Microfinance and Entrepreneurial Development in Nigeria

This research study investigates the impact of microfinance on entrepreneurial development of small scale enterprises in Nigeria and its global significance. Microfinance institutions world over and especially in Nigeria are identified to be one of the key players in the financial industry that have positively affected individuals, business organizations, other financial institutions, the government and the economy at large through the services they offer and the functions they perform in the economy

Evaluation of a tool for Java structural specification checking

Although a number of tools for evaluating Java code functionality and style exist, little work has been done in a distance learning context on automated marking of Java programs with respect to structural specifications. Such automated checks support human markers in assessing students’ work and evaluating their own marking; online automated marking; students checking code before submitting it for marking; and question setters evaluating the completeness of questions set. This project developed and evaluated a prototype tool that performs an automated check of a Java program’s correctness with respect to a structural specification. Questionnaires and interviews were used to gather feedback on the usefulness of the tool as a marking aid to humans, and on its potential usefulness to students for self-assessment when working on their assignments. Markers were asked to compare the usefulness of structural specification testing as compared to other kinds of support, including syntax error assistance, style checking and functionality testing. Initial results suggest that most markers using the structural specification checking tool found it to be useful, and some reported that it increased their accuracy in marking. Reasons for not using the tool included lack of time and the simplicity of the assignment it was trialled on. Some reservations were expressed about reliance on tools for assessment, both for markers and for students. The need for advice on incorporating tools in marking workflow is suggested

“In situ monitoring of pharmaceutical operations”

The subject of the thesis is the examination of the phenomena behind the formulation and spatio-temporal evolution of anisotropic particle assemblies during drying processes. Two different drying processes have been investigated in this study, namely spray drying and contact drying. Following a literature review of the relevant processes – namely spray drying but also particle agglomeration and break-up, literature on the packing of non-spherical particles is reviewed. An investigation into the effect of particle shape, solubility, initial concentration and state (solution vs. slurry), and drying rate on the microstructure of particle assemblies within an evaporating droplet has been carried out. The materials used in the study were chosen so as to cover a range of solubility and crystal shape, and include: benzoic acid (needle shaped) and glass beads (spherical shape), monosodium glutamate (MSG), lactose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC), aspirin, sodium carbonate and water. The study of single droplet drying aims to provide a quantitative and qualitative view on the microstructure formation during drying. A new single droplet drying technique has been developed to allow for real-time observation of the microstructure and morphology evolution, and subsequently to determine whether the particle morphologies produced in single droplet drying are analogous to those produced by a spray dryer. The results produced in this study indicate that for the materials investigated, the end microstructural arrangement obtained by the single droplet technique will be essentially the same as that obtained in a spray dryer, and the single droplet method can therefore be used as an early indication of the most likely particle morphology. This has significance during process scale-up in the pharmaceutical industry and in other situations when only small quantities of a newly developed chemical entity are available but a decision about the process route has to be made at an early stage. The single droplet results have also allowed for the understanding of some drying mechanism behind the morphologies commonly produced in spray drying

Gender Differences and Digital Learning Games – One Size Does not fit all

The intrinsic motivation demonstrated towards digital games provides the opportunity for its use as a learning tool irrespective of gender differences. This has resulted in the combination of the motivation of games with curricular content referred to as Digital Game-Based Learning. While some related studies have argued that there are no gender differences in the motivational appeal of digital educational games, others present an opposing view. This paper reports the result of an investigation into the motivational appeal of digital educational games for 11-14 years old girls and boys. There is evidence that this age group is pivotal to the shrinking pipeline phenomenon in which fewer females progressively engage with computer science education and careers. The investigation involved a two stage study composed of a qualitative exploratory study, which identified the key criteria for the successful appeal of some digital entertainment games to young girls and boys and a main study. The main study generate both qualitative and quantitative data to further investigate the motivational appeal of digital educational games for learning basic computer science concepts for both girls and boys of age 11-14 years old. For the main study, two experimental games for learning basic computer science concepts were created based on the key criteria identified from the exploratory study. The first included the game characteristics that appeared to support the motivational appeal of the girls. The second game was antithetical to the first. Both genders from the participating population engaged with both games and online questionnaires were used to capture data on their perception of both games. The outcome of the investigation which involved 304 participants (girls = 152 and boys =152) from Southeast England, United Kingdom provided the empirical evidence in support of the argument that there are gender differences in the motivational appeal of digital educational game characteristics which can either support or thwart motivation i.e. one size does not fit all. The result of this investigation should support educationists, researchers and digital educational game designers in having an inclusive approach towards the creation of digital educational games for learning

An Investigation Of Digital Games Features That Appeal To Young Females And Males

This research is part of an attempt to address the well-known problem of female underrepresentation in computer science education and industry. This problem starts between ages 11 to 14 and gets progressively worse in what is often referred to as the “shrinking pipeline effect”. There has been considerable research into the causes of the shrinking pipeline and attempts to halt or reverse it. In spite of this, the causes remain unclear and there is evidence that the problem may be worsening. Digital games are increasingly used in education because of their ability to engage and motivate young learners. Unfortunately, digital games used in the teaching of IT and computer science have been found to appeal less to females than males. This is in spite of the fact that digital games intended for entertainment, as opposed to education, are now very popular with girls. There has been some research into this issue, however more is needed, especially into what game features do and do not appeal to girls at the age that the pipeline starts to shrink. The study reported here aims to identify what characteristics of digital entertainment games appeal to young females and males. The results can be used to guide educators, researchers and game developers and provide criteria for evaluating the suitability of digital educational games for use with specific age groups and genders. We used open card sort with participants aged 11 to 14 to explore their attitude to a range of digital entertainment games. Open card sort allows participants to categorise items in ways that are meaningful to them. There were 32 participants (24 females and 8 males) from four schools in south-east England. They were shown video clips of ten popular games. The participants were then given ten cards, each representing one of the games and asked to sort them into categories based on shared characteristics. This process elicited 131 features (95 from the females and 36 from the males). The data was analysed to identify the features that were a) most significant and b) most appealing to the participants. The findings indicate that there are some gender differences in which game features are perceived as most significant. Some features, such as game action, are significant to the males whereas others, such as game levels, are significant to the females. Interestingly, some features that both genders find significant have different degrees of appeal for example “fun” and “violence”. We are currently using the findings in an experiment with 480 young people. Two digital educational games have been created: one includes features found to appeal to young females and the other includes the opposite or neutral features. The results of this experiment will be used to validate the findings of the initial investigation and form the basis for a framework to facilitate the inclusion of characteristics that appeal to specific groups in educational games and other software

Female Under-Representation in Computing Education and Industry - A Survey of Issues and Interventions

This survey paper examines the issue of female under-representation in computing education and industry, which has been shown from empirical studies to be a problem for over two decades. While various measures and intervention strategies have been implemented to increase the interest of girls in computing education and industry, the level of success has been discouraging. The primary contribution of this paper is to provide an analysis of the extensive research work in this area. It outlines the progressive decline in female representation in computing education. It also presents the key arguments that attempt to explain the decline and intervention strategies. We conclude that there is a need to further explore strategies that will encourage young female learners to interact more with computer educational games

Effect of pretreatments and drying methods on some qualities of dried mango (Mangifera indica) fruit

The effect of pretreatments and drying methods on some qualities of dried mango fruits was studied.  The fruit slices were pretreated with three pretreatments – ascorbic acid dip at 31% w v-1 concentration, honey dip at 20% v v-1 concentration and steam blanching at a temperature of120°C and dried using three drying methods (sun, solar and oven drying).  In sun and solar drying the mango was dried for eight hours, while for oven drying six hours at an average temperature of32°C,41°C and65°C respectively.  Sliced mango fruits were soaked in the prepared solutions for four minutes, while the blanching was done for two minutes.  There were control samples for each drying methods.  Drying curves were generated and the drying rate, proximate composition, vitamin C and β-carotene contents of the dried fruits were determined.  The result showed that the pretreatment methods used did not have effect on the drying rate.  The nutrient analysis showed that mango samples treated with honey solution had the highest retention of vitamin C (140.35 mg per100 g) in sun drying method compared to ascorbic acid treated, steam blanched and control samples.  Also, for β-carotene, honey treated samples had the highest value of 5921.90 µg per100 g across the drying methods.  Proximate composition of the pretreated dried mango samples revealed that they are rich in vitamin C and β-carotene (antioxidant) which makes them healthy and nourishing and also important ingredient in the food industry for the production of food supplements and other functional foods

Effective Leadership in Times of Organizational Crises: The Interplay of Risk Perceptions, Trust, and Diversity

Organizations are faced with challenges which arise from the interplay of risk perceptions, trust, and diversity. Diversity is a broad term which highlights numerous differences and similarities in an organization in the areas of culture, age, qualification, gender, and attitudes in the workplace. Risk perceptions may have a more dominant impact on trust and leadership effectiveness than previously assumed. Trust has been identified as being essential in the effectiveness of charismatic leaders (Bass, 1985) and as being critical when leaders communicate information regarding a risky situation or crisis (Kasperson, Kasperson, Pidgeon, & Slovic, 2003). Too often, risky situations are explained rationally by leaders and experts who are then surprised when these communications are distrusted or rejected. Research, though limited, has found that an individual's affect-based perception of the risk significantly impacts whom and what we trust. The role of culture in how risks are perceived and experts are trusted is even less clear. Bringing together extant theory on leadership, perceived risks, trust, and culture, the present paper addresses how these forces impact trust and leadership effectiveness in an organizational setting and how effective leadership can create high impact in an organization

Use of oral mucoperiosteal and Pterygo-masseteric muscle flaps as interposition material in surgery of temporomandibular joint ankylosis: a comparative study

Background: The most common complication of surgery for the release of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) ankylosis is relapse of the ankylosis. To prevent re‑ankylosis, a variety of interpositional materials have been used. Aim: The aim was to compare the surgical outcome of oral mucoperiosteal flap, not hitherto used as interpositional material, with pterygo‑masseteric muscles flap after surgical release of TMJ ankylosis. Subjects and Methods: This was a prospective randomized study of all consecutive patients treated for the release of complete TMJ bony ankylosis, from January 2003 to December 2012, at the Oral and Maxillofacial unit of our institution. The patients were randomized into two groups: The pterygo‑masseteric group comprises 22 patients while the oral mucoperiosteal group had 23 patients. Information on demographics, clinical characteristics, and postoperative complications over a 5 year follow‑up period were obtained, and analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 13, Chicago, IL, USA). A P < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The age of the patients ranged from 15 to 28 mean 20.3 (3.35) years while the duration of ankylosis ranged from 2 to 16 mean 5.1 (3.4) years. The baseline demographic (gender; P = 0.92; side; P = 0.58) and clinical characteristics in terms of etiology (P = 0.60) and age (P = 0.52) were comparable in both treatment groups. All the patients presented with complete bony TMJ ankylosis with a preoperative inter‑incisal distance of <0.5 cm. The intraoperative mouth opening achieved ranged from 4 cm to 5 cm, mean 4.6 (0.27) cm and this was not different for either group (P = 0.51). The patients were followed up postoperatively for a period ranging from 3 to 5 years, mean 3.4 (0.62) years. The mouth opening decreased, over the period of postoperative review, from the initial range of 4–5 cm to 2.9–3.6 cm, and this was not different in both groups (P = 0.18). Conclusion: This study suggests that oral mucoperiosteal flap could be an option in the choice of interpositional materials in surgery of TMJ ankylosis.Keywords: Ankylosis, Interpositional materials, Temporomandibular join