Non-degree Recital: Ruth Bearden, flute and piccolo

Ms. Bearden studies flute with Cecilia Price.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/musicprograms/1996/thumbnail.jp

My Rose

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/2224/thumbnail.jp

ConnEDCt, a mobile-first framework for clinical Electronic Data Capture

Paper-based data capture has long served as the primary means of collecting research data and continues to be the dominant means of data capture through the present day. Despite inertia with adopting information technology in clinical research, electronic methods of information capture have important benefits over traditional, paper-based methods. Electronic Data Capture (EDC) systems can provide integrated error checking, protocol enforcement, decision support, automated randomization, and quicker access to data and results. As EDC systems become more accessible and resourceful, EDC has begun to replace paper-based data capture. Meanwhile, mobile computing, utilizing smartphones and tablets, has become commonplace in business and our everyday lives. Many EDC solutions support mobile devices, yet few were conceived with a “mobile- first” design philosophy and fewer support extensive study protocol-support features. A significant amount of clinical research is conducted in geographic regions with limited or no Internet access such as impoverished and remote communities. Current EDC solutions remain challenging to use in these contexts. While EDC is an increasingly important tool for clinical research, when EDC solutions are built on web-centric architectures, the lack of Internet coverage means that researchers often need to fall back on paper-based data capture methods or build expensive, custom EDC tools. A customizable Mobile Electronic Data Capture (mEDC) framework with an asynchronous data transport layer will better meet the needs of distributed studies in resource- limited, geographical areas. I developed ConnEDCt, a full-featured mEDC application that is customizable for longitudinal study protocols, with regulatory-compliant security, auditability and an asynchronous data transport model. ConnEDCt is adaptable to different study protocols, has extensive study protocol-support built-in, and supports on- or off-line data synchronization to a central data repository. ConnEDCt focuses on mobility and is designed to serve the needs of complex clinical research studies in regions where other EDC platforms cannot be utilized

The Ecowas Protocol, Emerging Military Threats and the Relapse of Democracy in West Africa: Lessons from Cote D´Lvoire and Niger Republic.

Several scholars of International diplomacy and policy analysis (Zounmenou and Loua, 2011 Gbeho, 2011, Erunke 2012; Bah and Kwesi, 2012) have attempted to redefine the increasing roles of the Economic Community of  West Africa (ECOWAS), which has of late, traversed the confines of regional economic growth and stability, regional cooperation and trade linkage between and amongst member states within the west Africa sub-region to a more or less political and security concerns. This is ideological persuasion by intelligentsia is informed by the need to expand the socio- economic horizon of the sub-regional group to encompass diverse interests, engender  and deepen democratic space, instil good corporate  governance and ultimately guarantee continuity in constitutionally sanctioned governance pattern in Africa in line with international best standards and practices. Consequently, the emerging trends of military interregnum and mindless intervention through the barrel of the gun (which of course, is considered to be a culpable aberration) no longer finds a pride of place in the minds and hearts of all well meaning democracy and patriots alike. Hence the dire need and unequivocal quest for a constitutionally validated system of governmental operations in all its contents and character. This tendency informs the distaste for military autocracy, dictatorship and other Unitarianism and the entire philosophies it proclaims, and any attempt to plunge the West African enclave to this ugly monumental soldiering stands to be vigorously resisted with every sense of concern and vindictiveness. However, of recent past the entire Africa state system appears to have relapsed and wondered backward towards the path of the old order of coup d’etat, which is a characteristic of the continental albatross dating back to the early days and years of the  emergence of colonialism in the 1960s (Erunke and Lemun,2012). Thus, the defining ideologies of this political era, which was literally domineering, exploitative and repugnant to fundamental social change raised a lot of critical questions in the sub-consciousness of pan - Africanists - the likes of Kwame Nkurumah of Ghana, Nnamdi Azikiwe of Nigeria, Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, W.E.B Du Bois of the black American Negro world, to mention but a few. These radical scholars therefore constituted arrow heads who fought gallantly for the freedom and emancipation of Africa and African Diaspora from the tutelage of slavery (Erunke and Lemun, 2012), therefore fostering the quest for self-determination of the entire black race. Nonetheless the freedom sought for was to help locate and redefine African path to greatness through group consciousness, regional integration and cooperation geared towards setting up widely acceptable group values in the interest of the entire region, nay, continent (Bah and Kwesi, 2012).  Aside form the socio-economic dynamics of ECOWAS as an institution, there has been an increasing push to diversify these roles beyond economic integration to matters of politics which has constituted the determining force in the sub-region. Politics in the wider usage here incorporates issues of war, peace, conflict resolution, dialogue and the entire gamut revolving around the preservation of the dictates of the constitution of the land to avoid undue pressures from social forces within the system. Significantly, Loua and Zoumenou (2011) then argued further that first, in 1991, ECOWAS adopted a declaration on political principles that took into consideration governance issues as a way of intensifying peace, guide the constitution of member states as well as enhance security efforts.  However, the declaration was never, fully implemented as its scope was limited and hence, lacked critical political support.  Moreover, on 24th July, 1993,   ECOWAS reviewed its founding Treaty in Cotonou and in 1999, it adopted a protocol relating to the mechanisms for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peace-keeping, Security and democratic stability, respectively.  It can be argued here by way of observation that all of these developments constituted the institutional and normative transformation   process of the organization as far as peace, security and democratic stability is concerned.  By extension, however, it can be said that there are a number of innovations in the revised treaty.  Nevertheless, the principle of gradually introducing super nationality to the implementation of community decisions was one of the major changes introduced. For example, in the preamble of the treaty, ECOWAS leaders stated that the integration of member states into a viable regional community may demand the partial and gradual pooling of national sovereignties to the community within the context of the collective political will (Loua et al, 2011). It follows logically that the incorporation of a security dimension in the integration project and the bold stance taken so far to address issues of governance and political instability to adopt to changing environments and realities is an attempt to play an effective role in the transformation of West Africa from a poor and war-ridden region to a politically stable entity devoid of military interruption and intervention thereby proposing the region to a socio-economically and politically prosperous entity. It is in the light of this context that the next focus of this paper dwells

The Effect of Andrographolide on the Metabolism of Carbamazepine in Rats

Objective: To determine if andrographolide (AND) impacts the pharmacokinetics of carbamazepine (CBZ). Background: CBZ is an anticonvulsant medication that is metabolized in the liver by cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes. AND is an over-the-counter medication that is common in Eastern cultures to treat inflammation and is a CYP enzyme inhibitor. Because CBZ is metabolized in the liver by these specific CYP enzymes, coadministration of andrographolide and CBZ could result in a herb-drug interaction. Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats (N=12) aged between 3 months and 6 months (250-350 g) will be split into control (N=6) and treatment (N=6) groups. The treatment group will receive an AND injection (dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide to 10 mg/mL) intraperitoneally for seven consecutive days. On the eighth day, another AND injection will be administered intraperitoneally as well as an injection of CBZ (CBZ powder prepared into a 20 mg/mL emulsion) administered via intravenous route. Plasma samples will be collected every 20 minutes for 4 hours and stored at -20℃. Analysis: HPLC analysis will yield a time vs. plasma concentration graph that will allow us to calculate the rate of elimination (K). The mean K value will be determined for both the control and treatment group. The mean K value of 6 rats in the treatment group will be compared to the mean value of K of the 6 rats in the control group. These will be analyzed using SPSS and utilizing an unpaired t test, with a p\u3c0.05 deemed statistically significant

Herb-Drug Interaction of Andrographolide on the Pharmacokinetics of Carbamazepine in Rats

Objective: To determine if andrographolide (AND) impacts the pharmacokinetics of carbamazepine (CBZ). Background: CBZ is an anticonvulsant medication that is metabolized in the liver by cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes. AND is an over-the-counter medication that is common in Eastern cultures to treat inflammation and is a CYP enzyme inhibitor. Because CBZ is metabolized in the liver by these specific CYP enzymes, coadministration of andrographolide and CBZ could result in a herb-drug interaction. Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats (N=12) aged between 3 months and 6 months (250-350 g) will be split into control (N=6) and treatment (N=6) groups. The treatment group will receive an AND injection (dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide to 10 mg/mL) intraperitoneally for seven consecutive days. On the eighth day, another AND injection will be administered intraperitoneally as well as an injection of CBZ (CBZ powder prepared into a 20 mg/mL emulsion) administered via intravenous route. Plasma samples will be collected every 20 minutes for 4 hours and stored at -20℃. Analysis: HPLC analysis will yield a time vs. plasma concentration graph that will allow us to calculate the rate of elimination (K). The mean K value will be determined for both the control and treatment group. The mean K value of 6 rats in the treatment group will be compared to the mean value of K of the 6 rats in the control group. These will be analyzed using SPSS and utilizing an unpaired t test, with a

The Utilization of YouTube Videos for Instructional Purposes

This study investigated Lecturers’ Perception and Attitude toward Utilization of YouTube Videos for Instructional Purposes in Niger State college of Education. A descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. Four research questions were answered and two null hypotheses were tested in this study. The population of the study was made up of four hundred and eighty five (485) lecturers. Purposive sampling, simple random sampling, and stratified sampling techniques were used to select 100 lecturers that participated in the study. Researcher-designed questionnaire named Questionnaire on Lecturers Perception and Attitude towards the Utilization of YouTube for Instructional Purposes (QLPAUYIP) was employed for the study. The instrument was validated by experts and a reliability coefficient 0.89 was obtained using Cronbach Alpha formula. Data gathered were analyzed using descriptive statistics (Mean and Standard Deviation), inferential statistics (t-test) while the level of significance was ascertained at 0.05 alpha levels for the hypotheses. Findings revealed that lecturers have a positive perception towards the use of YouTube for instructional purposes however, there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups t=0.792. p˂0.05. On Also, lecturers’ have a positive attitude towards the utilization of YouTube videos for instructional purposes and there is no significant difference in the male and female lecturers’ attitude towards the utilization of YouTube videos for instructional purposes at t=0.352. p˂0.05. &nbsp

Iron catalysed Negishi cross-coupling using simple ethyl-monophosphines

Reported is a rare example of the use of monophosphines in iron catalysed Negishi cross-coupling. Substrate scope in terms of alkyl bromide and diaryl zinc reagent is explored.</p

Student wellbeing in the teaching and learning environment : a study exploring student and staff perspectives

Internationally and in the UK universities are facing a crisis of student wellbeing. In this context, it is important to research the impact of the teaching and learning environment and experiences, including the relationships between students and staff, on student wellbeing. While separate pieces of research on students’ wellbeing have addressed student and teacher perspectives on the role of learning experiences, we identified an opportunity to address the perspectives of both students and staff, including non-academics, in the same study. This study advances work on student wellbeing, recognising an interdependency between staff and student wellbeing. It adds to current research in identifying student-centred learning and assessment, intercultural awareness, international integration, and emotional intelligence as enablers of positive student wellbeing. The findings of this research also demonstrate the crucial role of the teacher-student relationship in impacting students’ (and staff) wellbeing and suggest solutions and areas for development that reflect the complexity of the Higher Education environment in which they are located

Village Water Ozonation System

The Village Water Ozonation System (VWOS) team’s core mission is to provide economically sustainable and culturally sensitive drinking water solutions for communities, to empower them with the ability to properly maintain their drinking water supply, and to transform people’s lives by decreasing the occurrences of waterborne diseases. Currently, the VWOS team is partnering with Friends in Action to implement two drinking water treatment systems this summer for the community living on Rama Cay, an island in Nicaragua. The wells on the island have a high salt content and are contaminated with bacteria which makes the water unsafe to drink; therefore, these two systems consist of a Reverse Osmosis unit, a UV light and other filters to ensure clean water. VWOS is also partnering with Forward Edge International to serve Mama Beth\u27s Children\u27s Home in Kijabe, Kenya. Mama Beth\u27s serves approximately 250 children every day but their water source is heavily contaminated with bacteria. VWOS is designing a chlorination system that will provide safe water for the students with plans to implement it in the summer of 2023. Funding for this work provided by The Collaboratory for Strategic Partnerships and Applied Research.https://mosaic.messiah.edu/engr2022/1021/thumbnail.jp