Modeling Student Enrollment at ETSU Using a Discrete-Time Markov Chain Model

Discrete-time Markov chain models can be used to make future predictions in many important fields including education. Government and educational institutions today are concerned about college enrollment and what impacts the number of students enrolling. One challenge is how to make an accurate prediction about student enrollment so institutions can plan appropriately. In this thesis, we model student enrollment at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) with a discrete-time Markov chain model developed using ETSU student data from Fall 2008 to Spring 2017. In this thesis, we focus on the progression from one level to another within the university system including graduation and dropout probabilities as indicated by the data. We further include the probability that a student will leave school for a limited period of time and then return to the institution. We conclude with a simulation of the model and a comparison to the trends seen in the data

The Comparative Analysis of Bonny Light& Bonny Medum Crude Oil Using Simple Distillation and Preflash Model For Maximum Distillate Cuts Recovery (Crude Oil Topping Refinery)

Although Nigeria is currently ranked as the eleventh largest crude oil producing country in the world, scarcity of refined products still exists within the country due to the sub-optimum performance of the four conventional refineries as none can boast of working above 60 percent of its design capacity. In an attempt to curb this saddening state, the country is faced with setting up modular topping refineries at strategic locations within the country as other alternatives seem to yield little or no result. This paper makes a comparative analysis on the simple crude topping unit, the preflash added model and the preflash-stripping-pump around model for maximum distillate cuts yield using Bonny light and Bonny medium crude sample. Crude oil characterization with the use of Aspen Hysys was done to reveal the maximum liquid volume fraction of the different distillate at an ideal condition. The different crude assays were simulated against the different topping refinery models where variation between the characterized and stimulated volumetric cuts in barrel per day was observed and analyzed. The analysis shows that Bonny light favours the production of off gas, light naphtha and kerosene while Bonny medium favours the production of heavy naphtha, diesel, gas oil and atmospheric residue. The best scheme for different distillates was also determined. The results gotten from this research will help both Nigerian and foreign investors to determine the preferable model for individual distillate products in terms of maximum yield

Literary criticism and theory in the African novel: Chinua Achebe and Ali Mazrui

No Abstract

The Nigerian novel and the postcolonial city

This thesis is a critical inquiry into the nature of the postcolonial African city as represented in fiction. It examines how the Nigerian novel represents the postcolonial African city and the extent to which it confirms or contests the dominant paradigms of scholarship in urban studies. In it, perspectives from urban studies are brought into conversation with literary representations of the postcolonial African city in contemporary Nigerian fiction thereby creating a nuanced synthesis of postcolonial literary studies and urban scholarship. Its provocative argument is that the postcolonial African city is both functional and legible despite its arguably squalid state and the undesirable living conditions of its subjects. Approaches that denigrate so-called Third World cities as particularly dystopic and illegible do not present the whole picture and are therefore one-sided and misleading. The Nigerian novel, it argues, reflects the need for rethinking of the dominant templates of urban studies to take into consideration the particularities and complexities of postcolonial cities. The thesis examines representations of the postcolonial city in four recent Nigerian novels: Ben Okri's The Famished Road (1991), Okey Ndibe's Arrows of Rain (2000), Chris Abani's GraceLand (2004), and Sefi Ata's Everything Good Will Come (2006). The selected novels' analyses foreground the argument that there is no universal template for theorizing the city; hence, there is a legitimate basis for talking about the postcolonial city both in conception and fictional representation. The thesis begins with an introduction which encompasses the aim, focal question, rationale, design/structure and the definition of key terms. This is followed by Chapter One which gives an insight into the state of the research field. The chapter reviews relevant scholarship with a view to situating modernity and the postcolonial city in Africa. In Chapters Two, Three, Four and Five, the primary texts, under various subtitles, are analyzed. The novels' representation(s) of the postcolonial (African) city, from different perspectives – like the problematic of legibility and spatial morphology, infrastructure, agency, urban governmentality, etc. – are critically examined. Chapter Six examines the place of bars and gender in determining the metro poetics of the postcolonial African city and how they are depicted in the selected novels. This is followed by the Conclusion, which summarizes the thesis by restating and highlighting its major argument and the ways in which it is elaborated upon in the fictional texts analyzed in the various chapters

Absence of effects of herbicides use on yam rots : a case study in Wulensi, Ghana

Yam farmers in Ghana have, over the years, used herbicides for weed control, particularly glyphosate. Although this has been helpful to them, there are complaints and concerns, among the yam farmers and a section of the public, that the yam tuber rots easily under the use of herbicides. This study, therefore, was set up at the field level to investigate the possibility of herbicides use causing yam rot. Two yam varieties, laribako and olodo, were grown under the conditions of chemical weed control (use of glyphosate) and manual weed control in three replicate sites in Wulensi in the Nanumba traditional area of northern Ghana. The study revealed that there was no difference in rots between herbicide treated yams and manually weeded yams, but that there was a difference in rots between laribako and olodo yam varieties. The results also showed that there was no difference in yield between herbicide treated yams and manually weeded yams. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that, there was no difference in yam rot and yield between herbicides treated and manually weeded yams, but laribako was more susceptible to rot than olodo

The politics of the evolution of global tobacco control: The formation and functioning of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)

The study investigates the politics behind the evolution of tobacco as a global issue leading to adoption of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in May 2003. The study relies on liberal-constructivist perspective to analyze the transformation of tobacco control between 1960 and 2003. The study uses a combination of elite interview and content analysis. It found that the presence of an international organization with constitutional powers in tobacco control, WHO and the diffusion and transfer of knowledge, information, and ideas about tobacco use and tobacco control contributed to the emergence of tobacco control as a global phenomenon and the FCTC

Association between Poor physical health and Depression among Blacks in Tennessee

Tennessee is a state in the United States South region, which is disproportionately burdened with higher levels of chronic disease and mental health disorders. Despite its unique cultural heritage and close-knit communities, the region faces a range of challenges related to access to mental health services, stigma, social and economic factors that can negatively impact mental health outcomes. Racial disparities in mental health among Black people are a significant challenge in the region that requires urgent attention. There is a need for increased funding for mental health initiatives in rural and underserved areas of Tennessee. The proposed study examines the association between physical health and depression among Blacks in Tennessee. We used cross-sectional data from the 2021 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System a nationally representative U.S. telephone-based survey of adults aged 18 years and extracted data for participants who self-identified as race/ethnicity Black, and who reside in Tennessee (n=476). Logistic regression analyses were conducted to test the association number of past month physically unhealthy days and depression (outcome). We controlled for income, race/ethnicity, educational status, gender, health insurance status, and age. Results indicate that 19.9% (n=195) reported having been diagnosed with depression, while 25.0% (n=119) reported 1-14 physically unhealthy days in the past month, and 15.3% (n=73) reported 15-30 unhealthy days. Our logistic regression analysis revealed that 15-30 physically unhealthy days (OR=4.47, 95% CI, 2.37, 8.40), 1-14 physically unhealthy days (OR=3.59, 95% CI, 2.07, 6.24), and female gender (OR=2.00, 95% CI, 1.14, 3.49). The findings reveal a strong association between physically unhealthy days and depression among Black people in Tennessee. Greater efforts to address both poor physical health and mental health among Blacks are essential. Efforts to improve access to mental health services, reduce mental health stigma, and address social and economic factors that can negatively impact mental health outcomes are essential to addressing this challenge, particularly among Blacks in Tennessee

The Determinants of Financial Inclusion in Western Africa: Insights from Ghana

There is low financial inclusion across developing countries, especially those in Sub-Saharan Africa including Ghana. This paper examines the determinants of financial inclusion in Western Africa with specific focus on Ghana. The data used in the analyses came from 1000 individual adults across Ghana and included people across the different wealth classes, occupations, geographical locations, gender and generations. Using the logit model, the determinants of individuals’ inclusion in the formal financial market were estimated. The results show that only two in five adults are included in the formal financial sector of Ghana. Age of individuals, literacy levels, wealth class, distance to financial institutions, lack of documentation, lack of trust for formal financial institutions, money poverty and social networks as reflected in family relations are the significant determinants of financial inclusion in Ghana. The implication of this for policy is that there is the need for governments in Western Africa, particularly Ghana and their development partners to formulate a holistic financial framework that seeks to mitigate the negative determinants of financial inclusion and sustained the positive ones. It is recommended that such a policy framework should be politically neutral, economically viable, gender sensitive, socially stable and financially feasible so as to make it sustainable. Key Words: Africa, Financial Inclusion, Financial Market, Ghana, Logit mode

The global tobacco control 'endgame': Change the policy environment to implement the FCTC

The World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC) has prompted major change in tobacco control globally. However, policy implementation has been uneven, making ‘smoke free' outcomes possible in some countries, but not others. We identify the factors that would improve implementation. We describe an ideal type of ‘comprehensive tobacco control regimes', where policy environments are conducive to the implementation of tobacco control measures designed to eradicate tobacco use. The ideal type requires that a country have certain policy processes: the department of health takes the policy lead; tobacco is ‘framed' as a public health problem; public health groups are consulted at the expense of tobacco interests; socioeconomic conditions are conducive to policy change; and, the scientific evidence is ‘set in stone' within governments. No country will meet all these criteria in the short term, and the gap between the ideal type and the current state is wide in many countries. However, the WHO experience provides a model for progres

Attitude of Trainee Teachers towards the Study of Agricultural Science in the Colleges of Education: the case of Gbewaa and St. John Bosco’s Colleges of Education in focus.

The study explored the extent to which parental occupation influenced the study of Agricultural Science in the Colleges of Education in Ghana. It also sought to identify the attitude of students towards Agricultural Science, determine the factors that influenced   attitude of students towards the study of Agricultural Science. Convenience sampling technique was employed to draw a sample of 120 respondents for the study. Descriptive cross-sectional survey design and a five- point Likert -type scale questionnaire was used to collect data from respondents in Gbewaa College of Education and St. John Boscos College of Education in the Upper East Region of Ghana. The results indicated that there was no significant difference in attitude of students with farming background and those without a farming background towards the study of Agricultural Science as a subject. Respondents from both Colleges had favourable attitudes towards Agricultural Science. However, some respondents perceived Agricultural Science to be difficult. It is therefore recommended that government could help provide teaching and learning resources to the Colleges of Education to help Tutors make lessons interesting and meaningful to students and also enhance understanding. Keywords: Parental occupation, Declining, Enrolment, Farming, Non-farmin