Mass Communication Education in Nigeria: Current Status, Challenges and Way Forward

Since independence in 1960, there has been a steady growth of mass communication education in Nigeria. However, recent studies have shown that a significant number of graduates in the discipline do not possess the requisite skills for employment. This paper reiterates the issue. It describes the current status of mass communication education in the country, with a focus on the challenges confronting it, and suggests the way forward. The discourse shows that the number of mass communication graduates continues to grow but quality is declining. The challenges identified are the inadequacy of modern journalism facilities, absence of good journalism institutes, the doctorate syndrome, inadequate curricula, few hands-on opportunities for teaching and learning, poor funding, and negative students’ attitude toward research. The authorities and stakeholders must address these issues to enable the country keep up with the best global practices

Gross Calorific Value of Combustible Solid Waste in a Mass Burn Incineration Plant, Benin City, Nigeria

Some solid waste incinerators burn waste that does not possess enough calorific value that justifies the installation of an energy recovery facility, this implies that a substantial amount of energy would be provided by an auxiliary burner. Hence, the presentation of this paper was to evaluate the feasibility of setting up a mass burn incinerator with energy recovery facility using the gross calorific value (GCV) of waste generated in Benin City of Nigeria which is considered as case study. Solid waste samples (wood, leather rubber, plastic, paper, textile material etc.) were collected from Benin metropolis and their GCV were determined in a laboratory using an XRY-1A digital oxygen bomb calorimeter. The average calorific value of the waste samples calculated from the experiment was 20,198.89kJ/kg, this value is higher than the 7,000kJ/kg minimum average calorific value of solid waste required for setting up an incineration plant with energy recovery.Keywords: Incineration, Solid waste, Gross calorific value, Energy recover

Pseudospin Symmetry of the Position-Dependent Mass Dirac Equation for the Hulthén Potential and Yukawa Tensor Interaction

This paper presents approximate analytical solutions of the Dirac equation for the Hulthén potential with position-dependent mass within the framework of pseudospin symmetry limit using the Nikiforov-Uvarov method. The results showed the relativistic energy spectrum and the corresponding un-normalized wave function expressed in terms of the Jacobi polynomials.Received: 30 September 2014; Revised: 29 December 2014: 31 December 201

Emergence and spread of two SARS-CoV-2 variants of interest in Nigeria.

Identifying the dissemination patterns and impacts of a virus of economic or health importance during a pandemic is crucial, as it informs the public on policies for containment in order to reduce the spread of the virus. In this study, we integrated genomic and travel data to investigate the emergence and spread of the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.318 and B.1.525 (Eta) variants of interest in Nigeria and the wider Africa region. By integrating travel data and phylogeographic reconstructions, we find that these two variants that arose during the second wave in Nigeria emerged from within Africa, with the B.1.525 from Nigeria, and then spread to other parts of the world. Data from this study show how regional connectivity of Nigeria drove the spread of these variants of interest to surrounding countries and those connected by air-traffic. Our findings demonstrate the power of genomic analysis when combined with mobility and epidemiological data to identify the drivers of transmission, as bidirectional transmission within and between African nations are grossly underestimated as seen in our import risk index estimates

Tobacco smoking, associated risk behaviours, and experience with quitting: a qualitative study with homeless smokers addicted to drugs and alcohol

Background The prevalence of tobacco smoking among homeless people can reach more than 90%, with related morbidity and mortality being high. However, research in this area is scarce. This study aims to explore smoking and quitting related behaviours, experiences and knowledge in homeless smokers in the context of other substance abuse. Methods Face-to-face interviews were conducted with homeless smokers accessing a harm reduction service in Nottingham, UK. Data on smoking history, nicotine dependence, motivation and confidence to quit were collected using structured instruments; a semi-structured interview guide was used to elicit responses to predefined subject areas, and to encourage the emergence of unprecedented themes. Data were analysed using framework analysis and descriptive statistics. Results Participants were generally highly dependent smokers who did not display good knowledge/awareness of smoking related harms and reported to engage in high risk smoking behaviours. The majority reported notable motivation and confidence to quit in the future, despite or indeed for the benefit of addressing other dependencies. Of the many who had tried to quit in the past, all had done so on their own initiative, and several described a lack of support or active discouragement by practitioners to address smoking. Conclusion High levels of tobacco dependence and engagement in unique smoking related risk behaviours and social interplays appear to add to the vulnerability of homeless smokers. Given reported motivation, confidence, previous attempts and lack of support to quit, opportunities to address smoking in one of the most disadvantaged groups are currently missed

Overcoming the hurdles: Understanding motivation and supporting adult learners with poor literacy and dyslexia in the homelessness sector

Literacy difficulties are often reported by adults with experience of homelessness. Yet, research on their learning experiences and clarity on how best to support this group is lacking. The present study explored the experience of homeless literacy learners (HLLs) and asked what motivated them to engage with literacy support and the teaching‐related factors perceived to be most effective. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 10 HLLs (aged 31–68) engaged in literacy provision at a homelessness charity in the United Kingdom. Thematic analysis of the data revealed five key themes: challenging early experiences; barriers to improving literacy; the perceived impact of poor literacy; current motivation to improve literacy; and approaches that support literacy in adulthood. A significant majority of HLLs reported early traumatic learning experiences and 7 out of 10 (70%) disclosed a diagnosis of dyslexia. Specialist dyslexia support was reported to help HLLs feel understood and positive relationships with teachers helped self‐esteem and self‐efficacy related to their literacy learning. Recommendations are made for specialist teachers to be made more readily available to support HLLs, as well as to advise service providers and professionals engaging with adult learners with experience of homelessness across the sector

Psychopharmacology in children and adolescents:unmet needs and opportunities

Psychopharmacological treatment is an important component of the multimodal intervention approach to treating mental health conditions in children and adolescents. Currently, there are many unmet needs but also opportunities, alongside possible risks to consider, regarding the pharmacological treatment of mental health conditions in children and adolescents. In this Position Paper, we highlight and address these unmet needs and opportunities, including the perspectives of clinicians and researchers from the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology–Child and Adolescent Network, alongside those of experts by lived experience from national and international associations, via a survey involving 644 participants from 13 countries, and of regulators, through representation from the European Medicines Agency. We present and discuss the evidence base for medications currently used for mental disorders in children and adolescents, medications in the pipeline, opportunities in the development of novel medications, crucial priorities for the conduct of future clinical studies, challenges and opportunities in terms of the regulatory and legislative framework, and innovations in the way research is conducted, reported, and promoted.</p