Unpacking the Academic Interventions for Improving the Academic Skills of Black Girls with Disabilities: A Scoping Review

Most research on Black girls seem to have focused more on their behaviors (Morris, 2007), when compared to their White peers. It is even worse for Black Girls with Disabilities (BGDs) who have continued to be academically marginalized at the intersection of race, gender, and disability. Given the long history of special education research on improving the academic achievement of students with disabilities and the sustained representation of Black children receiving special education services across United States’ K-12 schools (Skiba et al., 2005), it becomes critical to systematically scope the academic interventions that have been used to improve the academic skills of BGDs. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist (Tricco et al., 2018) and Askey and O’Malley’s (2005) framework, the authors found nine academic interventions that were used to improve the academic skills of BGDs across the 15 studies. Repeated reading interventions (RRIs) delivered through computer assisted instruction (CAI) were shown as an effective intervention at improving the academic skills of BGDs. With a narrative synthesis, themes on current gaps across the studies reviewed are discussed in addition to the systemic reasons why greater attention is needed on evidence-based practices that specifically address improving the academic skills of BGDs. Limitations and recommendations for future research are also discussed. Keywords: academic skills, Black girls with disabilities, interventions, intersectionality, scoping revie

Why integrating non-military actors in security strategies can stabilise the Lake Chad region

The Regional Stabilisation Strategy is illustrative of a development model that can build local resilience to counter transnational terror threats. It seeks to incorporate non-military actors in efforts to consolidate the gains of security forces as well as sustainably address the root causes of conflict in the Lake Chad region

Rheological Analysis of the Mechanical Properties of Murine Lungs Over the Lifespan

To study the effects of aging in murine lungs, we characterized C57Bl6j mice from neonatal to 24-month-old mice. Samples were divided into two groups: Young Mice (YM) and Middle Age/Old Age Mice (MOM). The YM group included the neonatal and 6-10week. The MOM group included 7- and 22–24-month-old mice. Rheological testing was performed using a TA Instruments DHR-2 Rheometer to collect the mechanics of each mice sample. Utilizing a 20-mm parallel plate fixture, a gap of 0.8-1.0-mm, and a temperature setting of 25C, we conducted a frequency sweep. Samples were the decellularized over a four-day process then lyophilized for mass spectrometry. Histology was also conducted to visualize the structure of the lung. Our results showed that as the age of the mice increased the YM and MOM group, showed an increase in the storage and loss modulus. These results showcase that there are some changes in tissues mechanics that are age-related and this change can be related to decreased lung function

Investigating the Role of Government Legislation and its Implementation in Addressing Gender Based Violence Among Returnee Refugee Women in Liberia

Empirical evidence has demonstrated that in contemporary wars, women and children bear the brunt of the violence unleashed in the form of killings, abductions, and various forms of gendered violence. This research investigates the ways in which returnee refugee women in post war Liberia experience gender-based violence in their everyday lives. It also investigates the role of governmental agencies in addressing this violence and the implications of all these for the reintegration of returnee women and peace in the country generally. To this end, fieldwork was carried out in Liberia employing in-depth and semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, document review, and observation. One hundred persons participated in the study including returnee women across the country, community leaders, and NGO and government staff. The research was framed within human rights theory, which locates women’s rights within human rights and provides practitioners and disadvantaged women alike a vocabulary to frame political and social wrongs. The responses indicate that returnee refugee women in Liberia continue to confront generalized and gender-specific violence. The implementation of government legislation such as the new rape law continue to encumber the drive to tackle gender-based violence (GBV) while other initiatives such as a national GBV taskforce move the country in the right direction. The implications are that reintegration of returnee refugee women remains slow and, although women constitute a remarkable proportion of government, most returnee women have yet to find meaningful ways of contributing to the success of the nascent political order

Investigating Runway Incursions in The United States Airports

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the number of runway incursions are rising. Over the last two decades, the number of runway incursions at US airports has increased from 987 in 2002 to 25,036 in 2020. Runway incursions are a major threat to aviation safety, causing major delays and financial consequences for airlines, as well as injury or death through incidents such as aircraft collisions. The FAA promotes the implementation of runway safety technology, infrastructure, procedural methods, changing airport layouts, and training practices to reduce the frequency of runway incursions. In this paper, the relationship between airport geometry factors, mitigating technologies, and the number of runway incursions at large hub airports in the United States was investigated using Random Effects Poisson Model for Panel Data analyses. Airport operations data from the FAA Air Traffic Activity System, runway incursion data from the FAA Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing System from 2002 through 2020, and airport geometry data created using airport geometry features from the FAA airport diagrams were collected. 30 large hub airports with FAA installed mitigating technologies were investigated. The model identified significant variables that correlate with incursions, based on airport geometry, for large hub airports categories defined by the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS). The model results indicate that airport with significant number of runway-to-runway intersection points increase runway incursion rates and mitigating technologies ASDE-X and RSWL help reduce severity A and B incursions. Only four variables, “RWY_RWY, Airport operations, ASDE-X and RWSL”, were found to be significant

Information behaviour of refugees : viewing refugee integration through an information science lens

In this article, I discuss my research, highlighting the key concepts, connections and preliminary findings of my research and emphasizing information behavior at the situational level. I then describe how it was translated into my short video submitted for ASIS&T’s Doctoral Student Research Video Contest

Evaluation of the anti-diabetic potentials of some African medicinal plants: a multimode study.

Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.The present study investigated the effects of five African medicinal plants (Alstonia boonei, Acalypha wilkesiana, Boerhaavia diffusa, Bridelia ferruginea, and Crassocephalum rubens) for their antioxidative and antidiabetic potentials by using several experimental protocols. The crude extracts (ethyl acetate, ethanol and aqueous) of the different parts (leaves, stem bark, root bark or aerial parts when applicable) were initially investigated for their detailed antioxidant and antidiabetic activity using in vitro, ex vivo and in silico experimental models. Then the most active crude extract from each plant was chosen for further fractionation with the solvents of increasing polarity. The solvent obtained fractions were then subjected to screening in terms of their antioxidant, -glucosidase, -amylase and lipase inhibitory activity in vitro and intestinal glucose absorption and muscle glucose uptake ex vivo. Results from these assays revealed that the butanol and aqueous fractions of A. boonei, butanol fraction of B. ferruginea, ethanol extract of A. wilkesiana and B. diffusa and the aqueous extracts of C. rubens showed the best activities in terms of all the tested models. The most active crude extracts and fractions were consequently subjected to GC-MS and LC-MS analyses in order to identify their bioactive components. Then the structures of the most bioactive components were docked with the tested enzymes using in silico modelling. The anti-diabetic effect of the butanol fractions of A. boonei and B. ferruginea together with the aqueous extract of C. rubens were investigated in an in vivo intervention trial using a type 2 diabetes rat model. The in vivo experiment revealed that the fractions and extract exhibited potent in vivo hypoglycaemic activity. Interestingly, these fractions were also able to alleviate T2D-associated complications involving oxidative stress. Analysis of in vivo oxidative stress markers such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, in the serum, liver, kidney, heart and pancreas of the animals also suggested their strong antioxidative effects. The results of this study suggest that the different extracts/fractions of the above-mentioned plants have promising anti-diabetic potentials; however further clinical trials are required in order to justify the usefulness of these plants for the development of potent and cost effective anti-diabetic drugs

Self-reported perceptions of factors influencing error reporting in one Nigerian hospital: a descriptive cross-sectional study

Background: Over the past decade the concern about patient safety due to the occurrence of medical errors has become a priority in healthcare. Medical errors occur from virtually all processes in the delivery of healthcare and while most have little risk for patient harm, some do result in injury, increased health care cost, lost income, decreased productivity, disability, morbidity and mortality. Under-reporting of medical errors is a global issue endangering patient safety and compromising health outcomes. Awareness and use of a hospital's error reporting system is an initial step towards improved reporting rates. Aim: The aim of the study was to describe doctors' and nurses' self-reported perceptions of factors influencing error reporting in a Nigerian hospital by survey questionnaire. Methods: This study employed a descriptive cross-sectional design to survey a random sample of 230 health professionals (n=90 doctors, n=130 nurses) working in all the units and departments of a Nigerian tertiary health institution. A theoretical model of a health information technology framework with implications for patient safety served as a guide for the literature review and interpretation of study findings. A 47-item self-administered survey questionnaire served as the data collection instrument. The questionnaire was developed following the review of available published literature and validated by four experts (n=2 doctors, 2 nurses), who determined the index of content validity. Inter-rater reliability of the instrument was subsequently measured by test-retest reliability of data from a pilot study of 30 raters (n=13 doctors, n=17 nurses). The validated questionnaire was used to determine doctors' and nurses' awareness and use of an error reporting system, frequency of reporting various types of errors, perceived barriers to error reporting and factors that facilitate an error reporting culture. Data collection took place for four weeks in February 2017. Data were analyzed in SPSS using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The median age of the respondents was 36 years (range of 25-59). The typical nurse respondent was female having a diploma in nursing and no Master's degree or PhD, in contrast to the doctors, most of whom were male and a few had a postgraduate qualification. The gender difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P<0.001). The majority of the respondents had 6-10 years of work experience and were in full-time employment and the difference in current work status (P=0.001) and years of work experience (P<0.001) between the two groups was statistically significant. Awareness of error reporting system: most respondents disagreed that the hospital had a system in place for reporting errors but more nurses (56/140, 40.0%) than doctors (16/90, 17.8%) were aware of such a system and the difference in responses between the two groups achieved statistical significance (X²(4, n=230) = 13.302, P<0.010); knew where and when to report errors (nurses 48.6%, n=68/140; doctors 20.0%, n=18/90) (X²(n=230) = 23.843, P<0.001); how to locate an incident form (nurses n=60/139, 43.2%; doctors n=28/89, 31.5%) (X²(4, n=228) = 9.842, P=0.043); and who to report an incident or error to (nurses n=72/140, 51.4%; doctors n=33/90, 36.7%) (X²(4, n=230) = 11.845, P=0.019). Results for type and frequency of errors reported and factors facilitating an error reporting culture did not achieve statistical significance. Perceptions of barriers to error reporting: lack of confidentiality (nurses n=62/140, 44.3%; doctors n=27/87, 31.0%) (X²(n=227) = 11.697, P=0.019). Most respondents were unsure if error reporting forms were easy to complete (nurses n=49/137, 35.8%; doctors n=26/88, 29.5%), (X²(4, n=225) = 9.926, P=0.042). Factors not perceived as barriers: positive feedback when reporting errors (nurses n=61/140, 43.6%; doctors n=24/90, 26.7%), (X²(n=230) = 10.939, P=0.026); reporting an error that did not cause harm (doctors n=40/90, 44.4%; nurses n=50/139, 36.0%), (X²(4, n=229) = 9.618, P=0.047); time involved in reporting (nurses n=76/138, 55.1%; doctors n=26/89, 29.2%), (X²(4, n=227) = 17.327); and learning from the error (doctors n=42/90, 46.7%; nurses n=40/138, 29.0%), (X²(4, n=228) = 20.777, P<0.001) Conclusion: Doctors and nurses were mostly unaware of the hospital's error reporting system which can be concluded to be an organizational factor. Respondents would be willing to report incidents if perceived barriers are removed. There is an urgent need for an effective error reporting system to be implemented in the local setting and for appropriate awareness training and educational interventions to improve doctors' and nurses' knowledge and use of medical error reporting. Relevance to clinical practice. Effective error reporting systems in the Nigerian healthcare sector that improve awareness and use of these systems should enhance a reporting culture and thereby improve patient safety

The Efficacy of Microbial Phytase on Growth Performance, Phosphorus Utilization and Cost-benefit Analysis of Broiler Chicks

A four-week feeding trial was carried out to investigate the effect of exogenous phytase on growth performance, phosphorus utilization and cost analysis of broiler chicks. Five iso-nitrogenous and iso-caloric diets were compounded. The reference diet (diet containing both groundnut cake and soybean meal as plant protein and fish meal as animal protein source without phytase supplementation), diet 2 had groundnut cake based non-phytase diet, diet 3 had groundnut cake based phytase diet, diet 4 had soybean plant based non- phytase diet and diet 5 had soybean plant based phytase diet. 240 day-old broiler chicks were randomly assigned to the diets  in a completely randomized design. Feed and water were provided ad-libitum. Each diet was allocated to 48 broiler chicks which were further divided into four replicates of 12 birds each. The feed intake, weight gain, feed conversion ratio and protein efficiency ratio of the birds were not significantly (p&gt;0.05) influenced by the experimental diets. The final liveweight of birds on reference diet, diets 3and 5 (diets supplemented with phytase)  however, higher (p&lt;0.05) than the birds on phytase free diets. The phosphorus utilization of broiler chicks revealed a significant (p&lt;0.05) increase in apparent phosphorus digestibility of birds on diets 3 and 5 at 74.68±2.31% and 72.73±2.55%, respectively over other plant protein based diets without phytase supplementation. The cost analysis of broiler chicks revealed that birds on phytase supplemented diet had a lower cost of feed per kg weight gain than the birds that were not phytase supplemented. Results show that phytase supplementation in broiler chicks diets had significantly favourable effects on growth parameters, enhanced utilization of feed which improved the nutrient digestibility of phosphorus and the cost per kg weight gain were highly reduced with phytase inclusion. Keywords: Broiler chicks, phytase, growth performance, phosphorus, cost analysi

Repeatability of an Integrative Method to Assess Knee Joint Mechanics and Cartilage Health under Load

An integrative and repeatable method that assesses quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (qMRI), mechanical measures by MRI (mechMRI) and gait (kinetics and kinematics) parameters is needed to better understand the mechanics of ACL-injury which is an early model of post-traumatic osteoarthritis. In developing a method that can be used, this research sought to answer three major questions: 1) What is the repeatability of the qMRI, mechMRI and gait analysis measures in healthy individuals? 2) What is the repeatability of the kinematic and kinetic outcomes using a MRI-based anatomical system and a standard gait coordinate system? 3) Is there a link between contact area and qMRI T2 relaxation times in cartilage? Addressing the above research questions involved primarily assessing the repeatability of each measure, expressed as the root-mean squared standard deviation (SDrms), as well as evaluating novel measures to determine the link between the different metrics. A MRI-safe loading rig was designed to simulate loading at the knee joint during MRI scanning as well as MRI-lucent gait markers to create a common coordinate system between the MRI and gait systems. Data was collected three times within a week for five healthy participants for this repeatability study. At the gait lab, participants carried out five motion tasks including walking, stair ascent, descent and chair rise and sit. With the MRI-lucent gait markers still at the same position, qMRI T2 relaxation time and anatomical MRI scans were carried out. The scans were acquired while the knee was unloaded and fully extended as well as loaded in two flexed positions. The repeatability results showed a link between qMRI T2 relaxation times and contact areas with low-SDrms measures in some qMRI-contact integration metrics and coordinate methods of processing dynamic data. qMRI-contact integration metrics were found to have smaller SDrms values for loaded cartilage in the lateral region (Average SDrms: 2.2 ms). Walk peak abduction angle had the smallest SDrms value for kinematics (0.8 degrees) and walk peak flexion moment for the kinetic measures (0.04 N.m/kg). Between dynamic data processed with MRI-based anatomical coordinates and standard gait coordinates systems, functional-based was generally found to have the smaller SDrms values. MRI-based processed data showed smaller SDrms values in kinetic outcome measures compared to that acquired from the standard gait coordinate system. In conclusion, there are indeed measures across the three different metrics that have smaller SDrms values and therefore may be better suited for use in the study of the ACL-injured population. From the findings of this study, we recommend particular attention be paid to lateral and loaded cartilage conditions for contact mechanics and qMRI T2 evaluation, and that knee kinematics and kinetics be evaluated with standard gait coordinate system, for the study of healthy and ACL-injured individuals