HIV/AIDS Prevention Interventions in African American Heterosexuals

Background: The purpose of this paper was to review the HIV/AIDS interventions conducted among heterosexual African Americans, and suggest ways of enhancing these interventions. Methods: In collecting the materials for this study, a search of CINAHL, ERIC, and MEDLINE databases were carried out for the time period of 2002 to July 2010. The inclusion criteria for the studies were (1) African American adults; (2) limited to heterosexual African American populations; (3) publication in refereed journals in the English language; (4) location of the study in the United States. Results: A total of twelve studies met the inclusion criteria, eight of which took place in a clinical setting. Nine of the interventions were based on behavioral theories and six of those interventions utilized social cognitive theory. The themes used were HIV/AIDS knowledge, risk reduction strategies, behavioral skills, condom use, selfefficacy, and communication about sex and goal setting. The review found that all the interventions were effective, though the effect sizes were generally small. Conclusions: The strengths of the interventions include the use of the following: appropriate sample sizes, post intervention follow-ups, and the use of randomized control trial design. Recommendations for enhancing the effectiveness of HIV/AIDS interventions in African American heterosexuals are presented

The Effects of Electronic Banking on Financial Services in Ghana

Electronic banking has redefined the way banking is conducted across the globe and Ghana was not left out. Electronic banking has created a financial supermarket where many different financial services like insurance, investment, loans and current and savings accounts could be provided.  Over the last three decades banks have designed and rolled out many different electronic banking products and services in Ghana. In this study an attempt is made to examine the effects of electronic banking products and services on financial services delivery in Ghana.  The study was conducted using the case study approach. Data was collected from the administration of open ended questionnaires to customers and staff of banks in Ghana. Additional data was also collected through interviews conducted with customers and staff of case study institutions. A purposive and simple sampling technique was used to select the case study banks, customers and staff who participated in the study.Results of the study revealed that electronic banking has successfully transformed banking in Ghana. Banks now provide a one stop-shop for various financial services thereby creating what can be termed as financial shopping mall. Electronic banking has made banking easier and convenient. Customers can now transact banking business from the comfort of their homes and offices. Other benefits of electronic banking include; increased customer base, reduced cost in accessing and using the banking services, increased comfort and time saving-transactions can be made 24-hours a day, without requiring the physical interaction with the bank, quick and continuous access to information. Customers have easier access to information as they can check their accounts at the click of a button.Despite these benefits electronic banking also creates its own problems including; additional cost to acquire computer, internet connectivity and absence of human touch, Keywords:Electronic-business, electronic commerce, electronic banking, and electronic banking products and services

Empowering Ghanaian Polytechnic Students through Entrepreneurship and Competency Based Education: A Case Study of Takoradi Polytechnic

The youth cannot be ignored in view of the vital roles they play in the socio- economic development of nations around the globe. Entrepreneurship education has been identified as one of the most innovative ways of arresting graduate unemployment around the globe. Youth unemployment has been on the increase in recent times partly due to traditional courses the youth pursue in most tertiary institutions in Ghana which have less linkage to the world of work. Youth unemployment policy features   prominently on the national agenda of most developing countries, including Ghana. Consequently, many graduates rely on the government to provide them jobs after school.It is against this backdrop that entrepreneurship education has been introduced in most tertiary institutions in Ghana to equip students with the much needed innovations and entrepreneurial skills to set up businesses as a way of relieving the government from the provision of jobs to the throng of unemployed graduates. This paper evaluates the entrepreneurship education in the Polytechnics in Ghana and how it is structured to meet the aspiration of the students. The paper also investigates students’ attitude towards the study of entrepreneurship. It also highlights students’ capacities to establish their own businesses after graduation and how they could raise funds and promote stronger relationships with the business community. It is hoped that this would go a long way to unearthing challenges students encounter in the study of entrepreneurship as a course. Keywords: entrepreneurship education; economic empowerment; competencies

Feasibility of Utilizing Social Media to Promote HPV Self‐Collected Sampling Among Medically Underserved Women in a Rural Southern City in the United States (U.S.)

Background: Social media (Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter) as communication channels have great potential to deliver Human papillomavirus self‐test (HPVST) intervention to medically underserved women (MUW) such as women of low income. However, little is known about MUW’s willingness to participate in HPVST intervention delivered through social media. We evaluated factors that contribute to MUW’s intention to participate in the social media‐related intervention for HPVST. Methods: A 21‐item survey was administered among women receiving food from a local food pantry in a U.S. southern state. Independent variables were social media usage facilitators (including confidentiality, social support, cost, and convenience), and barriers (including misinformation, time‐consuming, inefficient, and privacy concerns). Dependent variables included the likelihood of participating in social‐driven intervention for HPVST. Both variables were measured on a 5‐point scale. We used multinomial logistic regression to analyze the data. Results: A total of 254 women (mean age 48.9 ± 10.7 years) comprising Whites (40%), Hispanics (29%), Blacks (27%), and Other (4%) participated in the study. We found that over 44% of the women were overdue for their pap smears for the past three years, 12% had never had a pap smear, and 34% were not sure if they had had a pap smear. Over 82% reported frequent social media (e.g., Facebook) usage, and 52% reported willingness to participate in social media‐driven intervention for HPVST. Women who reported that social media provide privacy (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 6.23, 95% CI: 3.56, 10.92), provide social support (AOR = 7.18, 95% CI: 4.03, 12.80), are less costly (AOR = 6.71, 95% CI: 3.80, 11.85), and are convenient (AOR = 6.17, 95% CI: 3.49, 10.92) had significantly increased odds of participating in social media intervention for HPVST. Conclusions: The findings underscore that the majority of the MUW are overdue for cervical cancer screening, regularly use social media, and are willing to participate in social media‐driven intervention. Social media could be used to promote HPV self‐testing among MUW

Liqui-Tablet: the innovative oral dosage form using the newly developed Liqui-Mass technology

In this study, an attempt was made to produce Liqui-Tablets for the first time. This was carried out through the compaction of naproxen Liqui-Pellets. The incentive to convert the novel Liqui-Pellet into Liqui-Tablet was due to the array of inherent advantages of the popular and preferred tablet dosage form. The study showed that naproxen Liqui-Tablet could be successfully produced and the rapid drug release rate (100% drug release ~ 20 min) could be achieved under pH 1.2, where naproxen is insoluble. It was observed that the different pH of the dissolution medium affected the trend of drug release from formulations with varying amounts of liquid vehicle. The order of the fastest drug-releasing formulations was different depending on the pH used. The presence of Neusilin US2 showed considerable enhancement in the drug release rate as well as improving Liqui-Tablet robustness and hardness. Furthermore, images from X-ray micro-tomography displayed a uniform distribution of components in the Liqui-Tablet. The accelerated stability studies showed acceptable stability in terms of dissolution profile

Application of the rural web framework within the context of sustainable development: A systematic literature review

In recent years, sustainability concerns have gained increasing attention among countries and stakeholders worldwide. Towards the transition to sustainable rural development, the rural web framework (RWF) has become a consistent tool. Indicators from the RWF have been used to explore sustainable rural development for decision-making tasks, which improves the social, economic, and environmental performance of rural regions. However, the application of the RWF in studies is on the decline. Furthermore, there is a lack of literature reviews on the importance of the RWF and its relationship with different facets of sustainable development. We conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) (a) to explore how studies have used the RWF in the context of sustainable development and (b) to identify areas for further research. This study found that the RWF has mostly been used in developed countries, with fewer applications in developing countries. We suggest that there should be increased application of the RWF, particularly in developing countries, to broaden the rural web–sustainable development discourse and its relevance. This paper presents several areas where the indicators of the RWF can be applied to illustrate their relevance for policy decisions towards the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs)

Combining Theoretical and Experimental Methods to Probe Confinement within Microporous Solid Acid Catalysts for Alcohol Dehydration

Catalytic transformations play a vital role in the implementation of chemical technologies, particularly as society shifts from fossil-fuel-based feedstocks to more renewable bio-based systems. The dehydration of short-chain alcohols using solid acid catalysts is of great interest for the fuel, polymer, and pharmaceutical industries. Microporous frameworks, such as aluminophosphates, are well-suited to such processes, as their framework channels and pores are a similar size to the small alcohols considered, with many different topologies to consider. However, the framework and acid site strength are typically linked, making it challenging to study just one of these factors. In this work, we compare two different silicon-doped aluminophosphates, SAPO-34 and SAPO-5, for alcohol dehydration with the aim of decoupling the influence of acid site strength and the influence of confinement, both of which are key factors in nanoporous catalysis. By varying the alcohol size from ethanol, 1-propanol, and 2-propanol, the acid sites are constant, while the confinement is altered. The experimental catalytic dehydration results reveal that the small-pore SAPO-34 behaves differently to the larger-pore SAPO-5. The former primarily forms alkenes, while the latter favors ether formation. Combining our catalytic findings with density functional theory investigations suggests that the formation of surface alkoxy species plays a pivotal role in the reaction pathway, but the exact energy barriers are strongly influenced by pore structure. To provide a holistic view of the reaction, our work is complemented with molecular dynamics simulations to explore how the diffusion of different species plays a key role in product selectivity, specifically focusing on the role of ether mobility in influencing the reaction mechanism. We conclude that confinement plays a significant role in molecular diffusion and the reaction mechanism translating to notable catalytic differences between the molecules, providing valuable information for future catalyst design

Can the Multi-Theory Model (MTM) of Health Behavior Change Explain the Intent for People to Practice Meditation?

Meditation is gaining popularity as adjuvant therapy for many chronic ailments, mental well-being, and spiritual growth. Behavioral theories have been underutilized in understanding meditation behavior. This study aimed to test if a fourth-generation multitheory model (MTM) could explain the intent for starting and maintaining meditation behavior in a sample of US adults. A face and content valid 48-item instrument based on MTM was administered in a cross-sectional design through an online survey (n =330). Internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha \u3e 0.70) and construct validation using structural equation modeling of the subscales were all acceptable. Hierarchical multiple regression revealed that, after controlling for demographic covariates, the MTM constructs of participatory dialogue (β = 0.153; P = .002) and behavioral confidence (β = 0.479; P \u3c .001) were statistically significant in predicting intent for starting meditation behavior and accounted for 32.9% of the variance. Furthermore, after controlling for demographic covariates, the MTM constructs of emotional transformation (β = 0.390; P \u3c .001) and changes in the social environment (β = 0.395; P \u3c .001) were statistically significant and accounted for 52.9% of the variance in the intent for maintaining meditation behavior. Based on this study, it can be concluded that MTM offers a pragmatic framework to design, implement, and evaluate evidence-based (theory-based) meditation behavior change interventions

Testing Multi-Theory Model (MTM) In Explaining Sunscreen Use Among Florida Residents: An Integrative Approach for Sun Protection

Florida residents have the second highest incidence of skin cancer in the nation. Sunscreen usage was found to be the one of the most effective integrative health approaches for reducing risk of skin cancer. Given the limited information on the likelihood of adopting and continuing sunscreen usage behavior, this cross-sectional study aimed to examine the correlates of initiating and sustaining sunscreen usage behavior among Florida dwellers, using the fourth-generation, multi-theory model (MTM) of behavior change. A web-based survey containing 51 questions was emailed to Florida residents aged 18 years or above, who were randomly selected from the state voter file. Psychometric validity of the survey instrument was established using structural equation modeling, and Cronbach’s alpha values were calculated for assessing the internal consistency. An independent-samples-t-test and hierarchical multiple regression tests were used to analyze the data. The results indicated that participants who engaged in sunscreen usage behavior, participatory dialogue (β = 0.062, p \u3c 0.05), behavioral confidence (β = 0.636, p \u3c 0.001), and changes in the physical environment (β = 0.210, p \u3c 0.001) were statistically significant and accounted for 73.6% of the variance in initiating sunscreen usage behavior. In addition, the constructs of emotional transformation (β = 0.486, p \u3c 0.001) and practice for change (β = 0.211, p \u3c 0.001), as well as changes in the social environment (β = 0.148, p \u3c 0.001) were significant predictors of maintaining sunscreen usage behavior and contributed to 59% of variance in sustenance. These findings offer a valuable insight regarding the applicability of MTM models to guiding public health interventions promoting sunscreen usage and preventing UV radiation risk and related skin cancer

Mental Well-Being during COVID-19 : A Cross-Sectional Study of Fly-In Fly-Out Workers in the Mining Industry in Australia

Funding: This study was funded by the Mineral Resources Limited (Australia). Mineral Resources Limited provided AUD 200 shopping voucher to the winner of a raffle draw as reimbursement for study participation. Mineral Resources Limited played role in the data collection, interpretation of study findings, preparation and decision to submit this manuscript for publication but not in the design of the study and data analysis. The study was supported by Aberdeen-Curtin Alliance Curtin International Postgraduate Research Scholarship (CIPRS) in the writing of the manuscript. B.Y.-A.A. is a recipient of Aberdeen-Curtin Alliance PhD Curtin International Postgraduate Research Scholarship (CIPRS) and Research Stipend Scholarship. Acknowledgments: We express our profound gratitude to the Mineral Resources Limited, Australia for their support in advertising the study and allowing for us undertake this study among their workers. We also extend our appreciation to all the FIFO workers who took time to participate in this study.Peer reviewedPublisher PD