Grade 12 Students’ Retention in Statistics and Probability amidst Covid-19

This study aimed to assess the retention of grade 12 students in statistics and probability, along with a comparative analysis of these retentions across the distinct topics of the subject. Statistics and probability subjects were taken by the students when they were in grade 11. Employing a quantitative approach, the research used descriptive-comparative design to describe the level of retention of the students and compare the retention of the students in each topic. These encompass random variables and probability distribution, normal distribution, sampling and sampling distribution, and estimation parameters. The retention of the students studying at Nueva Vizcaya General Comprehensive High School, a public school in Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines was analyzed through the validated retention test administered to them. Using frequency count and percent, the result revealed that the grade 12 students’ retention was described as “poor retention rate”. Repeated-measures ANOVA confirmed that the retention of the students in all the topics are all poor. Hence, teachers should consider making an intervention to improve the retention of the students in statistics and probability. They may consider innovative ways to engage the students in learning. Also, the factors that influence the students in solving problems in designing the interventions

Pedagogical Approaches in Statistics and Probability during Pandemic

The difficulty of the students in Statistics and Probability subject, and the pedagogical approaches used by the teachers, were the challenges encountered by both students and teachers due to the restrictions during the CoViD-19 pandemic. Hence, this study aimed to determine the pedagogical approaches used in teaching statistics and probability during the pandemic. The study used a qualitative approach, particularly document analysis. The main source of the data was the module in statistics and probability specifically the learning activity sheets in the third quarter because this is the most convenient approach that can be used by the teachers during the pandemic. The pedagogical approaches were identified and validated by three inter-raters. Based on the findings, communication, and study skills, technology-aided instruction, problem-based learning, manipulatives, modules, models and multiple representations, and direct instruction were the identified pedagogical approaches used in the statistics and probability module. However, the effectiveness of the delivery of these approaches cannot be measured because the modality was limited to a modular approach. The teachers were able to use different pedagogical approaches, however, cooperative learning was not used because the CoViD-19pandemic restricted interactions between the teacher and students or students with their classmates

Designing an open-air performing stage steel roof using EC 1 and EC 3

There are various design approaches of steel roofs for open-air performance stages adopted worldwide comprising of various geometries such as domes and rectangular shapes. With the architect providing the building profile, this report provides the structural layout. The prerequisite for design involves wind analysis as per Eurocode 1, EN1991-1-4: General Actions – Wind Actions in order to determine the wind load transferred onto the roof. The flow of loading starts from the applied wind loads (along with predetermined dead and live loads) from the roof, onto the beams, where the load proceeds towards tension cable and the base of the column simultaneously. The tension cable load will then proceed towards the top of the column. Column loads are then transferred to the concrete column underneath it. This paper explores the effects of pitch angle of the roof on wind loading, as well as the position of tension cable connection on beams’ influence on bending moment. Given the interconnectedness of building geometry and forces, this paper provides algebraically derived relationships between them. Structural analysis is verified by ETABS results and other algebraic relationships. Since geometry, design actions, and design checks are interconnected, design checks were also used to define the upper bound of design loads, where geometry is altered to satisfy such design loads. Furthermore, this paper provides beam, gusset plate, column and base plate designs in accordance to Eurocode 3. Additionally, to provide more insight, in-depth algebraic relationships were also derived based on identified failure modes and EN1993-1-8: 2005 to determine lower bound and upper bound dimensions.Bachelor of Engineering (Civil

Application of three nodded finite eleme

The convergence of numerical solution based on two nodded beam finite element require considerable number of iterations and time; and is also plagued with shear locking. To address these deficiencies a three nodded beam element is proposed in this study to simulate the behavior of beams on elastic foundation. The analytical formulation of the model and development of shape functions are achieved with assumption of Winkler hypothesis for beam on elastic foundation A Matlab programme was developed to determine the combined beam and foundation stiffness as well as the load vector. The proposed model reliably simulates the deformations and stress resultants of beam on elastic foundation under general loading conditions. The result showed faster convergence devoid of shear locking. The maximum deflection and bending moment differ from the classical solution by about 5 percent

Evaluation of the Success of Biological Control Approach for the Control of Aspidiotus rigidus Reyne, Invasive Pest of Coconut, through the Development of an Innovative Automated Pest Infestation and Parasitism Level Estimator (AutoPPLeX) in Smart Farming Applications

The Philippines, as an agricultural country in the age of modernization, is constantly striving for technological integrations that can enhance the agricultural sector in areas like production security and sustainability. The overarching goal of this study is to hasten the transition from traditional to smart farming by aiding in the development of agricultural tools that accurately describe pest infestation level and presence of biological control agents essential in increasing crop productivity and sustainability. This study contributed to the development of the Agricultural Database for the Automated Pest Infestation and Parasitism Level Estimator (AutoPPLeX) through the expert annotation and interpretation of leaf segments gathered directly from Zamboanga and Basilan. Additionally, the researchers explored how image specifications like focus, lighting, and shooting angle can maximize annotation accuracy. The research team underwent quantitative and qualitative assessments of coconut segments with the pest, Aspidiotus rigidus Reyne and its known natural enemy, Comperiella calauanica using LabelMe, a proprietary annotation tool developed by Taiwan National University specifically for the study. Through manual annotation, the researchers delivered six data sets for the development of AutoPPLeX complete with total pest count and percent parasitization. Aside from this, the researchers concluded that C. calauanica had been effective in parasitizing A. rigidus in the majority of the image segments provided. Further, the researchers highlighted that to minimize human error in future manual annotation pursuits, there must be consistent and level lighting, high resolution, and close angle for all leaf segments

Impact of chemically amended pig slurry on greenhouse gas emissions, soil properties and leachate

peer-reviewedThe effectiveness of chemical amendment of pig slurry to ameliorate phosphorus (P) losses in runoff is well studied, but research mainly has concentrated only on the runoff pathway. The aims of this study were to investigate changes to leachate nutrient losses, soil properties and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions due to the chemical amendment of pig slurry spread at 19 kg total phosphorus (TP), 90 kg total nitrogen (TN), and 180 kg total carbon (TC) ha-1. The amendments examined were: (1) commercial grade liquid alum (8% Al2O3) applied at a rate of 0.88:1 [Al:TP] (2) commercial-grade liquid ferric chloride (38% FeCl3) applied at a rate of 0.89:1 [Fe:TP] and (3) commercial-grade liquid poly-aluminium chloride (PAC) (10% Al2O3) applied at a rate of 0.72:1 [Al:TP]. Columns filled with sieved soil were incubated for 8 mo at 10oC and were leached with 160 ml (19 mm) distilled water wk-1. All amendments reduced the Morgan’s phosphorus and water extractable P content of the soil to that of the soil-only treatment, indicating that they have the ability to reduce P loss in leachate following slurry application. There were no significant differences between treatments for nitrogen (N) or carbon (C) in leachate or soil, indicating no deleterious impact on reactive N emissions or soil C cycling. Chemical amendment posed no significant change to GHG emissions from pig slurry, and in the cases of alum and PAC, reduced cumulative N2O and CO2 losses. Chemical amendment of land applied pig slurry can reduce P in runoff without any negative impact on nutrient leaching and GHG emissions. Future work must be conducted to ascertain if more significant reductions in GHG emissions are possible with chemical amendments.Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology (IRCSET)- EMBARK scholarshi

Using community theater to improve demand for vaccination services in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

Abstract Introduction Despite abundant evidence showing immunization as a lifesaving public health measure, a large proportion of Nigerian children are still not or fully vaccinated. Lack of awareness and distrust of the immunization process by caregivers are some of the reasons for poor immunization coverage which need to be addressed. This study aimed at improving vaccination demand, acceptance and uptake in Bayelsa and Rivers State, both in the Niger Delta Region (NDR) of Nigeria through a human-centered process of trust building, education and social support. Methods A quasi-experimental intervention christened Community Theater for Immunization (CT4I) was deployed in 18 selected communities between November 2019 and May 2021 in the two states. In the intervention localities, relevant stakeholders including the leadership of the health system, community leaders, health workers and community members were engaged and actively involved in the design and performance of the theaters. The content for the theater showcased real stories, using a human-centered design (HCD) of ideation, co-creation, rapid prototyping, feedback collection and iteration. Pre- and post-intervention data on the demand and utilization of vaccination services were collected using a mixed method. Results In the two states, 56 immunization managers and 59 traditional and religious leaders were engaged. Four broad themes implicating user and provider factors emerged from the 18 focus group discussions as responsible for low immunization uptake in the communities. Of the 217 caregivers trained on routine immunization and theater performances, 72% demonstrated a knowledge increase at the post-test. A total of 29 performances attended by 2,258 women were staged with 84.2% of the attendees feeling satisfied. At the performances, 270 children received vaccine shots (23% were zero-dose). There was a 38% increase in the proportion of fully immunized children in the communities and 9% decline in the proportion of zero-dose children from baseline. Conclusion Both demand- and supply-side factors were identified as responsible for poor vaccination in the intervention communities. Our intervention demonstrates that caregivers will demand immunization services if they are engaged through community theater using a human-centered design (HCD). We recommend a scaling up of HCD to address the challenge of vaccine hesitancy