COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF STUDENTS’ SCORES IN SOCIAL STUDIES AND INTEGRATED SCIENCE AT JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION IN EDU LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF KWARA STATE, NIGERIA

The study compared the scores of students in Social Studies and Integrated Science at the Junior Secondary School Certificate Examination (JSSCE) in Edu Local Government Area (LGA) of Kwara State, Nigeria. The research design was correlational for which the t-test and one –way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were employed. The sample for the study consisted of all students who sat for the 2011, 2012 and 2013 JSSCE in six out of the eleven Junior Secondary Schools in the Local Government Area. The five schools were selected using the simple random sampling technique and all the 1,689 students who sat for the JSSCE in both subjects in the three years aforementioned were used for the study.The scores of students in both Social Studies and Integrated Science were obtained directly from the Junior Secondary School Certificate Examination result sheets from Principals of the selected schools. These were used as measures of academic performance. The data collected were analysed using the descriptive statistics, t-test and one way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The result revealed that there existed significant differences in the performances of male and female students in both Social Studies and Integrated Science in year 2011 with female students out performing their male counterparts however, there are no significant differences in male and female students’ performance in the two subjects in years 2012 and 2013.The multiple comparisons revealed that the scores of students in Social Studies were significantly different between years 2011 and 2012, 2011 and 2013 as well as between 2012 and 2013. In the same vein, the scores of students in Integrated Science for 2011and 2012 as well as 2011 and 2013 were found to be significant

EVALUATION OF THE NATIONAL FADAMA DEVELOPMENT PROJECT APPROACH TO RURAL DEVELOPMENT: LESSONS FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT COUNCILS IN NIGERIA

The development of rural areas impacts positively on per capita income and food production. The tier of government entrusted with the responsibility in Nigeria of developing the rural areas has not lived up to expectation in spite of the huge capital investment. This paper identified the root causes behind the failings of the local governments, reviews the performance of the fadama programme and draw on the reasons behind the successes of the latter as a basis for suggestions on how the local government system can be improved. Capacity building at the local level, increased demand for accountability, involvement of private and research bodies in local government activities should be encouraged to enhance rural development.Community/Rural/Urban Development,

Teamwork in context of diversity

Utilization of teamwork for problem solving is pervasive. Teamwork is employed in classrooms to facilitate learning, but also as preparation for future vocational practice. It is used in research as collaborative ethos. Teamwork features in workplace tasks, leisure time projects, pursuing solutions to intractable trans-situated problems, etc. The space of teamwork is a public space of multidimensional assets. Inherent in it are benefits of collaboration, but it also brings with it challenges that have to be resolved in order for it to work effectively. We pursue the question of effectiveness of team function through team size, given certain identified benefits and disbenefits. We attempt to find out if there is an optimal small team size based on a few characteristics such as burden sharing, transactive knowledge and conflict (e.g. schedule conflict). We employ an agent-based model. For parameterization of variables, we take data from a short questionnaire completed by students and use its results to set values. We create small teams of different sizes and allow the dynamic model to aggregate those values as adopted by agents. We also attempt to see which one of four benefit/disbenefit valuation model specifications might work best

A numerical illustration of a recently proposed strongly polynomial-time algorithm for the general linear programming problem

Utilizing illustrative linear programming (LP) problem instances, this article presents a numerical illustration of a recently proposed strongly polynomial-time algorithm for the general LP problem. With each iteration of the algorithm consisting of two Gauss-Jordan pivoting operations, the algorithm's implementation is very simple. The algorithm is currently being reviewed for correctness by a reputable optimization journal. Our illustrative example LP problem instances include a Klee-Minty LP problem in its general form and an LP problem of Beale.Comment: 12 page

Facing Rural Water Insecurities: Adapting Gendered Indigenous Approaches in Ondo State, Nigeria

The participation of women in water management is critical for households and for safeguarding the health and hygiene of rural women and men, especially in Africa and around the world. This paper argues that the knowledge around gender- based water management among rural dwellers is still underrepresented and provides the rationale for this study. Qualitative methods were used to examine the approaches in rural water management and their impact on women and their livelihoods through interviews, narratives, and the respondents’ everyday experiences. Significant findings from this study revealed that the indigenous participation of women in water management at individual households improved the quality of water among the rural dwellers. Further findings also showed that the impact of gender insensitivity has reemphasized the limited role of women in rural water management (RWM) at the community level. It was concluded that various indigenous practices by women in an effort to make water potable in these villages have contributed to meeting their practical gender needs (PGNs) based on their cultural roles. However, channeling water from surrounding rivers by pipe into every street and regular gender awareness assembly between men and women across the rural communities could improve the livelihood of women by contributing to their strategic gender needs (SGNs)

Validation of a strongly polynomial-time algorithm for the general linear programming problem

This article presents a validation of a recently proposed strongly polynomial-time algorithm for the general linear programming problem. The algorithm is an implicit, solution-space reduction procedure that works as follows. Primal and dual problems are combined into a special system of linear equations constrained by complementarity relations and non-negative variables. Each iteration of the algorithm consists of applying two complementary Gauss-Jordan pivoting operations, guided by a reduction lemma. The algorithm requires no more than m+n iterations, where m is the number of constraints and n is the number of variables of the general linear programming problem. In another arXiv article, arXiv:2309.01037[math.DC], a numerical illustration of the algorithm is given that includes an instance of a classical problem of Klee and Minty and a problem of Beale.Comment: 9 pages. This is an updating replacement of an earlier submission. The results are the same as before. The only difference is a rearrangement of statements and proofs that make this version easier to read and comprehend. The rearrangement was motivated by comments from my colleague

Computation and applications of limits of certain non-stationary Markov chains

This article describes a method for computing limits of a class of non-stationary Markov chains motivated by healthcare sojourn-time cycles. A mathematical validation of the computation method is also given. Applications are described that include predicting cycles in healthcare and very large system maintenance. An objective of this article is to hopefully foster some investigation and teaching of practical non-stationary Markov chains.Comment: 7 page

The Classification of the Greek Manuscripts of the Epistle of James

Although a significant number of the Greek manuscripts of the Epistles of I and II Peter, I, II, and III John, and Jude have recently received long overdue classification, only a very few Greek manuscripts of the Epistle of James have been given comparable treatment. In this dissertation, we have sought to rectify this situation by classifying 86 Greek manuscripts of the Epistle of James – primarily according to their phonetic relationships and only secondarily according to their text-types. In order to accomplish this, we have made use of new computer methods. In a recent dissertation on the classification of 81 Greek manuscripts of the Johannine epistles, W.L. Richards employed a computer to form “tentative groupings” by Quantitative Analysis. Theses tentative groupings served as the basis of his classification which was determined ultimately by applying (without the aid of a computer) the Claremont Profile Method. We have taken both these procedures and combined them into a single program; and have, by means of a computer, applied this program to the raw data of our collations, and have thereby produced both the dendrographic charts and the “merge” tables which serve as the basis of our classification. An analysis of these dendrograms and merge tables indicates three major manuscript groupings: (A) Group 2 (consisting of 10 manuscripts [01-2298]). This group is probably Alexandrian in text-type. (B) Group 7 (consisting of 67 manuscripts [049-876] which may be conveniently divided into 11 subgroups [subgroups 7a-k]). Subgroups 7a-h are probably Byzantine in text-type. While subgroups 7i-k have a distinct orientation towards the major representatives of the Byzantine text-type, they also show certain independence in the direction of the Alexandrian text traditions. (C) Group 37 (consisting of 9 manuscripts [522-1505]). This group is patently independent of both the Byzantine and the Alexandrian text traditions

MOVEMENT, INFESTATION AND MANAGEMENT of Rattus norvegicus IN URBAN SLUMS

Synanthropic rats are worldwide invasive and prevalent pest in low-income urban environments; they are difficult to control and constitute a public health and agricultural threat to the human race. In low-income urban communities, rodent expansion and migration between households or neighbourhoods is a persistent problem, demanding control efforts. Therefore, advancing effective rodent control programs requires an in-depth understanding of their movement and behaviour (short and long-term) to chemical and sanitary/infrastructural intervention. Thus, this thesis is divided into three chapters, with each representing an article. The first chapter uses Rhodamine B (RB) a non-toxic dye to assess the distance travelled by rats within or areas around households in a slum environment in the city of Salvador (BA-Brazil); the second chapter examined the short-term outcome of chemical and sanitary interventions on rat sightings in seven low-income urban communities of New Providence, in the Bahamas; and the third chapter characterized the long-term outcome of chemical and infrastructural interventions on rat infestation level in three valleys of a low-income community of Salvador. In chapter one, we trapped rats to a maximum distance of 90m for four consecutive days and reported that rats do travel up to 90m distance even in a complex urban community. We also established that RB is a reliable alternative method that can be used to investigate the movement of small mammals even in urban settings. In chapter two, we systematically recorded rat sightings before and three months after interventions (rodenticide application & improvement of sanitation system), and observed a slight decrease in rat sightings after the intervention, although with varied effectiveness across the sampling locations. Lastly, in chapter three, we systematically recorded rat infestation before and three years after interventions (rodenticide applications and infrastructural). The study occurred in three valleys, with valleys 1 and 4 serving as the treatment valleys (received both types of interventions), while valley 2 served as the control (received no chemical intervention). We reported that the interventions substantially decreased rat infestations for 5-6 months, at the treatment valleys with a haphazard infestation level recorded at the control valley. Therefore, we concluded that Rhodamine B is a viable, cheaper and safer method for tracking rodent movement in urban settings, and also that, although chemical intervention alone offers a cheap and easy method of controlling rats, however, its overall effectiveness is short-lived. As a result, we advocate that a site-specific integrated approach system that incorporates both chemical and non-chemical methods of rodent control should be considered when planning rodent management programs to obtain an effective long-term result.CNPqRatos sinantrópicos são uma praga invasiva prevalente em ambientes urbanos de baixa renda; são difíceis de controlar e constituem uma ameaça à saúde pública e à agricultura para a raça humana. Em comunidades urbanas de baixa renda, a expansão e migração de roedores entre famílias ou bairros é um problema persistente, exigindo esforços de controle. No entanto, o avanço de programas eficazes de controle de roedores requer uma compreensão profunda de seu movimento e comportamento (curto e longo prazo) para intervenções químicas e sanitárias/infraestruturais. Portanto, no primero capitulo, usou-se Rodamina B (RB) um corante flourescente não tóxico, para avaliar a provável distância percorrida por ratos dentro de domicílios em um ambiente de favela na cidade de Salvador (BA-Brasil); ja no segundo capitulo, examinou-se o resultado de curto prazo de intervenções químicas e sanitárias em avistamentos de ratos em sete comunidades urbanas de baixa renda de New Providence, nas Bahamas; e no terceiro capitulo, caracterizou-se o resultado de longo prazo de intervenções químicas e de infraestrutura no nível de infestação de ratos em três vales de uma comunidade de baixa renda na cidade de Salvador. No premeiro capitulo, prendemos ratos a uma distância máxima de 90m por quatro dias consecutivos e relatamos que os ratos viajam até 90m de distância, mesmo em uma comunidade urbana complexa. Também estabelecemos que o RB é um método alternativo confiável que pode ser usado para investigar o movimento de pequenos mamíferos, mesmo em ambientes urbanos. No segundo capitulo, registramos sistematicamente os avistamentos de ratos antes e três meses após as intervenções (aplicação de rodenticida e melhoria do sistema de saneamento) e observamos uma ligeira diminuição nos avistamentos de ratos após a intervenção, embora com eficácia variada entre os locais de amostragem. Por fim, no terceiro capitulo, registramos sistematicamente a infestação de ratos antes e três anos após as intervenções (aplicações de rodenticidas e infraestruturais). O estudo ocorreu em três vales, com os vales 1 e 4 servindo como vales de tratamento (receberam ambos os tipos de intervenções), enquanto o vale 2 serviu como controle (não recebeu intervenção química). Nós relatamos que as intervenções diminuíram substancialmente as infestações de ratos por 5-6 meses, nos vales de tratamento com um nível de infestação aleatório registrado no vale de controle. Portanto, concluímos que a rodamina B é um método viável, mais barato e seguro para rastrear o movimento de roedores em ambientes urbanos e também que, embora a intervenção química por si só ofereça um método barato e fácil de controlar ratos, no entanto, sua eficácia geral é de curta duração. . Como resultado, defendemos que um sistema de abordagem integrado específico do local que incorpora métodos químicos e não químicos de controle de roedores deve ser considerado ao planejar programas de manejo de roedores para obter um resultado sustentável a longo prazo

Demand for Health Care Services and Child Health Status in Nigeria- A Control Function Approach

Nigeria has experienced significant increase in economic growth in the last decade yet the health indicators are very poor particularly in the rural sector where poverty incidence is high. The study attempts to provide insights into the determinants of health status and the demand for health care in Nigeria. Using the 2008 DHS data, the effect of the demand for health care service as a complement to other unobservable factors that affect health status of children is explored based on the complementary hypothesis. The data was analyzed using different estimation procedures and the result of the control function is explained. The demand for immunization for children is significant in explaining child health. This expectedly induces the use of other health enhancing inputs and behaviours. In poor families, immunization was not significant. Also, older children and those residing in the rural areas suffer more from poor health but educated mothers have healthier children. Policy recommendation is that the immunization coverage area be increased. In addition, improving education among women will enhance the demand for health inputs and improve the health of their children particularly for the poor and those residing in the rural areasKey words: complementarity, control function, immunization, Nigeria, underweight