Effects of Cooperative Learning and Contingency Contracting on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Among Pupils With Learning Disabilities in Mathematics in Owerri, Nigeria

The study adopted pretest-posttest, control group quasi-experimental design with a 3x2x2 factorial matrix. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to select ninety participants from three randomly selected public primary schools in the three local governments in Owerri. The participants were randomly assigned to treatments and control groups. Participants in the two treatment groups were exposed to eight weeks of cooperative learning strategy and contingency contracting technique. Two instruments used were: Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Teacher Rating Scale (α= 0.93) and Woodcock-Johnson III Mathematics Fluency Achievement Tests Scale (α= 0.84). Two hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. Data were analysed using Analysis of Covariance. There is a significant main effect of treatment on ADHD pupils with learning disabilities in mathematics (F (2, 78) = 127.29, p<0.05). Cooperative learning strategy was more effective in improving Mathematics competence skills ( = 96.6) of ADHD pupils with learning disabilities in mathematics than contingency contracting technique. Furthermore, there is no significant interaction effect of treatment, age and gender on ADHD pupils with learning disabilities in mathematics in the study. Therefore, the findings of the study suggest that teachers should endevour to use appropriate teaching methods, cooperative learning strategy and contingency contracting technique to reinforce positive attitude to teaching-learning situations among ADHD pupils with learning disabilities in mathematics.

Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of Morchella conica Pers.

Antioxidant capacity and antimicrobial activities of Morchella conica Pers. extracts obtained with ethanol were investigated in this study. Four complementary test systems; namely DPPH free radical scavenging, -carotene/linoleic acid systems, total phenolic compounds and total flavonoid concentration were used. Inhibition values of M. conica ethanol extracts, buthylated hydroxyanisol (BHA) and -tocopherol standards were found to be 96.9, 98.9 and 99.2%, respectively, at aconcentration of 160 ìg/ml. When compared the inhibition levels of methanol extract of M. conica and standards in linoleic acid system, it was observed that the higher the concentration of both M. conicaethanol extract and the standards the higher the inhibition effect. Total flavonoid amount was 9.17±0.56ìg mg-1 quercetin equivalent while the phenolic compound amount was 41.93±0.29 ìg mg-1 pyrocatecholequivalent in the ethanolic extract. The antimicrobial effect of M. conica ethanol extract was tested against six species of Gram-positive bacteria, seven species of Gram-negative bacteria and one speciesof yeast. The M. conica ethanol extract had a narrow antibacterial spectrum against tested microorganisms. The most susceptible bacterium was M. flavus. The crude extract was found active on S. aureus ATCC 25923 and S. aureus Cowan I. The M. conica ethanol extract did not exhibit anticandidal activity against C. albican

Free-radical scavenging capacity and antimicrobial activity of wild edible mushroom from Turkey

Antioxidant capacity and antimicrobial activities of Ramaria flava (Schaeff) Quel. (RF) extracts obtained with ethanol were investigated in this study. Four complementary test systems; namely DPPH freeradical scavenging, -carotene/linoleic acid systems, total phenolic compounds and total flavonoid concentration have been used. Inhibition values of R. flava extracts, BHA and -tocopherol standardswere found to be 94.7, 98.9 and 99.2%, respectively, at 160&fnof;&Ecirc;g/ml. When compared the inhibition levels of ethanol extract of R. flava and standards in linoleic acid system, it was observed that the higher theconcentration of both RF ethanol extract and the standards the higher the inhibition effect. Total flavonoid amount was 8.27}0.28 &fnof;&Ecirc;g mg-1 quercetin equivalent while the total phenolic compound amountwas 39.83}0.32 &fnof;&Ecirc;g mg-1 pyrocatechol equivalent in the ethanolic extract. The ethanol extract of R. flava inhibited the growth of Gram-positive bacteria better than Gram-negative bacteria and yeast. The crude extract showed no antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Morganella morganii and Proteus vulgaris. The antimicrobial activity profile of R. flava against tested strains indicated that Micrococcus flavus, Micrococcus luteus and Yersinia enterocolitica was the most susceptible bacteria of all the test strains. R. flava was found to be inactive against Candida albicans

Transnational Solidarity, Migration, and the Refugee Crisis: (In)Formal Organising and Political Environments in Greece, Germany, and Denmark

Over the last decade, the unprecedented influx of refugees and migrants into the European Union has posed a significant challenge to Europe, with solidarity being contested at two fronts: first, the question of solidarity with refugees in terms of meeting adequate measures of protection and satisfying their elementary needs; and second, the question of solidarity within the European Union in terms of sharing the costs and burden of hosting these refugees among the member states. One driving factor of these contestations is that the solidarity challenge in facing the ‘refugee crisis’ is taken up differently in transit countries in the South of Europe and destination countries in the North. Wishing to shed light on how national contexts impact transnational solidarity organising, we draw on a fresh set of cross-national evidence from a random sample of 277 transnational solidarity organisations (TSOs) in Greece, Germany, and Denmark. The aim is to illustrate the effects of political opportunities and threats during the 2007–2016 crises period on migration-related solidarity activities organised by TSOs. We will do so through tri-national comparisons tracing the patterns in which migration-related TSOs appear through time. The data used is produced in the context of the TRANSSOL project by a new methodological approach (action organisation analysis) based on hubs-retrieved organisational websites and their subsequent content analysis

Exact expression for the diffusion propagator in a family of time-dependent anharmonic potentials

We have obtained the exact expression of the diffusion propagator in the time-dependent anharmonic potential $V(x,t)={1/2}a(t)x^2+b\ln x$. The underlying Euclidean metric of the problem allows us to obtain analytical solutions for a whole family of the elastic parameter a(t), exploiting the relation between the path integral representation of the short time propagator and the modified Bessel functions. We have also analyzed the conditions for the appearance of a non-zero flow of particles through the infinite barrier located at the origin (b<0).Comment: RevTex, 19 pgs. Accepted in Physical Review

Boundary Shape and Casimir Energy

Casimir energy changes are investigated for geometries obtained by small but arbitrary deformations of a given geometry for which the vacuum energy is already known for the massless scalar field. As a specific case, deformation of a spherical shell is studied. From the deformation of the sphere we show that the Casimir energy is a decreasing function of the surface to volume ratio. The decreasing rate is higher for less smooth deformations.Comment: 12 page

Tuning antiviral CD8 T-cell response via proline-altered peptide ligand vaccination

Viral escape from CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses correlates with disease progression and represents a significant challenge for vaccination. Here, we demonstrate that CD8+ T cell recognition of the naturally occurring MHC-I-restricted LCMV-associated immune escape variant Y4F is restored following vaccination with a proline-altered peptide ligand (APL). The APL increases MHC/peptide (pMHC) complex stability, rigidifies the peptide and facilitates T cell receptor (TCR) recognition through reduced entropy costs. Structural analyses of pMHC complexes before and after TCR binding, combined with biophysical analyses, revealed that although the TCR binds similarly to all complexes, the p3P modification alters the conformations of a very limited amount of specific MHC and peptide residues, facilitating efficient TCR recognition. This approach can be easily introduced in peptides restricted to other MHC alleles, and can be combined with currently available and future vaccination protocols in order to prevent viral immune escape

Forward Neutron Production at the Fermilab Main Injector

We have measured cross sections for forward neutron production from a variety of targets using proton beams from the Fermilab Main Injector. Measurements were performed for proton beam momenta of 58 GeV/c, 84 GeV/c, and 120 GeV/c. The cross section dependence on the atomic weight (A) of the targets was found to vary as $A^(alpha)$ where $\alpha$ is $0.46\pm0.06$ for a beam momentum of 58 GeV/c and 0.54$\pm$0.05 for 120 GeV/c. The cross sections show reasonable agreement with FLUKA and DPMJET Monte Carlos. Comparisons have also been made with the LAQGSM Monte Carlo.Comment: Accepted for publication in Physical Review D. This version incorporates small changes suggested by referee and small corrections in the neutron production cross sections predicted by FLUK

DIFFUSION IN ONE DIMENSIONAL RANDOM MEDIUM AND HYPERBOLIC BROWNIAN MOTION

Classical diffusion in a random medium involves an exponential functional of Brownian motion. This functional also appears in the study of Brownian diffusion on a Riemann surface of constant negative curvature. We analyse in detail this relationship and study various distributions using stochastic calculus and functional integration.Comment: 18 page