Sociological Factors To Drug Abuse And The Effects On Secondary School Students Academic Performance In Ekiti And Ondo States, Nigeria

This study examined the influence of drug abuse on secondary school students in relation to their family background, family cohesion, peer group influence, and students academic performance. Descriptive research design of the survey type and an inventory were used for the study. The population comprised all secondary school students in Ekiti and Ondo States, while the sample consisted of 460 students that were found to be using drugs in Ekiti and Ondo states. Simple random sampling was used to select one school from each of the 16 local governments in Ekiti and one each from the 30 in Ondo state. Purposive sampling was used to select ten students from each school in the 16 local governments in Ekiti and ten each from the 30 local governments in Ondo states. The instruments used for collection of data were a self-designed questionnaire called Drug Abuse Questionnaire (DAQ) and an inventory for collection of students results. The data were analysed using Pearson Moment Correlation Analysis. The four hypotheses raised were tested at 0.5 level of significance. The study determined that there was significant relationship between family background, peer influence, family cohesion, and drug abuse. In the study, it was also discovered that drug abuse negatively affects students academic performance in Ekiti and Ondo States. It is therefore recommended that parents should give their children moral, social, psychological, and financial support to guide them against negative peer and societal influences

Large scale farming of green mussel in Ashtamudi Lake, Kerala

Green mussel, Perna viridis, farming is spreading fast in the lower stretches of Ashtamudi Lake in Kollam district of Southern Kerala. Huge demand for green mussel in the northern part of Kerala has resulted in significant increase in its price. The price has increased to ` 10,000 per gunny bag of 70 kg for medium sized mussel (50-100 mm) whereas larger ones (120 -150 mm) fetch prices as high as ` 400 per kg (8 pieces). This has prompted local fishermen to try mussel farming using on bottom method of mussel culture which some farmers practiced earlier with locally available seed

First report of Spotted reef crab off Vizhinjam coast

Carpilius maculatus (Linnaeus, 1758), commonly known as ‘Seven-eleven crab’, ‘Spotted reef crab’, ‘Dark finger coral crab’, or ‘Large spotted crab’ is a member of the family Carpiliidae. One male specimen of the spotted reef crab C. maculatus measuring 130 mm in carapace width was caught by a bottom set gill net along with Portunus sanguinolentus from the rocky area in Vizhinjam coastal waters

Capacity and Quality Assessment of Awba River Basin

This study aims at determining the feasibility of a Mini Water Supply Scheme to meet the growing water needs of The Polytechnic, Ibadan community. The assessment focused on determination of population of the subject community vis-à-vis the location, discharge capacity and quality status of Oba river basin, being the only perennial stream within the community, seeking possible opportunities for capacity building in the areas water based developmental activities. The entire population of the community was obtained by enumeration method with 10years projection considered at a growth of 4 percent on yearly basis. Water budget was arrived at on the basis of per capita per day, in accordance with the United State specification. Raw water supply was obtained through impounding system of reinforced concrete chamber, which serves as an alternative to costly dam construction. Grid survey was carried out to determine the topographical nature along the stream axis at proposed location of the impounding house. Hydrological studies were carried out on the river to obtain its rate of flow and the harvestable volume of raw water at each month of a year. This was used to determine the size of chamber and the impounding hours before pumping. Physico-chemical analysis of the raw water was carried out and the results compared with that of W.H.O’s 1996 guide line for drinking water as to dictate the design of treatment plant and the recommendable chemical dosage. The study thus reveals that the available perennial stream within the community is a resource that could be utilized to alleviate the problem of acute water shortage and create better environment for research and other developmental activities of the institution. Key Words: Population, Raw Water, Capacity and Quality Assessment, Treatment

Emerging clam fishery in Muthalapozhi Estuary

Muthalapozhi Estuary is located in northern part of Thiruvananthapuram District, Kerala. Perunguzhi and Azhoor are commercial bivalve landing centers located along the Muthalapozhi Estuary, where large-scale clam exploitation has emerged during the recent past (Fig. 1). This new development is due to the increased domestic demand for clams in Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra consequent to the decreased availability of clams in their traditional local clam fishing grounds

Large outbreak of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever in Iraq, 2022

Background Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is reported sporadically in Iraq. The lack of preventive veterinary activities during 2 years of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic (2020 and 2021) led to the largest CCHF outbreak in Iraq since 1979. Objective To describe the epidemiological characteristics of CCHF cases that occurred during the first half of 2022 in Iraq in terms of age, sex, residence, history of contact with another case, and history of contact with animals. Materials and methods This descriptive study included laboratory-confirmed cases of CCHF between 1st January 2022 and 26th June 2022. Frequencies and percentages were used to describe the demographic and epidemiologic criteria of the cases. The epidemic curve of the cases was used to describe the timing and duration of the outbreak. Results In total, there were 219 confirmed cases of CCHF from 1st January 2022 to 26th June 2022. The first confirmed case was reported in March 2022, and cases continued to occur through June 2022. The median age of the cases was 34.5 years. The majority of cases were male (n=130, 59.4%), had an unspecified job (n=126, 57.5%) and lived in southern Iraq (n=142, 64.8%). The first case was reported in week 10 of 2022. Case numbers peaked in week 24 (30 cases were reported), and subsequently declined in week 25 (24 cases were reported). The case fatality rate was 16.4%. Conclusion and recommendations The CCHF outbreak in 2022 was the largest in Iraq since the disease was first reported four decades ago. Identification of CCHF strains in Iraq is recommended, together with exploration of the knowledge, attitudes and practices of high-risk groups for CCHF, and a national survey of CCHF vectors in Iraq

Comparison between torsional spring constants of rectangular and V-shaped AFM cantilevers

The properties of force-sensing micro-cantilevers are of fundamental importance for measurements employing atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques. Due to the well-known arguments of Sader, it is generally accepted that V-shaped cantilevers are more sensitive to lateral forces than rectangular ones. We present results of numerical (finite element modelling) and experimental comparison between torsional spring constants of rectangular and V-shaped commercial AFM cantilevers. As representative example of such beams, we considered AFM probes available commercially. In particular, we tested scaled-up models of V-shaped cantilevers which had the same geometrical shapes as commercial AFM cantilevers. Both the rectangular and the Vshaped larger scale models were made of the same material; they had the same length, thickness, normal spring constant, as well as the same location and shape of the tip base. In the experiments and the simulations, an external lateral load was applied to the free end of the tip. A good agreement between the experimental work and finite element method (FEM) simulations was observed. The results show that the torsional spring constant of the V-shape cantilevers considered here was greater than that of the equivalent rectangular beams by up to 45%. The discrepancy with the results from Sader should be caused by differences in both the load transfer scheme and the geometrical shapes of the V-shaped beams

Participant-reported effect of an Indigenous health continuing professional development initiative for specialists

Background: Health outcomes of Indigenous patients are impacted by culturally unsafe specialty care environments. The ‘Educating for Equity (E4E)’ program is a continuing professional development (CPD) intervention which incorporates skill-based teaching to improve Indigenous patient experiences and outcomes in healthcare interactions. Methods: The E4E program was delivered to rheumatologists in two phases, each delivered as experiential learning workshops where participants engaged with and applied course content within an interactive format focusing on real-time feedback. The phase 1 workshop focused on skill development of E4E Framework concepts and principles. Phase 2 concentrated on building capacity for teaching of E4E content. Evaluation of the program’s effectiveness was through longitudinal responses to the Social Cultural Confidence in Care Survey (SCCCS), self-reported strategies employed to address social issues and improve therapeutic relationships, engagement with teaching others, and satisfaction with the program. Results: Two cohorts of participants have participated in the program (n = 24 Phase 1, n = 10 Phase 2). For participants completing both phases of training, statistically significant improvements were observed in exploring social factors with patients, gaining knowledge and skills related to cultural aspects of care, improved communication and relationship building, and reflections on held stereotypes. Strategies to address social issues and build therapeutic relationships remained consistent throughout participation, while the training enhanced exploration and confidence to ask about cultural and traditional practices, and stronger communication strategies for exploring beliefs, expectations, social barriers, and residential school impacts on health. Participants reported feeling prepared to teach Indigenous health concepts to others and subsequently lead teaching with residents, fellows, and allied health professionals. Satisfaction with the delivery and content of the workshops was high, and participants valued interactions with peers in learning. Conclusions: This CPD intervention had a beneficial impact on self-reported confidence and enhanced practice strategies to engage with Indigenous patients