Coronavirus Disease: Implications for Paediatric Dental Care

The recent outbreak of the novel virus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused widespread public health concerns. The virus is responsible for the respiratory disease, coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which has rapidly spread to involve many countries in the world. The infection affects adults and children however, symptoms in childrenseems milder. Transmission occurs primarily through droplet spread or contact route. The unique characteristics of the dental settings makes it focal points for cross infection, this is particularly more serious in paediatric dentistry because the majority of affected children are often asymptomatic or have mild symptoms. This article provides a brief overview of the epidemiology, routes of transmission, and clinical features of COVID – 19 disease in children and implications for paediatric dental care. &nbsp

Bioavailability of organic contaminants in rivers

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University London LondonIn rivers, association of organic contaminants with dissolved organic carbon may limit freely dissolved or bioavailable fractions and toxicity of organic contaminants. Consequently, assessment of toxicity of organic contaminants on the basis of their total chemical concentrations may lead to overestimation of risks to organic contaminants. Therefore, to achieve reliable and accurate risks assessment for organic contaminants, determination of bioavailability is important. The influence of humic acid on the bioavailability of organic contaminants in rivers was studied, using three chemicals with different properties as model contaminants, which at the start of the study were detected in wastewater effluents. It was hypothesized that in the presence of dissolved organic carbon, a fraction of the total concentration of an organic contaminant would not be bioavailable in river water. Therefore, the aim of the study was to determine bioavailability and its impact on toxicity. Bioavailability in the presence of humic acid was determined chemically and using a yeast estrogen screen assay. The chemical method comprised solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to determine freely dissolved and the fraction of the chemicals associated with dissolved organic carbon. The results indicated increased binding to dissolved organic carbon with the hydrophobicity of the test compounds except for perfluorooctane sulfonate. The dissolved organic carbon-water partition coefficient for ethinylestradiol was determined to be Log KDOC 2.36. Log KDOC values of 4.15 and 4.41 at 10 and 100 mg/L humic acid, respectively, were derived for hexabromocyclododecane indicating greater binding than ethinylestradiol due to the more hydrophobic character. The yeast estrogen screen was used as a biological method to measure the effect of humic acid on the bioavailability of ethinylestradiol and a more hydrophobic compound, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane. Results of the yeast estrogen screen indicated that the presence of humic acid had no effect on bioavailability of either of the chemicals.Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Abuja, Nigeria

Physicochemical and microbial assessment of sewage from Ogwa and Ebelle Communities of Esan Land, Edo State

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NCE Students’ Perceptions on the Use of Library Course as an Aid to the Use of Library Resources in South-West, Nigeria

The study was carried out to survey NCE students’ perceptions on use of library course as an aid to their use of library resources in Colleges of Education in South-West Nigeria. The descriptive survey design was employed and four research questions guided the study. From a population of 60,481 students, a sample of 1,210 was drawn using the proportionate stratified sampling technique. Meanwhile, out of the 1,210 copies of the questionnaire distributed, 1,097 were fully completed (filled out) as retrieved and analyzed. It represents (90.66%) or approximately (91%) response rate and considered adequate because the standard and acceptable response rate for most studies is 60%. A questionnaire was the instrument used for data collection after validation by experts in the field, and pre-tested through Cronbach Alpha method that yielded 0.743 aggregate values. Complete data subsequently gathered from 1,097 copies of the questionnaire retrieved were analyzed by employing the statistical mean to answer the research questions and criterion mean placed at 2.50. Among the major findings of the study were: Students perceived use of library course as an aid to their use of all library resource categories examined in the study (that is, reference, reserve, circulation and serials resources). The study therefore recommends that students should be given increased opportunity to access “use of library course programme” as a veritable tool of enhancing their capacity for adequate use of reference resources among others in colleges of education in the region to ensure their effective integration into our 21st century society even after college life

Effect of seed age and soil texture on germination of some Ludwigia species (Onagraceae) in Nigeria.

Seed germination in Ludwigia was greatly influenced by seed age and soil type. In Ludwigia abyssinica germination was not influenced by seed age and soil texture. Freshly shed seeds and six month old seeds of Ludwigia decurrens variety B showed a very low percentage germination on all the germinationmedia, and six month old seeds germinated significantly earlier than freshly shed seeds. Some soil types could significantly reduce germination of freshly shed seeds of L. hyssopifolia, L. erecta, L. leptocarpa and L. octovalvis var linearis

Learning mathematics through mathematical modelling : a study of secondary school students in Nigeria

Masteroppgave i matematikkdidaktikk – Universitetet i Agder 2014The focus of this study is to investigate the impact that mathematical modelling activities may have in the learning process of mathematics amongst observed Nigerian secondary school students. I also wish to find out in what way mathematical modelling activities may help the observed Nigerian secondary school students to see the relevance of mathematics to real life. From a pedagogical perspective, I wish to examine if the application of modelling in the learning process of mathematics may be a vehicle for the enhancement and support of students' learning of mathematics as a subject. I started this thesis by looking at some past and present educational systems in Nigeria. This is to enable the readers to have an overview of Nigerian past and present educational systems. The data collection process involved ten senior secondary students from one of the public (government funded) senior secondary school in Lagos, Nigeria. At the beginning, I designed ten mathematical modelling problems for the observed students. But before the students started working with the tasks, I interviewed them to get their opinions first about mathematics as a subject, secondly their opinions about the way they were currently learning mathematics and thirdly, their opinions about the connection between the mathematics they are learning in the classroom and the real life use of mathematics outside their classrooms. This pre-interview session was followed by some engagement of the observed students with the ten modelling problems that I prepared for them although I solved two of the problems for the students as examples. This process lasted for three days. In the end, I again interviewed the same observed group of students so as to get their feedback/opinions about the modelling activities they went through in the past three days. The emphasis at this point was to check the impact this modelling activities have had on the observed students’ learning process. In Nigeria, secondary school students are taught mathematics in an authoritarian and traditional way. By this, I mean teacher-centred and lecture-based learning approach that only emphasizes the solving of exercises that must lead to correct answers. The consequence is that students are rarely shown or asked to link any mathematical problem to real life situations (modelling). This impression results from my personal experience at different stages of the Nigerian secondary school mathematics education system. In an effort to investigate the students’ learning process in mathematics and perhaps increase their interest in the discipline, alternative learning approaches that might offer different experience to students, may be introduced. My research follows this basis within the framework of Nigerian secondary school

Vliv vneseného tepla na tvrdost řezných hran při řezání plasmou

This thesis investigates the effect of heat input on the hardness of plasma-cut edges. Plasma arc cutting, a widely used cutting technique in the industry, is a thermal cutting process that uses a high-velocity jet of plasma to melt and remove material. The heat-affected zone and variants of the process, including standard, secondary medium, water injection, and other variations, are also discussed. The plasma arc-cutting machine and the heat energy distribution in the cutting process are described, and the benefits and safety considerations of plasma cutting are highlighted. The experimental procedure is presented, including the aim, materials, experimental setup, specimen preparation, and subsequently measuring the hardness of the cut edges using a standardized testing method. The results of the macrostructure testing, hardness measurement, and micro-hardness measurement are discussed, and the conclusion is drawn that the hardness of plasma cut edges is affected by the heat input during the process.Tato práce se zabývá vlivem vneseného tepla na tvrdost hran řezaných plazmou. Řezání plazmou je tepelný proces řezání, který využívá vysokorychlostní proud plazmatu k roztavení a odstranění materiálu z řezné spáry. V práci se diskutuje také o tepelně ovlivněné zóně a dalších variantách procesu, včetně využití sekundárního média a vstřikování vody. Je popsáno zařízení na řezání plazmou, dále rozložení tepelné energie v procesu řezání a jsou zdůrazněny výhody a bezpečnostní aspekty plazmového řezání. Je zde uveden experimentální postup včetně cílů, použitých materiálů, experimentálního uspořádání, přípravy vzorků a následného měření tvrdosti řezných hran pomocí standardizované zkušební metody. V práci jsou diskutovány výsledky zkoušek makrostruktury, měření tvrdosti a měření mikrotvrdosti a je vyvozen závěr, že tvrdost hran řezaných plazmou je ovlivněna množstvím vneseného tepla během procesu.345 - Katedra mechanické technologievýborn

Encouraging knowledge sharing behaviours in a Nigerian SME. An action research inquiry.

This thesis is about improving knowledge sharing in a Nigerian small-medium sized company that currently sees knowledge not being shared enough by key members of the organization and therefore, where key knowledge does not flow to those individuals that need it to effectively achieve their daily tasks. Using action research, the aim of this thesis is to identify the key factors that cause knowledge to be hoarded among the workforce in the company and then by addressing these factors, take action to improve knowledge sharing between organisational members. I have taken a social constructivism philosophical position to gain a better understanding of the organizational problem through collaborative learning with the members of the organization who impact and are impacted by the organizational problem of knowledge sharing. The first stage of the research consisted of preliminary steps, in which the diagnosis of the problem commenced with an extensive literature review to gain an understanding of the current state of research on the factors that impact knowledge sharing in organizations, followed by an exploration of the problem with organizational members to gain a better understanding of the problem in context of the organization. In the second action research cycle, the research employed a qualitative research method in which first hand data was collected through the use of face-to-face interviews with 13 members drawn from various departments within the organization. The collection of data through the course of these action research cycles was followed by a cycle of planning, taking action and reflection. The research revealed that the current nature of power, culture and organizational process in the organization, all have a significant impact on how, why and when members of the organization choose not to share their knowledge. Most significantly, the research also revealed that there exists a link between these factors of power, culture and organizational process in the form of an interrelationship that creates a complex web of impact on one another and ultimately combining to impact knowledge sharing within the organization. This knowledge culminated in the development of a knowledge sharing model of interconnectivity. These findings were then used in group meetings, where a collaborative effort was made together with members of the organization, to intervene and take action to bring about a resolution to the problem of poor knowledge sharing. The results of this collaborative effort, narrowed the scope of an initial first step intervention to the area of communication and reporting. Intervention meant that I made changes to my communication and reporting style and in my role as owner-manager, I withdrew from all direct official communications with organizational members not directly subordinate to me in the organizational hierarchy, instead, communicating solely to and through their respective managers. The results of this, were initially, an increased level of communication and collaboration between organizational members, who with my withdrawal, were forced to communicate more and share more knowledge between each other to resolve organizational issues while carrying out their daily tasks. However, even after intervening, some key knowledge was still being held back by those who possessed it and meant that knowledge sharing was still not sufficient enough to say that the problem of a lack of knowledge sharing within the organization had been resolved. The results of this intervention show that it takes time to unlearn behaviours that see individuals willingly volunteer to share knowledge in my organization. Therefore, to intervene further and see knowledge sharing being done in the short term, a knowledge broker officer (KCO) will be introduced to the organization, with the task of improving the interface between knowledge generators and knowledge users by acting as a physical link between them, i.e., physically taking knowledge from the knowledge holder to the knowledge seeker

The Impact of Leadership on the Governance of Infrastructure Development in Nigeria

Research literature has documented Nigeria\u27s leadership crisis since its independence from Great Britain in 1960. This crisis corresponds with political instability and infrastructure weaknesses, which have resulted in crime, corruption, poverty, lack of social cohesion and personal freedoms, environmental degradation, gender inequities, and deteriorating conditions of public works. No literature was located that addressed the impact of leadership on the governance and development of infrastructure in Nigeria. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate this phenomenon in Nigeria between 1960 and 2010. The theoretical framework comprised Burns\u27 and Bass\u27 theories of transformational leadership, and Davis\u27 and Toikka\u27s theories of transformation and transition in governance. Data were collected through personal interviews with a purposeful sample of 13 past presidents of Nigeria, public officials, and infrastructure development experts, and by reviewing secondary data on leadership and development in Nigeria during the period 1960-2010. Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method to identify patterns and themes. Findings showed that (a) political instability and the Nigerian civil war have been obstacles to infrastructure development and implementation; (b) military dictatorships implemented improvements, although they neglected rural areas; (c) a new national infrastructure plan must be funded, developed, and implemented; (d) corruption must be combatted in awarding project contracts; and (e) Nigeria\u27s governance should be based on a pragmatic-visionary form of leadership. The implications for positive social change include informing policy makers about the importance of infrastructure development in Nigeria in order to improve economic growth and the lives of citizens

The different traditional pre-slaughter handling methods for dogs at Jos south Local Government Area of Plateau State, Nigeria

The consumption of dog meat has been reported in many countries of the world including Nigeria. Different pre-slaughter handling methods are commonly used prior to dog slaughter in many parts of the country including Plateau State. This study determined the frequency and reasons for the use of the various traditional preslaughter handling methods at the “Angwan Kare” Dog Market Jos. Relevant data were collected from 120 butchers interviewed randomly in groups of 20 for six consecutive days. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics. A total of 120 butchers were interviewed, 114 (95%) used the strangulation method of preslaughter handling. The suffocation method was used by 2 butchers with 1.7% as the overall use frequency. The stunning method was used by 4 butchers with 3.3% as the overall frequency of use. It is evident from this study that the strangulation method with frequency of 95% is the most used of the pre-slaughter handling methods. Dog butchers should be trained and taught proper pre-slaughter stunning techniques to enhance meat quality and dog welfare through the relief of pain, fear and suffering.Keywords: Dog, Frequency, Handling, Market, Pre-slaughte