A Model of the Effects of Change in Teachers’ Beliefs in Mathematical Problem Solving in Malaysia

Many previous studies have reported that the term problem solving has been fully investigated in developed countries as can be seen in the work of earlier famous authors and majority of them agreed that a problem occurs only when someone is confronted with a difficulty for which an immediate answer is not available. In short, problem solving refers to the effort needed in achieving a goal or finding a solution when no automatic solution is available. It has however, been identified that there has been little research on mathematical problem solving in developing and newly industrialized nations especially in Malaysia. This research specifically seeks to look into a model of the effects of change in teachers’ beliefs in mathematical problem solving in Malaysia. In this study, a few research questions are asked based on the research objectives and hypothesis formulated to tackle the questions. The methodology adopted in this study is quantitative while the statistical package for social sciences is utilized for analyzing the data. Considering the aforementioned findings from analysis of questionnaires the study concludes that; male and female prospective mathematics teachers differ in the way they view the importance of technology usage in solving mathematical problems, that prospective mathematics teachers’ beliefs about mathematical problem solving have strong connection to their study level and prospective teachers have both traditional and contemporary views about mathematical problem solving. Hence, the study together with its findings will serve as a guideline to explain and provide empirical evidence which will help in revealing the effects of student teacher’s beliefs on mathematical problem solving hence will enable educational policy makers and other interest parties take appropriate decision

Occurrence of antibodies against hepatitis C virus (HCV) among alcoholics

Studies have shown that hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected alcoholics have more severe biochemical and histological evidence of liver disease than anti-HCV-negative patients. One possible mechanism for the increased liver damage is that alcohol may have a stimulatory effect on HCV replication. This study was therefore carried out to investigate the seroprevalence of HCV virus among alcoholics. Two-hundred and seventy (270) alcoholics and fifty (50) control subjects at selected locations in Jos South local government area (LGA), of Plateau State were screened for HCV antibodies using grand rapid diagnostic test strip. Structured questionnaire was employed to obtain demographic data of studysubjects. Overall, the prevalence of HCV infection was found to be 45(16.7%) in response to alcoholics while the non-alcoholic (control) subjects recorded 3 (6.0%) positivity, [(x2 = 3.765); P > 0.05]. Genderconsideration showed that females subjects had a higher prevalence of 25 (9.3%) compared to males with 20 (7.4%) among the alcoholic subjects. The 19 – 30 years age group recorded the highestseroprevalence of 14 (5.2%) to the HCV, [(x2 = 4.757); P > 0.05], while no significant difference was observed among positive subjects screened for serum aminotranferase levels in relation to age and gender. Available evidence from this study indicates that alcoholic consumption is a strong determinant of HCV infection. Drastic measures at creating awareness and the need for routine screening among alcoholics should be given due consideration. However, future HCV studies need toquantify concurrent alcoholic consumption to further our understanding of the total burden of illness from alcohol associated HCV in the community.Keywords: Alcoholics, hepatitis c virus, occurrenc

Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B Surface Antigen (HBsAg) among Children of Primary School Age in a Community, North-Central, Nigeria

Globally, Hepatitis B Virus has been identified as one of the most common infectious diseases and a major public health problem.This study was therefore carried out to assess the prevalence of Hepatitis B virus infection among primary school children attending LGE primary school, Sabon Pegi, Kuru, Nigeria. Three hundred and sixty (360) blood samples were collected from the pupils and sera separated and analyzed for HBsAg using one step Hepatitis B surface antigen test strip. Of the 360 samples screened, 35 (9.7%) were sero-positive. Pupils within the age 7-9 years had the highest prevalence of 3.9%. Male subjects recorded a prevalence of 6.1% compared to 3.6% for females. Risk factors such as blood transfusion recorded 1.6%. Furthermore, family history of HBV infection accounted for 3.6%, while male subjects that had traditional method of circumcision recorded a high prevalence of 3.3%. Unfortunately, the prevalence of this ravaging infectious agent appears to be high amongst the subjects studied. It is strongly suggested that public awareness be accorded urgent attention while socioeconomic development in these areas be given priority as a measure to preventing further spread of this virus amongst children, particularly the school age group. Key words: Children, HBsAg, Primary school, Seroprevalenc

HYGROTHERMAL RESPONSE OF PLANT FIBRE REINFORCED COMPOSITES

ABSTRACT The effect of soaking time and temperature response for coconut and raffia fibre reinforced composite on their mechanical properties have been studied. Tensile and compression test for treated and untreated were performed using a universal testing machine (Monsanto Tensometer). The conditioned samples in each case show better tensile and compressive strength compared to the untreated samples. Raffia fibre reinforced polyester showed a better mechanical and moisture absorption properties at various operating temperature in the study

Neglected Tropical Diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa: Review of Their Prevalence, Distribution, and Disease Burden

The neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are the most common conditions affecting the poorest 500 million people living in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and together produce a burden of disease that may be equivalent to up to one-half of SSA's malaria disease burden and more than double that caused by tuberculosis. Approximately 85% of the NTD disease burden results from helminth infections. Hookworm infection occurs in almost half of SSA's poorest people, including 40–50 million school-aged children and 7 million pregnant women in whom it is a leading cause of anemia. Schistosomiasis is the second most prevalent NTD after hookworm (192 million cases), accounting for 93% of the world's number of cases and possibly associated with increased horizontal transmission of HIV/AIDS. Lymphatic filariasis (46–51 million cases) and onchocerciasis (37 million cases) are also widespread in SSA, each disease representing a significant cause of disability and reduction in the region's agricultural productivity. There is a dearth of information on Africa's non-helminth NTDs. The protozoan infections, human African trypanosomiasis and visceral leishmaniasis, affect almost 100,000 people, primarily in areas of conflict in SSA where they cause high mortality, and where trachoma is the most prevalent bacterial NTD (30 million cases). However, there are little or no data on some very important protozoan infections, e.g., amebiasis and toxoplasmosis; bacterial infections, e.g., typhoid fever and non-typhoidal salmonellosis, the tick-borne bacterial zoonoses, and non-tuberculosis mycobaterial infections; and arboviral infections. Thus, the overall burden of Africa's NTDs may be severely underestimated. A full assessment is an important step for disease control priorities, particularly in Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the greatest number of NTDs may occur

Dengue fever – an update review and implications for Nigeria, and similar countries

Background: In the last five decades, dengue has emerged as one of the most important infectious diseases, following a 30-fold increase in global incidence throughout tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. The actual numbers of dengue cases are under-reported and many cases are misclassified. Objectives: This article describes the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical features and management of dengue. It also explores the implications of infection with this flavivirus for Nigeria, and similar countries. Methods: The literature search for publications on dengue in West Africa was performed using PubMed, African Journals Online (AJOL), Google Scholar, Web of Science, databases and grey literature to identify all published papers regarding the topic. A snowballing strategy was adopted to identify additional publications. Results: Recent reports suggest that dengue is a growing public health problem in Nigeria, the magnitude of which needs to be more clearly defined. Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa has an abundance of the Aedes aegypti mosquito which is known to transmit dengue, Zika, as well as chikungunya (CHIKV) and West Nile viruses. Conclusion: This article provides practical suggestions for strengthening the dengue virus control programme in Nigeria. The Nigerian health system shares similarities with health systems in many other sub-Saharan countries. Therefore, the practical suggestions provided at the end of this review are likely to be applicable to many other African countries

Dengue fever \u2013 an update review and implications for Nigeria, and similar countries

Background: In the last five decades, dengue has emerged as one of the most important infectious diseases, following a 30-fold increase in global incidence throughout tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. The actual numbers of dengue cases are under-reported and many cases are misclassified. Objectives: This article describes the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical features and management of dengue. It also explores the implications of infection with this flavivirus for Nigeria, and similar countries. Methods: The literature search for publications on dengue in West Africa was performed using PubMed, African Journals Online (AJOL), Google Scholar, Web of Science, databases and grey literature to identify all published papers regarding the topic. A snowballing strategy was adopted to identify additional publications. Results: Recent reports suggest that dengue is a growing public health problem in Nigeria, the magnitude of which needs to be more clearly defined. Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa has an abundance of the Aedes aegypti mosquito which is known to transmit dengue, Zika, as well as chikungunya (CHIKV) and West Nile viruses. Conclusion: This article provides practical suggestions for strengthening the dengue virus control programme in Nigeria. The Nigerian health system shares similarities with health systems in many other sub-Saharan countries. Therefore, the practical suggestions provided at the end of this review are likely to be applicable to many other African countries. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ahs.v19i2.23 Cite as: Otu A, Ebenso B, Etokidem A, Chukwuekezie O. Dengue fever \u2013 an update and implications for Nigeria. Afri Health Sci.2019;19(2):2000-2007. https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ahs.v19i2.2

Hygrothermal response of plant fibre reinforced composites

The effect of soaking time and temperature response for coconut and raffia fibre reinforced composite on their mechanical properties have been studied. Tensile and compression test for treated and untreated were performed using a universal testing machine (Monsanto Tensometer). The conditioned samples in each case show better tensile and compressive strength compared to the untreated samples. Raffia fibre reinforced polyester showed a better mechanical and moisture absorption properties at various operating temperature in the study © 2006-2014 Asian Research Publishing Network (ARPN)