Lectures emphasize the controls of the metabolism of the cell as well as the integration of the various pathways associated with the energy metabolism of the cell. Substrate and enzyme limited reactions, general aspects of metabolic control and the concept of coarse and fine controls of metabolism will be some of the key areas of discussion.
The course covers the synthesis, storage and functional properties of the primary plant products. The focus is mainly on photosynthesis; the chloroplast structure, the light harvesting systems of Photosystem I & Photosystem II, cyclic and non-cyclic photophosphrylation for the synthesis of ATP and reducing equivalents, the fixation of carbon dioxide in the Calvin Benson cycle of Carbon-3 & Carbon-4 plants. Other topics include the role of RUBISCO in Calvin cycle, the regulation of sucrose and starch synthesis, the synthesis of structural molecules such as cellulose, hemicelluloses, pectins and lipids, glucose synthesis and its effect on glycolysis, Krebs cycle and gluconeogenesis in plant. Mineral and nitrogen metabolism will also be discussed.
The course exposes students to the processes involved in the scientific method of investigation. There will be exercises in observational skills, making enquiries, formulation of hypotheses, and experimental designs in biological techniques, data acquisition, analysis and scientific presentation. Students will be taught how to do scientific presentations-oral and written. Students will be required to do literature review on specific topics and present them at seminars.
The course covers the nature and scope of management. Topics include managerial functions; organisational theories; goals of business organisations; economic and social responsibilities of management; decision making techniques and influence. The nature and types of organisation and their implications for organisational administration will also be discussed. The course also exposes students to the organisational behaviour and human relations in management. The application of concepts such as leadership, motivation, communication and morale to the management of people and organisations will be discussed. Students will also be introduced to the concept of time management, analysis and causes of change and how to manage change, innovation and control.
The course covers current trends in bioinformatics, uses and prospects, retrieval of information from the biological database such as gene and protein data banks. Other topics include methods for sequence alignment, protein structure prediction and motif finding. The use of phylogenetic trees for assessment of biodiversity and genetic changes in population will be treated. Bioinformatics case studies will be provided for group discussions.
The course covers the fundamentals of microbiology, including; microbial structures and functions, metabolism, growth, genetics, classification, and pathogenesis; virology, principles of infectious disease; host defends and antimicrobial drugs. Microbial concepts are reinforced and expanded by students’ laboratory investigations.
The course provides an introduction to the biogenesis of key plant secondary metabolites; terpenoids, steroids, alkaloids (especially indole alkaloids), flavonoids, essential oils, polyketides, polyisoprenoids and shikimic acid metabolites, the mechanism underlying their formation, methods of extraction, isolation, purification, and structure determination. A survey of the pharmacological activities associated with the various metabolite classes; flavonoids, alkaloids and terpenoids; plant growth and defence substances will be covered.
This course is designed to give biochemistry students the mechanistic understanding of physiological reactions with specific focus on metabolite and enzyme reactions. Topics covered will include mechanisms of substitution and elimination reactions of dienes; addition polymers of monoalkenes and dienes. The discussion will also include reaction of carbanions, aromaticity and electrophilic and nucleophilic substitution of benzenes and phenols.
The course covers aspects of microbial infections of food and water. Topics covered will include microbiological examination of potable water, microbial classification of raw foods, contamination of foods from natural sources, spoilage organisms and food borne pathogens. Special emphasis will be given to food borne pathogens; fungi, viruses, parasites poisoning, food infection and the effects of aflatoxins in foods. Cans, principles of canning, and other food preservation methods, use of microorganisms in food fermentation will also be studied. Microbiological food standards, good manufacturing practices, principles of cleaning, hazards in foods, risk, toxins and contaminants, Hazard Analysis & HACCP, perception of risks, stakeholders etc., will be examined.
The course provides students with an overview of the physiological functions and effects of nutrient deficiencies and trends in the consumption of carbohydrates, protein and lipids. Emphasis will be given to food as a source of energy; functions and distribution of minerals in the human body; dietary sources, deficiency symptoms, human requirements for minerals. Topics such as trace elements in human nutrition and requirements; landmarks in the discovery of vitamin and their functions, recommended intakes, dietary sources; effects of deficiencies of fat soluble and water soluble vitamins will be covered.
