball in his area, but it wouldn't be his future occupation. He still wanted to come to the United States and found Midwestern State University and Wichita Falls.
'My dad's plan was always to send me abroad to study. He wanted me to go to the UK, but I wanted to go to the U.S.,' Olutunde said. 'I had heard of Texas but not Wichita Falls.'
Starting college in 2020 as the world was experiencing COVID-19, it was the online presence of MSU Texas that gained his attention. But he was excited to come to campus to continue his educational journey, and he earned his bachelor of science from McCoy College of Science, Mathematics and Engineering in December 2024. And he stayed here for graduate school.
He initially didn't want many friends and admitted he wasn't the best at socializing.
'That helped me academically. I became friends with my teachers, and they were supportive,' he said.
He finished with a double major in computer science and mathematics and embraced his chances to do research. His message to others would be to try research.
'You never know until you do it, and you might enjoy it," he said.
After grad school at MSU Texas, he hopes to land a job that involves research.
'It's amazing here at MSU,' Olatunde said. 'It was a beautiful journey. One of the best things for me was it was a smaller school and I had access to (faculty). The support you get here is great. I had a lot of ups and downs and went through a lot of growth. I continued to grow in school and socially.'
His favorite professors included associate professors of computer science Eduard Colmenares-Diaz and Terry Griffin, who was Samuel's adviser and got him started in research, and Marcos Lopez, associate professor of mathematics.
His first MSU experience was an online class from Tiffany Zeigler, and he learned much about the rules for writing papers.
'I slowly picked it up. I had a very terrible relationship with writing (as a youth), but I've understood I can be really good at it. It takes a lot mentally, and I tend to spend a whole lot of time writing," Olatunde said.
Graduation in December was a milestone for him. His parents — dad Sayo and mother Bukola — came to celebrate with him.
He said they always had high goals for him. It was quite a journey, but he showed that belief in him was not misplaced. He just wasn't destined to be an NBA star.
'They would always help and support me, and here my confidence has grown socially and academically. I'm more outspoken and not afraid. (MSU) has helped me grow holistically in every aspect of my life,' Olutunde said.
More: MSU schedules health fair
More: Wichita Falls restaurant inspections: How did they do Feb. 12-24?
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Nigerian student happy to find himself, excellent education at MSU Texas

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Scientific American
40 minutes ago
- Scientific American
What a Wandering Mind Learns
While you do the dishes or drive to work, your mind is likely not on the task at hand; perhaps you're composing a grocery list or daydreaming about retiring in Italy. But research published in the Journal of Neuroscience suggests you might be taking in more than you think. During a simple task that requires minimal attention, mind wandering may actually help people learn probabilistic patterns that let them perform the task better. 'The idea to study the potentially beneficial influence of mind wandering on information processing occurred to us during the COVID pandemic, when we had plenty of time to mind wander,' says Péter Simor, lead author of the recent study and a psychology researcher at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest. Study participants practiced a simple task in which they pressed keyboard buttons corresponding to the direction of arrows that lit up on a screen. But there were patterns hidden within the task that the participants were unaware of—and they learned these patterns without consciously noticing them. The researchers found that when participants reported letting their minds wander, they adapted to the task's hidden patterns significantly faster. On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. 'This is an exciting and important piece of work, especially because the authors opted for a nondemanding task to check how [mind wandering] would affect performance and learning,' says Athena Demertzi, a cognitive and clinical neuroscientist at the University of Liège in Belgium. Previous related research focused more on long and demanding tasks, she says—on which zoning out is typically shown to have a negative effect. But the results are not clear-cut, says Jonathan Smallwood, a psychology researcher at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. 'I don't think that this means the spontaneous mind-wandering episodes themselves cause implicit learning to occur,' he says. 'Rather both emerge at the same time when people go into a particular state.' Neither Smallwood nor Demertzi was involved in the new study. Simor, who studies sleep, was interested in whether participants' mind wandering displayed any neural hallmarks of dozing off. Using electroencephalogram recordings, the team showed that in those test periods, participants' brains produced more of the slow waves that are dominant during sleep. Perhaps, the researchers say, mind wandering is like a form of light sleep that provides some of that state's learning benefits. To better understand whether mind wandering might compensate for lost sleep, Simor and his colleagues next plan to study narcolepsy and sleep deprivation. 'We know that people spend significant amounts of time not focused on what they are doing,' Smallwood says. 'The authors' work is important because it helps us understand how reasonably complex forms of behavior can continue when people are focused on other things—and that even though our thoughts were elsewhere, the external behavior can still leave its mark on the person.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Antigen and Antibody Diagnostics Market to Reach USD 68 Billion by 2034, Driven by 4.6% CAGR Growth
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Download PDF Brochure: Drivers: Technology, Infrastructure, and Global Health Priorities One of the core growth catalysts is the evolution of point-of-care testing (POCT) technologies, which allow medical professionals to obtain results swiftly and accurately, often outside traditional laboratory environments. These innovations have proven vital in remote or resource-constrained regions and during public health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The demand for portable, efficient, and user-friendly diagnostic devices has never been higher. Another pivotal driver is the growing prevalence of infectious diseases, including influenza, hepatitis, and emerging viral outbreaks. The urgent need for swift containment and response to such health threats accelerates the demand for antigen and antibody testing tools. Parallelly, global healthcare infrastructure development—especially across Asia-Pacific and parts of Latin America and Africa—continues to boost diagnostic adoption by improving laboratory networks, hospital capacity, and access to essential diagnostic services. Technology Integration: AI Enhancing Precision and Efficiency The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into diagnostic platforms represents a transformative leap forward. AI-driven tools are increasingly used to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of test results, particularly in large-scale screening programs and high-throughput labs. These intelligent systems reduce human error, optimize workflow, and allow for real-time interpretation of complex data. As AI becomes a more integral part of diagnostics, it is enabling providers to deliver faster, more personalized healthcare services, thereby increasing adoption rates globally. 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By Technology ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay) remains the gold standard in diagnostics, accounting for about 30% of the market due to its high sensitivity in detecting a wide range of diseases. Rapid Tests, with a market share of around 25%, are gaining popularity due to their ease of use and quick results. These are extensively used during health crises for mass screenings. Western Blotting and Lateral Flow Assays hold 10–15% and 20% market shares respectively, primarily used in confirmatory diagnostics for infections and autoimmune conditions. By Application Infectious Disease Diagnostics dominate the application segment, with a 40% market share. The continuous emergence of new pathogens ensures sustained demand. Cancer Diagnostics, leveraging antibody-based biomarker detection, account for 30%, with increasing focus on early detection and personalized treatment pathways. Autoimmune and Cardiovascular Disease Diagnostics are emerging areas, supported by rising incidence and innovations in biomarker research. By End User Hospitals and Diagnostic Laboratories are the principal end users, collectively representing 70% of the market, driven by their scale and resource availability. Research Institutions and POCT Facilities contribute around 15%, a figure expected to rise with increased funding and decentralized testing approaches. By Distribution Channel Direct Sales account for around 60%, preferred for their control and customization benefits. Distributors and Retailers, making up the remaining 40%, are essential in expanding geographic reach, particularly in rural and underserved markets. 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Asia-Pacific is the fastest-growing region, forecasted to grow at 8% CAGR through 2034. Rapid urbanization, rising middle-class incomes, and expanded healthcare access in countries like India and China are fueling market growth. Latin America and Middle East & Africa, while smaller in share (around 5% combined), offer high growth potential as investments in healthcare infrastructure and disease surveillance increase. Key Competitors Roche Diagnostics Abbott Laboratories Siemens Healthineers Thermo Fisher Scientific bioMérieux Ortho Clinical Diagnostics BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) DiaSorin Hologic PerkinElmer Agilent Technologies Genomic Health (a part of Exact Sciences) Mindray Fujirebio Lonza Group Buy Now: Competitive Landscape: Strategic Moves Reshaping the Market Leading players such as Roche Diagnostics, Abbott Laboratories, Siemens Healthineers, and Thermo Fisher Scientific dominate the market through innovation, acquisitions, and global outreach. 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Miami Herald
2 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Why Are So Many Children Getting Long COVID?
It's been more than five years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, although millions of Americans, including children, are still affected by it today. More than one million Americans died due to the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), while many were floored by the infection for weeks or even months. Others developed long COVID, which is recognized as a collection of symptoms that last three months or longer after initial COVID symptoms appear. This can affect many systems in the body and result in a wide range of health complications and symptoms. A study by Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) last year found that up to 5.8 million American children now have long COVID. The authors wrote that this means between 10 to 20 percent of children who tested positive with COVID-19 went on to develop the condition. Their findings suggest that long COVID may have surpassed asthma-which around 5 million youngsters have-as the most common chronic condition experienced by American children. However, experts told Newsweek that more detailed research is needed to determine the prevalence of the condition, and discussed why millions of children now have ongoing health complications and symptoms post-COVID infection. Children of all ages can develop long COVID and typical symptoms can vary between age groups. Poor appetite, sleep issues and respiratory symptoms such as a cough are usually common in infants, toddlers and preschool-aged children with the condition, while school-aged children are also likely to have neurological symptoms like trouble focusing, fear of specific things or feeling lightheaded, the medical journal site JAMA Network reported. Some children may also experience back or neck pain, headache, stomach pain, vomiting and even behavioral changes. Adolescents may also notice a change or loss in smell or taste and experience pain, fatigue-related symptoms or trouble with their memory, JAMA Network said. It is difficult to pin down exactly how common long COVID really is among those aged under 18 as "prevalence varies between studies due to different clinical definitions, follow-up period and survey methods used," Dr. Akiko Iwasaki, director of the Center for Infection and Immunity at the Yale School of Medicine, told Newsweek. However, she added that "the most robust studies" collectively suggest the number of children who get infected with COVID and then develop long COVID "is higher than the prevalence of asthma in children in the U.S." Also discussing the study, Dr. Lauren Grossman, a professor of medicine at Stanford University, told Newsweek: "The number of children under 18 with asthma ranges from 4.9 million to 6 million depending on the source so it's not an incorrect statement to say that there are more or at least the same number of children with asthma as there are with long COVID." Many children are also going "unrecognized and unsupported," Dr. Rachel Gross, a professor in the department of pediatrics at NYU Langone Health, told Newsweek. She added that this means "identifying long COVID in children, especially young children, can be difficult due to rapid developmental changes and communication limitations." However, Dr. Gerald Teague, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, said that "there are too few prospective studies to compare estimates of long COVID to asthma in children." "We need to come to consensus on how to precisely diagnose long COVID in children first," he told Newsweek, adding that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the federal government should "allocate more funding to antiviral research in children to help clear these confusing issues." Gross also said that the age differences in long COVID symptoms "support that a one-size fits all approach will likely not be sufficient to screen for, identify, and treat children with long COVID." One reason long COVID continues to affect millions of American children could be related to vaccinations, according to Grossman. "As vaccinations help prevent long COVID and vaccinations were not available to pediatric patients until long after they were for adults, fewer children had protection," she said. She added that the first vaccines were given to adults in December 2020, while children aged 5 to 11 only received their first vaccination in October 2021. Teague also said that studies have found that the original COVID strain in 2020 was far more likely to result in patients developing long COVID, while more recent strains were "not as likely to be associated with symptoms." Few children being vaccinated amid the first, more symptom-inducing strain of the virus may therefore have contributed to the higher rates of long COVID. Child COVID vaccinations have also recently come into the spotlight as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been vocal in his distrust of the mRNA COVID vaccine, announced last month that the CDC will no longer recommend COVID vaccines for "healthy children and healthy pregnant women." Grossman added that Paxlovid, the antiviral medication used to treat COVID infection, was first authorized in December 2021, but only for those aged 12 and over, or those who weighed more than 88 lbs., meaning younger children did not have access to medication. It is important to note, however, that "the prevalence for long COVID in children appears to be just as high in adults," Iwasaki said. "This suggests that children are not immune to developing long COVID, and that their immune system is also susceptible to being derailed by the virus," she added. Iwasaki said that this could mean that COVID infection "might become persistent or trigger autoimmune diseases in children," and that there could be "other viral infections that happen during childhood that impact long COVID susceptibility." However, she said that more research is needed to better understand the underlying mechanisms of long COVID in youngsters. "We need more awareness so that parents and pediatricians can recognize the signs of long COVID in children better," Iwasaki said. "The relationship between children, their caregivers, and pediatricians is vital to identify and eventually treat this under-recognized condition," Gross said. Grossman said that establishing pediatric-specializing long COVID clinics was vital as currently there are "very few," and that promoting "full vaccination" was also important. While more robust studies are beginning to be done on the issue, it is still difficult to determine the overall impact and severity of long COVID on America's children. Related Articles What RFK Jr. Has Said About COVID VaccinesCOVID-19 NB 1.8.1 Variant: Symptoms To Watch For As Virus SurgesRobert F. Kennedy Jr. Changes His Mind About COVID VaccineMAHA Influencer Slams Trump Admin COVID Vaccine Update-'Really Unfortunate' 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.