Teachers’ Level of Understanding the Language of Mathematics as a Determinant of Students’ Achievement in Mathematics in Nigeria

The study examined the teachers’ level of understanding the language of Mathematics as a determinant of students’ achievement in Mathematics in Nigeria. Participants included 50 teaching teachers and 1500 students in Ekiti State, Nigeria, who answered questions on teachers’ level of understanding of Mathematical terms in  the daily use and applications, The data collected were analyzed descriptively using percentages, means and standard deviations. Hypotheses were analyzed using chi-square and t- test.  The outcome pointed out the connection between teachers’ level of understanding and competencies displayed during lessons, relationship between teachers’ level of understanding and students’ achievement in Mathematics among others. The study shed light on the extent to which qualification, experience and sex have relationship on teachers cogent interpretation and understanding of the Mathematical terms as determinant of  students’ achievement in Mathematics. It was suggested that secondary school teachers should learn to understand Mathematical language in order to use it correctly in the classroom Keyword: Register, Environment, Comprehend, Concept, Mathematics, Languag

Effects of Central Bank Financial Strength on Policy Outcomes - a Study of Selected African Countries

Aim/purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between financial strength and policy outcomes of central banks in Africa. This is against the background of challenging policy tasks facing African central banks and the fact that they increasingly have to respond to occurrences that stem from the volatile global financial system. Design/methodology/approach - Three panel regression models were developed and estimated to capture the effects of the financial strength of the central banks of ten selected countries on their inflation outcomes, official exchange rate, and interest rate. Annual data derived from the balance sheets of ten African central banks as well as macroeconomic variables from World Development Indicators for the period 2000-2014 were used for the empirical analysis. Findings - This study found out that: central bank financial strength is not a significant determinant of inflation outcomes in African countries; central bank financial strength has a significant impact on the determination of official exchange rate in Africa; and central bank financial strength is not a significant factor in the determination of interest rates by central banks in Africa. Research implications/limitations - A major implication is that central bank financial strength is necessary for result-oriented exchange rate policy in African countries. However, studies employing other estimation methods may make for more robust results. Also, the inclusion of central banks that report the results of their operations in other languages apart from English may make for better generalization. Originality/value/contribution - This study is unique in that it has focused exclusively on central banks of countries in Africa. It has also added value by considering the effect of central bank financial strength not only on inflation, but also on exchange rate and interest rate which are issues of serious concern in developing countries. (original abstract

Application of Taguchi Methods and Regression Analysis to Optimize Process Parameters and Reinforcements for Maximizing Composite’s Coefficient of Friction for Brake Disc Application: A Statistical Optimization Approach

for Al-CA-PB composites, with a focus on optimizing the coefficient of friction of the composite for brake disc production. The pumice, coal ash, and aluminum alloy were characterized using X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The Taguchi method was employed to design the experimental runs and to identify optimal process parameters and reinforcements for maximizing the composite\u27s coefficient of friction. At the same time, regression analysis was utilized to establish a robust mathematical model for predicting the composite\u27s coefficient of friction based on the process variables. The XRF characterization results revealed that aluminum alloy contained Al, Si, and Mg as the major elements. The analysis also shows that the predominant constituents in coal ash were Si, Al, Fe, Ti, and Ca, whereas that of brown pumice particulates were Si, Fe, Al, Ca, K, and Ti. The XRD characterization analysis revealed that brown pumice and coal ash consist of SiO2, Fe2O3, and Al2O3 as the major phases, making them well-suited as reinforcement in metal matrixes. According to the thermogravimetric and differential thermal analyses, the aluminum alloy, brown pumice, and coal ash have an onset temperature of 264.08, 724 °C, and 606.61°C, respectively, before deterioration. The optimal composite\u27s coefficient of friction of 0.661 (experimental) was achieved at 2.5vol% of brown pumice, 10 vol% of coal ash, 400 rpm stirrer speed, 700 °C pouring temperature, and 15 minutes stirring duration. The developed mathematical model shows an excellent level of coefficient of friction prediction, with an R-squared value of 99.42%, 97.82%, and 76.40% for R-square, adjusted R-square, and predicted R-square, respectively

Equal Channel Angular Extrusion Characteristics on Mechanical Behavior of Aluminum Alloy

Materials strengthened by conventional methods such as strain hardening, solute additions, precipitation and grain size refinement are often adopted in industrial processes. But there is limitation to the amount of deformation that these conventional methods can impact to a material. This study focused on the review of major mechanical properties of aluminum alloys in the presence of an ultrafine grain size into polycrystalline materials by subjecting the metal to an intense plastic straining through simple shear without any corresponding change in the cross-sectional dimensions of the sample. The effect of the heavy strain rate on the microstructure of aluminum alloys was in refinement of the coarse grains into ultrafine grain size by introducing a high density of dislocations and subsequently re-arranging the dislocations to form an array of grain boundaries. Hence, this investigation is aimed at gathering contributions on the influence of equal channel angular extrusion toward improving the mechanical properties of the aluminum alloys through intense plastic strain

Exchange rate policy regimes, private investment behaviour and economic growth in Nigeria (1960 -2020)

To improve economic growth acceleration, the Nigerian government should continue to formulate and implement several policies including exchange rate policy regimes. Exchange rate policy regime of any government could be a fixed exchange rate regime when the price of a country’s currency in terms of another country’s currency is fixed to a value by the monetary authority; it could be a floating regime when the price of a country’s currency in terms of another country’s currency is left to be determined by the forces of demand and supply, while a managed-floating regime is undertaken when there is an element of both fixed and floating regimes. Following the Barro (1990) theoretical framework, this study attempted to assess the effects each exchange rate regime has on the economy through the mechanism of private investment spending. The researcher carefully selected macroeconomic variables that have been considered in the econometric models for empirical analysis of the research study in this dissertation through statistical estimation techniques as guided by Barro (1990) and international studies, specifically that of Sahoo et al., (2012), in this area of study. These variables include GDP as an indicator for economic growth, Private capital, private sector credit, real exchange rate, interest rate, government capital expenditure, trade openness, exchange rate regimes dummies, total employment, and spending on health and education. Specifically, the study set out to empirically quantify the impact of both fixed and floating regimes on private investment spending and in turn, on economic growth in Nigeria.Through this study, the key determinants of private investment spending and economic growth in Nigeria. To achieve the study’s objectives and address the respective research questions, preliminary examinations of the data were conducted through the use of visual and unit root tests and some of the variables were found to be stationary at levels (i.e., (0)) while some are stationary in their first differences (i.e., (1)). The study proceeded to estimate both private investment and economic growth models simultaneously using Two-Stage Least Squares (TSLS) method

Breast cancer receptor status assessment and clinicopathological association in Nigerian women: A retrospective analysis

Background: Breast cancer markers are becoming increasingly important in breast cancer research due to their impact on prognosis, treatment and survival. The present retrospective study was carried out to quantify the proportion of estrogen (ER), progesterone (PR), and human epithelial receptor 2 (HER2) expressions and their association with tumour grade, age, and tumour size in breast cancer patients in Nigeria. Materials and methods: The paraffin embedded tissue sections were analysed for breast cancer markers using monoclonal antibody SP1 for ER and SP2 for PR and polyclonal antibody ErbB2 for HER2. Results: A total of 286 breast cancer paraffin wax tissue sections were analysed for ER, PR and HER2 expression. Of all the tissue samples examined, 20 (7%) were ER-positive, 6 (2.1%) were PR-positive, 11 (3.8%) were HER2-positive whereas 248 (87%) were triple-negative breast carcinoma. ER- and PR-positivity was associated with early grade I and II tumours (P 50mm (P < 0.0001). Conclusion: A small proportion of Nigerian women with breast cancer are ER/PR-positive which are associated with less aggressive, better prognosis and benefit from endocrine therapy. An even smaller proportion of patients with aggressive tumors were HER2-posivite but responsive to Herceptin treatment. Unfortunately, a very high proportion of cases were triple-negative which is associated with very aggressive tumours and no targeted treatment, which may explain the high mortality rates from breast cancer in Nigeri

Morphological spectrum and epidemiological profile of ovarian tumours in black West African women at Lagos state university teaching hospital, Ikeja, Nigeria

Background: This study was done to evaluate the histological types, frequency and age distribution of ovarian tumours in Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, Lagos State. This study also aims to classify ovarian tumours in this centre according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).Methods: A retrospective, descriptive hospital study of all ovarian specimens that were sent to the department of pathology and forensic medicine, LASUTH between 1st January, 2011 and 31st December, 2019 was done. Relevant data composed of the age distributions and histopathological types were extracted from the departmental information system and filed documents. The data was analysed using the IBM-SPSS version 25.0.Results: There were 198 cases of ovarian tumours. The mean age at diagnosis of ovarian tumours was 34.6±15.3 years. Unilateral ovarian tumour was observed in 91.9%% of cases while bilateral disease was seen in 8.1%. Primary ovarian tumours constitute 97.0% of all diagnosed tumours of the ovary. Germ cell tumour was the most frequently diagnosed ovarian tumour; and teratoma was the most common, representing 91.2% of germ cell tumours and 47.0% of all ovarian tumours. Primary ovarian cancer peaked at the 6th decade of life and metastatic ovarian cancer was infrequently seen. Serous carcinoma is the most commonly diagnosed ovarian cancer.Conclusions: Ovarian tumour presents most frequently at the 4th decade of life, and germ cell tumour is the most common