The Influence of Television Viewing on Adolescent, Behaviour among Public Secondary School Students in Obio/Akpor LGA in Rivers State

This research work studied the influence of television viewing on adolescent, behaviour among public secondary school students in Obio  Akpor Local Government area. The research was carried out sequel to the need to determine the extent to which television can influence adolescents’ career choice, violent behaviour, dressing, drinking and sexuality. A questionnaire was drawn consisting of 25 questions covering the five research questions. This instrument was selected after subjecting it to a test-retest procedure that yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.72 when correlated with Pearson Product Moment. The questionnaire was administered to a total of 1000 respondents in 10 schools in Obio  Akpor LGA of Rivers State. The respondents were classified into those with positive and those with negative attitudes. The five hypotheses emanating from the research questions were further subjected to Chi-square analysis, while the degree of association or significance was determined by applying Pearson’s Coefficient of Contingency. The results obtained indicate that television viewing can impact both positively and negatively on the behaviour of most adolescents. It was therefore recommended that television operators should give more airtime to programmes that will impact positively on adolescents such as career and moral guidance and less airtime to those with negative impact such as most home video depicting violence

Stakeholders’ Perceptions of Culturally Responsive Leadership in a K-12 Public Charter School in North Carolina

The purpose of this instrumental case study was to explore stakeholders’ perceptions of the culturally responsive leadership practices of charter school leaders. The goals were: (a) to explore how the school leadership team perceived culturally responsive leadership in a K-12 charter school in North Carolina, (b) to explore how the teachers perceived culturally responsive teaching and learning in a K-12 charter school in North Carolina, and (c) to explore how parents perceived a culturally responsive home-school connection in a K-12 charter school in North Carolina. The participants were members of the school leadership team, teachers, and parents. Results revealed the school leadership team, teachers, and parents were unanimous in their belief that culturally responsive leadership created a sense of belonging for all stakeholders. The results suggest that charter school leadership should perform functions that include: (a) fostering a common view of the organization’s vision and mission among all stakeholders or members of the group by modeling culturally responsive practices; (b) providing an equitable distribution of resources, professional development, and other opportunities to meet the needs of diverse students and their diverse teachers; and (c) providing conditions that allow teachers and parents to react to the learning needs of diverse students

Cervical Ectopic Pregnancy in Resource Deprived Areas: A Rare and Difficult Diagnosis

Ectopic pregnancy is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in women of reproductive age especially in resource deprived areas worldwide. Cervical ectopic pregnancy is a rare, life threatening form of ectopic pregnancy which needs a high index of suspicion for diagnosis, thus adding a complex twist to the dilemma faced by the obstetrician in resource deprived areas. A case of a cervical ectopic pregnancy which presented in a resource deprived area in a region in Ghana is discussed, and the difficulties encountered in diagnosis and management of this lifethreatening condition are outlined.Keywords: Ectopic pregnancy, cervical, resource deprived areas, difficult diagnosis, managemen

Burst abdomen in pregnancy: A proposed management algorithm

Management of the burst abdomen is complex due to the co-morbidities associated with it. When coupled with intraabdominal sepsis and pregnancy, it becomes even more difficult due to the ethical issues that have to be considered when managing both mother and child. Due to the paucity of literature on this subject, a management algorithm has been proposed which aims at tackling this delicate issue. However, the major consideration in the management of these cases is that decisions are to be made based on optimization of the condition of the mother.Keywords: Burst abdomen, pregnancy, management, algorithm, intra-abdominal sepsi

An Experimental Collective Intelligence Research Tool

The Collective Intelligence Research Tool (CIRT) is an experimental software and hardware research tool. It provides an inexpensive and efficient alternative research implementation that demonstrates simulations of the collective behaviour of self-organized systems, primarily social insects. The software focuses on 2D simulations of the woodchip-collecting behaviour of termites and 3D simulations of the building behaviour of wasps. The hardware simulation employs a Boe-Bot robot, which has the potential of simulating simple movements of a social insect, by extending its functionality through adding sensors and integrating a control chip

A Molluscicidal Triterpenoid Saponin from the Fruits of Napoleonaea P. Beauv (Lecythidaceae)

A new molluscicidal triterpenoid saponin, napoleonaside [1] has been isolated from the methanolic extract of the fruit of Napoleonaea imperialis . The structure of napoleonaside was established as 3\u3b2- O-[{\u3b2-D-glucopyranosyl(1\u21924)}{\u3b1-L-arabinopyranosyl(1\u21922)- \u3b2-D-glucopyranosyl(1\u21922)}- \u3b2-Dglucuronopyranosyl]- 16\u3b1,22\u3b1,24,28-tetrahydroxyl-21- \u3b2-O-angeloxyolean-12-ene, by spectroscopic (IR, FABMS, 1H and 13C-NMR) methods. Napoleonaside was tested for its molluscicidal properties against Biomphalaria glabrata and was found to be one of the most potent naturally occurring plant molluscicides with activity of 0.4ppm (observed after 24hrs)

An unsuspected yellow fever and lassa fever in a tertiary healthcare facility in Jos, North Central, Nigeria: a case report

Background: Yellow Fever and Lassa Fever are both zoonotic diseases (Mosquito borne flavirus and Rodent borne arenavirus, respectively) and classified as viral haemorrhagic fevers (VHF) because of their common clinical presentations – especially fevers and bleeding during the terminal stages of the diseases. After an incubation period of 3 – 6 days in Yellow fever, and 2 – 21 days in Lassa fever: they present with fevers, rigors, headache, myalgia, nausea, and vomiting. Jaundice is noticed in Yellow fever, while Lassa in addition to other symptoms also present with sore throat (with patchy tonsillar exudate), dysphagia, dry cough, chest pain, and cramping abdominal pain, diarrhoea or epigastric pains. Gradual deterioration is associated with oedema of the face and neck, respiratory distress, pleural and pericardial effusions, encephalopathy, and haemorrhage from various sites (including hypotension and shock, nonrelated to blood loss). The laboratory confirmation from a specialized virology laboratory was conducted for both disease conditions using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, with containment facilities (biosafety level 4).The management of each of these conditions is mainly supportive, although Ribavirin has significantly reduced mortality associated with Lassa fever; with best results obtained when drug is started early in the course of the illness. Reports of Yellow fever and Lassa fever co-infection are particularly scarce. The objective of this study was to report a successfully managed Case report in an Adolescent Child.Case Report: A 10 – year old boy with a positive history of contact with and adult (grandmother) who died from a febrile illness, bleeding from body orifices and jaundice; presented with high grade fever, sore throat abdominal pain and passage of loose watery stool. All these symptoms were persistent for more than twelve days despite antibiotics and antimalarial medications. He was ill looking, febrile, anicteric and had right upper quadrant tenderness/hepatomegaly. A diagnosis of viral haemorrhagic fever was made, he was admitted and nursed in the isolation ward, infection prevention and control measures were observed, he had baseline investigations, supportive care and Ribavirin. PCR results was positive for Yellow fever and Lassa fever. He responded to treatment, was discharged home, and recuperated well during his follow up visits.Conclusion: This case clearly illustrates the importance of having high index of suspicion following the significant history of contact with a probable case of viral haemorrhagic fever (absence of laboratory confirmation at the time of her death) by the index case, especially when there was non-response to routine treatment for common causes of fever in the community.Keywords: Yellow Fever, Lassa Fever, Viral Haemorrhagic Fever, Polymerase Chain Reactio

Does observed vs expected lung head ratio correlate with neonatal survival in infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernias?

To investigate whether observed vs expected (O/E) lung–to–head ratio (LHR) correlates with neonatal survival in infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). Secondary goal was to correlate O/E LHR with Oxygenation index (OI) in the first 12 hours of life

Effects of Heuristic Method of Instruction on the Achievement of Senior Secondary School Students in Computer Studies

This study was carried out to find the Effects of Heuristic Method of Instruction on the Achievement of Senior Secondary School Students in Computer Studies. The study was conducted in Ebonyi North Education, Abakaliki in Ebonyi State. Three Research questions and three Null Hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted a quasi-experimental design and employed a pre-test post-test non-equivalent control group design with one experimental and one control group. Two hundred (200) SSII students were used; one hundred and one (101) male students and ninety-nine (99) female students were drawn from six (6) senior secondary schools (2 boys’ schools, 2 girls’ schools and 2 co-educational) through simple random sampling. Out of the six schools, three schools (one girl’s school, one boys’ school and one co-educational) were assigned as the experimental group and the others as the control group. From computer science scheme of work, Basic Concept of Computer Hardware was taught to the students using their respective computer studies class teachers. The experimental group was taught using Heuristic method of instruction while control group were taught using the conventional method. The teaching was carried out during normal school hours using the normal school timetable. At the onset, a pre-test was administered to the students in the two groups and data were recorded. At the end of the experiment, post-test was also administered and data were recorded. The research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation while the Hypotheses were tested using Analysis of Co-Variance (ANCOVA) at 0.05 alpha level. The instrument used for collection of data was Computer Studies Achievement Test (CSAT). The instrument was subjected to both content and face validation with reliability coefficient of 0.98 using K-R 20 approach. The result of the findings revealed that students exposed to Heuristic method of instruction performed better than those taught with conventional method. Also the male students performed significantly better than the female students. Based on the findings of the study, the heuristic method of instruction promoted higher achievement. Hence, it was recommended that Heuristic method of instruction should be adopted in teaching computer studies in secondary schools to enhance students’ academic achievement. Keywords: Achievement, Heuristic Method, Quasi-Experiment, Computer Science DOI: 10.7176/JEP/10-32-01 Publication date: November 30th 201

Combined impact of freezing and soaking times on different cowpea varieties' flour functionality and resultant gel strength, sensory and product yield of moi-moi

The preparation of moi-moi either from cowpea flour (processed by dry-milling) or paste (processed by wet-milling) has evolved from the indigenous processing methods. Feasibly, freezing should enhance the characteristics of the cowpea grain, and when combined with conventional processing, help to improve emergent products. In this current work, therefore, the combined impact of freezing with soaking times on different cowpea varieties' flour functionality and resultant gel strength, sensory and product yield of moi-moi were studied. Analysis of flour functionality involved the determinations of moisture content, bulk density, oil absorption capacity, swelling index and water absorption capacity, whereas those of moi-moi products involved gel strength, sensory and (product) yield. Across the cowpea flour samples, the functional attributes significantly differed (p 0.05), except for the aroma (p < 0.05). Moi-moi products' yield varied widely (p < 0.05) by different reconstituted water volumes. Overall, combining freezing with conventional processing that involved reconstituted water volumes of cowpea promises an enhanced moi-moi yield