Pre-service mathematics teachers' learning and teaching of activity-based lessons supported with spreadsheets

Mathematics education research has shown that too few students have adequate mathematics comprehension or problem-solving skills. To make up for this lapse in student outcomes, mathematics teachers should be among the most enthusiastic in seeking to maximize technologies’ potential to develop student understanding, stimulate student interest, and increase student mathematics proficiency. In this study, pre-service mathematics teachers worked in teams to develop their knowledge and skills in designing activity-based lessons supported by spreadsheets. The pre-service teachers developed and demonstrated their knowledge and skill adequately during the design and enactment of their lessons. The results also showed that, the activity-based lessons supported by spreadsheets served a useful pedagogical approach, impacted on student learning outcomes and has the potential of improving teaching and learning mathematics in secondary educatio

Analysis of Technology Integration in Teacher Education in Ghana

Ghana’s Education Reforms launched in June 2007 introduced Computer literacy not on-ly as a new subject, but also as a tool to enhance teaching and learning. This study pro-vides a situational analysis of the pedagogical issues associated with Information and Communication Technology (ICT) use in teacher education in Ghana. The methodology used in the study focused on meta-data analysis in which issues associated with integrat-ing ICT in Ghana’s education were re-examined to provide a better picture that will sup-port future achievement of teaching and learning with ICT. The evidence suggests that the challenges of ICT use in education do not lie only in the lack of availability of tech-nological resources, but also in the shortage of skilled human resources and other institu-tional factors. Implications that relate to teacher “readiness” to deliver 21st century edu-cation through the use of technology are discussed and analyzed

Mathematics learning through classroom assessment: Evaluating the value of weekly class tests

This study adopted a descriptive case study to explore the impact of weekly class test alongside two other modes of assessment strategies: use of project work and class presentation on learning outcomes in mathematics among 145 year-one high school students in the Central Region of Ghana. Subject evaluation questionnaire and scores obtained in weekly class test, end of term examination, class presentation and project work were the main sources of data collected for the study. The results indicated that scores obtained from all the modes of assessment (class test, class presentation and project work) used in the study correlated with end of term examination; however, the best predictor of end of term examination was class test. Thus, the study revealed that employing class test as an approach in the classroom drives students to deepen their understanding of concepts taught, encourage students to review their notes ahead of each new class session and consequently enhance their learning outcomes. Furthermore, the results demonstrated that students who were most committed in the subject, as evidenced by participation in all class tests, fared significantly better in the end of term examination than those who failed to participate in most of the class tests and those who participated mid-way. Consequently, the study reiterates that increased frequency of class test has the potential to impart student learning outcomes.

Appraisal of ANN and ANFIS for Predicting Vertical Total Electron Content (VTEC) in the Ionosphere for GPS Observations

Positional accuracy in the usage of GPS receiver is one of the major challenges in GPS observations. The propagation of the GPS signals are interfered by free electrons which are the massive particles in the ionosphere region and results in delays in the transmission of signals to the Earth. Therefore, the total electron content is a key parameter in mitigating ionospheric effects on GPS receivers. Many researchers have therefore proposed various models and methods for predicting the total electron content along the signal path. This paper focuses on the use of two different models for predicting the Vertical Total Electron Content (VTEC). Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Adaptive Neuro Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) algorithms have been developed for the prediction of VTEC in the ionosphere.  The developed ANN and ANFIS model gave Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 1.953 and 1.190 respectively.  From the results it can be stated that the ANFIS is more suitable tool for the prediction of VTEC. Keywords: Artificial Neural Network, Adaptive Neuro Fuzzy Inference System, Vertical Total Electro

Pharmaceutical applications of bioactive peptides

There is a mounting interest in the therapeutic potential of bioactive peptides which collectively present a cornucopia of bioactivities for exploitation in vivo. Bioactive peptides trigger certain functionalities such as antioxidative, antimicrobial, antihypertensive, cytomodulatory and immunomodulatory activities in the living body system. With research and development, there exists an opportunity to effectively harness these functionalities for the treatment, prevention and mitigation of different medical conditions. This critical review discusses some potential therapeutic applications of bioactive peptides in the light of advances in general biopharmaceutical production based on proteomics and genomics

Two cases of Pentalogy of Cantrell diagnosed antenatally at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra

Pentalogy of Cantrell is a rare congenital malformation syndrome that may be associated with other congenital anomalies. The syndrome is said to affect males and females in equal numbers and the prognosis is generally poor. We report two cases of Cantrell’s Pentalogy diagnosed antenatally at the Korle Bu teaching Hospital. The 2 cases described in this report demonstrate the complete and incomplete variant of the syndrome. The cases were referred as an omphalocoele and a detailed anomaly scan confirmed the diagnosis of Pentalogy of Cantrell. Both cases were females and neither survived beyond 24 hours. Although this condition is associated with a poor prognosis, there have been some reported cases of survival in the literature. Thus, accurate prenatal diagnosis and a multidisciplinary approach to the management may offer improved outcomes.Keywords: Foetal Anomaly, Ventral wall defect, Obstetric ultrasound, Prenatal diagnosis, Thoraco-abdominalsyndrom

Nano-Doped Monolithic Materials for Molecular Separation

Monoliths are continuous adsorbents that can easily be synthesised to possess tuneable meso-/macropores, convective fluid transport, and a plethora of chemistries for ligand immobilisation. They are grouped into three main classes: organic, inorganic, and hybrid, based on their chemical composition. These classes may also be differentiated by their unique morphological and physicochemical properties which are significantly relevant to their specific separation applications. The potential applications of monoliths for molecular separation have created the need to enhance their characteristic properties including mechanical strength, electrical conductivity, and chemical and thermal stability. An effective approach towards monolith enhancement has been the doping and/or hybridization with miniaturized molecular species of desirable functionalities and characteristics. Nanoparticles are usually preferred as dopants due to their high solid phase dispersion features which are associated with improved intermolecular adsorptive interactions. Examples of such nanomaterials include, but are not limited to, carbon-based, silica-based, gold-based, and alumina nanoparticles. The incorporation of these nanoparticles into monoliths via in situ polymerisation and/or post-modification enhances surface adsorption for activation and ligand immobilisation. Herein, insights into the performance enhancement of monoliths as chromatographic supports by nanoparticles doping are presented. In addition, the potential and characteristics of less common nanoparticle materials such as hydroxyapatite, ceria, hafnia, and germania are discussed. The advantages and challenges of nanoparticle doping of monoliths are also discussed

Integrating herbal medicine into mainstream healthcare in Ghana: clients' acceptability, perceptions and disclosure of use.

Although there are current efforts to integrate herbal medicine (HM) into mainstream healthcare in Ghana, there is paucity of empirical evidence on the acceptability and concurrent use of HM, in the formal health facilities in Ghana. This study sought to determine client perception, disclosure and acceptability of integrating herbal medicine in mainstream healthcare in Kumasi, Ghana. A cross-sectional study was conducted from May to August, 2015. Five hundred patients presenting at the outpatient departments of Kumasi South, Suntreso and Tafo Government Hospitals in Kumasi were randomly selected. Interviews were conducted with the use of structured questionnaires. A logistic regression analysis, using backward selection, was conducted to determine the influence of socio-demographic and facility related factors on the odds of using HM at the facility. All statistical tests were two-sided and considered significant at a p-value of <0.05. Majority of the study respondents were females (64.8%) and the median age was 36 years. Less than half, 42.2%, of the respondents utilized HM services when they visited the health facility. Reasons for using HM at the facility level included 'being effective' (24.4%), 'easy to access' (25.3%) and 'being comparatively cheaper' (16%). About 86% never disclosed previous use of HM to their health care providers. Socio-economic status and perception of service provision influenced use of herbal medicines. Respondents who rated themselves wealthy had increased odds of using herbal medicines at the health facility as compared to those who rated themselves poor (OR = 4.9; 95%CI = 1.6-15.3). This study shows that integration of herbal medicine is feasible and herbal medicines may be generally accepted as a formal source of healthcare in Ghana. The results of this study might serve as a basis for improvement and upscale of the herbal medicine integration programme in Ghana

Comparative Judgement Modeling to Map Forced Marriage at Local Levels

Forcing someone into marriage against their will is a violation of their human rights. In 2021, the county of Nottinghamshire, UK, launched a strategy to tackle forced marriage and violence against women and girls. However, accessing information about where victims are located in the county could compromise their safety, so it is not possible to develop interventions for different areas of the county. Comparative judgement studies offer a way to map the risk of human rights abuses without collecting data that could compromise victim safety. Current methods require studies to have a large number of participants, so we develop a comparative judgement model that provides a more flexible spatial modelling structure and a mechanism to schedule comparisons more effectively. The methods reduce the data collection burden on participants and make a comparative judgement study feasible with a small number of participants. Underpinning these methods is a latent variable representation that improves on the scalability of previous comparative judgement models. We use these methods to map the risk of forced marriage across Nottinghamshire thereby supporting the county's strategy for tackling violence against women and girls.Comment: Submitted. 31 pages, 8 figure