Comparative Effects of Tri-Polar Eclectic Teaching Approach on Students Academic Performance in Social Studies

This is an experimental study that examined the comparative effects of Tripolar Interactionist teaching strategy on the academic performance of Junior Secondary School III students of Adeyemi Demonstration secondary School Ondo in social studies. The instrument used for the study includes scheme of work, lesson notes prepared by the researcher and the result of the administered tests on the basis of the research conducted. Two groups of 25 students each were taught the same content and within six weeks using the conventional method and Tripolar Teaching Strategy comprising of enquiry, questioning and discussion methods. The findings showed that the students taught using Tri-polar Teaching strategy performed better at the higher and middle lowest level than students taught using conventional method. Based on the finding it was recommended that the configured teaching strategy tagged “Tri-polar” should be adopted for teaching and learning in Nigerian schools because of its enormous advantage in stimulating independent learning among others

Structural Adjustment And The Stability Of The Nigerian Money Demand Function

This paper uses cointegration vector error correction analysis to test the stability of the demand for real broad money (M2) in Nigeria over the quarterly period 1986:1 to 2001:4 in order to ascertain whether recent macroeconomic developments such as the implementation of the structural adjustment programme (SAP) in 1986; the liberalization of the exchange rate, domestic interest rate, and capital accounts; financial deepening and innovations; changes in monetary policy regimes; and increased integration of the economy with the rest of the world may have caused the real broad money demand function to become structurally unstable. Our empirical results indicate that there exists a long-run relationship between the real broad money aggregate, real income, inflation rate, domestic interest rate, foreign interest rate, and expected exchange rate. Furthermore, both the CUSUM and CUSUMSQ tests confirm the stability of the short- and long run parameters of the real money demand function. The stability of the parameters of the money demand equation provides the justification for the monetary authority to target the broad money supply in its bid to manage inflation and stimulate economic activity in Nigeria

Tourism Development and Air Pollution in Caribbean SIDs: A Bootstrap Panel Granger Causality Analysis

This paper investigates the possibility of Granger causality between tourism development and air pollution in twelve Caribbean small island developing states (SIDs) over the period 1995-2017 in a panel-based model that both allows for the assessment of causality in countries with cross-sectional dependency and heterogeneity and avoids the problem of incorrect specification associated with conventional panel unit root and cointegration tests. The empirical results indicate bidirectional causality between tourism and air pollution for Barbados, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, St. Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago; unidirectional causality running from tourism to air pollution in Antigua and Barbuda, Cuba, and Guyana; reverse causality from air pollution to tourism in The Bahamas, British Virgin Islands and Haiti, while no causality is found for St. Kitts and Nevis. Our empirical findings provide important policy implications for the Caribbean countries being studied

Government Health Care Financing and Health Care Outcomes in Africa

This paper uses the World Bank data on healthcare expenditures as a percentage of gross domestic product to analyze the funding available to the public health care sectors in 54 African countries. In the 2001 Abuja Declaration, these African countries vowed to allocate at least 15 percent of their annual budgets to improving their health care sectors and infrastructures. We developed the Compliance with Abuja Declaration Index (CAD Index) to gauge the extent to which African governments complied with the pledge. Our empirical results reveal that health care financing is grossly inadequate in Africa. The failure to finance the health care sectors at or above the 15 percent pledged in the 2001 Abuja Declaration has undoubtedly slowed Africa’s march towards providing improved health care for its citizens. Furthermore, African countries face acute shortages of medical doctors, nurses, and medical infrastructures to provide the robust health care sectors required for sustainable economic growth and development. African governments must implement policies to attract health care professionals by providing the necessary medical infrastructures

Biopsychosocial Complications of Pentazocine Dependence: A Case Report from a co-occurring Treatment Facility in Lagos

Pentazocine, a synthetic, prescription opioid analgesic, can now be obtained from the Nigerian illicit market. This development is not without concomitant medical and psychosocial complications. This is a case of psychosocial and cutaneous complications of 8‑year history of pentazocine dependence in a 44‑year‑old married male health worker with features of severe depression, multiple cutaneous abscesses, and punched‑out, deep, painless ulcers surrounded by hypopigmented halos. There were associated fibrosis of the skin, strained relationship with wife, and imminent dismissal from work. This report underscores the need for standard prescription  procedure adherence by health workers, especially for medications that are potential drugs of dependence for patients with physical conditions. Keywords: Complications, dependence, pentazocin

Softening point and Penetration Index of bitumen from parts of Southwestern Nigeria

Točka razmekšanja (SP) i indeks penetracije (PI) bitumena na uzorcima iz jugozapadne Nigerije su važna svojstva za bolje projektiranje i optimizaciju procesa unapređenja nigerijskih bitumena. Ova je studija provedena u cilju projektiranja i proizvodnje jeftinog i učinkovitog uređaja za ispitivanje točke razmekšanja kako bi se bitumeni klasificirali po razredima. Oprema za ispitivanje metodom prstena i kuglice proizvedena je u Nigeriji prema američkim normama za ispitivanje materijala (American Society for Testing and Materials-ASTM) i korištena je za određivanje SP uzoraka bitumena prikupljenih s četiri lokacije: Agbabu (AB), Iluburin (IB), Loda (LB) i Ode-Omode (OB). Dvije okrugle ploče bitumena, lijevani brončani prsteni, zagrijavaju se u tekućoj kupki s kontroliranom brzinom dok svaki podržava čeličnu kuglicu. Određeno je da je točka razmekšavanja (SP) srednja temperatura ona pri kojoj dva diska omekšaju dovoljno da svaka kuglica, obavijena bitumenom, padne na udaljenost od 25 mm. Vrijednosti točke razmekšavanja korištene su za izračun različiti indeksa penetracije i određivanje razreda bitumena. Točke razmekšanja (SP) za AB, IB, LB i OB su 30, 48, 48.10 i 38.10 °C a indeksi penetracije PI) -3.8, -1.3, -1.1 i -1.6. Predviđeni razredi bitumena za četiri lokacije su: bitumen osjetljiv na temperaturu za AB (razred 250/330) i konvencionalni bitumen za kolnike za OB, IB i LB (razred 50/70 i 160/220). Stoga su uzorci OB, IB i LB pogodni za asfaltiranje prometnica dok uzorak AB može biti modificiran za industrijsku uporabu.The softening point (SP) and penetration index (PI) of bitumen from parts of southwestern Nigeria are important properties needed for better design and optimization of the upgrading process of Nigerian bitumen. This study was carried out to design and fabricate a cost effective and efficient softening point tester to classify bitumen into grades. The Ring and ball equipment was fabricated locally according to the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and was utilized to determine the SP of bitumen samples collected from four locations namely: Agbabu (AB), Iluburin (IB), Loda (LB) and Ode-Omode (OB). Two disks of bitumen, cast in shouldered brass rings, were heated at a controlled rate in a liquid bath while each supports a steel ball. The SP was reported as the mean of the temperatures at which the two disks soften enough to allow each ball, enveloped in bitumen, to fall a distance of 25 mm. The SP values obtained were used to compute the various penetration indices and to predict the grade of bitumen. The SP results for AB, IB, LB and OB are 30, 48, 48.10 and 38.10 °C respectively while that of PI results are -3.8, -1.3, -1.1, and -1.6 respectively. The bitumen grades predicted for the four locations are: temperature susceptible bitumen for AB (250/330 Grade) and conventional paving bitumen for OB, IB and LB (50/70 and 160/220 Grade). The OB, IB and LB samples are therefore suitable for road pavement, while the AB sample can be modified for industrial use