Multifaceted Skills in Business Education and Increased Productivity among Business Educators in Colleges of Education in Delta State

The study examined to which extent multifaceted skills possessed increase productivity among business educators in Colleges of Education in Delta State. The identified multifaceted skills in business education include financial skills, managerial skills and office technology skills. The study employed the descriptive survey design. Three research questions were raised and one null hypothesis was formulated to guide the study. A population and sample comprised all the seventy-two (72) Business Educators in the four Colleges of Education in Delta State. Data were collected through a fifteen-item structured questionnaire for each research question with a five point Likert-type rating scale. The questionnaire was duly validated and reliability coefficient was established at 0.83 using Cronbach Alpha test. The analysis of data collected was done using mean to answer the research questions and analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used at 0.05 level of significance for testing the null hypothesis. The study found out that the extent of multifaceted skills possessed by business educators, contributed to increased productivity among business educators in Colleges of Education in Delta State. Hence, the study recommended that there is need for quality training of skills in business education for business educators to acquire relevant multifaceted skills for the benefit of rewarding outcome. Keywords: Multifaceted Skills, Business Education, Increased Productivit

Problems and strategies for private sector development in Akwa Ibom state, Nigeria

Akwa Ibom State – Nigeria’s leading oil bearing state – is populated with over four million people, 72 percent of whom live below the poverty line. The state which is the 7th poorest nationwide, and the poorest in the South-South region of the country is usually referred to as a civil service state due to the absence of industrial activities in the area. Most salary earners in the state are employed in the civil service. This study was carried out to determine the causes of the underdevelopment of entrepreneurship in the state, as well as strategies that can be employed to stimulate private sector activities. Two hundred indigenous entrepreneurs were included in the study which took a survey design. Data were collected with the use of a questionnaire. The findings of the study show that inadequate capital, lack of experience, noncooperation among entrepreneurs, and inadequate governmental support were the major causes of the underdevelopment of the private sector in the state. It was recommended that a special business enhancement agency to fast-track private sector development in the state should be established by the government. Keywords: Economic development strategies, Infrastructural development, Private sector, Development, Indigenous entrepreneur

Assessing Communities of Practice in health policy : A conceptual framework as a first step towards empirical research

Peer reviewe

A scoping review examining the integration of exercise services in clinical oncology settings

Background Addressing questions surrounding the feasibility of embedding exercise service units in clinical oncology settings is imperative for developing a sustainable exercise-oncology clinical pathway. We examined available literature and offered practical recommendations to support evidence-based practice, policymaking, and further investigations. Methods Four thousand eight hundred sixty-three unique records identified in Embase, CINAHL, MEDLINE, Web of Science Core Collection, and ProQuest (Health and Medicine) were screened for studies that recruited cancer patients, assessed the co-location of exercise service and cancer treatment units, and reported findings on service implementation. Evidence from six studies providing data from over 30 programs was integrated using narrative synthesis. Results Service implementation was relatively modest across the included studies. Exercise services were delivered by physiotherapists, exercise physiologists, and kinesiologists and funded mainly through grants and private donations, with staff salaries accruing as the major expense. Service penetration, adoption, and acceptability were generally low. However, studies recorded high clinician/patient satisfaction. Major barriers to service integration were limited funding, lack of detailed implementation plan, and low organizational buy-in. Common reasons for non-utilization, missed sessions, and dropouts were lack of interest, unwellness, hospital readmission, disease progression, and adverse skeletal events. Conclusion Implementing exercise services in clinical oncology settings seems an effective approach for increasing access to exercise-based rehabilitation for individuals on cancer treatment. While this model appears feasible for patients/clinicians, efforts are required to optimize service integration both in the short and long term. Key priorities include seeking [local] actions to address issues relating to funding and organizational buy-in. Important considerations may include developing an implementation plan to guide the implementation process, expanding the patient core management team to include staff from the exercise rehabilitation unit, and exploring the role of patient feedback in increasing clinician participation (e.g., treating oncologists and nurses) in the referral process. Future research should consider effective strategies to promote patients’ sense of self-efficacy and behavioral control and, further, the place of audit and feedback in improving exercise service delivery and overall service implementation

52 Genetic Loci Influencing Myocardial Mass.

BACKGROUND: Myocardial mass is a key determinant of cardiac muscle function and hypertrophy. Myocardial depolarization leading to cardiac muscle contraction is reflected by the amplitude and duration of the QRS complex on the electrocardiogram (ECG). Abnormal QRS amplitude or duration reflect changes in myocardial mass and conduction, and are associated with increased risk of heart failure and death. OBJECTIVES: This meta-analysis sought to gain insights into the genetic determinants of myocardial mass. METHODS: We carried out a genome-wide association meta-analysis of 4 QRS traits in up to 73,518 individuals of European ancestry, followed by extensive biological and functional assessment. RESULTS: We identified 52 genomic loci, of which 32 are novel, that are reliably associated with 1 or more QRS phenotypes at p < 1 × 10(-8). These loci are enriched in regions of open chromatin, histone modifications, and transcription factor binding, suggesting that they represent regions of the genome that are actively transcribed in the human heart. Pathway analyses provided evidence that these loci play a role in cardiac hypertrophy. We further highlighted 67 candidate genes at the identified loci that are preferentially expressed in cardiac tissue and associated with cardiac abnormalities in Drosophila melanogaster and Mus musculus. We validated the regulatory function of a novel variant in the SCN5A/SCN10A locus in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our findings provide new insights into genes and biological pathways controlling myocardial mass and may help identify novel therapeutic targets

Impact of internet of things (IoT) in disaster management: a task-technology fit perspective

YesDisaster management aims to mitigate the potential damage from the disasters, ensure immediate and suitable assistance to the victims, and attain effective and rapid recovery. These objectives require a planned and effective rescue operation post such disasters. Different types of information about the impact of the disaster are, hence, required for planning an effective and immediate relief operation. The IoT technology available today is quite mature and has the potential to be very useful in disaster situations. This paper analyzes the requirements for planning rescue operation for such natural disasters and proposes an IoT based solution to cater the identified requirements. The proposed solution is further validated using the task-technology fit (TTF) approach for analyzing the significance of the adoption of IoT technology for disaster management. Results from the exploratory study established the core dimensions of the task requirements and the TTF constructs. Results from the confirmatory factor analysis using PLS path modelling, further, suggest that both task requirements and IoT technology have significant impact on the IoT TTF in the disaster management scenario. This paper makes significant contributions in the development of appropriate constructs for modeling TTF for IoT Technology in the context of disaster management

Comparative Analysis of Administrative Competencies of Male and Female Secondary School Principals in Supervision

The study aimed at comparing male and female secondary school principals\' administrative competencies in supervision. The sample was made up of 60 male and 60 female principals totaling 120 randomly selected from 10 existing educational zones in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Two hypotheses formed the basis of the study. One tested at 0.05 level of significance using t- test, while the other was tested using analysis of covariance and multiple classification analysis. The results showed that male principals were not significantly better in supervision than their female counterparts. Teaching experience had no significant influence on principals\' supervision competencies but administrative experience has great influence on their supervision competencies. African Research Review Vol. 2 (2) 2008 pp. 82-9

DEVELOPING HUMAN RESOURCES IN TERTIARY BUSINESS EDUCATION FOR YOUTH EMPOWERMENT AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

The paper observes that Nigeria's higher educational institutions have fallen short of expectations- their products (graduates) lack the skills required by the labour market and this trend results in mass graduate unemployment, since they would have assisted them to be self-reliant. The study investigated the relevance of higher-level business education human resources development for youth empowerment and national development in Nigeria. The ever-increasing pace of technological changes in the fields of business and economy generally has rendered the teaching of business skills and the training of skilled manpower ever more challenging. The problem posed by this development is the search for graduates and competent business educators with the knowledge and skills needed by employers of labour in business offices, industry and public sector. The task of producing skilled human resources development for youth empowerment, productivity, and efficiency in society lies with skilled trainers and the quality of the training institutions. The implications of the development of a virile higher-level skilled work force for the economy is critically analysed and recommendations are made to relevant publics, especially the universities and its tutors