Technology Integration in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET): The Role of the Art Teacher

The quality of teaching and learning across all TVET disciplines can be enhanced by promoting technology-inclusive TVET. Using the Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) model, this study examines the interrelationships between the knowledge required by art teachers to effectively integrate technology in teaching at the TVET level. The study assumed that quality TVET practices could be achieved if TVET teachers had a solid understanding of their subject matter, pedagogical procedures and knowledge about employing technological tools. This research used a quantitative data approach and adopted a Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) analysis technique to measure the path coefficients of direct or indirect influence between exogenous and endogenous variables. A quantitative survey instrument based on the TPACK model was adopted to collect data from 152 art teachers sampled across various public educational institutions in Ghana. Data analysis was performed with SPSS and SmartPLS using an online data collection procedure. The study demonstrates a significant relationship between art teachers’ knowledge and how much technology can be integrated with TVET. The following mechanisms were revealed: the mastery of technological tools, technologically driven instructional approaches, and a teacher's technical knowledge and abilities as the fundamental mechanisms required to foster efficient skill development at the TVET level. This implies that educators, training institutions, policymakers, and stakeholders in the TVET ecosystem should pay special attention to these mechanisms to strengthen the teaching and learning delivery of TVET

Portable T-Shirt Printing Machine

T-shirt printing is one of the occupations of the youth in the Ho Municipality of Ghana. Various methods of printing such as dye sublimation, heat transfer and screen printing are employed to print t-shirts in Ghana. However, screen printing is the most popular method in Ghana. It is easy to use and less expensive. Despite the fact that the screen printing method is the most preferred in Ghana, its processes come with challenges. The printing process is slow and the products that are churned out are of low quality. And in order to minimise the problems that local printers encounter during screen printing, the “Portable T-shirt Printing Machine” has been developed. The machine which is manually operated comes with an adjustable squeegee, leather padded table, an adjustable metallic frame which holds the screen during printing and a magnetic holder which holds the frame taut during printing without the help of a second person. The squeegee can be moved manually by the help of a bearing and a hollow pipe. The squeegee blade which is made of rubber can easily be removed and washed after each printing session. The Portable T-shirt Printing Machine which is 75cm long, 45cm wide and 12cm high can be carried easily and printing can be done anywhere whether there is electricity or not. The adjustable metallic frame which holds the frame can be adjusted to suit any screen size; ranging from (40 cm by 40cm) to (15cm by 15m) or even smaller screens. The research design adopted for the study is the qualitative (descriptive) approach. The sample population for the study is 108 representing 30% of the target population. The data collecting instruments used were interview, observation and questionnaire. The main findings of the study were that, the speed of the traditional screen printing process can be increased when a machine is developed. Also, the fastness and efficiency of the t-shirt printing process have a direct relation with the income earned. It is therefore recommended that the “Portable T-shirt Printing Machine” is adopted by the local printers to enhance their occupation.  It is also recommended that the metal parts of the machine are oiled regularly to prevent friction and rusting. Furthermore, a challenge is thrown to prospective researchers to conduct a research into the automation of the “Portable T-shirt Printing Machine” so as to increase its speed. Keywords: Squeegee, Sublimation, T-shirt, Heat Transfer, Screen Printing and Portable

Differential constituents in roots, stems and leaves of Newbouldia laevis Thunb. screened by LC/ESI-Q-TOF-MS

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Evaluation of the fluorescent-thin layer chromatography (f-TLC) for the diagnosis of Buruli ulcer disease in Ghana

BACKGROUND: Buruli ulcer is a tissue necrosis infection caused by an environmental mycobacterium called Mycobacterium ulcerans (MU). The disease is most prevalent in rural areas with the highest rates in West and Central African countries. The bacterium produces a toxin called mycolactone which can lead to the destruction of the skin, resulting in incapacitating deformities with an enormous economic and social burden on patients and their caregivers. Even though there is an effective antibiotic treatment for BU, the control and management rely on early case detection and rapid diagnosis to avert morbidities. The diagnosis of Mycobacterium ulcerans relies on smear microscopy, culture histopathology, and PCR. Unfortunately, all the current laboratory diagnostics have various limitations and are not available in endemic communities. Consequently, there is a need for a rapid diagnostic tool for use at the community health centre level to enable diagnosis and confirmation of suspected cases for early treatment. The present study corroborated the diagnostic performance and utility of fluorescent-thin layer chromatography (f-TLC) for the diagnosis of Buruli ulcer. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The f-TLC method was evaluated for the diagnosis of Buruli ulcer in larger clinical samples than previously reported in an earlier preliminary study Wadagni et al. (2015). A total of 449 patients suspected of BU were included in the final data analysis out of which 122 (27.2%) were positive by f-TLC and 128 (28.5%) by PCR. Using a composite reference method generated from the two diagnostic methods, 85 (18.9%) patients were found to be truly infected with M. ulcerans, 284 (63.3%) were uninfected, while 80 (17.8%) were misidentified as infected or noninfected by the two methods. The data obtained was used to determine the discriminatory accuracy of the f-TLC against the gold standard IS2404 PCR through the analysis of its sensitivity, specificity, positive (+LR), and negative (–LR) likelihood ratio. The positive (PPV) and negative (NPV) predictive values, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve Azevedo et al. (2014), and diagnostic odds ratio were used to assess the predictive accuracy of the f-TLC method. The sensitivity of f-TLC was 66.4% (85/128), specificity was 88.5% (284/321), while the diagnostic accuracy was 82.2% (369/449). The AUC stood at 0.774 while the PPV, NPV, +LR, and–LR were 69.7% (85/122), 86.9% (284/327), 5.76, and 0.38, respectively. The use of the rule-of-thumb interpretation of diagnostic tests suggests that the method is good for use as a diagnostic tool. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Larger clinical samples than previously reported had been used to evaluate the f-TLC method for the diagnosis of Buruli ulcer. A sensitivity of 66.4%, a specificity of 88.5%, and diagnostic accuracy of 82.2% were obtained. The method is good for diagnosis and will help in making early clinical decisions about the patients as well as patient management and facilitating treatment decisions. However, it requires a slight modification to address the challenge of background interference and lack of automatic readout to become an excellent diagnostic tool

Drug discovery research in Ghana, challenges, current efforts, and the way forward

We have a long-term vision to develop drug discovery research capacity within Ghana, to tackle unmet medical needs in Ghana and the wider West African region. However, there are several issues and challenges that need to be overcome to enable this vision, including training, human resource, equipment, infrastructure, procurement, and logistics. We discuss these challenges from the context of Ghana in this review. An important development is the universities and research centres within Ghana working together to address some of these challenges. Therefore, while there is a long way to go to fully accomplish our vision, there are encouraging signs

Identification of Novel Antimalarial Chemotypes via Chemoinformatic Compound Selection Methods for a High-Throughput Screening Program against the Novel Malarial Target, PfNDH2: Increasing Hit Rate via Virtual Screening Methods

Malaria is responsible for approximately 1 million deaths annually; thus, continued efforts to discover new antimalarials are required. A HTS screen was established to identify novel inhibitors of the parasite's mitochondrial enzyme NADH:quinone oxidoreductase (PfNDH2). On the basis of only one known inhibitor of this enzyme, the challenge was to discover novel inhibitors of PfNDH2 with diverse chemical scaffolds. To this end, using a range of ligand-based chemoinformatics methods, ~17000 compounds were selected from a commercial library of ~750000 compounds. Forty-eight compounds were identified with PfNDH2 enzyme inhibition IC(50) values ranging from 100 nM to 40 μM and also displayed exciting whole cell antimalarial activity. These novel inhibitors were identified through sampling 16% of the available chemical space, while only screening 2% of the library. This study confirms the added value of using multiple ligand-based chemoinformatic approaches and has successfully identified novel distinct chemotypes primed for development as new agents against malaria

Setting our sights on infectious diseases

In May 2019, the Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research (WCAIR) at the University of Dundee, UK, held an international conference with the aim of discussing some key questions around discovering new medicines for infectious diseases and a particular focus on diseases affecting Low and Middle Income Countries. There is an urgent need for new drugs to treat most infectious diseases. We were keen to see if there were lessons that we could learn across different disease areas and between the preclinical and clinical phases with the aim of exploring how we can improve and speed up the drug discovery, translational, and clinical development processes. We started with an introductory session on the current situation and then worked backward from clinical development to combination therapy, pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) studies, drug discovery pathways, and new starting points and targets. This Viewpoint aims to capture some of the learnings

Identification, Design and Biological Evaluation of Heterocyclic Quinolones Targeting Plasmodium falciparum Type II NADH:Quinone Oxidoreductase (PfNDH2)

Following a program undertaken to identify hit compounds against NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (PfNDH2), a novel enzyme target within the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, hit to lead optimization led to identification of CK-2-68, a molecule suitable for further development. In order to reduce ClogP and improve solubility of CK-2-68 incorporation of a variety of heterocycles, within the side chain of the quinolone core, was carried out, and this approach led to a lead compound SL-2-25 (8b). 8b has IC(50)s in the nanomolar range versus both the enzyme and whole cell P. falciparum (IC(50) = 15 nM PfNDH2; IC(50) = 54 nM (3D7 strain of P. falciparum) with notable oral activity of ED(50)/ED(90) of 1.87/4.72 mg/kg versus Plasmodium berghei (NS Strain) in a murine model of malaria when formulated as a phosphate salt. Analogues in this series also demonstrate nanomolar activity against the bc(1) complex of P. falciparum providing the potential added benefit of a dual mechanism of action. The potent oral activity of 2-pyridyl quinolones underlines the potential of this template for further lead optimization studies

A tetraoxane-based antimalarial drug candidate that overcomes PfK13-C580Y dependent artemisinin resistance.

K13 gene mutations are a primary marker of artemisinin resistance in Plasmodium falciparum malaria that threatens the long-term clinical utility of artemisinin-based combination therapies, the cornerstone of modern day malaria treatment. Here we describe a multinational drug discovery programme that has delivered a synthetic tetraoxane-based molecule, E209, which meets key requirements of the Medicines for Malaria Venture drug candidate profiles. E209 has potent nanomolar inhibitory activity against multiple strains of P. falciparum and P. vivax in vitro, is efficacious against P. falciparum in in vivo rodent models, produces parasite reduction ratios equivalent to dihydroartemisinin and has pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics compatible with a single-dose cure. In vitro studies with transgenic parasites expressing variant forms of K13 show no cross-resistance with the C580Y mutation, the primary variant observed in Southeast Asia. E209 is a superior next generation endoperoxide with combined pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic features that overcome the liabilities of artemisinin derivatives