Gender Disparity in Mathematical Performance Revisited: Can Training in Problem Solving Bring Difference Between Boys and Girls?

This study examined the problem solving performance of male and female students’ mathematical problem-solving performances using Conceptual Learning Strategy (CLS) and Procedural Learning Strategy PLS). A sample of 124 science students assigned into CLS, PLS and Conventional Method (CM) groups were involved in the study making use of pretest, post test control group design. The sample was drawn from three intact Senior Secondary School Two (SSII) classes from three local government Areas of Osun State in Nigeria and were taught for a period of eight weeks. Findings of the study showed a non significant difference in the performance of boys and girls in the two learning strategies. But a significant difference was recorded in the performance of boys when comparing the two groups also in the performance of girls in the two groups. The study therefore concluded that when training of problem solving is carried out in mathematics using Conceptual and Procedural Learning Strategies boys and girls will perform equally well without significant difference

Gut microflora of cultured and captured Clarias gariepinus

The diversity and microbial load of the micro flora inhabiting the gut sections of captured and the cultured Clarias gariepinus were investigated. The gut contents of the fish were isolated and characterized using standard method. The results of the characterization revealed the presence of bacteria and fungi in the guts of the fish. The bacteria isolated from the captured fish were Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgaris, Klebsiella mobilis, Enterobacter spp, Shigella spp, and Micrococcus varians while Citrobacter spp, Proteus vulgaris, Enterobacter spp, Escherichia coli, Serratia marcescens and Shigella spp were isolated from the cultured fish.. The fungi isolates found in the gut of the captured fish included, Penicillium chrysogenum, Fusarium spp and Rhizopus stolonifer while Aspergillus flavus, Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigates were isolated in the cultured fish. The bacteria count obtained from the fore gut, mid gut and hind gut of the captured fish were; 1.4 x 1O-~B cfu/g, 1.7 x 1O-~B cfu/g and 2.7 x 1O-~B cfu/g while that of cultured fish had 2.8 x 10-~B cfu/g, 2.05 x 10-~Bcfu/g and 2.65 x 10-~Bcfu/g respectively. The spore count of the fungi isolated from the fore gut, mid gut and hind gut of captured fish ranged between 4.0 x 10-~B spore/g and 9.0 x 1O-~B spore/g while the count obtained from the cultured fish ranged between 3.0 x 10-~B and 9.05 x 1O-~B spore/g. The hind gut had the highest number of species and microbial load in both captured and cultured fish than the other region. Though, there was significant difference (P0.05). The results therefore suggest that there is diversity in microbial composition and microbial load in different sections of the gut of cultured and captured fish which may reflect of the environment where they were raised

Looking at gender disparity in science and mathematics from other angles: Are there differences in logical reasoning and linguistic abilities?

This study was carried out to further search for the true position of boys and girls in terms of participation and performance in science in classroom settings that are different from the conventional or traditional arrangement. The paper examined the differences in the logical reasoning, linguistic, reading as well as word-problem solving abilities of male and female science students which are considered important to effective learning of science. Forty science students consisting of 20 each of male and female groups were involved in the study. Each group was taught by four science teachers of the same sex for a period of six weeks. The teachers had uniform qualifications. In addition to the subject matter taught processes of science were emphasized throughout the lessons. The study showed that girls have higher achievement scores than boys in logical reasoning, linguistic, reading and word-problem solving abilities. The differences in the scores were also found to be significant at 0.05 confidence level. It was therefore concluded that the issue of gender influence on students‘ performance in science is not straight jacketed. Boys perform better than girls only in conventional classroom arrangements and in the overall science tasks but not in some tasks that are also very crucial to the learning of science.Keywords: gender differences in science achievement, logical reasoning, linguistic ability, reading ability word-problem solving abilit

Population dynamics of indoor sampled mosquitoes and their implication in disease transmission in Abeokuta, south-western Nigeria

Background & objectives: A longitudinal study was carried out to investigate the speciescomposition, seasonal abundance, parity and feeding preference of indoor sampled mosquitoes inAbeokuta, south-western Nigeria.Methods: The mosquitoes were sampled weekly from five stratified locations using Center forDisease Control (CDC) light-traps between August 2005 and July 2006. The mosquitoes wereexamined for abdominal condition and dissected for age composition. Microscopic and precipitintechniques were also employed for the determination of host blood source.Results: A total of 2969 mosquitoes which belong to 10 species of mosquitoes were collectedduring the study period. Mansonia africana (35.65%) constituted the most abundant species followedby Culex quinquefasciatus (32.23%) and Anopheles gambiae complex (13.52%). Other species indecreasing order of abundance were Coquilletidia maculipennis (8.2%), Aedes albopictus (5.9%),Ae. aegypti (1.93%), M. uniformis (1.81%), Cx. duttoni (0.25%), Cx. tigripes (0.25%) and An.funestus (0.25%). Seasonal abundance revealed a significant difference (p <0.05) in the populationof mosquito vectors collected during the wet season as compared to the dry season and theirabundance was positively correlated with rainfall. The results showed that the majority of thevector species collected were unfed and nulliparous. Moreover, the blood meal test was positive forhuman blood.Conclusion: The preponderance of mosquitoes observed in the study is of public health concernsince they serve as vectors of most tropical diseases including malari

Assessment of fishing gear and crafts utilized by fishermen in Eleyele Lake, Ibadan, Oyo State

The study was conducted to assess the evolution of fishing gears and crafts utilized by fishermen in Eleyele lake reservoir in lbadan Nigeria. Data were collected from thirty fishermen using a structured questionnaire. The data obtained were analyzed using counts and chi-square. Majority (56.7%) of the respondents were married, more of respondents were male (56.7%). Fish and fishing gear construction activities in the study area is dominated by youth. More of the respondents were Christians and few were Muslims (36.7%). There was significant relationship between the type of fishing gear use (modern and traditionl) and the time spent to catch fish as well as the quantity of fish caught. The result also revealed that traditional fishing gears such as bamboo trap, hook and line and cast net were been used by the fisher folks but were later changed to modern fishing gear. However, the effectiveness and efficiency of the modern fishing gear is being hampered by aquatic weed covering the surface of the water

Effects of Temperature on Morphological, Structural and Optical Characteristics of CdTe Films for PV Applications

Cadmium telluride (CdTe) is a direct band gap semiconductor for direct light-to-electricity conversion. The films are promising photovoltaic materials for CdS/CdTe solar cells because of its energy band gap of 1.5 eV and higher absorption co-efficient (&gt;104cm-1). This work presents the characterization of 1 μm CdTe films for photovoltaic applications. The films were deposited on cleaned glass substrates using thermal evaporation. The effect of annealing temperatures (as deposited, 400°C and 500°C) on morphological, structural and optical characteristics of CdTe films was investigated for an hour and characterized with Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and UV-Visible spectrophotometer. The results revealed that the reflectance characteristics of CdTe films depend on the wavelength of electromagnetic spectra. The maximum percentage optical transmittance of CdTe films for as-grown, 400°C and 500oC films were 59%, 60% and 58% respectively at 800 nm wavelength. The absorbance decreases with increasing in wavelength and was found to be 1.65, 1.25 and 0.85 % for the as-grown, 400°C and 500oC films respectively. The absorption coefficient exhibits higher values in the shorter wavelength and decreases as the wavelength and temperatures increases and the band gap becomes wider. The SEM analyses showed that the films were homogenous and free from crystal defects. The results revealed that 1 μm CdTe film may be used as absorber layer in CdS/CdTe thin film solar cells. Keywords: CdTe, Glass substrate, Thermal evaporation, Annealing temperature, Energy band ga

Design and construction of a shrimp hatchery for the breeding of the black tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon

A shrimp hatchery for the breeding of the black tiger shrimp, Penaeus monodon was constructed by the Nigeria Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research in 2008 by the reconstruction of an existing old shrimp hatchery. The new shrimp hatchery comprises of the following: water treatment, water storage, broodstock maturation, spawning/incubation, nursery and micro-algae units. The design included the construction of a concrete sump for the collection and treatment of wastewater before disposal, in addition to an aeration unit equipped with root blower for adequate supply of dissolved oxygen. The reconstructed NIOMR shrimp hatchery has been successfully used for the production of post larvae, which are presently being reared to adult shrimp in concrete tanks. The successful completion of the shrimp hatchery and breeding of P. monodon has confirmed that the species can be spawned and reared to adult size in Nigeria for local and export markets

Delineation of potential urban urogenital schistosomiasis transmission areas in Osogbo, south-west Nigeria

Schistosomiasis is ranked second to malaria among parasitic diseases of socio-economic and public health importance. One of the crucial factors in monitoring the current and future status and distribution of S. haematobium infection in Nigeria is to improve the knowledge on the freshwater snails that play an indispensable role in its transmission. The present study was undertaken to delineate potential transmission areas of urogenital schistosomiasis in Osogbo Metropolis using snail intermediate hosts and human-water contact as indicators. The major rivers/streams were visited bimonthly at various locations between April and July, 2016 and snail samples were collected using scoopers. The snails were identified morphologically and exposed to artificial light for cercaria shedding. Human water contact activities were observed at the sites where snails were recovered and relative index of exposure was calculated for each activity. Of the nine locations visited, only four were positive, namely; Gbodofon (Osun River), Isale Osun (Osun River), area 264 (Oniti Stream) and Gbonmi (Okoko Stream). Even though, none of the exposed snails shed cercaria, the human activities were observed at the sites. The results showed that 49.7% of the human contacts were for swimming followed by Fishing (32.2%), cloth-washing (10.1%) and spiritual/ritual bath (8.0%). Swimming has the highest relative index of exposure (RIE=30231) while spiritual/ritual bath has the least (RIE=96). The presence of the snail intermediate hosts at the four sites coupled with human water activities as observed in the present study suggest the risk of urogenital schistosomiasis at the study-area.Keywords: Bulinus species; schistosome; human water contact; Osogbo; Nigeri

The effect of conceptual and procedural learning strategies on the study habit of Nigerian secondary school students in mathematics

This study examined the effect of varying learning strategies making use of procedural and conceptual learning strategies on secondary school students‟ study habits in mathematics. A total of 124 senior secondary school students, from Osun state in southwestern Nigeria divided into three groups were involved in this study. Two experimental groups were randomly assigned to the two learning strategies and the third group was the control group. The study adopted modified non-equivalent pretest posttest control group design. Intact classes were used but the modification was that all the three groups contained science students. The three groups were taught simultaneous linear equations. The study habits of students were assessed using a questionnaire of reliability coefficient of 0.84. Both learning strategies yielded significant difference in students‟ study habits with conceptual strategy having higher score. The study concluded that students‟ study habits in mathematics could be improved using an innovative learning strategy.Keywords: study habit, learning strategy, conceptual, procedural, achievemen

Effects of Atlantic Ocean Water on hatchability and pre-imaginal development of Aedes aegypti (L)

Aedes aegypti is an efficient transmitter of various deadly and debilitating diseases such as yellow fever, dengue and Zika virus in various parts of the world. In this study, we evaluated the effects of various concentrations of Atlantic ocean water on hatchability and pre-imaginal development of Ae. aegypti mosquito. The Atlantic Ocean Water was diluted with distilled water into five concentrations, namely 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, 2.0% and 2.5% (V/V). Twenty eggs obtained from Fo generation of laboratory-bred Ae. aegypti were exposed to the five concentrations of Atlantic ocean water while distilled water was used as control. The number of larval, pupal and adult emergence were monitored. The eggs laid by F1 generation from various concentrations were re-exposed to the concentrations to monitor F2 generations. The bioassays were replicated thrice. The results showed that 73.3% of the eggs hatched in distilled water which was significantly higher (p&lt;0.05) than diluted concentrations of Atlantic Ocean Water whose hatchability ranges between 35%- 46.6%. Though, the pupal and adult emergence was higher in distilled water as compared with test concentrations, the differences were not statistically significant (p&gt;0.05). The duration of emergence was significantly shorter in distilled water as compared with test concentrations (p&lt;0.05). In F2 generation, while 10.0% and 1.66% of the larvae in 0.5% and 1.0% concentrations developed into pupae respectively, none of the larvae in concentration between 1.5%-2.5% developed into pupae and adults. The results of the present study showed that salinity has both direct and indirect effects on the egg hatchability and preimaginal development of generations of local species of Ae. aegypti. This could be explored in the global efforts of formulating effective strategies to exterminate insect-vectors of medical and veterinary importance.Keywords: Matchability; Aedes aegpti; ocean water