Perception of Business Studies Teachers on the Infuence of Large Class Size in Public Secondary Schools in Yobe State, Nigeria

This is a survey study conducted to determine the perception of business studies teacher’s on the influence of large class size in Yobe state public secondary school. Three research questions were raised to guide the study. The population comprised of one hundred and twenty (120) business studies teachers from one hundred and five (105) Secondary schools in Yobe state. A sample of ninety (90) Business studies teachers from seventy five (75)   secondary schools were selected through a random sampling. Structured Questionnaire was used for data collection and the data was analyzed using mean. The findings of the study revealed that large class size has negative effect on Business studies teacher’s as it affect their performance. It is therefore recommended that more schools and classrooms should be build and more teacher’s be employed to ease teacher’s activities for improved performance. Keywords: Perception, Teachers, Large class siz

Investigation of Cytotoxicity of Biosynthesized Colloidal Nanosilver against Local Leishmania tropica: In Vitro Study

Leishmaniasis is one of the biggest health problems in the world. Traditional therapeutic methods still depend on a small range of products, mostly chemically. However, the treatment with these drugs is expensive and can cause serious adverse effects, and they have inconsistent effectiveness due to the resistance of parasites to these drugs. The treatment of leishmanial disease has always been a challenge for researchers. The development of nanoscale metals such as silver has attracted significant attention in the field of medicine. The unique characteristic features of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) make them effective antileishmanial agents. In recent years, green nanotechnology has provided the development of green nanoparticle-based treatment methods for Leishmaniasis. Although there are many studies based on green nanoparticles against Leishmania parasites, this is the first study on the antileishmanial effect of biosynthesized AgNPs using an aqueous extract of Eucalyptus camaldulensis leaves (AEECL) as a reducing agent of silver ions. Different parameters such as AgNO3 concentration, AEECL concentration, and reaction time were studied to investigate the optimum factors for the preparation of stable and small-sized silver nanoparticles. The spherical shape of colloidal nanosilver (CN-Ag) was confirmed by atomic force microscope (AFM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) images with sizes of 27 and 12 nm, respectively. A high density of nanoparticles with a small size of 10 nm has been confirmed from dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis. The zeta potential value of 23 mV indicated that colloidal silver nanoparticles were stable. The nano-tracker analysis (NTA) showed the Brownian motion of silver nanoparticles with a hydrodynamic diameter of 31 nm. The antioxidant property of CN-Ag was determined using the stable radical 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. In this study, a significant cytotoxic effect of biosynthesized CN-Ag has been shown against Leishmania tropica parasites at low concentrations (1.25, 2.5, and 3.75 µg/mL). These results could be used as a future alternative drug or could be a supportive treatment for Leishmaniasis

Influence of Polyvinylpyrrolidone Concentration on Properties and Anti-Bacterial Activity of Green Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles

Environmentally green synthesis of stable polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP)-capped silver nanoparticles (PVP-AgNPs) was successfully carried out. The present study focused on investigating the influence of adding PVP during the synthesis process on the size, optical properties and antibacterial effect of silver nanoparticles produced. An aqueous extract of Eucalyptus camaldulensis leaves was used as a reducing agent. The effects of different PVP concentrations and reducing time on the synthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) were characterized by UV–Vis spectrophotometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrum (EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and nano tracker analysis (NTA). The addition of PVP was studied. The prepared PVP-AgNPs were spherical with an average size of 13 nm. FTIR analysis confirmed that PVP protects AgNPs by a coordination bond between silver nanoparticles and both N and O of PVP. DLS results indicated the good dispersion of silver nanoparticles. PVP-AgNPs were found to be stable for nearly 5 months. Antibacterial studies through the agar well diffusion method confirmed that silver nanoparticles synthesized using PVP had no inhibitor activity toward Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria as opposed to silver nanoparticles prepared without adding PVP, which showed a significant antibacterial activity towards some of the tested pathogens

The Role of Vocational and Technical Education in Skill Acquisition in Nigeria

The paper discussed the role played by vocational technical education in relation to skill acquisition. It clearly described it as an education that emphasised the acquisition of practical and manipulative skills in addition to the moral training for building a useful citizen. It continued with a step backward to the development of vocational education during the colonial and pre colonial era, during that time the type of skill acquired was not as systematic as that of today but was effective because it save the purpose it was meant for. Our formal system of skill acquisition today is critised for ineffectiveness. And was among the factors that were responsible for the failure of most government programmes aimed at either poverty reduction, job creation, wealth and employment generation etc. Lastly the paper discussed the problems that lead to the ineffectiveness of the skills acquired, that was tied around poor funding, and finally possible solutions to the problems was also discussed. Key words: skill acquisition, vocational technical education

From passion to activism? The politics, communications, and creativity of participatory networks in the MENA region

This paper argues that while platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter are unquestionably allowing some young citizens in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region quicker, easier and greater access to job opportunities and likeminded groups and citizens inside and outside the region, class-based digital divides exist, scepticism of new media remains, online surveillance and harassment are rife, and social media fatigue is common. Existing community structures, creativity and emerging media remain important for youth participatory civic networks in Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Communities, local neighbourhoods, private and public spaces, and commercial media cultures vie for position in young people’s social worlds and civic identities. Young Emiratis, expats, Jordanians, Jordanian Palestinians, Moroccans and Tunisians practice their political values and social relationships in networks that are strongly inflected by social class and gender. Indigeneity, race and sexuality also inflect the cultural histories and practices on which young people in the region draw. Individual charisma, self-exploitation, arts and crafts, old media tools and local friendship or kinship networks are still the basis for much civic solidarity, political trust, critique and creative dissemination in the MENA region. This has profound implications for technologically oriented protest narratives, for discussions of personalisation, and for democracy

Knowledge, Awareness, and Attitudes about Research Ethics among Dental Faculty in the Middle East: A Pilot Study

Objective. To assess the knowledge, awareness, and attitudes of dental faculty regarding research ethics and research ethics committees (RECs). Design. Through convenience sampling, we distributed a survey to academics at dental faculties at two universities in the Middle East. We used descriptive, chi-square, and logistic regression statistics to analyze the data. Results. Our response rate was 62.5%. A large majority (>90%) held positive attitudes towards RECs; however, almost half (44.0%) thought that RECs would delay research. Less than half (36.8%) had received prior training in research ethics, and the average score they achieved on the questions on research ethics was only 40.2%. Most (>90%), however, were favorable towards research ethics education. Finally, some faculty held attitudes regarding certain research ethics practices that were not optimal. Conclusions. We conclude that among the dental faculties participating in our study, there is broad-based acceptance of RECs and training in research ethics, while there are knowledge gaps in research ethics. We recommend further studies to determine the generalizability of our findings to other institutions

Hygric behaviour of a clay-Typha bio-based material for building

This study deals with the impact of the amount and granulates type of Typha Australis on the hygric performance of building material based on clay. Three compositions are tested: Two of them have the same proportion of granulate but differ by their morphology (transversal or longitudinal cut of the plant). The third composition contains less Typha granulates resulting from the transversal cut. Hygric properties are experimentally, such as permeability, sorption isotherms, and moisture buffering value. Results show an influence of the Typha granulate and its volume content on the hygrothermal properties of the material due to the porosity

Causes of short birth interval (kunika) in Bauchi State, Nigeria : systematizing local knowledge with fuzzy cognitive mapping

In Bauchi State (northern Nigeria), “kunika” describes a short interval between successive births, understood as becoming pregnant again before the previous child is weaned. Participants of the study mapped common causes of kunika: frequent sex; not using modern or traditional contraception; and family dynamics. Women indicated forced sex as an important cause, but men focused on lack of awareness about contraception and fear of side effects. Promoting contraception is unlikely to be enough on its own to reduce kunika. The summary maps can help local stakeholders to co-design culturally safe ways of reducing kunika

The impact of universal home visits with pregnant women and their spouses on maternal outcomes: a cluster randomised controlled trial in Bauchi State, Nigeria

In Bauchi State (Nigeria) maternal morbidity is associated with domestic violence, heavy work in pregnancy, ignorance of danger signs, and lack of spousal communication. This cluster randomized controlled trial tested the impact of universal home visits where risk factors were discussed with pregnant women and their spouses, to precipitate household actions that protect pregnant women. Universal home visits which share evidence and provoke discussion between pregnant women and their husbands can reduce maternal morbidity without an increased load on facilities for antenatal and delivery care

Molecular characterization and clinical outcomes of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNENs) harboring PAK4-NAMPT alterations

Background: The mTOR inhibitor, Everolimus (EVE), is FDA-approved for the treatment of advanced PNENs on the basis of delay of progression. The RADIANT-3 trial showed an increase in PFS from 4.6 to 11 months compared to placebo with an ORR of only 5%. Prior studies suggest that targeting the aberrant expression of mTOR regulators p21 activated kinase 4 (PAK4) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide biosynthesis enzyme nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) in PNENs sensitizes these tumors to EVE. To further qualify these observations, we queried a large real-world dataset of PNENs, characterizing the molecular and immune landscapes, as well as the clinical outcomes associated with aberrant PAK4 and NAMPT expression. Methods: 294 cases of PNENs were analyzed using Next Generation Sequencing (NextSeq) and Whole Exome and Whole Transcriptome Sequencing (NovaSeq) at Caris Life Sciences (Phoenix, AZ). For our analyses, we stratified our study cohort into four groups based on the median expression of PAK4 and NAMPT: PAK4-low/NAMPT-low, PAK4-low/ NAMPT-high, PAK4-high/NAMPT-low and PAK4-high/NAMPT-high. Significance was determined using chi-square, Fisher-Exact or Mann-Whitney U, and p-values were adjusted for multiple comparisons (q , 0.05). Results: High prevalence of mutations in PTEN (10.71% vs 1.18%; p \u3c 0.05, q \u3e 0.05), a tumor suppressor of the mTOR pathway and high expression of genes activated in response to mTOR activation such as SLC2A1 (3.07-fold), PFKP (3.32-fold), SCD (2.70-fold), MVK (2.92-fold) and G6PD (2.58-fold) were observed in PAK4-high/NAMPT-high compared to the PAK4-low/NAMPTlow tumors (all q , 0.05). A congruent enrichment of PI3K/AKT/mTOR and glycolysis pathways by single-sample gene set enrichment analysis was observed in these tumors (all q , 0.05). When querying the immune landscape, we observed enrichment in inflammatory response, IL6/JAK/STAT3, IL2/STAT5 signaling pathways and immune checkpoint genes such as PDCD1 (5.14-fold), CD274 (2.84-fold), PDCD1LG2 (2.44-fold), CD80 (3.00-fold), CD86 (2.82-fold), IDO1 (1.92-fold), LAG3 (3.09-fold), HAVCR2 (2.66-fold) and CTLA4 (4.49-fold) in the PAK4-high/NAMPT-high tumors (all q,0.05). Immune cell infiltration estimates revealed an increase in Neutrophils, NK cells and Tregs in the PAK4-high/NAMPT-high tumors (p \u3c 0.05, q \u3e 0.05). Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that PAK4-high/NAMPT-high PNENs are associated with distinct molecular and immune profiles. While the dual blockade of PAK4 and NAMPT has been reported to enhance the efficacy of EVE in PNENs, whether such a blockade would enhance the efficacy of immunotherapeutics warrants further investigation