Social Studies Education: An Imperative for the Promotion of Cultural Values for National Integration in Nigeria.

Nigeria is a nation of many ethnic groups with diverse cultures. Such cultures could be seen in the aspects of religion, languages, dressing, types of food consumed, marriages, housing, occupation and so on. The cultural values of the country have become a matter of concern since the development of any society is rooted in what the members of such a society cherished or frown at. For instance, the cultural values   which are cherished in the country are basically focused on enhancing human dignity. Such values include discipline, integrity, dignity of labour, social justice, religious tolerance, self-reliance and patriotism. These cultural values are clearly spelt out in the National Philosophy as a measure to ensure rapid integration of the nation. It is believed that any group of people that could not promote their values will surely have a problem of development. In Nigeria, Social Studies Education was conceived as a subject to help heal the wounds of the civil war, ethnicity, ethnocentrism, social and political problems, and to promote culture and national integration, co-operation, good citizenship, among others using the instrument of school(Ezegbe,1988). This paper therefore examines the concept of culture and cultural values, national integration, concept of Social Studies Education. It also highlighted the place of Social Studies Education in the promotion of cultural values and national integration. The paper concluded by stating that, Nigerian’s respect for each other’s cultural characteristics will foster national integration in the country. Recommendations were made with a view to making Nigerian cultural values to be properly imparted to the learners through Social Studies Education

A comparison of frontal plane projection angle across landing tasks in female gymnasts

The aim of this study was to compare FPPA between three landing tasks and determine the reliability of FPPA in 15 competitive female gymnasts (age 13.5 ± 2.07 years). Reliability of FPPA was highest in the drop landing task, with no learning effect present. The backaway task showed the greatest FFPA (right: 26.75 ± 9.57°; left: 19.67 ± 9.03°), which was greater than the drop landing task (right: 19.07 ± 7.42°; left: 12.18 ± 4.83°). Individuals involved in training young female gymnasts are encouraged to screen for injury risk using FPPA during the drop landing task

The relationship between 2D knee valgus angle during single leg squat, single leg land and drop jump screening tests

Context: Injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and patellofemoral joint (PFJ) are a significant problem in female athletes. A number of screening tasks have been used in the literature to identify those at greatest risk of injury. To date, no study has examined the relationship in 2-dimensional (2D) knee valgus between common screening tasks to determine whether individuals exhibit similar movement patterns across tasks. Objective: To establish whether frontal-plane projection angle (FPPA) during the single-leg squat (SLS), single-leg land (SLL), and drop jump (DJ) are related. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: University laboratory. Participants: 52 national-league female football players and 36 national-league female basketball players. Main Outcome Measures: 2D FPPA during the SLS, SLL, and DJ screening tasks. Results: Significant correlations were found between tasks. FPPA in the SLS was significantly correlated with SLL (r = .52) and DJ (r = .30), whereas FPPA in the SLL was also significantly correlated to DJ (r = .33). FPPA was significantly greater in the SLS than in the SLL (P < .001) and DJ (P < .001) and in the SLL than in the DJ (P < .001). Conclusion: The results showed that 2D FPPA is correlated across the SLS, SLL, and DJ tasks. However, significantly greater FPPA values in the unilateral tasks suggest that the DJ may not identify risk of injury in sports where primary injury mechanisms are during unilateral loading tasks. Therefore, it is recommended that both unilateral and bilateral tasks be included when screening for ACL and PFJ injury risk

Neuroendocrinology and resistance training in adult males

An understanding of the neuroendocrine system will assist the Strength and Conditioning coach in the design of progressive strength training programmes by allowing them to manipulate acute training variables according to hormone release profiles. For muscle hypertrophy, training programmes should utilise 3 sets of 10 repetitions at 10RM loads, with short rest periods of no longer than 1 minute. This will ensure the accumulation and maintenance of lactate and hydrogen ions, to which anabolic hormone release is correlated. For strength adaptations without concomitant muscle hypertrophy, the training load and the length of rest periods should be increased, (>85% 1RM and >2mins respectively), and body parts should be rotated (e.g. upper body to lower body or agonist to antagonist). Finally, catabolic hormones and neurohormones significantly affect training adaptations. Therefore the strength and conditioning coach should be cognisant of the specific exercise programming and psychological interventions that manipulate their release

Intra- and inter-day reliability of weightlifting variables and correlation to performance during cleans

The purpose of this investigation was to examine intra- and inter-day reliability of kinetic and kinematic variables assessed during the clean, assess their relationship to clean performance, and determine their suitability in weightlifting performance analysis. Eight competitive weightlifters performed 3 sets of single repetition cleans with 90% of their one-repetition maximum. Force-time data were collected via dual force plates with displacement-time data collected via 3-dimensional motion capture, on three separate occasions under the same testing conditions. Seventy kinetic and kinematic variables were analyzed for intra- and inter-day reliability using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and the coefficient of variation (CV). Pearson’s correlation coefficients were calculated to determine relationships between barbell and body kinematics and ground reaction forces and for correlations to be deemed as statistically significant, an alpha-level of p ≤ 0.005 was set. Eleven variables were found to have ‘good’ to ‘excellent’ intra- and inter-day ICC (0.779-0.994 and 0.974-0.996, respectively) and CV (0.64-6.89% and 1.14-6.37%, respectively), with strong correlations (r = 0.880-0.988) to cleans performed at 90% 1RM. Average resultant force of the weighting 1 (W1) phase demonstrated the best intra- and inter-day reliability (ICC = 0.994 and 0.996 respectively), and very strong correlation (r = 0.981) to clean performance. Average bar power from point of lift off to peak bar height exhibited the highest correlation (r = 0.988) to clean performance. Additional reliable variables with strong correlations to clean performance were found, many of these occurred during or included the W1 phase, which suggests coaches should pay particular attention to the performance of the W1 phase

Tannic Acid Coated Gold Nanorods Demonstrate a Distinctive Form of Endosomal Uptake and Unique Distribution within Cells

One of the primary challenges associated with nanoparticle-dependent biological applications is that endosomal entrapment in a physiological environment severely limits the desired targeting and functionality of the nanoconstructs. This study sought to overcome that challenge through a systematic approach of gold nanorod (GNR) functionalization: evaluating the influence of both aspect ratio and surface chemistry on targeted cellular internalization rates and preservation of particle integrity. Owing to their unique spectral properties and enhanced surface area, GNRs possess great potential for the advancement of nanobased delivery and imaging applications. However, their ability for efficient intracellular delivery while maintaining their specific physiochemical parameters has yet to be satisfactorily explored. This study identified that longer and positively charged GNRs demonstrated a higher degree of internalization compared to their shorter and negative counterparts. Notably, of the four surface chemistries explored, only tannic acid resulted in retention of GNR integrity following endocytosis into keratinocyte cells, due to the presence of a strong protein corona matrix that served to protect the particles. Taken together, these results identify tannic acid functionalized GNRs as a potential candidate for future development in nanobased biomolecule delivery, bioimaging, and therapeutic applications

Tannic Acid Coated Gold Nanorods Demonstrate a Distinctive Form of Endosomal Uptake and Unique Distribution within Cells

One of the primary challenges associated with nanoparticle-dependent biological applications is that endosomal entrapment in a physiological environment severely limits the desired targeting and functionality of the nanoconstructs. This study sought to overcome that challenge through a systematic approach of gold nanorod (GNR) functionalization: evaluating the influence of both aspect ratio and surface chemistry on targeted cellular internalization rates and preservation of particle integrity. Owing to their unique spectral properties and enhanced surface area, GNRs possess great potential for the advancement of nanobased delivery and imaging applications. However, their ability for efficient intracellular delivery while maintaining their specific physiochemical parameters has yet to be satisfactorily explored. This study identified that longer and positively charged GNRs demonstrated a higher degree of internalization compared to their shorter and negative counterparts. Notably, of the four surface chemistries explored, only tannic acid resulted in retention of GNR integrity following endocytosis into keratinocyte cells, due to the presence of a strong protein corona matrix that served to protect the particles. Taken together, these results identify tannic acid functionalized GNRs as a potential candidate for future development in nanobased biomolecule delivery, bioimaging, and therapeutic applications

Readiness and Attitude of Female Workers towards Retirement In Rivers State

The study investigated the readiness and attitude of female workers towards retirement. Simple random sampling technique was adopted to select 400 female workers from ministries, teaching service commission, tertiary institutions as well as private establishments in Rivers State. The “Readiness and Attitude of Female Workers Toward Retirement Questionnaire” (RAFWTRQ) was administered to the respondents to collect relevant data. The t-test and Analysis of variance (ANOVA) statistics were used to test three generated null hypotheses. The findings showed that there were no significant differences between and among respondents’ readiness and attitude towards retirement based on religious affiliations, marital status, academic qualification and job type. Significant differences were, however, found among the female workers based on age group. Based on the findings, some recommendations were made. Amongst them are: professional counselors in Nigeria should step up efforts at establishing their own counseling clinics where they would be able to provide assistance to serving workers on readiness for retirement and counselors should effectively utilize their general counseling skills through the different non governmental organizations (NGOs), women organizations and groups in enlightenment campaigns on readiness for retirement. Key words: Readiness, Attitude, Retiremen

Academic and Behavioral Outcomes Among the Children of Young Mothers

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/74948/1/j.1741-3737.2001.00355.x.pd

Reducing the Environmental Impact of Dietary Choice: Perspectives from a Behavioural and Social Change Approach

Climate change is recognised as a significant public health issue that will impact on food security. One of the major contributors to global warming is the livestock industry, and, relative to plant-based agriculture, meat production has a much higher environmental impact in relation to freshwater use, amount of land required, and waste products generated. Promoting increased consumption of plant-based foods is a recommended strategy to reduce human impact on the environment and is also now recognised as a potential strategy to reduce the high rates of some chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. Currently there is a scant evidence base for policies and programs aiming to increase consumption of plant-based diets and little research on the necessary conditions for that change to occur and the processes involved in such a change. This paper reviews some of the environmental and health consequences of current dietary practices, reviews literature on the determinants of consuming a plant-based diet, and provides recommendations for further research in this area