Spelunking With Socrates: A Study of Socratic Pedagogy in Plato\u27s Republic

The author investigates the two most explicit educational methods and lessons found within Plato’s Republic. One, the allegory of the cave, represents Plato’s genuine thoughts; the other, the remarks on the education of the guardian class, ought to be read ironically. Early on, the paper includes an introduction to irony (conventional and mimetic) and how it relates to the dramatic context of Plato’s intertextuality. Following that, the author provides an analysis of Glaucon’s luxury suggestion, Socrates’ asceticism, and the dog analogy—how they all contribute to the education of the guardians. Later, it is argued that the preface to the allegory of the cave, the hesitant response of Glaucon, and parallels in the progressive nature of paideia—for the student and the teacher—all support a reading of the allegory of the cave as a genuine, straightforward lesson on education. Each method, the ironic and the genuine approach, can be effective educational strategies

PROYECTO DE INVERSIÓN PARA LA COMERCIALIZACIÓN DE ABRILLANTADOR NEW SHINE EN EL MUNICIPIO DE METEPEC, ESTADO DE MÉXICO, 2017

Para lograr posicionamiento y reconocimiento se considera como producto de lanzamiento el abrillantador New Shine (protector, reacondicionador para vinil y piel) en sus dos presentaciones 569ml y 664ml, este cuenta con una ventaja competitiva a comparación de los que ofrece la competencia; estos productos están elaborados con sustancias que no dañan la capa de ozono, con diferentes aromas (New car, Ck one, eternity, manzana, uva, chicle, coco y carolina) y su presentación es en aerosol, lo cual hace más fácil su aplicación. El esquema de trabajo que se llevará a cabo en el Proyecto de inversión está constituido por cinco capítulos. En el Primer Capítulo se hará referencia al Marco Teórico relacionado con los proyectos de inversión, para identificar a grandes rasgos sus elementos. Dentro de él, se explica la metodología que siguen los proyectos de inversión para conocer si es rentable, factible y financieramente viable. En el Segundo Capítulo se aborda el Estudio de Mercado, comenzando con la identificación del producto o servicio, la identificación de la segmentación de mercado, 3 así como los criterios empleados para determinar el tamaño de la muestra, la elaboración y aplicación de los cuestionarios que forman parte de la investigación de mercado. En este capítulo se determinan las condiciones reales de mercado a las que nos vamos a enfrentar, se considera el análisis de la oferta, demanda y de manera complementaria planes de promoción, precio y plaza para lograr una penetración eficiente en el mercado meta. En el Tercer Capítulo se elabora el Estudio Técnico, en este se determina si el proyecto de inversión es técnicamente factible, a través de la determinación de la cantidad necesaria de materia prima, maquinaria, equipo de transporte, mano de obra a emplear y la distribución de la empresa respecto a los procesos productivos. Se determina la localización óptima mediante el análisis macro y micro. Por último, se analiza el tamaño del proyecto, considerado el monto total de inversión que se requiere para los aspectos ya mencionados. El Capítulo Cuatro abarca el Estudio Legal, en este se definirán los trámites y requisitos que implicará que la comercializadora se encuentre operando de manera legal considerando las características y necesidades del proyecto, se elabora la organización jurídica con la cual se operará. En este capítulo se incluye el aspecto administrativo, en el que se describe el organigrama de la empresa, el análisis de sueldos y salarios, así como los costos que implican cada uno de los trámites legales para que la comercializadora funcione de manera correcta. Por último, el Capítulo Cinco hace referencia al Estudio Financiero, en el que se lleva a cabo el análisis financiero y económico que presenta la empresa, considerándose aspectos contables como son el monto de inversión inicial, costos, proyección de ventas, la elaboración de Estados Financieros proforma. Cada uno de estos aspectos son la base para el cálculo del Valor Presente Neto (VPN), Periodo de Recuperación del Capital (PRC), la Tasa Interna de Rendimiento (TIR) y la Relación Beneficio-costo que son métodos para llevar a cabo la evaluación económica. Se dará una breve explicación sobre los benéficos que se tendrán en el municipio de Metepec con la implementación de la comercializadora

Cocoa agroforestry a bridge for sustainable organic cocoa production

In Ghana cocoa constitute about 85 percent of the foreign export earnings from agriculture and also the main source of the wealth to over 800,000 people of the forest regions. Cocoa naturally requires shade which offers farmers agronomic, economic, cultural and ecological benefits. The promotion and adoption of hybrid cocoa varieties is causing a drift from shaded cocoa to the no shade. The study evaluated the impact shade levels had on the yield of cocoa under the different cocoa agroforestry systems in Ghana. Research data were collected from 200 cocoa farmers in the Sefwi Wiawso district by means of multistage sampling technique through household structured interviews and focus group discussions. Both descriptive statistics and yield curve model were used to analyse the data. Results showed that average yield per hectare of the no shade, low shade, medium shade and heavy shade were 794kg/Ha, 696kg/Ha, 735kg/Ha and 546kg/Ha respectively. The yield curve under the no shade system shows a sharp rise in the yield and followed by a very sharp fall in the yield after age 16. The medium shade has a gradual yield till it peaks at age 19 followed by a gradual fall in yield to age 80. Outreach focusing on medium shade cocoa agroforestry system may be the most effective way of building organic bridges in cocoa production

THE EFFECTS OF TEACHER CONSTRUCTED FURNACE ON STUDENTS’ PERFORMANCE IN HEAT TREATMENT IN TECHNICAL COLLEGES IN RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA

The purpose of this research was to determine the effect of an improvised furnace on students’ performance in heat treatment in technical colleges in Rivers State. The study adopted research and development incorporating quasi-experimental design. It involved the use of control group, pre-test – post test design. The population of 194 students from four technical colleges in Rivers State was used for the study. The instrument for data collection was made up of Heat Treatment Achievement Test (HTAT) developed by the researchers. The achievement test consists of 50-multiple choice items with four options of A-D. The test items were identified and selected from the content of (NABTEB) syllabus on metal work technology. Test re-test method was used to establish the reliability of the instrument; the tests yielded 0.70, 073 and 0.72, 0.74 for the first and second tests respectively. Four experts in metal work technology were involved in both face and content validity of the instrument. The results obtained from the test scores were compiled and analyzed using statistical tools such as; percentage, mean, and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) in answering the research question and testing the hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. Improvised furnace had positive effects on students’ performance in heat treatment with a mean gain of 4.61. The difference in performance between those taught using improvised furnace and those taught using conventional teaching aids was found to be significant at 0.05 levels of significance. Based on the findings of the study, the researcher recommended that government, technical college principals and the different agencies should provide fund to procure the materials and component for designing and constructing furnace by the teacher for teaching heat treatment in technical colleges in Rivers State. Also, constant power supply, generators, accumulators, anvil, steel vessel, pipes and electric blower should be provided and distributed by the ministry of education to the technical colleges for construction of furnace for effective teaching of in Rivers State. The industries, government, nongovernmental agencies and private enterprises and communities should provide components, consumable materials necessary for teaching heat treatment and supply the materials directly to the individual technical colleges in Rivers State

THE EFFECTS OF TEACHER CONSTRUCTED FURNACE ON STUDENTS’ PERFORMANCE IN HEAT TREATMENT IN TECHNICAL COLLEGES IN RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA

The purpose of this research was to determine the effect of an improvised furnace on students’ performance in heat treatment in technical colleges in Rivers State. The study adopted research and development incorporating quasi-experimental design. It involved the use of control group, pre-test – post test design. The population of 194 students from four technical colleges in Rivers State was used for the study. The instrument for data collection was made up of Heat Treatment Achievement Test (HTAT) developed by the researchers. The achievement test consists of 50-multiple choice items with four options of A-D. The test items were identified and selected from the content of (NABTEB) syllabus on metal work technology. Test re-test method was used to establish the reliability of the instrument; the tests yielded 0.70, 073 and 0.72, 0.74 for the first and second tests respectively. Four experts in metal work technology were involved in both face and content validity of the instrument. The results obtained from the test scores were compiled and analyzed using statistical tools such as; percentage, mean, and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) in answering the research question and testing the hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. Improvised furnace had positive effects on students’ performance in heat treatment with a mean gain of 4.61. The difference in performance between those taught using improvised furnace and those taught using conventional teaching aids was found to be significant at 0.05 levels of significance. Based on the findings of the study, the researcher recommended that government, technical college principals and the different agencies should provide fund to procure the materials and component for designing and constructing furnace by the teacher for teaching heat treatment in technical colleges in Rivers State. Also, constant power supply, generators, accumulators, anvil, steel vessel, pipes and electric blower should be provided and distributed by the ministry of education to the technical colleges for construction of furnace for effective teaching of in Rivers State. The industries, government, nongovernmental agencies and private enterprises and communities should provide components, consumable materials necessary for teaching heat treatment and supply the materials directly to the individual technical colleges in Rivers State

Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average with Exogenous Variable (ARIMAX) Model for Nigerian Non Oil Export

This study specifically fitted an appropriate ARIMAX model for the Nigerian non-oil export using exchange rate (in dollars) as the exogenous variable by adopting the Box-Jenkins iterative three-stage modelling approach – identification, estimation and diagnostic checking. The time plot of the two series at level showed that the mean and variance are not constant but variant with time. The Augumented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) tests confirmed both series are non stationarity hence the two series were differenced once. Results of the unit roots tests in the first difference rejected the null hypotheses at 5% level of significance of non stationarity after first difference. The Autocorrelation function (ACF) and Partial autocorrelation function (PACF) combined patterns suggested AR(2) and MA(6) respectively. By comparing their various Akaike information criteria (AIC), the parsimonious model was estimated as ARIMAX (2,1,5). The goodness of fit test confirmed the adequacy of the estimated model. All the roots of the estimated ARIMAX process lie inside the unit circle. The plots of the residuals are mostly uncorrelated, the actual and the fitted agreed very closely. In addition, Q-statistics and LM test both indicate serial non-correlation. Result from the estimated model implies that exchange rate has no impact on Nigerian non-oil as exchange rate failed to be significant. Keywords: Non-oil export, ARIMAX model, exogenous variable

Preliminary study on evaluation of sweet potato genotypes for resistance to Sweet Potato Virus Disease (SPVD)

Host plant resistance in sweet potato, under a long-term management approach, is one of the most effective, economical, and environmentally benign management approaches for sweet potato virus diseases (SPVD). In the current study, different sweet potato genotypes were evaluated for resistance to the SPDV and also with higher yield potential under field conditions. The experiment was conducted from July – November 2018 at the University for Development Studies (UDS) experimental field. Thirty-two sweet potato genotypes, including five, already released varieties (also served as checks) were used. The genotypes (treatments) were arranged in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three plications. The results showed that three of the checks (Apomuden, Bohye, Tu-Purple) and PG17207-N1, PG17257-N1, PG17305-and N had significantly higher virus susceptibility levels as compared to the remaining genotypes. Thirteen (13) genotypes showed no visible symptom of the virus, fifteen (15) genotypes were moderately resistant to the disease whiles the remaining four (4) were slightly susceptible to the disease. The results further revealed that PG17584-N1, PG17257-N1 and PG17149-N2 produced the highest root yield while the least was observed for PG17205-N. PG17584-N1, PG17257-N1. Furthermore, PG17149-N2 combines higher root yield with resistance to the SPVD. They can therefore be used as resistant sources for further breeding interventions

Honokiol suppresses metastasis of renal cell carcinoma by targeting KISS1/KISS1R signaling

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a common urological cancer worldwide and is known to have a high risk of metastasis, which is considered responsible for more than 90% of cancer associated deaths. Honokiol is a small-molecule biphenol isolated from Magnolia spp. bark and has been shown to be a potential anticancer agent involved in multiple facets of signal transduction. In this study, we demonstrated that honokiol inhibited the invasion and colony formation of highly metastatic RCC cell line 786-0 in a dose-dependent manner. DNA-microarray data showed the significant upregulation of metastasis-suppressor gene KISS1 and its receptor, KISS1R. The upregulation was confirmed by qRT-PCR analysis. Overexpression of KISS1 and KISS1R was detected by western blotting at the translation level as well. Of note, the decreased invasive and colonized capacities were reversed by KISS1 knockdown. Taken together, the results first indicate that activation of KISS1/KISS1R signaling by honokiol suppresses multistep process of metastasis, including invasion and colony formation, in RCC cells 786-0. Honokiol may be considered as a natural agent against RCC metastasis

Strategies for effective communication towards information services delivery for sustainable development in post Covid-19 pandemic era

Communication is an integral component of human existence. This discourse focused on the strategies for effective communication in information services delivery for sustainable development in post Covid-19 pandemic era. The highlight of the paper are state of communication among people dwelling in rural areas, rationalization for effective communication system for sustainable rural development, defining the scopes of communication in development which include development communication, health communication, agricultural communication, traditional communication and business communication. The use of mass media in communication and information service delivery for rural development, challenges to effective communication of information for rural development in post Covid-19 era and strategies for effective communication in information services delivery to rural dwellers were well articulated in the paper

Assessment of China – Nigeria Trade Relations (1990-2018)

The study assessed China- Nigeria trade relations covering a period of 29 years from 1990 to 2018. The study adopted the ex-post facto research design and obtained data for export and import transactions from the Central Bank of Nigeria statistical bulletin. The study used T-test, charts, and tables to address the engagement of China-Nigeria trade relations. The study used Microsoft excel software package and statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 20 to analysis the data. The study found that Nigeria has not gained from trade relations with China from 1990 to 2018 and it is only China that benefited from trade relations with Nigeria from 1990 to 2018. The study recommended that the Nigerian Government should re-strategise its industrial sector to enable the country to manufacture industrial goods and manufactured consumable goods as well as medical equipment to export to China. They should try to discover what type of industrial goods that China does not well produce and should re-strategise to produce it with low labour and low capital. The Chinese Government should continue to import goods to Nigeria since they are the ones benefiting from trade relations in Nigeria from 1990 to 2018. They should also encourage the Nigerian government to produce and manufacture industrial goods so that they can face a little competitive with Nigeria in the future for improvement of their products