Finite states in four dimensional quantum gravity. The isotropic minisuperspace Asktekar--Klein--Gordon model

In this paper we construct the generalized Kodama state for the case of a Klein--Gordon scalar field coupled to Ashtekar variables in isotropic minisuperspace by a new method. The criterion for finiteness of the state stems from a minisuperspace reduction of the quantized full theory, rather than the conventional techniques of reduction prior to quantization. We then provide a possible route to the reproduction of a semiclassical limit via these states. This is the result of a new principle of the semiclassical-quantum correspondence (SQC), introduced in the first paper in this series. Lastly, we examine the solution to the minisuperspace case at the semiclassical level for an isotropic CDJ matrix neglecting any quantum corrections and examine some of the implications in relation to results from previous authors on semiclassical orbits of spacetime, including inflation. It is suggested that the application of nonperturbative quantum gravity, by way of the SQC, might potentially lead to some predictions testable below the Planck scale.Comment: 26 pages. Accepted for publication by Class. Quantum Grav. journa

Spatial distribution of recreational resorts in a model tourism destination, Southern Nigeria

Spatial analysis of recreational facilities and services is an important tool to visualize service-deficient areas within an urban place and inform policy to ensure equity of facilities. This study was aimed at mapping the spatial distribution of recreational resorts in Calabar. The resorts were identified using the list of resorts from Cross River Tourism Bureau. The use of geographic information systems (GIS) supports this study. Geographic positioning system (G.P.S) was used to geo-locate  the resort locations. The Global Positioning System (GPS) was used to obtain the coordinates and this helped the study to examine the distances between the resorts. This analysis has been conducted using ArcGIS software version 10.3. Data input was carried out in Excel and interpolated into ArcGIS. The analysis was carried out using near neighbor algorithm to determine the distribution of the resorts. Nearest neighbor as a statistical technique attempts to measure the distributions according to whether they are clustered, random or regular. The distribution of the resort in the study area the result of hypothesis obtained using nearest neighbor index is close to zero (0) (Rn= 0.40 < 1.0) and shows evidence of clustering of the various resorts this is largely contributed by cost of land/rent (25%), availability of security (24%) and accessible road network (23%).  The study reveals the concentration of tourism facilities within distinct areas as defined by some influential factors. The central part of the study area has high population density that attracts the location of some basic facilities which also influences the distribution of tourism facilities to their advantage. It is therefore recommended that priority in the development of facilities be given to disadvantaged areas particularly in the high population density areas. Parks and gardens should be located centrally within the city to serve bigger populace. Keyword: Assessment, distribution, recreation resorts, services, facilities DOI: 10.7176/JTHS/40-0

Attitude of secondary school students towards guidance and counselling services in Cross River State

The Study investigated the attitude of secondary students towards guidance and counselling services. Descriptive research design of the survey type was used. Three hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. A total of 400 secondary school students were selected from ten (10) schools through stratified random sampling technique. A validated questionnaire vetted by experts in measurement and research was used as an instrument for data collection. Independent t-test statistic was used for data analysis. The study revealed that students’ attitude towards guidance and counselling services were significantly positive; that gender and school location significantly influenced students’ attitude towards guidance services. The results further revealed that there are significant differences between attitude of male and female students in rural and urban schools towards guidance and counselling services. Based on these findings, the researchers recommended that secondary education board should open well equipped counselling units in both urban and rural schools and qualified counsellors should be posted to practice and create awareness of guidance and counselling services

Using Artificial Intelligence techniques to predict intrinsic compressibility characteristic of Clay

Reconstituted clays have often provided the basis for the interpretation and modelling of the properties of natural clays. The term “intrinsic” was introduced to describe a clay remoulded or reconstituted at moisture content up to 1.5 times its liquid limit and consolidated one-dimensionally. In order to circumvent the difficulties of measuring an intrinsic constant called “intrinsic compressibility index” (C*c), a machine learning (ML) approach using traditional non-parametric tree-based and meta-heuristic ensembles was adopted in this study. Results indicated that tree-ensembles namely random decision forest (RDF) and boosted decision tree (BDT) performed better in C*c prediction (average R2 of 0.84 and root mean square error, RMSE of 0.51) compared to stand-alone models. However, models’ hyper parameters combined meta-heuristically, produced the highest accuracy (average R2 of 0.90 and root mean square error, RMSE of 0.34). The greatest capacity to distinguish between positive and negative soil classes (average accuracy of 0.95, precision and recall of 0.86) were demonstrated by meta-ensembles in multinomial classification

Towards implementation of sustainable development goals (SDG) in developing nations: A useful funding framework

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is impressive in its breadth. However, the extensive nature of the agenda presents countries with a set of challenges. In particular, few if any countries will be able to focus on all goals in parallel, yet the agenda offers little clear guidance on how each country can determine their priority areas of focus and funding arrangements for such priority areas. Presently, few efforts have been made to analyse and examine the significance or importance of each SDG goal and target for individual countries. More importantly, there is the challenge that governments would need to find the finances to fund the goals. Inevitably, politicians and policy makers in financially constrained countries are asking: what levers can we actually use to implement the SDGs efficiently and effectively? In this paper, we develop a simple framework that can help countries in leveraging existing budget resources to guide funding for the implementation of SDGs

Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Hand Washing Towards the Prevention of Transmissible Diseases among Hair Dressers in Uyo Metropolis of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

The study was conducted to determine the knowledge, attitude and practices of hand washing towards the prevention of transmissible diseases among hair dressers in Uyo Metropolis, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to examine the knowledge of transmissible diseases that are associated in hair dressing work, the attitudes of hand washing among hair dressers, the practices of hand washing adopted by hair dressers toward the prevention of transmissible diseases in Uyo Metropolis. Three research questions were raised and two hypotheses were also formulated for testing at .05 alpha level of significance. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted and using sampling techniques. 150 hair dressers were drawn for the study. A multi stage sampling technique was used to pick 7 major roads in Uyo Metropolis, 15 hairdressing salons and 150 hairdressers. A 22 items questionnaire (KAPPTDHQ) was formulated for the study. The questionnaire was pretested and data analyzed using Kuder Richardson 20 formula and a reliability coefficient of .78 was obtained. Frequency and percentage was used to answer the research questions while Chi-square was used to test the null hypotheses at P-value of .05. The findings revealed that knowledge of hairdressers about transmissible diseases were adequate and that knowledge significantly influence practices of hand washing which was also good. It was also noted that attitude of hairdressers towards hand washing do not significantly influence practices of hand washing among hairdressers in Uyo Metropolis. It was recommended that health education to hairdressers should be carried out to create awareness in the need for proper hand washing technique and prescribed standard for hairdressing salons should include adequate hand washing facilities to ensure regular and proper hand washing technique during working hours by hair dressers

Supervised remote sensing image classification: An example of a one-against-one multi-class polynomial kernel based support vector machine

Software like ILWIS and GRASS GIS can be employed for remote sensing image processing and geographic information systems applications. The modules of the aforementioned image processing software are based on conventional multi-class classifiers/algorithms such as maximumlikelihood classifier. These conventional multi-class classifiers/algorithms are usually written in programming languages such as C, C++, and python. The objective of this research is to experiment the use of a binary classifier/algorithm for multi-class remote sensing task, implemented in MATLAB. MATLAB is a programming language just like C, C++, and python. In this research, the support vector machine binary classifier/algorithm based on a one-against-one approach implemented in MATLAB isapplied to remote sensing multi-class problem. Both simulated and empirical satellite remote sensing data are used to train and test a one-against-one support vector machine classifier. For the purpose ofvalidating the experiment, the resulting classified satellite image is compared with the ground truth data. The polynomial kernel function is used for the modelling. In the simulated application, 25 pixels are usedfor the experiment, out of which 6 pixels are used for training while 19 pixels are used for testing. Out of the 19 tested pixels 18 pixels are correctly classified while only 1 pixel is left unclassified. In the empirical application, 256 and 7182 pixels are unclassified and misclassified respectively out of a total of 62500 pixels; and the computed overall accuracy of the experiment is 88.1%. The satisfactory result of the experiment indicates substantial agreement between the classification result and the reference data

Variations in the Physico-Chemical Parameters of a Natural, Tropical, Rainforest Lake

A study of the physico-chemical parameters of Agulu Lake was made from January to December 2003. Except for surface temperature, the other parameters were markedly season-dependent. Conductivity, total residue, DO, alkalinity, turbidity, calcium, N-NO3, P-PO4 values were higher in the rainy than the dry season. Conversely, pH, visibility and free CO2 were higher in the dry season. There was no significant seasonality in surface temperature. Keywords: Physico-chemical parameters, Agulu LakeBio-Research Vol. 6 (2) 2008: pp. 371-37

Effective Planning Strategies: A Key Component for Implementation of Automation in Academic Libraries

Academic library, as a dynamic, vital organ in an organization or institution of higher learning, plays an important role in the academic programmes in selecting, organizing and disseminating of information to enrich the curriculum; it is deeply affected by the information technology revolution.  Therefore, the need for effective planning strategies in meeting the demand of the present society in transforming the library into new information service centre becomes pertinent. The focus and aim of the paper is to provide steps to be adopted in the implementation of automated library services particularly in Nigeria. Strategies are the focus of all planning processes and it incorporates purpose, policies, programmes, actions, decisions, collaborations and resource allocation. The study also focused on automation activities as the core management preparation or analytical process of identifying of objectives, effectiveness/ineffectiveness in the context of implementation. The study recommended among others in its conclusion, that librarians or information managers should see the steps, factors and the planning process as provided in the study as a way to eliminate wastage of resources, other sources of funding of the project have also been proffered. Keyword: Automation, Planning, Strategies, Library, and Components

Response of Genetically Improved Heterobranchus Longifilis Juveniles to Different Diets Containing Beniseed Meal and Extruded Soybean Meal

Three isoproteic 35% crude protein diets were formulated with same basal ingredients and ranging levels of extruded soybean, beniseed and yellow maize meals and fed at 5% body weight to groups of genetically improved Heterobranchus longifilis juveniles of mean weight 79.57\ub1 0.365g in nine out door concrete tanks each measuring 2x2x1m3. The tanks were filled to 2/3 of their holding capacity with water fertilized with poultry manure 2 weeks prior to the commencement of the experiment. Growth and nutrient utilization indices; %Weight Gain (WG), Specific Growth Rate (SGR), Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) and Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER), and water quality parameters; pH, Dissolved oxygen and Temperature were monitored for 56 days. The best growth and nutrient utilization values were observed in beniseed based diet with a significantly high values (P 640.05) for WG, SGR FCR, and PER. The high methionine content of beniseed meal coupled with the abundant lipids having a good array of polyunsaturated fatty acids were suggested as possible reasons for the better growth performance of the beniseed based diet. @JASE