Experiences Of Beginning Teachers In A Resident Teacher Program: A Phenomenological Study

There has been considerable attention and focus, in the field of education, on development support for beginning teachers. Beginning teachers are very important to the success and future of education. Their success in the classroom is very critical. The Resident Teacher Program or a teacher residency is a comprehensive means of providing beginning teachers with developmental support. This initiative is usually organized through the concerted efforts of a college of education and school district. Within this dissertation, attention is given to the potential or real benefits and to the successes and challenges of an existing Resident Teacher Program. In a review of the current literature, the voice of the resident teachers has not been heard. Therefore, lived experience in such a program has not been known. The purpose statement of this phenomenological study was to explore the perspectives of beginning teachers regarding their experiences in a Resident Teacher Program. This was to help in understanding what is meant to be a resident teacher. Six beginning teachers enrolled in a Resident Teacher Program were selected as participants and interviewed on two different occasions. The outcome of the study shows that resident teachers\u27 experiences is characterized by double commitment with a lot of responsibilities but double support; ability to bring what\u27s learned in graduate courses into classroom teaching; and confidence to transition into regular classroom teaching. Minor issues of concern to participants are discussed and future recommendations are offered

Estimating Passenger Demand Using Machine Learning Models: A Systematic Review

This article investigated machine learning models used to estimate passenger demand. These models have the potential to provide valuable insights into passenger trip behaviour and other inferences. The estimate of passenger demand using machine learning model research and the methodologies used are fragmented. To synchronise these studies, this paper conducts a systematic review of machine learning models to estimate passenger demand. The review investigates how passenger demand is estimated using machine learning models. A comprehensive search strategy is conducted across the three main online publishing databases to locate 911 unique records. Relevant record titles, abstracts, and publication information are extracted, leaving 102 articles. Furthermore, articles are evaluated according to eligibility requirements. This procedure yields 21 full-text papers for data extraction. 3 research thematic questions covering passenger data collection techniques, passenger demand interventions, and intervention performance are reviewed in detail. The results of this study suggest that mobility records, LSTM-based models, and performance metrics play a critical role in conducting passenger demand prediction studies. The model evaluation was mostly restricted to 3 performance metrics which needs improved metric for evaluation. Furthermore, the review determined an overreliance on the longand short-term memory model to estimate passenger demand. Therefore, minimising the limitation of the LSTM model will generally improve the estimation models. Furthermore, having an acceptable trainset to avoid overfitting is crucial. In addition, it is advisable to consider multiple metrics to have a more comprehensive evaluation

Predictors of noncompliance to antihypertensive therapy among hypertensive patients Ghana: Application of health belief model

This study determined noncompliance to antihypertensive therapy (AHT) and its associated factors in a Ghanaian population by using the health belief model (HBM). This descriptive cross-sectional study conducted at Kintampo Municipality in Ghana recruited a total of 678 hypertensive patients. The questionnaire constituted information regarding sociodemographics, a five-Likert type HBM questionnaire, and lifestyle-related factors. The rate of noncompliance to AHT in this study was 58.6%. The mean age (SD) of the participants was 43.5 (±5.2) years and median duration of hypertension was 2 years. Overall, the five HBM constructs explained 31.7% of the variance in noncompliance to AHT with a prediction accuracy of 77.5%, after adjusting for age, gender, and duration of condition. Higher levels of perceived benefits of using medicine [aOR=0.55(0.36-0.82),p=0.0001] and cue to actions [aOR=0.59(0.38-0.90),p=0.0008] were significantly associated with reduced noncompliance while perceived susceptibility [aOR=3.05(2.20-6.25),

Longitudinal estimation of Plasmodium falciparum prevalence in relation to malaria prevention measures in six sub-Saharan African countries.

BACKGROUND: Plasmodium falciparum prevalence (PfPR) is a widely used metric for assessing malaria transmission intensity. This study was carried out concurrently with the RTS,S/AS01 candidate malaria vaccine Phase III trial and estimated PfPR over ≤ 4 standardized cross-sectional surveys. METHODS: This epidemiology study (NCT01190202) was conducted in 8 sites from 6 countries (Burkina Faso, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, and Tanzania), between March 2011 and December 2013. Participants were enrolled in a 2:1:1 ratio according to age category: 6 months-4 years, 5-19 years, and ≥ 20 years, respectively, per year and per centre. All sites carried out surveys 1-3 while survey 4 was conducted only in 3 sites. Surveys were usually performed during the peak malaria parasite transmission season, in one home visit, when medical history and malaria risk factors/prevention measures were collected, and a blood sample taken for rapid diagnostic test, microscopy, and haemoglobin measurement. PfPR was estimated by site and age category. RESULTS: Overall, 6401 (survey 1), 6411 (survey 2), 6400 (survey 3), and 2399 (survey 4) individuals were included in the analyses. In the 6 months-4 years age group, the lowest prevalence (assessed using microscopy) was observed in 2 Tanzanian centres (4.6% for Korogwe and 9.95% for Bagamoyo) and Lambaréné, Gabon (6.0%), while the highest PfPR was recorded for Nanoro, Burkina Faso (52.5%). PfPR significantly decreased over the 3 years in Agogo (Ghana), Kombewa (Kenya), Lilongwe (Malawi), and Bagamoyo (Tanzania), and a trend for increased PfPR was observed over the 4 surveys for Kintampo, Ghana. Over the 4 surveys, for all sites, PfPR was predominantly higher in the 5-19 years group than in the other age categories. Occurrence of fever and anaemia was associated with high P. falciparum parasitaemia. Univariate analyses showed a significant association of anti-malarial treatment in 4 surveys (odds ratios [ORs]: 0.52, 0.52, 0.68, 0.41) and bed net use in 2 surveys (ORs: 0.63, 0.68, 1.03, 1.78) with lower risk of malaria infection. CONCLUSION: Local PfPR differed substantially between sites and age groups. In children 6 months-4 years old, a significant decrease in prevalence over the 3 years was observed in 4 out of the 8 study sites. Trial registration Clinical Trials.gov identifier: NCT01190202:NCT. GSK Study ID numbers: 114001

Linkages Between the Curriculum of Institutions Offering Clothing and Textiles and Their Allied Industry

There is a need for a link between the curricular of the clothing and textiles institutions and the professional practice in the industry. However, there seems to be a vacuum in the literature regarding the extent to which the curricular of the clothing and textiles institutions are linked to what their allied industry does. The purpose of this article was to examine the relevance of the curriculum of the clothing and textiles institutions to the large-scale clothing and textiles industries, from the perspectives of respondents. The study is expected to promote establishment of collaboration and linkages between Clothing and Textiles institutions and industry. Action research and multiple case study approach were employed for this qualitative research. The researchers used purposive sampling to select respondents. Face-to-face interview, with semi-structured interview guide and observation were used to collect data for the study. The sample size was twenty-two respondents taken from industry and academia. The outcome of the study showed the following: varied perception about relevance of curriculum to the expectations of the industry, non-existence of some relevant skills in the curricula, different industrial attachment practices, non-involvement of the industry in curriculum development and review, inadequate facilities. The following conclusion resulted from the analysis of the study: Curriculum of the institutions is largely perceived to be relevant but requires some updates; inadequate facilities/equipment in the institutions for student training. Keywords: Curriculum, industry, clothing and textiles, institutions, training. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-3-14 Publication date: January 31st 2021

Financial development in South Africa: The role of natural resources, IT infrastructure, and government size

AbstractThe purpose of this paper is to identify the driving elements of the South African financial sector. While South Africa’s financial sector appears robust, there exists a dearth of empirical research investigating the determinants of its development. Thus, this work assesses how three critical factors: natural resource abundance (NR), IT infrastructure, and government expenditure levels affect financial development (FD) in South Africa using annual data from 1971 to 2020. Preliminary findings show that the series are integrated, and they are cointegrated. Results from regression analysis suggest that the abundance of NR does not significantly contribute to financial development in South Africa. Conversely, advanced IT infrastructure, larger government size, and openness to trade are associated with a more developed financial sector. The implications of these findings are essential for policymakers and stakeholders in understanding the factors that drive financial development in South Africa. The study recommends that, among others, innovative approaches are needed to channel gains from natural resources effectively into the financial sector

Effects of Two Environmental Best Management Practices on Pond Water and Effluent Quality and Growth of Nile Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus

The trajectory of aquaculture growth in sub-Saharan Africa has necessitated closer attention to the use of environmental best management practices (BMPs). Two BMPs in particular, water reuse and floating feeds, are being promoted for adoption by pond fish farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. In this study, we investigated: (1) the effect of water source and feed type on water quality; (2) the effect of water source and feed type on tilapia growth; and (3) the quality of potential effluents from ponds using different water source and feed types. The study was conducted in Ghana using on-farm experiments involving monitoring of water quality and growth of Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus for 160 days. Although considered low-intensity production systems, nutrients and solids in the study ponds exceeded levels expected in intensive culture ponds by wide margins, whereas BOD5 was within the range for semi-intensive ponds. Floating feed was associated with higher water quality, especially dissolved oxygen, and higher growth, but water source did not significantly affect growth. Water reuse appears to be a viable BMP for sustainable aquaculture in the region, but the use of floating feed as BMP will depend on the economic profitability of floating feed use

Multifrequency-based non-linear approach to analyzing implied volatility transmission across global financial markets

Research background: The contagious impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened financial market's volatility, nonlinearity, asymmetric and nonstationary dynamics. Hence, the existing relationship among financial assets may have been altered. Moreover, the level of investor risk aversion and market opportunities could also alter in the pandemic. Predictably, investors in the heat of the moment are concerned about minimizing losses. In order to determine the level of hedge risks between implied volatilities in the COVID-19 pandemic through information flow, it is required to take into account the increased vagueness of economic projections as well as the increased uncertainty in asset values as a result of the pandemic. Purpose of the article: The study aims to examine the transmission of information between the VIX-implied volatility index for S&P 500 and fifteen other implied volatility indices in the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We relied on daily changes in the VIX and fifteen other implied volatility indices from commodities, currencies, and stocks. The study employed the improved complete ensemble empirical mode decomposition with adaptive noise which is in line with the heterogeneous expectations of market participants to denoise the data and extract intrinsic mode functions (IMFs). Subsequently, we clustered the IMFs based on common features into high, low, and medium frequencies. The analysis was carried out using Rényi transfer entropy (RTE), which allowed for the evaluation of both linear and non-linear, as well as varied distributions of the market dynamics. Findings & value added: Findings from the RTE revealed a bi-directional flow of negative information amid the VIX and each of the volatility indices, particularly in the long term. We found this behavior of the markets to be consistent at varying levels of investors' risk aversion. The findings help investors with their portfolio strategies in the time of the pandemic, which has resulted in fluctuating levels of risk aversion. Our findings characterize global financial markets to be "non-linear heterogeneous evolutionary systems". The results also lend support to the emerging delayed volatility of market competitiveness and external shocks hypothesis

Asymmetric relationships among financial sector development, corruption, foreign direct investment, and economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa

AbstractPrior studies on the relationship between FDI and growth have generally concentrated on mean effects, or average growth benefits. It seems improbable that the majority of sub-Saharan economies will have similar “average” economic growth, hence the emphasis on mean effects in particular falls short. All other drivers can be seen to have an impact based on the uneven growth rates of these economies. The current study brings new evidence about the asymmetric relationship between foreign direct investment (FDI) and economic growth amidst financial sector development (FSD) and corruption covering a sample period of 2002 to 2020 for 48 sub-Saharan economies. For this reason, the instrumental variables panel quantile regression technique is employed to achieve the purpose of the study. The study finds that FDI inflows have a significant positive relationship with economic growth for economies with low growth (less than 50% quantile) but negative at high growth levels (at quantiles 50% and beyond). Also, control of corruption significantly interacts negatively with FDI and GDP per capita irrespective of the GDP levels, whereas FSD significantly positively interacts with FDI to contribute to economic growth at various growth levels. Findings from the study imply that FSD promotes economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa at diverse growth levels. On the other hand, the interacting effect of control of corruption is inimical to FDI-growth nexus at all growth levels. It is pertinent that efforts are made by financial policymakers in sub-Saharan Africa to improve the local financial sector conditions to recuperate the economic advances from FDI