BASIC SCHOOL TEACHERS’ KNOWLEDGE AND USE OF DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION

The school as a microcosm of the society in which it is situated is as diverse as the society. Heterogenous classrooms pose a challenge to teachers. Teachers have to work hard to overcome the challenge posed by teaching learners with diverse learning needs. Overcoming this challenge calls for teachers to be creative, dexterous, and innovative in applying differentiated instruction. The study sought to investigate basic school teachers understanding and use of differentiated instruction. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. A stratified sampling technique was used to sample 95 basic school teachers, comprising 44 private school teachers and 51 public school teachers. Data was collected using Differentiated Instruction Assessment Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results indicated that teachers who participated in the study did not have a good knowledge of differentiated instruction and its application in classrooms. Most of the teachers had not attended workshops and in-service training on differentiated instruction. With respect to the use of pre-determined teaching strategies, it can be concluded that teachers do not mostly employ such strategies in their classrooms. The study recommended that teachers are trained through in-service training and workshops on differentiated instruction and its application, as well as using multiple teaching strategies in teaching learners with diverse needs.  Article visualizations

Course transfer - a tripod capacity building approach

This paper presents Capacity Building (CB), Technical Assistance (TA) and Partnership Building (PB) as key elements to successful knowledge transfer, in this case course transfer. Water Supply and Sanitation for Low Income Communities course was transferred from WEDC in UK to UMI in Uganda. On the basis of the case, a Tripod Model is advanced as key to successful implementation of course transfer. The paper recommends CB at the local level instrumental to sustainability of course transferred especially when external support ceases

Major Development Communication Paradigms and Practices: Implications for Graphic Communication

Modernization, Dependency, and Multiplicity are three major concepts of development, which have occasioned the use of hierarchical and/or participatory communication practices in our society today. These significantly impact on the mediation role of the graphic encoder during media production process that could either afford or hinder development. Therefore, in order to adopt communication strategies that would produce desired outcomes, this paper focused on the implications of the major paradigms of development and communication practices on graphic communication. It employed a triangulation of research methods: the Critical-Historical-Analytic Examination, In-depth interviews, Focus Group Discussion and Content Analysis. The paper started with the centrality of graphic communication media to the success of development initiatives. Furthermore, it aptly presented an overview of the major paradigms of development vis-a-vis the key models of communication on which practices are hinged. Moreover, it copiously discussed the impact of the Source’s concept of development on mediation role of the graphic encoder during communication development. And it examined the impact of communication practices on produced media for campaigns in Africa. The paper ended with the need to adopt communication approaches that embed the graphic encoder and other stakeholders in order to produce effective graphic communication. Keywords: Major Development Paradigms, Communication Practices, Graphic Communication, Graphic Encoder’s Mediation, Media Production Process

Longitudinal Study of Type-2-Diabetes: A Profile Analysis at the Ketu-South Municipality

The main purpose of the study is to investigate the change in Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS) level over time and the effect of some plausible factors on this change for Type-2-Diabetes (T2D) patients on treatment. Retrospective data from the Ketu-South Municipal Hospital, Diabetes Unit, in Ghana in which patients’ FBS level and demographic data were monitored regularly every three months was used for the study. Profile analysis was used to study the pattern of change in the FBS level. The MANOVA test of parallelism showed at 5% significance level that religion was not parallel because there was significant differential in the pattern of change of the FBS level. The other covariates: gender, marital status, drug and education did not significantly differ at the 5% significance level and hence their profiles were tested for parallelism. The parallelism tests revealed that they were parallel and equal but deviated from flatnes

Coordinated dispersal and pre-isthmian assembly of the central American ichthyofauna

© The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press, on behalf of the Society of Systematic Biologists. We document patterns of coordinated dispersal over evolutionary time frames in heroine cichlids and poeciliine live-bearers, the two most species-rich clades of freshwater fishes in the Caribbean basin. Observed dispersal rate (DO) values were estimated from time-calibrated molecular phylogenies in LAGRANGE+, a modified version of the ML-based parametric biogeographic program LAGRANGE. DO is measured in units of wallaces (wa) as the number of biogeographic range-expansion events per million years. DO estimates were generated on a dynamic paleogeographic landscape of five areas over three time intervals from Upper Cretaceous to Recent. Expected dispersal rate (DE) values were generated from alternative paleogeographic models, with dispersal rates proportional to target area and source-river discharge volume, and inversely proportional to paleogeographic distance. Correlations between DO and DE were used to assess the relative contributions of these three biogeographic parameters. DO estimates imply a persistent dispersal corridor across the Eastern (Antillean) margin of the Caribbean plate, under the influence of prevailing and perennial riverine discharge vectors such as the Proto-Orinoco-Amazon river. Ancestral area estimation places the earliest colonizations of the Greater Antilles and Central America during the Paleocene-Eocene (ca. 58-45 Ma), potentially during the existence of an incomplete Paleogene Arc (∼59 Ma) or Lesser Antilles Arc (∼45 Ma), but predating the GAARlandia land bridge (∼34-33 Ma). Paleogeographic distance is the single best predictor of DO. The Western (Central American) platemargin did not serve as a dispersal corridor until the LateNeogene (12-0 Ma), and contributed relatively little to the formation of modern distributions

Bayesian decision theoretic two‐stage design in phase II clinical trials with survival endpoint

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/92361/1/sim4511.pd

Scientists’ warning to humanity on the freshwater biodiversity crisis

Funding was funded by National Science Foundation (US) (Grant Nos. 0614334, 0741450, 1354511), Svenska Forskningsrådet Formas (Grant No. 2016-02045), H2020 European Research Council (Grant No. AdG 250189) and Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Ciência Animal (Grant No. 306455/2014-5).Freshwater ecosystems provide irreplaceable services for both nature and society. The quality and quantity of freshwater affect biogeochemical processes and ecological dynamics that determine biodiversity, ecosystem productivity, and human health and welfare at local, regional and global scales. Freshwater ecosystems and their associated riparian habitats are amongst the most biologically diverse on Earth, and have inestimable economic, health, cultural, scientific and educational values. Yet human impacts to lakes, rivers, streams, wetlands and groundwater are dramatically reducing biodiversity and robbing critical natural resources and services from current and future generations. Freshwater biodiversity is declining rapidly on every continent and in every major river basin on Earth, and this degradation is occurring more rapidly than in terrestrial ecosystems. Currently, about one third of all global freshwater discharges pass through human agricultural, industrial or urban infrastructure. About one fifth of the Earth’s arable land is now already equipped for irrigation, including all the most productive lands, and this proportion is projected to surpass one third by midcentury to feed the rapidly expanding populations of humans and commensal species, especially poultry and ruminant livestock. Less than one fifth of the world’s preindustrial freshwater wetlands remain, and this proportion is projected to decline to under one tenth by midcentury, with imminent threats from water transfer megaprojects in Brazil and India, and coastal wetland drainage megaprojects in China. The Living Planet Index for freshwater vertebrate populations has declined to just one third that of 1970, and is projected to sink below one fifth by midcentury. A linear model of global economic expansion yields the chilling prediction that human utilization of critical freshwater resources will approach one half of the Earth’s total capacity by midcentury. Although the magnitude and growth of the human freshwater footprint are greater than is generally understood by policy makers, the news media, or the general public, slowing and reversing dramatic losses of freshwater species and ecosystems is still possible. We recommend a set of urgent policy actions that promote clean water, conserve watershed services, and restore freshwater ecosystems and their vital services. Effective management of freshwater resources and ecosystems must be ranked amongst humanity’s highest priorities.PostprintPeer reviewe

Massive stars in the giant molecular cloud G23.3−0.3 and W41

Context. Young massive stars and stellar clusters continuously form in the Galactic disk, generating new Hii regions within their natal giant molecular clouds and subsequently enriching the interstellar medium via their winds and supernovae.Aims. Massive stars are among the brightest infrared stars in such regions; their identification permits the characterisation of the star formation history of the associated cloud as well as constraining the location of stellar aggregates and hence their occurrence as a function of global environment.Methods. We present a stellar spectroscopic survey in the direction of the giant molecular cloud G23.3−0.3. This complex is located at a distance of ~4–5 kpc, and consists of several Hii regions and supernova remnants.Results. We discovered 11 OfK+ stars, one candidate luminous blue variable, several OB stars, and candidate red supergiants. Stars with K-band extinction from ~1.3–1.9 mag appear to be associated with the GMC G23.3−0.3; O and B-types satisfying this criterion have spectrophotometric distances consistent with that of the giant molecular cloud. Combining near-IR spectroscopic and photometric data allowed us to characterize the multiple sites of star formation within it. The O-type stars have masses from ~25–45 M⊙, and ages of 5–8 Myr. Two new red supergiants were detected with interstellar extinction typical of the cloud; along with the two RSGs within the cluster GLIMPSE9, they trace an older burst with an age of 20–30 Myr. Massive stars were also detected in the core of three supernova remnants – W41, G22.7−0.2, and G22.7583−0.4917.Conclusions. A large population of massive stars appears associated with the GMC G23.3−0.3, with the properties inferred for them indicative of an extended history of stars formation

Assessing Progress towards Sustainable Development Goals through Nexus Planning

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) acknowledge the inter-linkages between human wellbeing, economic prosperity, and a healthy environment and, hence, are associated with a wide range of topical issues that include the securities of water, energy and food resources, poverty eradication, economic development, climate change, health, among others. As SDGs are assessed through targets to be achieved by 2030 and monitored through measurable indicators, this study applied the nexus planning model to monitor and evaluate progress towards SDGs using South Africa as a case study. The study highlighted pathways to ensure socio-ecological sustainability and environmental health by establishing the connectivity between SDGs and nexus approaches. The linkages between SDGs and nexus planning facilitated the sustainable management of resources in an integrated manner. They addressed the cross-sectoral synergies, value-addition, and trade-offs within interlinked sectors. The connectedness of current challenges facing humankind (climate change, rapid urbanisation, migration, and the emergence of novel infectious diseases) require transformative approaches that address these cross-cutting challenges holistically. Managing the intricate relationships between distinct but interconnected sectors through nexus planning has provided decision support tools to formulate coherent strategies that drive resilience and sustainability. The established linkages between nexus planning and SDGs have strengthened cross-sectoral collaboration and unpacked measures for cooperative governance and management through evidence-based interventions. As food production, water provision, and energy accessibility are the major socio-economic and environmental issues currently attracting global attention; the methodology promotes attaining sustainability by 2030