Teacher Effectiveness and Academic Performance of Physics in Secondary Schools in Entebbe Municipality. A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: The study was about teacher effectiveness and students’ academic performance focusing on Physics in Secondary Schools in Entebbe Municipality. The study was guided by the following objectives; to determine how teacher’s mastery of content and ability to teach affect students’ performance in physics in Secondary Schools in Entebbe Municipality, to determine the performance of students in physics in Entebbe municipality, and to find out if there is a significant relationship between teacher’s effectiveness (teacher’s mastery & ability to teach) and performance in physics in Entebbe municipality. Methodology: A survey research design with quantitative and qualitative research approaches was used, and the data was collected using a questionnaire and interview guide from 100 respondents. Results: The results for objective one indicate a moderate grand mean of 3.40 and a standard deviation of 1.064. The results from objective two show that with a low grand mean of 2.610 and a standard deviation of 0.938. Generally, the findings in objective three on the relationship between Teacher effectiveness and Academic performance of physics revealed that with N=100, P value=0.203 and Sig. 0.005. Conclusion: There is no significant positive relationship between a teacher’s effectiveness and the academic performance of students in physics. Recommendation: The school administration should ensure that the more senior teachers can help the junior ones to learn how to best teach physics, and adopt the use of ICT tools and digital game-based learning to make physics learning, there is a need to employ the techniques of differentiating between students to help them become better performers as individuals and there is need to adopt the use of the flipped classroom model, encourage cooperative learning, effective communication among the teachers and with students, build rapport with the parents/caregivers

A Community to Call Mine:Supportive Community Environment and Citizen Actions?

To what extent are supportive Community Environments and Citizen Actions needed to strengthen community attachment? The answers were explored among three distinctive communities across America (Thriving, Struggling, and Suffering) using a mixed methods design; analyses of secondary survey data from the 2010 Soul of The Community Survey were supplemented with qualitative insights from four community development professionals as well content analysis of select community development and affluent neighborhood initiatives. As predicted using Solari’s Affluent Neighborhood Persistence Model, members of thriving communities were more likely to take ownership when there was a supportive social environment. But, citizen action, particularly through political activism, was most useful for community development mainly in suffering communities, partially supporting Powell and DiMaggio’s New Institutionalism. These findings, corroborated with the narrative commentaries, contributed to the literature in the Sociology of communities as well community development and highlighted the need for tailoring tools for communities of different levels of affluence. Future research is warranted to identify and prioritize community initiatives around social fabric and political activism in community development practice

Mapping and Navigation with the Fetch Robot

The goal of this project was to design software for the Fetch mobile manipulator robot to create a map of the second floor of Singer Hall, be able to locate itself on the map generated and navigate to a given position on the map. This was implemented within the Gazebo simulator initially, and then uploaded to the robot. The project can be extended to make the Fetch robot an interactive tour guide for Singer Hall, or to perform low-level tasks around the building like calling the elevator or carrying small objects between rooms. The interactive tour guide functionality is a particularly suitable application because the Fetch robot has audio capabilities and a robotic arm that make it more engaging than most robots like the turtlebot. This project was inspired after taking the Mobile Robotics course at Sarthmore

Designing of an Electric Light Sensor Circuit using Light Dependent Resistor for Auto Lighting Systems at Home. An experimental design

Background : Due to the increasing wastage of electricity resulting from failure to switch off bulbs during day time, this research aimed at designing an electric light sensor circuit using a light-dependent resistor that helps to switch on and off lights at night and during the day respectively. The specific objectives was to generate an electric light sensor circuit using a light-dependent resistor and to determine the performance of an electric light sensor circuit in terms of resistance due to light exposure.  Methodology: The research design was experimental; an electric light sensor circuit was designed and tested for its effectiveness. It was designed using resistors, a BC547 transistor, an LDR (Light dependent resistor), an led (bulb), and two resistors. Testing for the effectiveness of the electric light sensor was carried out based on Increasing the voltage on the DC power supply (from 2volts to 9volts) while reading the respective values of the resistance of the electric light sensor circuit using the multimeter and at the same time covering an LDR to create darkness on it.  Results: A detailed analysis concerning the performance of the Electric light sensor system has been performed and presented. The device performed well using a light-dependent resistor as the light sensor. It was proven that the increase in the intensity of light falling on the light-dependent resistor as a light sensor makes the bulb (led) go off. This meant that during the day when the intensity of light was very high, the bulb (led) was off. Conclusion:  A detailed analysis concerning the performance of the Electric light sensor system has been performed and presented. The device performed well using a light-dependent resistor as the light sensor.  Recommendation: The system should next time be operated using the photocell instead of the LDR to improve its effectiveness

Design and Implementation of a Bluetooth-Based Rover Prototype for Short Range Extraterrestrial Explorations. An Exploratory Study

Background: Extraterrestrial exploration is an integral part of scientific research, some unnavigable or hard-to-reach places such as active volcanoes, bottoms of water bodies, radioactive sites and experimental chambers, mountain caves, or even other planets may contain very valuable data about our universe or some scientific phenomena. This project attempted to solve some of these accessibility problems by designing and implementing a rover that could be used to explore such environments without putting human life at stake.  Methodology: The project adopts a very cost-effective approach, firstly, Arduino boards and Atmega microcontrollers are used for the design of control systems, and Bluetooth is used for remote communication. Performance results showed that the Bluetooth technology is suitable for use in a clean environment with fewer obstacles, the HC-05 Bluetooth was able to receive and transmit data up to 8 meters in a clear environment and up to 2.5 meters through walls. Results: Furthermore, the rover was 86.7% accurate in detecting obstacles along its way using ultrasonic sound sensors. The testing results are in the range of agreement with those of similar projects such as the obstacle avoidance robotic car by Bilkis, Faiza, Susmita & Muhammad (2017).  Conclusion: The results of the study showed that building exploration robots or rovers can be built using cost-effective contemporary technology that is accessible to most developers, implementation of an obstacle is possible with Ultrasonic sensors and short to midrange communication and control is possible via Bluetooth. Recommendation:  However, future researchers may investigate the use of renewable energy in powering the rovers and improving the transmission quality of Bluetooth

Treatment of malaria restricted to laboratory-confirmed cases: a prospective cohort study in Ugandan children.

BACKGROUND: Presumptive treatment of malaria in febrile children is widely advocated in Africa. This may occur in the absence of diagnostic testing or even when diagnostic testing is performed but fails to detect malaria parasites. Such over-treatment of malaria has been tolerated in the era of inexpensive and safe monotherapy. However, with the introduction of new artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT), presumptive treatment becomes economically and clinically less acceptable. METHODS: The risks and benefits of only treating children with microscopy confirmed malaria using a prospective cohort design were investigated. A representative sample of 601 children between one and 10 years of age were recruited from a census population in Kampala, Uganda and were followed for all of their health care needs in a study clinic. Standard microscopy was performed each time a child presented with a new episode of fever and antimalarial therapy given only if the blood smear was positive. RESULTS: Of 5,895 visits for new medical problems 40% were for febrile illnesses. Of the 2,359 episodes of new febrile illnesses, blood smears were initially reported as negative in 1,608 (68%) and no antimalarial therapy was given. Six of these initially negative smears were reported to be positive following quality control reading of all blood smears: four of these patients were subsequently diagnosed with uncomplicated malaria and two cleared their parasites without antimalarial treatment. Of the 1,602 new febrile illnesses in which the final blood smear reading was classified as negative, only 13 episodes (0.8%) were diagnosed with malaria in the subsequent 7 days. All 13 of these episodes of malaria were uncomplicated and were successfully treated. CONCLUSION: In this urban setting, malaria was responsible for only 32% of febrile episodes. Withholding antimalarial therapy in febrile children with negative blood smears was safe and saved over 1,600 antimalarial treatments in 601 children over an 18-month period. In the era of expensive ACT, directing resources towards improving diagnostic and treatment practices may provide a cost-effective measure for promoting rational use of antimalarial therapy

Navigating Professional Paradigms: Transactional Sex, Behavior Change, and Structural Responses in Uganda

Professional paradigms within social work and related social service fields have been critiqued for being behaviorally focused, thereby obscuring and perhaps excusing structural determinants of health and well-being. Recent initiatives in international social work have aimed to align theory, practice, education, and research with sustainable development, reflecting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, which aim to address structural determinants. Our qualitative research examined responses to transactional sex among Ugandan youth through in-depth interviews with 23 professionals working in social services with youth who were vulnerable to HIV. Through thematic content analysis, using deductive and inductive analysis, we examined the demographics and determinants of youth transactional sex, prominent models of response delivered by and observed by providers, and the critiques or observed limitations of current practice models. We found that behavioral strategies are pervasive, which is an apparent misalignment with the economic determinants identified by social service professionals. While interviewees described some structural economic interventions, they critiqued gaps and limitations in responses influenced by internal and external pressures shaping professional practice. Our study adds critical analyses regarding social work and social service paradigms to advance structural, social justice-informed responses that align with and advance sustainable development

Effects of intravenous diclofenac on postoperative sore throat in patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery at Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi: a prospective, randomized, double blind controlled trial

Background: Postoperative sore throat is the commonest complication after endotracheal intubation. The efficacy of intravenous non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in alleviating postoperative sore throat has not been investigated. Objective: To evaluate the effect of intravenous diclofenac sodium on the occurrence and severity of postoperative sore throat. Methods: 42 in-patients scheduled for laparoscopic surgery were randomized into two equal groups to receive either a single dose of 75mg intravenous diclofenac sodium in addition to standard treatment taken at our hospital for the prevention of postoperative sore throat or to receive standard treatment only. All patients were interviewed postoperatively at 2, 6 and 18 hours. Data of the baseline characteristics, the incidence and severity of sore throat were collected. If sore throat was present, a Visual Analogue Score was used to assess its severity. Results: The baseline characteristics of the participants were similar. The majority of the patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery were women. There was no statistically significant difference in the occurrence or severity of postoperative sore throat between the diclofenac and standard treatment groups at 2, 6 and 18 hours postoperatively. Conclusion: Intravenous diclofenac sodium does not reduce the occurrence or severity of postoperative sore throat

PICO Rwanda: Analytical Report on the Accelerator Workshops

A key innovation of the workshops was the use of Rwandans as co-presenters. This cultural exchange was crucial to the success of the training. Post-workshop evaluations with the communities will inform the analysis

Recommendations for PICO\u27s Sustainable Impact

This will suggest next steps for PICO-Rwanda to sustain its impact on communities over time, including the development of a PICO-Rwanda line of coffee