The Challenges of Music Teaching and Learning in Primary Schools in Offinso South Municipality

The purpose of the study was to explore the teaching of music and dance in primary schools in some selected schools in Offinso Municipality in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The research design was a survey design. The sample size was 50 teachers from primary schools in Offinso south municipality. The primary instruments for data collection used were interviews and questionnaire. It was found out that majority of the teachers at the primary school level have degrees in other subjects other than music and dance and this affected their teaching of music because they are not specialist teachers. Major challenges teachers encounter when teaching music and dance include lack of teaching implements, negative attitude of teachers towards the subject, and lack of textbooks. It was recommended that music and dance should be separated from the Creative Arts and make it an examinable subject like the other subjects in the National Curriculum. Keywords: Music and dance, Attitude, Generalist program, Specialist progra

Information seeking behaviour of faculty: The case of the College of Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana

The article sought to find the information seeking behaviour of faculty members of the College of Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. The survey method was employed. Questionnaire instrument was used to collect data on method of selectinginformation, type of information sought, purpose for seeking information, types of tools used and problems involved in seeking information. Seventy out of 110 responded. A little over half of the respondents sought information through reviewing articles; close to the same proportionconsulted the Internet; about four out of five of the respondents sought information for doing research work; and over three out of five sought information for preparing lecture notes. Majority of the respondents consulted textbooks for information while half consulted periodicals;and almost all the respondents used Google search engine to access information on the Internet. Sciencedirect and Ebscohost were the most used online journals. The commonest problems faced by respondents were unavailability of information, abstract instead of full-text documentsand very old textbooks in the library. Involvement of faculty members in the selection of textbooks and purchase of full-text documents by the library on behalf of faculty members among others were recommended to address these problems

In vitro kinetic study of growth and mineralization of osteoblast-like cells (Saos-2) on titanium surface coated with a RGD functionalized bisphosphonate

Osteoconduction and osseointegration are the critical stages for implantation success. Peptides containing RGD (Arg-Gly-Asp) adhesive sequence are known to promote cell adhesion and consequently to favor osseointegration of medical devices. In this study, RGD peptides were coupled to a bisphosphonate used as an anchor system and chemically adsorbed on polished titanium discs. Two different concentrations, 10−10 mol/L (RGD 10−10) and 10−4 mol/L (RGD 10−4) were compared to non coated discs (RGD 0). Adhesion, spreading, and mineralization of osteoblast-like cells (Saos-2) were assessed. Mineralization kinetic was done at 3, 6, 10, 14, and 18 days of culture; the extent of mineral deposits was quantified by image analysis. Histogram repartitions of nuclear area, characterizing cell spreading, showed a shift to higher values in cells cultured on RGD coated titanium disks. Mineralization started at day 3 in the three groups, but had a faster development in the RGD 10−10 group from day 6 to day 18 compared to RGD 0 and RGD 10−4. At day 18, the percentage of mineralized area was significantly higher for RGD 10−10 compared to RGD 0 (p < 0.05). In the present study, this new method was found suitable to anchor RGD containing species on titanium: this favored adhesion and spreading of osteoblast-like cells and mineralization compared to noncoated titanium

Pengembangan Buku Ajar Sejarah Kebudayaan Indonesia Berbasis Kearifan Lokal “Rimpu Tembe” untuk Meningkatkan Kreativitas Mahasiswa

Telah dilakukan penelitian dengan mengembangkan buku ajar sejarah kebudayaan Indonesia berbasis Kearifan Lokal “rimpu tembe” untuk meningkatkan kreativitas mahasiswa dengan tujuan mempermudah mahasiswa dalam mempelajari dan melestarikan  kebudayaan Indonesia khususnta budaya lokal Bima-Dompu. Data dianalisis secara deskriptif kuantitatif-kualitatif dengan hasil: pengembangan buku ajar sejarah kebudayaan Indonesia berbasis kearifan lokal “rimpu tembe” untuk meningkatkan kreativitas mahasiswa dinyatakan “sangat baik/valid” dengan persentase rerata 82%. Berdasarkan analisis kepraktisan dari kedua Respon Pengguna buku ajar sejarah kebudayaan Indonesia berbasis Kearifan Lokal “rimpu tembe” Untuk meningkatkan kreativitas mahasiswa dinyatakan “sangat praktis” untuk digunakan dengan persentase 90% . Sedangkan tingkat keefektifan buku ajar sejarah kebudayaan Indonesia ini, berdasarkan analisis deskriptif dengan kategori “sangat baik” dengan presentase ketuntasan 90%

A mathematical, classical stratification modeling approach to disentangling the impact of weather on infectious diseases: A case study using spatio-temporally disaggregated Campylobacter surveillance data for England and Wales.

Disentangling the impact of the weather on transmission of infectious diseases is crucial for health protection, preparedness and prevention. Because weather factors are co-incidental and partly correlated, we have used geography to separate out the impact of individual weather parameters on other seasonal variables using campylobacteriosis as a case study. Campylobacter infections are found worldwide and are the most common bacterial food-borne disease in developed countries, where they exhibit consistent but country specific seasonality. We developed a novel conditional incidence method, based on classical stratification, exploiting the long term, high-resolution, linkage of approximately one-million campylobacteriosis cases over 20 years in England and Wales with local meteorological datasets from diagnostic laboratory locations. The predicted incidence of campylobacteriosis increased by 1 case per million people for every 5° (Celsius) increase in temperature within the range of 8°-15°. Limited association was observed outside that range. There were strong associations with day-length. Cases tended to increase with relative humidity in the region of 75-80%, while the associations with rainfall and wind-speed were weaker. The approach is able to examine multiple factors and model how complex trends arise, e.g. the consistent steep increase in campylobacteriosis in England and Wales in May-June and its spatial variability. This transparent and straightforward approach leads to accurate predictions without relying on regression models and/or postulating specific parameterisations. A key output of the analysis is a thoroughly phenomenological description of the incidence of the disease conditional on specific local weather factors. The study can be crucially important to infer the elusive mechanism of transmission of campylobacteriosis; for instance, by simulating the conditional incidence for a postulated mechanism and compare it with the phenomenological patterns as benchmark. The findings challenge the assumption, commonly made in statistical models, that the transformed mean rate of infection for diseases like campylobacteriosis is a mere additive and combination of the environmental variables.fals

Waste management system: key determinants of green development and energy balance transformation

This article summarizes the arguments and counterarguments within the scientific debate on the issue of the waste management system as a key determinant of green development and the transformation of the energy balance. The main goal of the research is to analyze the structure of energy production and its impact on the environment in the context of waste management as a key determinant of green development, taking into account the current realities of the war in Ukraine. The systematization of literary sources and approaches to solving the problem of changing the structure of the energy balance within the framework of the green development paradigm proved that the scientific community began to more actively explore alternative ways of changing the structure of the energy balance, also the results of the bibliometric analysis proved the formation of several scientific directions in the study of the waste management system as determinants of the impact on green development and the transformation of the country’s energy balance. The urgency of solving this scientific problem lies in the fact that the production of primary energy produces about 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Accordingly, the main source of continuous work of all spheres of the national economy is one of the biggest sources of negative impact on the environment and climate change. The study of the issue of the waste management system as a key determinant of green development and the transformation of the energy balance in the article is carried out in the following logical sequence: the first stage – bibliometric analysis based on Scopus and Web of Science data; the second stage is a comparative analysis of the structure of the energy balance (production and consumption) of Ukraine; the third stage is scenario forecasting of the transformation of the energy balance based on the Brown model. The methods of bibliometric, comparative analysis and scenario forecasting became the methodical tools of the conducted research, the period of the study was 2000-2020. Ukraine was chosen as the object of the study, since it is important to study all possible ways of increasing economic, environmental and energy security, taking into account the war and post-war periods. The article presents the results of scenario forecasting, which proved that biofuels and waste are one of the promising sources of primary energy in the structure of the energy balance of Ukraine. The study empirically confirms and theoretically proves that the government of Ukraine needs to investigate promising directions for the modernization of the energy balance structure. The results of the conducted research can be useful for evaluating the transmission mutual effects of waste management, energy balance, public health, and the state of the environment

Temporal and spatial analysis of the 2014-2015 Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa

West Africa is currently witnessing the most extensive Ebola virus (EBOV) outbreak so far recorded. Until now, there have been 27,013 reported cases and 11,134 deaths. The origin of the virus is thought to have been a zoonotic transmission from a bat to a two-year-old boy in December 2013 (ref. 2). From this index case the virus was spread by human-to-human contact throughout Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. However, the origin of the particular virus in each country and time of transmission is not known and currently relies on epidemiological analysis, which may be unreliable owing to the difficulties of obtaining patient information. Here we trace the genetic evolution of EBOV in the current outbreak that has resulted in multiple lineages. Deep sequencing of 179 patient samples processed by the European Mobile Laboratory, the first diagnostics unit to be deployed to the epicentre of the outbreak in Guinea, reveals an epidemiological and evolutionary history of the epidemic from March 2014 to January 2015. Analysis of EBOV genome evolution has also benefited from a similar sequencing effort of patient samples from Sierra Leone. Our results confirm that the EBOV from Guinea moved into Sierra Leone, most likely in April or early May. The viruses of the Guinea/Sierra Leone lineage mixed around June/July 2014. Viral sequences covering August, September and October 2014 indicate that this lineage evolved independently within Guinea. These data can be used in conjunction with epidemiological information to test retrospectively the effectiveness of control measures, and provides an unprecedented window into the evolution of an ongoing viral haemorrhagic fever outbreak.status: publishe

The interactions of Alzheimer's amyloid peptides with artificial and biological membranes

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:DXN024914 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

An Integrative Review of K-12 Teachers' Strategies and Challenges in Adapting Problem-Based Learning

Problem-based learning has long been recognized as an innovative and effective instructional strategy for enhancing problem-solving and critical skills, which are essential for 21st-century employability. Despite its recognized benefits, PBL adoption in K-12 education remains limited due to significant implementation challenges. This integrative literature review investigates PBL instructional strategies and teachers' experiences, focusing on their challenges and the types of problems used in K12 classrooms, while analyzing empirical studies from 2004 to 2024. The study findings reveal teachers' challenges in terms of problem design and development, scaffolding, technology integration, assessment, and promoting student collaboration, with time availability being a recurring concern. Again, teachers' implementation strategies are flexible but could, however, be summarized into (1) preparing learners for PBL, (2) an iterative cycle of activities, and (3) presentation and evaluation. The findings also revealed that design problems dominate the type of problems that are incorporated into K-12 PBL implementation studies. Beyond setting the foundation for future research in the area, this integrative review offers a deeper understanding related to PBL's application in K-12 settings, providing valuable insight for educational stakeholders.Doctor of PhilosophyProblem-based learning (PBL) is a student-centered teaching method that supports the development of relevant problem-solving and critical-thinking skills which are critical for career success and employability in the 21st century. Although many studies have emphasized its effectiveness, it is not widely used in K-12 education. This limitation is attributed to different implementation challenges. This integrative literature review investigates PBL instructional strategies and teachers' experiences, focusing on their challenges and the types of problems used in K-12 classrooms, while analyzing empirical studies from 2004 to 2024. The study findings reveal teachers' challenges in terms of problem design and development, scaffolding, technology integration, assessment, and promoting student collaboration, with time availability being a recurring concern. Again, teachers' implementation strategies are flexible but could, however, be summarized into (1) preparing learners for PBL, (2) an iterative cycle of activities, and (3) presentation and evaluation. The findings also reveal that design problems dominate the type of problems that are incorporated into K-12 PBL implementation studies. Beyond setting the foundation for future research in this area, this integrative review offers a deeper understanding related to PBL's application in K-12 settings, providing valuable insight for educational stakeholders