PRINCIPALS’ QUALITY CONTROL MECHANISMS AS DETERMINANTS OF TEACHERS’ JOB PERFORMANCE IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN IMO STATE, NIGERIA

The study investigated principals’ quality control mechanisms as determinants of teachers’ job performance in public secondary schools in Imo state. Six research questions and six hypotheses guided the study. The population of the study consisted of 320 principals while the proportionate random sampling technique was used to obtain 200 principals that form the sample size. A 38 item questionnaire titled; “Principals’ Quality Control Mechanisms as Determinants of Teachers’ Job Performance in Public Secondary Schools Questionnaire” (PQCMDTJPQ) was used to obtain responses from respondents. The instrument was validated by three experts, two from the Department of Educational Management and Policy and one from Educational Foundations Department. The reliability of the instrument was established through pilot-testing and analysis using Cronbach alpha which yielded an overall coefficient of 0.84 which was considered reliable enough for the study. Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient was used to answer the research questions and test the hypotheses. The findings of the study indicated that most principals of public secondary schools in the study area do not adequately employ the use of quality control mechanisms to guide teachers’ job performance. It was therefore recommended principal of public secondary schools should deliberately adopt an all-encompassing quality control mechanism that will help to enhance teachers’ job performance.  Article visualizations

Emerging therapeutic potential of nanoparticles in pancreatic cancer: a systematic review of clinical trials

Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive disease with a five year survival rate of less than 5%, which is associated with late presentation. In recent years, research into nanomedicine and the use of nanoparticles as therapeutic agents for cancers has increased. This article describes the latest developments in the use of nanoparticles, and evaluates the risks and benefits of nanoparticles as an emerging therapy for pancreatic cancer. The Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses checklist was used. Studies were extracted by searching the Embase, MEDLINE, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases from inception to 18 March 2016 with no language restrictions. Clinical trials involving the use of nanoparticles as a therapeutic or prognostic option in patients with pancreatic cancer were considered. Selected studies were evaluated using the Jadad score for randomised control trials and the Therapy CA Worksheet for intervention studies. Of the 210 articles found, 10 clinical trials including one randomised control trial and nine phase I/II clinical trials met the inclusion criteria and were analysed. These studies demonstrated that nanoparticles can be used in conjunction with chemotherapeutic agents increasing their efficacy whilst reducing their toxicity. Increased efficacy of treatment with nanoparticles may improve the clinical outcomes and quality of life in patients with pancreatic cancer, although the long-term side effects are yet to be defined. The study registration number is CRD42015020009

Evaluation of the Family Start programme: Report on findings of the impact evaluation

The purpose of this impact evaluation was to assess the impact that Family Start participation is having on the wellbeing of New Zealand children and their whānau. The evaluation examined a range of health, educational, and social outcomes for children, including separate analyses for Māori and Pasifika children. The evaluation was informed by a Bridging Cultural Perspectives approach which comprises the He Awa Whiria and Negotiated Spaces models. Reviewers representing the three knowledge streams (Māori, Pasifika, Pākehā) worked together to assist with the interpretation of the findings at an aggregate level, and through the lens of each worldview

Less Commute Miles. Decreased Tire Wear. What Would You Do?

With the flagrant recognition of the coronavirus as one of those most impactful viruses in the history of the world, it is important to study how the effects of such a disease can create troublesome ripple effects in the world. Covid-19 has caused the death of hundreds of thousands of individuals and has negatively impacted the lives of American’s all across the country during the nationwide lockdown. Decreased work commuters, minimal road travel, and little need for car repairs hit the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company hard. The University of Akron has teamed up with Goodyear to explore such effects and to answer the proposed research question by Goodyear: Less Commute Miles. Decreased Tire Wear. What Would You Do

The XXL Survey XI: ATCA 2.1 GHz continuum observations

We present 2.1 GHz imaging with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) of a 6.5 deg^2 region within the XXM-Newton XXL South field using a band of 1.1-3.1 GHz. We achieve an angular resolution of 4.7" x 4.2" in the final radio continuum map with a median rms noise level of 50 uJy/beam. We identify 1389 radio sources in the field with peak S/N >=5 and present the catalogue of observed parameters. We find that 305 sources are resolved, of which 77 consist of multiple radio components. These number counts are in agreement with those found for the COSMOS-VLA 1.4 GHz survey. We derive spectral indices by a comparison with the Sydney University Molongolo Sky Survey (SUMSS) 843MHz data. We find an average spectral index of -0.78 and a scatter of 0.28, in line with expectations. This pilot survey was conducted in preparation for a larger ATCA program to observe the full 25 deg^2 southern XXL field. When complete, the survey will provide a unique resource of sensitive, wide-field radio continuum imaging with complementary X-ray data in the field. This will facilitate studies of the physical mechanisms of radio-loud and radio-quiet AGNs and galaxy clusters, and the role they play in galaxy evolution. The source catalogue is publicly available online via the XXL Master Catalogue browser and the Centre de Donn\'ees astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS).Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures. Accepted by A&A 13th October 201

Pectoral Muscle Removal in Digital Mammograms Using Region Based Standard Otsu Technique

Mammography is usually the first preference of imaging diagnostic modalities used for detection of breast cancer in the early stage. Two projections Cranio Caudal (CC) and Medio-Lateral Oblique (MLO) which depict different degrees for visualizing the breast are used during digital mammogram acquisition and the MLO view shows more breast tissue and Pectoral Muscle (PM) area when compared to CC view. Although, the PM is a criterion used to show proper positioning, it can result in biased results of mammographic analysis like: cancer detection and breast tissue density estimation, because the PM area has similar or even higher intensity than breast tissue and breast lesions if present. This paper proposed a Region Based Standard Otsu thresholding method for the elimination of PM area present in MLO mammograms. The proposed algorithm was implemented using 322 digital mammograms from the Mammographic Image Analysis Society (MIAS) database, and the difference between the PM detected and the manually drawn PM region by an expert was evaluated. The results showed an average: Jaccard Similarity Index, False Positive Rate (FPR) and False Negative Rate (FNR) of 93.2%, 3.54% and 5.68% respectively and also an acceptable rate of 95.65

Analyzing the Environmental Impacts and Potential Health Challenges Resulting From Artisanal Gold Mining in Shango Area of Minna, North-Central, Nigeria

The environmental impact and potential health challenges resulting from artisanal mining in Shango area of Minna, North Central Nigeria was put into perspective. The methodology adopted for the research includes field work and laboratory analysis. Results of field observation reveal that mining activity resulted in physical environmental impact such as land degradation, destruction of vegetation, erosion of soils and degrading water quality. Results from the laboratory analyses show that soils are contaminated with elements such as Cu (27.7ppm), Cd (0.6 ppm), Hg (0.62 ppm) and Ag (0.35 ppm) and generally show high status when compared to published standard for upper continental crust. While, Zn (14.8ppm), Ni (7.17ppm), Mn (207ppm), Pb (0.58ppm), As (0.4ppm), Co (0.55ppm), Mo (0.16ppm), and Zr (129.8ppm) are rated low in line with the published standard; other determined elements such as Cr (37.8ppm), Fe (31.1ppm) and Au (0.2ppm) are high. These elements can easily be absorbed by plants and subsequently accumulate in their tissues. When such plants are eventually eaten by man, it may lead to different health problems such as slow growth rate, liver and kidney problem. High concentration of these elements in plant tissues may causes different problems

Predicting mortality in acutely hospitalized older patients: a retrospective cohort study

Acutely hospitalized older patients have an increased risk of mortality, but at the moment of presentation this risk is difficult to assess. Early identification of patients at high risk might increase the awareness of the physician, and enable tailored decision-making. Existing screening instruments mainly use either geriatric factors or severity of disease for prognostication. Predictive performance of these instruments is moderate, which hampers successive interventions. We conducted a retrospective cohort study among all patients aged 70 years and over who were acutely hospitalized in the Acute Medical Unit of the Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands in 2012. We developed a prediction model for 90-day mortality that combines vital signs and laboratory test results reflecting severity of disease with geriatric factors, represented by comorbidities and number of medications. Among 517 patients, 94 patients (18.2 %) died within 90 days after admission. Six predictors of mortality were included in a model for mortality: oxygen saturation, Charlson comorbidity index, thrombocytes, urea, C-reactive protein and non-fasting glucose. The prediction model performs satisfactorily with an 0.738 (0.667–0.798). Using this model, 53 % of the patients in the highest risk decile (N = 51) were deceased within 90 days. In conclusion, we are able to predict 90-day mortality in acutely hospitalized older patients using a model with directly available clinical data describing disease severity and geriatric factors. After further validation, such a model might be used in clinical decision making in older patients

Introducing an online community into a clinical education setting: a pilot study of student and staff engagement and outcomes using blended learning

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There are growing reasons to use both information and communication functions of learning technologies as part of clinical education, but the literature offers few accounts of such implementations or evaluations of their impact. This paper details the process of implementing a blend of online and face-to-face learning and teaching in a clinical education setting and it reports on the educational impact of this innovation.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This study designed an online community to complement a series of on-site workshops and monitored its use over a semester. Quantitative and qualitative data recording 43 final-year medical students' and 13 clinical educators' experiences with this blended approach to learning and teaching were analysed using access, adoption and quality criteria as measures of impact.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The introduction of the online community produced high student ratings of the quality of learning and teaching and it produced student academic results that were equivalent to those from face-to-face-only learning and teaching. Staff had mixed views about using blended learning.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Projects such as this take skilled effort and time. Strong incentives are required to encourage clinical staff and students to use a new mode of communication. A more synchronous or multi-channel communication feedback system might stimulate increased adoption. Cultural change in clinical teaching is also required before clinical education can benefit more widely from initiatives such as this.</p