Impact of NCE Mathematics Trainee and Graduate Teachers on JSSII Students’ Achievement in Geometry in Katsina-Ala of Benue State, Nigeria: A Comparative Analysis.

The study sampled 320 JSSII students from 8 secondary schools in Katsina-Ala local Government Area through random sampling technique. Geometry Achievement Test (GAT) was used for data collection. A pre-test, post-test non-equivalent control group design was adopted for the study where intact classes were randomly assigned to trainee and graduate treatments. Mean and standard deviations were used to answer the research questions while hypotheses were analyzed using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). The study found that students taught by NCE trained teachers achieved higher in Geometry than those taught by NCE trainee teachers irrespective of gender. The finding also revealed that female students achieved at the same level in geometry as their male counterparts as intra instruction performance recorded from either NCE trainee or NCE graduate teachers. It was therefore recommended that the government should pay special attention to teachers’ education especially NCE trainee teachers. The NCE trainee teachers were also required to give in-depth attention to female students while teaching geometry. Key Words: Mathematics, Education, Geometry, NCE Trainee Teachers, NCE graduate Teachers, Gender, Achievement in Mathematics

Sequential simulation used as a novel educational tool aimed at healthcare managers: a patient-centred approach

Background: A new challenge for healthcare managers is to improve the patient experience. Simulation is often used for clinical assessment and rarely for those operating outside of direct clinical care. Sequential simulation (SqS) is a form of simulation that re-creates care pathways, widening its potential use. Local problem Numbers, outcome measures and system profiling are used to inform healthcare decisions. However, none of these captures the personal subtleties of a patient’s experience. Intervention 56 students attended a teaching module using SqS and facilitated workshops as part of their induction week on an MSc International Health Management course. The workshop was voluntary and was offered as an opportunity for the students to gain an insight into the UK health system through the medium of simulation. Methods: An evaluation survey incorporating quantitative and qualitative student feedback was conducted. Descriptive statistics were generated from the quantitative data, and thematic analysis was undertaken for the qualitative data. Results: There was strong agreement for the acceptability of the workshop approach in relation to the aims and objectives. Likert scale (1–-5) mean total=4.49. Participants responded enthusiastically (revealed through the qualitative data) with ideas related to perspectives sharing, understanding healthcare management and processes and the consideration of feasibility and practicalities. They also suggested other applications that SqS could be used for. Conclusion: The SqS approach has demonstrated that simulation has a wider potential than for clinical assessment alone. Further studies are required to determine its potential uses and affordances beyond its current format

Improved Model for Predicting the Required Minimum Gas Injection Rate for Removal of Cutting during Underbalanced Drilling

It has been widely recognized that maintaining adequate air/gas injection rate is vitally important to achieving hole cleaning both against drilling cutting and liquid accumulations. It is highly imperative to accurately predict the annulus pressure drop for determining the critical air/gas injection rate required for cleaning formation both cutting and liquid influx during underbalanced drilling. A new numerical model for determining annulus pressure drop model has been developed that is required for accurately predicting minimum air/gas injection rate for simultaneous removal of both cutting and liquid during underbalanced drilling. The new model has incorporated the influence of cutting volume which has been overlooked by most researchers. Since the required minimum flow rate needs to be determined at the surface condition, temperature and pressure dependent variables such as gas formation volume factor, (Bg), Oil formation factor, (Bo), and water formation factor, Bw has been considered in the model. The results generated show that the existing models have underestimated the required minimum air/gas flow rate for continuous lifting of both cutting and liquid during underbalanced drilling. Engineering charts have also been generated for predicting cutting and liquid-carrying capacity of air/gas that is injected into the borehole at various rates. This project provides drilling engineers the necessary knowledge and a useful tool for minimizing complications in air/gas drilling operation

Common pitfalls and recommendations for using machine learning to detect and prognosticate for COVID-19 using chest radiographs and CT scans

Abstract: Machine learning methods offer great promise for fast and accurate detection and prognostication of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) from standard-of-care chest radiographs (CXR) and chest computed tomography (CT) images. Many articles have been published in 2020 describing new machine learning-based models for both of these tasks, but it is unclear which are of potential clinical utility. In this systematic review, we consider all published papers and preprints, for the period from 1 January 2020 to 3 October 2020, which describe new machine learning models for the diagnosis or prognosis of COVID-19 from CXR or CT images. All manuscripts uploaded to bioRxiv, medRxiv and arXiv along with all entries in EMBASE and MEDLINE in this timeframe are considered. Our search identified 2,212 studies, of which 415 were included after initial screening and, after quality screening, 62 studies were included in this systematic review. Our review finds that none of the models identified are of potential clinical use due to methodological flaws and/or underlying biases. This is a major weakness, given the urgency with which validated COVID-19 models are needed. To address this, we give many recommendations which, if followed, will solve these issues and lead to higher-quality model development and well-documented manuscripts

Condom Tamponade in the Management of Primary Postpartum Haemorrhage: A Report of three cases in Ghana

Postpartum haemorrhage is one of the major causes of maternal mortality worldwide. The leading cause of primary postpartum haemorrhage is uterine atony and active management of the third stage of labour with oxytocin is recommended for preventing primary postpartum haemorrhage. Parenteral oxytocin is also the drug of choice for medical management of postpartum haemorrhage secondary to uterine atony. Condom uterine balloon tamponade is a low cost technique that can be used as a second-line option for treatment. We report retrospectively three cases of primary PPH secondary to uterine atony which were managed successfully with condom tamponade. Condom tamponade is effective in managing post partum haemorrhage secondary to uterine atony and we advocate for the training of all skilled attendants on how to insert the condom tamponade. (Afr J Reprod Health 2015; 19[3]: 151-157). Keywords: condom temponade, postpartum haemorrhage, management L’hémorragie du post-partum est une des principales causes de mortalité maternelle dans le monde entier. La principale cause de l'hémorragie du post-partum principale est l'atonie utérine et la gestion active de la troisième phase du travail à l'ocytocine est recommandée pour prévenir les hémorragies du postpartum primaire. L’ocytocine parentérale est également le médicament de choix pour la gestion médicale des hémorragies du post-partum secondaire à une atonie utérine. La tamponnade du ballon du préservatif utérin est une technique à faible coût qui peut être utilisée comme une option de deuxième ligne pour le traitement. Nous rapportons rétrospectivement trois cas de la HPP primaire, secondaire à une atonie utérine qui ont été gérés avec succès avec la tamponnade du préservatif. La tamponnade du préservatif est efficace dans la gestion de l’hémorragie du post-partum secondaire à une atonie utérine et nous proposons que tous les agents qualifiés soient formés sur la manière d insérer la tamponnade du préservatif. (Afr J Reprod Health 2015; 19[3]: 151-157). Mots-clés: tamponnade du préservatif, hémorragie du post-partum, gestio