Effects of Photography on Acquisition of Sculpture Skills among Junior Secondary School Students in Osun State, Nigeria

The study investigated the effects of photography on acquisition of sculpture skills among Junior Secondary School Students in Osun State. Forty students were randomly selected from two schools. The two schools were purposefully selected from fifty secondary schools in Ife Central Local Government Council Area of Osun State based on the availability of Fine Arts Studio· Twenty students each were randomly selected into experimental and control groups. The experimental group was taught using photographic series while control group was taught using conventional method. The analysis of the data when subjected to t-test; shows that the t-table (1.697) in greater than t calculated (0.837) at the pre-test level and that the t-table (1.697) is greater than t calculated (0.8224 at the post-test level. The study concluded that there is significant difference between the academic performance of the subjects taught sculpture with photographic series and those taught without photographic series. The results also showed that students taught sculpture with photographic series had better retention ability than those students taught without photographic series

Uses of Computer and its Relevance to Teaching and Learning in Nigerian Educational System

This paper examined the uses of computer and its relevance to teaching and learning in Nigerian secondary schools. The need for computer education and its objectives in Nigerian educational system were identified and discussed. The roles the classroom teachers would play and the challenges they would have to face in using computer for instruction were also highlighted. Possible solutions were suggested to ensure successful implementation of computer education programme in Nigerian secondary schools.Key words: computer education, analog computer, digital computer, hybridcomputer

Dental Care Utilization and Satisfaction of Residential University Students

Aim: The objective of this study was to provide information on the level of utilization and satisfaction of residential university students with the dental services provided by the dental clinic of a teaching hospital. Volunteers and Material: A stratified sampling technique was used to recruit volunteers from the outpatient clinic of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Information was collected by a self-administered questionnaire composed of questions that measure the level of utilization and satisfaction with the dental services provided. Questionnaires were provided to 650 randomly chosen students residing in the University hostels. There were 39 refusals, and 6 incomplete questionnaires were discarded. This left a sample size of 605 volunteers. Results: Forty seven students (7.8%) indicated that they visited the dental hospital within the last 12 months. Males and females utilized the dental services equally, and utilization increased with age and the number of years spent on campus. Anticipation of painful dental treatment, high dental charges, long waiting times and being too busy for a dental visit were cited as the most important impediments to seeking dental treatment. Females expressed greater satisfaction with the services. Conclusion: Dental service utilization among the students was found to be low. Oral health awareness campaigns, improving the quality of the services, and shortening the waiting time are expected to increase service utilization and satisfaction. Keywords: dental care, utilization, satisfaction, young adults, Nigeria Libyan Journal of Medicine Vol. 3 (3) 2008: pp. 20-2

The pedagogical implications of information and communication technology on adult education: a case study of the osun state colleges of education, Nigeria

It is known that teaching entails systematic presentation of facts, ideas, skills, and techniques to students; therefore, the introduction of technology into adult learning means more than just making it works. This research work therefore seeks to find out the pedagogical implication of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on Adult Education in Osun State College of Education, Nigeria. One hundred (100) lecturers and one hundred (100) students of Osun State College of Education were used for the study. The instruments used for this study are questionnaires, drawn up based on the research questions. Results revealed that most of ICT facilities for teaching and learning are not available and that the attitude of lecturers and students towards the use of ICT in teaching and learning is good and positive. In addition, lecturers are also aware of the importance of using ICT in teaching and learning. Results also showed that the funding and supply of ICT facilities to departments are insufficient. From the results, the study recommended among others, that government should endeavour to supply necessary funds for the acquisition of relevant ICT equipments. In-service computer training should be given to all the staff including the management. Finally, the department should give individual students access to the use of 1C1 equipment.Key words: Pedagogy, Adult Education, Andragog

Dental Care Utilization and Satisfaction of Residential University Students

Aim: The objective of this study was to provide information on the level of utilization and satisfaction of residential university students with the dental services provided by the dental clinic of a teaching hospital. Volunteers and Material: A stratified sampling technique was used to recruit volunteers from the outpatient clinic of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Information was collected by a self-administered questionnaire composed of questions that measure the level of utilization and satisfaction with the dental services provided. Questionnaires were provided to 650 randomly chosen students residing in the University hostels. There were 39 refusals, and 6 incomplete questionnaires were discarded. This left a sample size of 605 volunteers. Results: Forty seven students (7.8%) indicated that they visited the dental hospital within the last 12 months. Males and females utilized the dental services equally, and utilization increased with age and the number of years spent on campus. Anticipation of painful dental treatment, high dental charges, long waiting times and being too busy for a dental visit were cited as the most important impediments to seeking dental treatment. Females expressed greater satisfaction with the services. Conclusion: Dental service utilization among the students was found to be low. Oral health awareness campaigns, improving the quality of the services, and shortening the waiting time are expected to increase service utilization and satisfaction

Ice as a protocellular medium for RNA replication

A crucial transition in the origin of life was the emergence of an informational polymer capable of self-replication and its compartmentalization within protocellular structures. We show that the physicochemical properties of ice, a simple medium widespread on a temperate early Earth, could have mediated this transition prior to the advent of membraneous protocells. Ice not only promotes the activity of an RNA polymerase ribozyme but also protects it from hydrolytic degradation, enabling the synthesis of exceptionally long replication products. Ice furthermore relieves the dependence of RNA replication on prebiotically implausible substrate concentrations, while providing quasicellular compartmentalization within the intricate microstructure of the eutectic phase. Eutectic ice phases had previously been shown to promote the de novo synthesis of nucleotide precursors, as well as the condensation of activated nucleotides into random RNA oligomers. Our results support a wider role for ice as a predisposed environment, promoting all the steps from prebiotic synthesis to the emergence of RNA self-replication and precellular Darwinian evolution

Illicit Drug Use and Adverse Birth Outcomes: Is It Drugs or Context?

Prenatal drug use is commonly associated with adverse birth outcomes, yet no studies have controlled for a comprehensive set of associated social, psychosocial, behavioral, and biomedical risk factors. We examined the degree to which adverse birth outcomes associated with drug use are due to the drugs versus surrounding factors. Data are from a clinical sample of low-income women who delivered at Johns Hopkins Hospital between 1995 and 1996 (n = 808). Use of marijuana, cocaine, and opiates was determined by self-report, medical record, and urine toxicology screens at delivery. Information on various social, psychosocial, behavioral, and biomedical risk factors was gathered from a postpartum interview or the medical record. Multivariable regression models of birth outcomes (continuous birth weight and low birth weight ([LBW] <2,500 g)) were used to assess the effect of drug use independent of associated factors. In unadjusted results, all types of drug use were related to birth weight decrements and increased odds of LBW. However, only the effect of cocaine on continuous birth weight remained significant after adjusting for all associated factors (−142 g, p = 0.05). No drug was significantly related to LBW in fully adjusted models. About 70% of the unadjusted effect of cocaine use on continuous birth weight was explained by surrounding psychosocial and behavioral factors, particularly smoking and stress. Most of the unadjusted effects of opiate use were explained by smoking and lack of early prenatal care. Thus, prevention efforts that aim to improve newborn health must also address the surrounding context in which drug use frequently occurs