Role of Teachers’ Quantity on the Academic Achievement of Secondary School Students

Sequel to a national personnel audit that was recently conducted on public and private education in Nigeria, there has been a growing debate on the immediate need to increase the academic staff strength in all secondary schools in the country. This debate has however taken a controversial trend as a large part of the educational chiefs in the country have stood on an opinion to ordinarily improving the working condition of the existing academic staff since, to them, teachers’ quantity has no direct impact on students’ academic achievement. This paper therefore investigated the role of teachers’ quantity on the academic achievement of secondary school students to determine whether small or excess teachers’ quantity have a direct significant influence on how students perform academically. Using a descriptive survey design, the study sampled 120 teachers from a population of 1,205 in Chikun local government area of Kaduna state, Nigeria. A researcher-designed questionnaire of Likert scale was used for the data collection and descriptive statistical tools of frequency counts, percentages, mean and standard deviation were used for the data analysis. It was therefore concluded that most schools in the local government are underserved with teachers and that – that had created some sorts of low academic achievement among the secondary school students. Schools do not give a fair share of their revenue to improve staff strength in their schools. Also, schools that are characterized by a low number of teachers are faced by pressure, high workload, and overstress which invariably influence the poor academic achievement of students. Keywords: role, teachers’ quantity, academic achievement, secondary school, students DOI: 10.7176/DCS/13-1-06 Publication date: January 31st 202

Application of Electromagnetic and Electrical Resistivity Methods for Borehole Siting in Low-Grade Metavolcanic and Metasedimentary Rocks, Sunyani West, Ghana

This paper employs the electromagnetic (EM) and the electrical resistivity methods for siting boreholes for communities in the Sunyani-West district of Ghana, a terrane comprising a mixture of granites and low-grade metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks. These communities which depend on groundwater for livelihood have over the past few decades been hit by drastic seasonal irregularities in rainfall, making it imperative to seek an alternative source of potable water (preferably groundwater). Measurements to locate sites for boreholes were made by employing the Geonics EM-34 conductivity meter. In addition, co-located measurements were made with the ABEM SAS 1000C Terrameter in the Schlumberger electrode array configuration. Results of the measurements showed that each community could have at least two borehole sites with a high potential for groundwater extraction. The overburden of selected sites varied for the communities and ranged from 40 to 67 m. However, recommended drilling depths at these sites were 60 m for Adwinsa community, 70 m for Akurakan community and 60 m for Nana Ameyaw community. Test boreholes sunk at respective depths of 45 m, 55 m and 68 m in Adwinsa, Nana Ameyaw and Akurakan had yields of 12 m3/h (200 l/min), 24 m3/h (400 l/min) and 1.14 m3/h (19 l/min) respectively. In all three communities the aquifer was intercepted in phyllite bedrocks. Keywords: aquifer, groundwater potential, borehole, electrical resistivity, vertical electrical sounding, conductivity DOI: 10.7176/JEES/10-10-05 Publication date:October 31st 202

ERGO-ANALYSIS OF SCHOOL FURNITURE IN USE BY SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN SOUTH WESTERN NIGERIA

The anthropometric data of the students in secondary schools was obtained and possible mismatch between the relevant dimensions of students and the classroom furniture they use were examined.A total of 480 students in Junior Secondary 1 through Senior Secondary 3 in sixteen (Eight Public and Eight Private) Secondary Schools participated in the study with ages ranging from 10 years to 18 years. Fourteen anthropometric measurements and the dimensions of four types of chairs and four types of desks prevalent in the students' classrooms were measured. The means, standard deviations, fifth, fiftieth and ninety fifth percentiles were calculated. The anthropometric dimensions of the students in the public schools were statistically compared with those in the private schools with use of SPSS 16.0 Statistical Package. Moreover, the student body dimensions and furniture dimensions were compared. The results show that that all the measured dimensions of the students in the public schools (Popliteal Height: 39.5 cm, Sitting Height: 77.3 cm, Knee Height: 53.0 cm, Elbow Height Sitting: 16.0 cm, Buttock-Popliteal Length: 43.8 cm; using the 50th percentiles) and private schools (Popliteal Height: 40.2 cm, Sitting Height: 80.3 cm, Knee Height: 53.3 cm, Elbow Height Sitting: 16.5 cm, Buttock-Popliteal Length: 44.0 cm; using the 50th percentiles) were not significantly different (p = 0.00) except Buttock-Popliteal Length (p = 0.08) and Hip Breadth (p = 0.12). Moreover, a degree of mismatch between the students' bodily dimensions and the classroom furniture available to them was established. It was concluded that the anthropometric data of the .Nigerian Students were not employed in the manufacture of the school furniture and may be an indication that school furniture and students anthropometric dimensions are at variant nationwide

Socio-demographic and maternal risk factors of malaria among pregnant women attending ante-natal care in Zamfara State, Nigeria

Malaria is a major global health concern. It is one of the world’s most prevalent serious infectious diseases, with approximately 250 million cases and one million deaths per year. The aim of this study is to determine the socio-demographic and maternal risk factors associated with malaria among pregnant women attending ante-natal care in Zamfara State, Nigeria. An unmatched case control study was conducted among pregnant women attending ante-natal care in Zamfara State, Nigeria. A total of 581 pregnant women both cases and controls were obtained using multistage random sampling. Cases and controls were defined as pregnant women attending ante-natal care from the selected general hospitals in Zamfara State, confirmed with and without malaria respectively, using Giemsa staining method based on their medical records. Face to face interview and self-administered pretested questionnaire in English and Hausa languages were used to obtain information on socio-demographic characteristics and maternal history of the respondents from May to August 2014. Data was analysed using SPSS version 21, using simple descriptive and multivariate logistic regression were employed to determine the predictors of malaria. The overall response rate was 89.8%. Pregnant women ≤ 25 years of age (AOR = 1.695, 95% CI = 1.031, 2.789, p = 0.038), informal education (AOR = 9.390, 95% CI = 5.516, 15.985, p < 0.001), unemployed (AOR = 25.948, 95% CI = 14.831, 45.398, p < 0.001) and first trimester (AOR = 1.856, 95% CI = 1.126, 3.060, p 0.015) were the risk factors. This study has identified the risk factors of malaria in Zamfara State, Nigeria. The findings in this study can be used by policy makers in planning how to tackle the factors associated with malaria among pregnant women in Zamfara State

COMBUSTION CHARACTERISTICS OF BIO-DEGRADABLE BIOMASS BRIQUETTES

This paper reports on the combustion characteristics of biodegradable biomass briquettes prepared from charcoal, sawdust and sugarcane bagasse. The three materials were mixed in respective ratio of 20:20:60, 20:30:50, 20:40:40, 20:50:30 and 20:60:20. The briquettes were produced using Budenberg dial gauge hydraulic compression machine with the formation of briquettes under 64 MPa pressure with 120 seconds dwell time. Combustion characteristics such as proximate analysis, fuel-burning rate, fuel ignition time and afterglow time of the produced briquettes were determined. Results show that briquette with sample composition of 20:50:30 has better calorific value of 24613.69 kJ/kg and sample with ratio 20:30:50 has lowest calorific value of 22500.3 kJ/kg, while sampling with ratio 20:30:50 has better physical properties with shatter resistance of 99.61% and porosity index value of 47.40%

[68 Ga]Ga-FAPi PET/CT vs [18F]F-FDG PET/CT in various cancers: Initial experience

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XJSXXwXb9eK56-UgDlrw69lIXleOi6IC/view?usp=sharinghttps://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1KrqkKx5LQG9uPrY6_gsr7jjg7XEVv_To?usp=sharinghttps://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1fpqwRHsic5hXdQnMQKRDXvm-_DzlLUfS?usp=sharin

A response to: Letter to the editor regarding "Fluticasone furoate/umeclidinium/vilanterol (FF/UMEC/VI) triple therapy compared with other therapies for the treatment of COPD: A network meta-analysis".

This is the final version. Available from Springer via the DOI in this record. Data Availability: The datasets analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request

Biaxial 3D-Printed Inclinometer Based on Fiber Bragg Grating Technology

A Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG)-based inclinometer has been developed for field use, designed to incorporate biaxial 3-dimensional (3D) printed tilt sensors (in which four FBGs were used). The inclinometer was characterized by examining its response to a wide range of tilts, over the range from 0° to 90°, towards the inclination axes. An excellent linear correlation between the wavelength shifts and the inclination angle (up to the 90° used) was obtained, showing an average sensitivity of 0.01 nm per degree of inclination angle, for each of the FBGs used. In addition to the four FBGs that form the basis of the inclination measurement, a further FBG was included in the design to allow compensation for any temperature changes experienced during the measurements. The device was calibrated over the range from -25°C to 80°C (corresponding to the extremes of cold and hot weather conditions likely to be experienced in-the-field), and a sensitivity to temperature change of 0.011nm/°C was achieved, allowing an effective temperature correction to be applied. The data obtained from a full characterization of the performance of the sensor system, carried out in a stable, controlled environment, indicate that this inclinometer yields good sensitivity, making it highly applicable for use in monitoring rapid ground movements and deformations with its compact design allowing its wide use

Comparative adherence and persistence of single- and multiple-inhaler triple therapies among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in an English real-world primary care setting.

This is the final version. Available from Dove Press via the DOI in this record. Data Sharing Statement: The data analyzed in this publication are derived from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (www.cprd.com) and Hospital Episode Statistics database (https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/data-tools-and-services/data-services/hospital-episodestatistics). Authors had access to the study data for the purposes of this work only. Data were accessed through an existing GSK license to address the prespecified research questions only. Therefore, the data cannot be broadly disclosed or made publicly available at this time. Access to each database can be requested via the respective websites.PURPOSE: Triple therapy comprising a long-acting muscarinic antagonist, long-acting β2-agonist and inhaled corticosteroid is recommended for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who continue to experience frequent exacerbations or symptoms whilst receiving dual therapy. Adherence and persistence to multiple-inhaler triple therapy (MITT) is known to be poor. This study assessed comparative adherence to single-inhaler triple therapy (SITT) versus MITT in a real-world setting in England. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study using linked primary care (Clinical Practice Research Datalink Aurum) and secondary care (Hospital Episode Statistics [HES] Admitted Patient Care) data to identify patients with COPD who were newly initiated on SITT or MITT between November 2017 and June 2019. Eligible patients were aged ≥35 years and had a forced expiratory volume in 1 second/forced vital capacity 30 days between the end of a prescription and the following refill used to determine non-persistence. RESULTS: Overall, 4080 SITT and 6579 MITT users comprised the study cohort. After weighting, the baseline characteristics between the cohorts were comparable (absolute standardized mean difference <10%). SITT users had significantly higher adherence than MITT users at 6, 12, and 18 months post-initiation (p<0.001 for all comparisons). Median persistence was higher among SITT users than MITT users (5.09 months vs 0.99 months). CONCLUSION: Patients with COPD in England initiating SITT had significantly better adherence and persistence compared with MITT initiators. These improvements continued at least 18 months following treatment initiation.GlaxoSmithKlei