The inclusion of guidance and counseling program into basic education curriculum for quality assurance

The study examined the inclusion of guidance and counselling programme into basic education curriculum for quality assurance in basic education. The study employed the use of descriptive research design. The sample consisted of two hundred basic education teachers in primary and junior secondary schools in Ondo West Local Government Area of Ondo State. Four research questions were raised. The use of self – designed questionnaire was employed which was validated by experts from curriculum studies and Educational Foundations and Counselling. The data gathered was analyzed with mean rank and standard deviation. The findings of the result shows the various guidance and counselling programmes to be included into basic education curriculum, the benefits derived from the inclusion of guidance and counselling programmes into basic education curriculum, the relationship between basic education and guidance and counselling and the challenges on the inclusion of guidance and counselling into basic education curriculum. Based on the findings, the study makes the following recommendations among others: Formal vocational education to be introduced at the Basic education level, so that pupils would be guided into the right thinking of appropriate careers to be perused, training and retraining of professionally qualified counsellors on regular basis and they should be involved in the formulation and implementation of curriculum for the basic education programme, well trained and competent Guidance and Counselling personnel, with thorough theoretical and practical knowledge, must be employed at schools. These people can help teachers to cope and deal with learners efficiently, government should provide adequate funds to all basic education in the country

Mathematical modeling of blanched and unblanched solar dried ginger rhizome varieties.

This research examines the mathematical modelling of blanched and unblanched solar dried ginger rhizome varieties. The Umudike ginger I and II (UG I and UG II) were blanched with an Electric water bath in the Soil and Water Laboratory, Agricultural and Bioresources Engineering Department, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, Abia State. The samples UG I and UG II, were blanched for 3, 6, and 9 minutes at 50℃ respectively. Each samples with the treatment were subjected to active solar drying in sequence. Also, blanched and unblanched UG I and UG II were subjected to active solar drying. The treatment was carried out at 10mm thickness for UG I and UG II rhizome. There were ten different mathematical drying models compared based on the correlation coefficient, mean bias error, root mean square error and reduced chi-square method. The various models used are efficient thin layer drying models and its best fitted model varies due to the blanched and unblanched treatments of UG I and UG II. It was also used to validate and predict equations for all the treatments. The Henderson and Pabis model was recommended for predicting the drying characteristics of blanched and unblanched UG I and UG II ginger rhizomes

Production Optimization of Fortified Foam-Mat Dried Yoghurt

This experimental study examines the effect of different production parameters such as moringa seed flour, ginger extract, forming agent, mixing time and drying temperature on the selected proximate and microbiological qualities of foam-mat dried yoghurt. The design and analysis of the experiment were conducted with the central composite design technique of the Design Expert statistical software. The study aimed at fortifying and optimizing the production of foam-mat dried yoghurt, which involves powdered milk, water, starter culture and flavour which are kept constant and followed by the addition of moringa seed flour, ginger extract and forming agent (egg white). Twenty-five experimental runs with the control experiment inclusive were carried out based on the mixture-process design matrix and the nutritional properties evaluated include moisture content, crude protein, fat content, ash content, carbohydrate content, total lactic acid, bacteria and fungi. Numerical optimization, via the desirability approach, was utilized to determine the optimum production parameters for the fortified foam-mat dried yoghurt. Graphical optimization was also used to display the prediction of all responses in the mixture-process factors space. Results got revealed that foam-mat dried yoghurt with 10.79 % moisture content, 12.115% crude protein, 0.552% ash content, 2.196% fat and 16.409% carbohydrate could be produced from 80% of fresh yoghurt, 5.466% of moringa seed flour, 7.534% of ginger extract, 7% of foaming agent, mixing duration 2.53mins, drying temperature at 50oC and 0.721 desirability index gave the optimum quality. The results of this work are of great use to the food and beverage industries as they provide a basis for selecting process parameters for optimal foam-mat dried yoghurt production. Prospects for more studies were suggested

Phase Change Tracking Approach to Predict Timing of Condensate Formation and its Distance from the Wellbore in Gas Condensate Reservoirs

Production from gas condensate reservoir poses the major challenge of condensate banking or blockage. This occurs near the wellbore, around which a decline in pressure is initially observed. A good sign of condensate banking is a rise in the gas–oil ratio (GOR) during production and/or a decline in the condensate yield of the well, which leads to considerable reductions in well deliverability and well rate for gas condensate reservoirs. Therefore, determining the well deliverability of a gas condensate reservoir and methods to optimize productivity is paramount in the industry. This research study aims to investigate fluid phase change behaviour in a gas condensate reservoir during depletion, to understand the problems encountered in well deliverability during production and to evaluate optimization techniques that could enhance deliverability. This requires a review of different techniques and methods used in the analysis of gas condensate reservoirs and of condensate saturation build-up in the system as a function of time to determine the occurrence of condensate in the vicinity of wellbore and a sensitivity analysis of the different parameters and how they affect well deliverability. A commercial compositional simulator (E300) was used to study gas condensate fluid flow using synthetic data to simulate a gas condensate reservoir by studying the compositional changes (i.e., C1, C2, C3, C4-C6...) in hydrocarbon content over time and/or distance from the wellbore by determining the timing of condensate banking as well as its distance from a well, and the results were used in turn as guidance to optimize condensate production. Typical scenarios such as those involving water injection and gas recycling were adopted in studying condensate banking. The result shows a considerable change in the composition of the fluid components with respect to fluid phase changes as the pressure declines during depletion. The earlier the pressure decline occurs, the quicker the change in phase and the closer to the wellbore the transition takes place, which leads to significant condensate loss. Simulation results show that water injection with the minimum pressure decline produces a higher condensate recovery factor of 93%, while gas recycling suffered from early phase change and a condensate recovery factor of only 66% was achieved. Altering the gas production rate in the gas recycling case reduced the phase change near to the wellbore and produced a better recovery factor of up to 82%. The findings of this study help to provide a better understanding of the hydrocarbon phase change near wellbores in gas condensate reservoirs from the gas phase to condensate. The suggested approach to tracking the timing and location of condensate formation can also assist the production engineers in managing condensate production and selecting appropriate optimization techniques to improve condensate recovery

Phenylenediamine-based bivalent glycocyclophanes: synthesis and analysis of the influence of scaffold rigidity and ligand spacing on lectin binding in cell systems with different glycomic profiles

The conjugation of carbohydrates to synthetic scaffolds has the goal of preparing potent inhibitors of lectin binding. We herein report the synthesis of a panel of bivalent compounds (cyclophane and terephthalamide-derivatives) then used to establish the influence of scaffold flexibility on respective inhibitory potency in a medically relevant test system. Synthetic routes to two phenylenediamine-based glycocyclophanes involving Ugi reactions of glucuronic acid derivatives and subsequent ring closing metathesis are described, as are improvements for producing terephthalamide-based carbohydrate carriers. Assays were performed with human tumour cells measuring quantitatively the influence of the test compounds on fluorescent surface staining by labelled lectins. Biological evaluation using two different lines of cancer cells as well as cells with known alterations in the glycomic profile (cells treated with an inhibitor of glycan processing and a glycosylation mutant) reduced the risk of generating premature generalizations regarding inhibitor potency. Bioactivity relative to free mannose was invariably determined for the synthetic compounds. A clear trend for enhanced inhibitory properties for macrocyclic compounds compared to non-macrocyclic derivatives was discerned for one type of glycocyclophane. Herein we also document the impact of altering the spacing between the mannose residues, altering cell surface ligand density and cell-type reactivity. The applied strategy for the cell assays is proposed to be of general importance in the quest to identify medically relevant lectin inhibitors

Identifying Multiple Risk Factors of Hypertension for Reducing the Prevalence of Peripheral Arterial Disease in Rural Central Appalachia

Introduction Hypertension occurs when there is persistent increase in the pressure of blood vessels in the body; this condition affects about 75 million people in the United States (U.S.). Hypertension is a major risk factor for Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD). PAD is a narrowing of the peripheral arteries in legs, stomach, arms and head regions of the body except the heart. Research has shown that hypertension can be life-threatening for patients with PAD. Moreover, research supports an evidence of a low threshold for blood pressure treatment in patients with PAD. Additionally, current American Heart Association guidelines recommend treating hypertension in patients with PAD to reduce the risk of other cardiovascular disease (CVD) comorbidities. In Central Appalachia, the rate of hypertension and the corresponding risk factors is higher than the national average. As such, this study examined the multiple risk factors of hypertension in patients with PAD within the Central Appalachian region. Method The study population consists of patients diagnosed with PAD in a large health system in Central Appalachia from 2008 to 2018. We extracted 13,455 patients with PAD from Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system using ICD- 9 and ICD-10 codes. The outcome variable of the study was hypertension in PAD patients. Explanatory variables included gender, age, and cardiovascular risk factors (myocardial infarction (MI), Body Mass Index (BMI), diabetes mellitus, smoking status, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, triglycerides, and hypercholesterolemia). Multivariable logistic regression was performed to assess the association between risk factors of hypertension in male and female PAD patients. All analyses were performed using SPSS version 24. RESULTS Of the total PAD patients in the study, 45.8% were females and 54.2% were males. Of these patients, 79.1%, 45.7% and 22.6% had hypertension, diabetes and a history of MI, respectively. Upon stratifying based on gender, the odds of hypertension in PAD female patients with a history of MI was approximately 5.4 times (OR: 5.4, CI : 1.80-16.21) and 2.6 times higher with diabetes (OR: 2.6, CI: 1.43-4.83). Whereas in PAD male patients, the odds of hypertension was 3.9 (OR: 2.6, CI: 1.61-9.21) and 2.6 times (OR: 2.6, CI: 1.43-4.83) higher in those with a history of MI and diabetes, respectively. Stratifying by MI, the odds of hypertension in PAD increased by 2.8 times in patients with diabetes (OR: 2.6, CI: 1.75-4.49). Stratifying by diabetes showed that the odds of hypertension in PAD increased by 4.7 times in patients with MI (OR: 4.7, CI: 1.32-17.07). CONCLUSION The study showed that odds of hypertension in PAD patients is increased in the presence of diabetes and history of MI in both genders. Therefore, controlling diabetes and myocardial infarction will have the greatest impact in reducing the likelihood of hypertension leading to decreased morbidity and mortality in patients with PAD

A Randomized Trial to Compare the Safety, Tolerability, and Effectiveness of 3 Antimalarial Regimens for the Prevention of Malaria in Nigerian Patients With Sickle Cell Disease.

BACKGROUND: Malaria prophylaxis is recommended for persons with sickle cell disease (SCD), but the value of this has been questioned. The aim of this study was to find out whether intermittent preventive treatment (IPT) with a fixed-dose combination of mefloquine-artesunate (MQAS) or sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine plus amodiaquine (SPAQ) was more effective than daily proguanil for malaria prevention in subjects with SCD. METHODS: Patients with SCD were randomized to receive daily treatment with proguanil or IPT with either MQAS or SPAQ once every 2 months at routine clinic visits. Patients were followed up for 14 months. FINDINGS: A total of 270 patients with SCD were studied, with 90 in each group. Adherence to the IPT regimens was excellent, but 57% of patients took <75% of their daily doses of proguanil. IPT was well tolerated; the most common side effects were vomiting and abdominal pain. Protective efficacy against malaria, compared with daily proguanil, was 61% (95% confidence interval, 3%-84%) for MQAS and 36% (40%-70%) for SPAQ. There were fewer outpatient illness episodes in children who received IPT than those who received proguanil. CONCLUSIONS: IPT with MQAS administered to patients with SCD during routine clinic visits was well tolerated and more effective in preventing malaria than daily prophylaxis with proguanil. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: NCT01319448 and ISRCTN46158146

GEMv2 : Multilingual NLG benchmarking in a single line of code

Evaluation in machine learning is usually informed by past choices, for example which datasets or metrics to use. This standardization enables the comparison on equal footing using leaderboards, but the evaluation choices become sub-optimal as better alternatives arise. This problem is especially pertinent in natural language generation which requires ever-improving suites of datasets, metrics, and human evaluation to make definitive claims. To make following best model evaluation practices easier, we introduce GEMv2. The new version of the Generation, Evaluation, and Metrics Benchmark introduces a modular infrastructure for dataset, model, and metric developers to benefit from each others work. GEMv2 supports 40 documented datasets in 51 languages. Models for all datasets can be evaluated online and our interactive data card creation and rendering tools make it easier to add new datasets to the living benchmark.Peer reviewe

GEMv2 : Multilingual NLG benchmarking in a single line of code

Evaluation in machine learning is usually informed by past choices, for example which datasets or metrics to use. This standardization enables the comparison on equal footing using leaderboards, but the evaluation choices become sub-optimal as better alternatives arise. This problem is especially pertinent in natural language generation which requires ever-improving suites of datasets, metrics, and human evaluation to make definitive claims. To make following best model evaluation practices easier, we introduce GEMv2. The new version of the Generation, Evaluation, and Metrics Benchmark introduces a modular infrastructure for dataset, model, and metric developers to benefit from each others work. GEMv2 supports 40 documented datasets in 51 languages. Models for all datasets can be evaluated online and our interactive data card creation and rendering tools make it easier to add new datasets to the living benchmark.Peer reviewe