71 research outputs found
Implementation of Competency Based Teaching in Morogoro Teachersâ Training College, Tanzania
The purpose of this study was to investigate the implementation ofcompetency based teaching approaches in education in Morogoro Teachersâ Training College Tanzania. A total of 78 pre-service teachers from Morogoro Teachersâ Training College participated in the study. To draw an understanding of the extent to which pre-service teachers were well trained to implement competency based teaching approaches in their teaching, a questionnaire was administered to all 78 pre-service teachers, and 46 of them also participated in a structured interview. Results revealed that pre-service teachers perceived their understanding and ability to implement competency based teaching approaches as high, but during interviews it was revealed that they had difficulties in explaining some competency based concepts. Thus, it is concluded that, competency basedteaching approaches are not well implemented in schools in Tanzania and more efforts need to be devoted in the development of tutorsâ and principalsâ understanding of competency based teaching approaches.Keywords: Competency based approaches; Teacher training; Pedagog
Detection and phenotypic characterization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from clinical and community samples in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria
Objective: The objective of this study was to isolate and
phenotypically characterize methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA)from clinical and community samples in Abakaliki, Nigeria.
Methods: A total of 709 clinical (303) and community samples (406)
samples were obtained for this study. MRSA isolates were detected using
Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method with the inclusion of 1 \ub5g
oxacillin and cefoxitin antibiotic disc. The isolates were screened for
the \u3b2-lactamase production using nitrocefin sticks. Results: A
total of 44 MRSA isolates were obtained from the samples with
prevalence frequency of 22.6 % and 20.8 % from clinical and community
samples respectively. The clinical isolates were completely resistant
(100 %) to ceftazidime, tetracycline and penicillin. Gentamicin and
ciprofloxacin were the most effective antibiotics against the clinical
and community isolates respectively with a susceptibility frequency of
63.2 % and 80 %. Exactly 38.1 % and 24.2 % of the clinical and
community S. aureus isolates were positive for beta-lactamase
production respectively. The HA-MRSA and CA-MRSA isolates had MARI
values within the range of 0.3 to 1.0. Conclusion: This present
findings of multi-drug resistance MRSA is very worrisome as it further
highlights the pressing need to keep a strict watch on MRSA emerging
from this study area. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ahs.v19i2.26
Cite as: Ariom TO, Iroha IR, Moses IB, Iroha CS, Ude UI, Kalu AC.
Detection and phenotypic characterization of methicillin-resistant
staphylococcus aureus from clinical and community samples in Abakaliki,
Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Afri Health Sci.2019;19(2): 2026-2035. https://
dx.doi.org/10.4314/ahs.v19i2.2
1<i>s</i>2<i>p</i> resonant inelastic X-ray scattering combined dipole and quadrupole analysis method
In this study an analysis strategy towards using the resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) technique more effectively compared with X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) is presented. In particular, the question of when RIXS brings extra information compared with XAS is addressed. To answer this question the RIXS plane is analysed using two models: (i) an exciton model and (ii) a continuum model. The continuum model describes the dipole pre-edge excitations while the exciton model describes the quadrupole excitations. Applying our approach to the experimental 1s2p RIXS planes of VO2 and TiO2, it is shown that only in the case of quadrupole excitations being present is additional information gained by RIXS compared with XAS. Combining this knowledge with methods to calculate the dipole contribution in XAS measurements gives scientists the opportunity to plan more effective experiments.</jats:p
Dental erosive wear and salivary flow rate in physically active young adults
Background
Little attention has been directed towards identifying the relationship between physical exercise, dental erosive wear and salivary secretion. The study aimed i) to describe the prevalence and severity of dental erosive wear among a group of physically active young adults, ii) to describe the patterns of dietary consumption and lifestyle among these individuals and iii) to study possible effect of exercise on salivary flow rate.
Methods
Young members (age range 18-32 years) of a fitness-centre were invited to participate in the study. Inclusion criteria were healthy young adults training hard at least twice a week. A non-exercising comparison group was selected from an ongoing study among 18-year-olds. Two hundred and twenty participants accepted an intraoral examination and completed a questionnaire. Seventy of the exercising participants provided saliva samples. The examination was performed at the fitness-centre or at a dental clinic (comparison group), using tested erosive wear system (VEDE). Saliva sampling (unstimulated and stimulated) was performed before and after exercise. Occlusal surfaces of the first molars in both jaws and the labial and palatal surfaces of the upper incisors and canines were selected as index teeth.
Results
Dental erosive wear was registered in 64% of the exercising participants, more often in the older age group, and in 20% of the comparison group. Enamel lesions were most observed in the upper central incisors (33%); dentine lesions in lower first molar (27%). One fourth of the participants had erosive wear into dentine, significantly more in males than in females (p = 0.047). More participants with erosive wear had decreased salivary flow during exercise compared with the non-erosion group (p < 0.01). The stimulated salivary flow rate was in the lower rage (⤠1 ml/min) among more than one third of the participants, and more erosive lesions were registered than in subjects with higher flow rates (p < 0.01).
Conclusion
The study showed that a high proportion of physically active young adults have erosive lesions and indicate that hard exercise and decreased stimulated salivary flow rate may be associated with such wear
Unlocking community capabilities for improving maternal and newborn health: participatory action research to improve birth preparedness, health facility access, and newborn care in rural Uganda
Background:
Community capacities and resources must be harnessed to complement supply side initiatives
addressing high maternal and neonatal mortality rates in Uganda. This paper reflects on gains, challenges and
lessons learnt from working with communities to improve maternal and newborn health in rural Uganda.
Methods: A participatory action research project was supported from 2012 to 2015 in three eastern districts. This
project involved working with households, saving groups, sub county and district leaders, transporters and village
health teams in diagnosing causes of maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity, developing action plans to
address these issues, taking action and learning from action in a cyclical manner. This paper draws from project
experience and documentation, as well as thematic analysis of 20 interviews with community and district
stakeholders and 12 focus group discussions with women who had recently delivered and men whose wives had
recently delivered.
Results:
Women and men reported increased awareness about birth preparedness, improved newborn care
practices and more male involvement in maternal and newborn health. However, additional direct communication
strategies were required to reach more men beyond the minority who attended community dialogues and home
visits. Saving groups and other saving modalities were strengthened, with money saved used to meet transport
costs, purchase other items needed for birth and other routine household needs.
However saving groups required significant support to improve income generation, management and trust among
members. Linkages between savings groups and transport providers improved womenâs access to health facilities at
reduced cost. Although village health teams were a key resource for providing information, their efforts were
constrained by low levels of education, inadequate financial compensation and transportation challenges. Ensuring
that the village health teams and savings groups functioned required regular supervision, review meetings and
payment for supervisors to visit.
Conclusions:
This participatory program, which focused on building the capacity of community stakeholders, was able to improve local awareness of maternal and newborn health practices and instigate local action to improve access to healthcare. Collaborative problem solving among diverse stakeholders, continuous support and a participatory approach that allowed flexibility were essential project characteristics that enabled overcoming of challenges faced
Corrosion Protection Effect of Chitosan on the Performance Characteristics of A6063 Alloy
This article outlines the behaviour of water-soluble chitosan as an effective inhibitor on aluminium alloy in 3.65% NaCl at room temperature. The inhibitive ability of water-soluble chitosan was examined using electrochemical potentiodynamic polarization techniques, mass loss measurements and computational studies. The outcome of the experiment reveals that chitosan inhibited aluminium alloy in sodium chloride solution exhibits better corrosion protection than the uninhibited because chitosan nanoparticles minimize the ingression of chloride ion into the active sites of aluminium alloy by forming thin film on its surface. The losses in mass by the inhibited aluminium alloy were found to reduce as the concentration of chitosan increases. Results obtained showed that chitosan could offer inhibition efficiency above 70%. Polarization curve demonstrated that chitosan in 3.65% NaCl at room temperature acted as a mixed-type inhibitor. Adsorption of chitosan nanoparticles on the aluminium alloy was found to follow Langmuir adsorption isotherm with correlation regression coefficient (R2
) value of 0.9961
- âŚ