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Abstract This study aimed to evaluate the Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) Mandatory Continuing Professional Development Programme (MCPDP) for Primary School Teachers in Ekiti State, Nigeria, between 2011 and 2021. Seventy public primary schools were purposively selected with teachers who attended MCPDP in Ekiti State, while 166 teachers (attendees and non-attendees of the MCPDP) between 2011 and 2021 participated in the mixed methods study. Key informant interviews were conducted with eight school head teachers and two senior TRCN officials. Findings indicate that most teachers agreed that the MCPDP fostered their cross-fertilisation of ideas and experiences and professional competence. The MCPDP interview results also reported to have improved PSCTs' teaching competencies, commitment, and continuous relevance to the teaching profession. Thus, we recommend that the MCPD should be continued, and the TRCN should intensify the funding of the MCPD Programme and create more public awareness.

ackground: Anaemia is one of the most common conditions affecting human physiology. Iron deficiency, with or without anaemia, reduces the working capacity of individuals and the entire population. The aim of the study was to establish the prevalence of anaemia; iron deficiency anaemia using serum ferritin levels and factors associated with iron deficiency anaemia among lactating mothers in the district. Materials & methods: This study was conducted at St. Elizabeth Hospital, Hwidiem in the Ahafo Region of Ghana. Full blood count analysis, serum ferritin, malaria and other measurements such as Body Mass Index (BMI) and diet assessment were done for all the participants. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information on risk factors and demographic characteristics. p>0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The overall prevalence of iron-deficiency anaemia among lactating mothers was 26%. The bivariate analysis showed 13 (50%) positive malaria participants (p = 0.011), 5 (63%) who experience loss of appetite most times (p = 0.003), 17(50%) participants who had no access to regular meal (p = 0.001), four or less antenatal visit (p = 0.004), once a week intake of meat and sea foods (p = 0.001), cereal and legumes intake 2-4 a day (p = 0.044) were associated with iron deficiency anaemia. Conclusion: IDA prevalence of 26% during lactation may be due to infant iron demands in breast milk. Measures must therefore be put in place for a thorough examination of anaemia in this population which should include the assessment of iron biomarkers and not just haemoglobin levels. Keywords: lactating mothers; iron deficiency; anaemia

This study examined the perceptions of pre-service teachers (PTs) at Nelson Mandela University in South Africa on the role of the Teacher Education Curriculum (TEC) in the Development of 21st-Century Skills (21CS) among PTs. Underpinned by the theories of self-regulated learning, Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge, and Planned Behaviour, the study adopted the descriptive survey research type of the non-experimental design. The study population comprised all PTs in the education faculty. 411 PTs were selected via purposive and simple random sampling techniques. PTs' Perceived 21CS Development Questionnaire (r = 0.97) was used in collecting the study’s data, which were analysed using Hayes macro process in SPSS version 26.0. Findings indicate that the South African TEC largely inculcates 21CS in PTs, the prevalent 21CS among PTs are collaborative, communication, critical thinking, and creativity skills (in that order), and PTs’ excess academic workloads, lack of digital competencies and literacy, and inadequate assessment of ICT-related skills are the main challenges militating against their development of 21CS. The study concludes that PTs positively perceive the TEC's potency in developing their 21CS for future teaching competencies and efficiencies. Recommendations are made.

Abstract This study explores the effect of competitive advantage on sustainability within Ghanaian microfinance institutions (MFIs), emphasizing the mediating role of strategic capabilities. We conducted a quantitative analysis using survey data from 500 managers representing 150 MFIs in Ghana, analyzed through structural equation modeling. Our findings indicate that competitive advantages and strategic capabilities have a positive significant influence on MFI sustainability. Additionally, strategic capabilities were found to mediate the relationship between competitive advantage and sustainability within Ghanaian MFIs. This study expands the theoretical framework by incorporating cost differentiation, pricing strategy, focus strategy, market strategy, efficient operations and risk management, innovation in product offerings, target market considerations, and client relationship management. We highlight how MFIs can maintain competitiveness through technology, partnerships, training, career development, and knowledge transfer. This mediated relationship underscores the crucial role of strategic capabilities in achieving sustainable operations. The study provides a conceptual framework for understanding MFI sustainability and offers a roadmap to enhance competitive advantage. By integrating elements from the competitive advantage theory and extending the resource-based view theory, this research contributes to the existing knowledge by clarifying the connections between competitive advantage and sustainability in the context of MFIs. Furthermore, the study addresses the dynamics of competitive advantage, strategic capabilities, and sustainability in a context with limited research. It offers practical implications for policymakers and practitioners, providing insights that can inform targeted interventions to enhance capacities and foster sustainability in the microfinance sector.

AbstractThe study examined the influence of university students’ religious literacy on their religiosity, while paying attention to their background characteristics such as field of study and religious affiliation. The urgency of this study lies in the fact that there seem to be numerous bizarre religious beliefs and practices that require people’s critical approach (religious literacy) towards these practices (religiosity). However, it appears that this kind of investigation is missing in earlier studies. Therefore, using the cross-sectional survey design, 90 university students reading English and 60 students reading Religious Studies at the university of Cape Coast were considered for the study. Descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation as well as inferential statistics such as Independent samples t-test, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and PLS-SEM were used to for data analysis. Results from the study showed high levels of religious literacy and religiosity of university students. In addition, no statistically significant differences were observed in university students’ religious literacy based on their field of study and their religious affiliation. Results of the study further indicated that university students’ religious literacy influenced their religiosity. It is recommended that the curriculum of Religious Education and other subjects should be developed with the aim of inculcating in students the philosophic conventions of critical literacy as to question the epistemic realities of some emerging religious beliefs and practices together with some sociopolitical occurrences in this contemporary pluralistic environment.

In this study, we consider Burgers’ equation with fixed Dirichlet boundary conditions on generic bounded intervals. By employing the Hopf–Cole transformation and a recently established exact operational solution for linear reaction–diffusion equations, an exact solution in the time domain is derived through inverse Laplace transforms. In the event that analytic inverses do in fact exist, they can be obtained in closed form through the use of Mellin transforms. Nevertheless, highly efficient algorithms are available, and numerical inverses in the time domain are always feasible, regardless of the complexity of the Laplace domain expressions. Two illustrative tests demonstrate that the results align closely with those of classical exact solutions. In comparison to the solutions obtained with series expressions or by numerical methods, closed-form expressions, even in the Laplace domain, represent a novel alternative, offering new insights and perspectives. The exact solution via the inverse Laplace transform is shown to be more computationally efficient, providing a reference point for numerical and semi-analytical methods.

Epiphyseal dislocations and fractures frequently occur in children and adolescents. However, these injuries seldom involve the distal femur, and bilateral cases are even rarer. We present an unusual case of bilateral epiphyseal detachment of the femur in a 21-year-old man who was involved in a traffic accident. Open reduction and fixation surgery were performed 5 days after the incident. The patient experienced favorable progress, with consolidation occurring at 3 months. No lower limb length discrepancies were observed at the 20-month follow-up. In summary, bilateral distal femoral epiphyseal detachment is an uncommon condition that can be effectively treated through surgical intervention.

Crop yield in sub-Saharan Africa is often limited by low phosphorus fertility. Farmers in the region can apply phosphate rock, which should increase the plant-available phosphorus level, but this may be prone to sorption in acid soils of the Sahel. The objective of this study was to determine phosphorus (P) sorption characteristics of four representative soil series in Sahelian Mali namely, Longorola (Gleysol), Danga (Fluvisol), Niessoumana (Arenosol) and Konobougou (Acrisol) under Tilemsi Phosphate Rock (TPR) treatment. Data for phosphorus sorption was obtained by equilibrating 5 g of soils for 7 days at room temperature in 50 ml of 0.01M CaCl2 containing six (6) rates of phosphate as TPR (0, 10, 20, 40, 80,160 mg/L). The linear form of the Langmuir equation was used to calculate sorption parameters of the soils. The Gleysol with the greatest clay content had the highest phosphorus sorption maximum which was over three times greater than that of the Acrisol with the least clay content. The sorption maxima in the range of 59–200 mg/kg were well estimated with Langmuir sorption isotherm (R2 ≥ 0.78). Soil organic matter and clay contents influenced phosphorus sorption from the TPR. The degree of phosphorus saturation ranged from 2.39 to 6.47 %, being greater in the Arenosol. In a two-season field experiment on the Haplic Acrisol, we tested on maize, the TPR in two forms (powder and pellet) in addition to water-soluble diammonium phosphate at different rates (0, 11 and 16 kg P /ha). The water-soluble DAP and TPR (powder) had similar effects (p < 0.05) on soil P availability but with DAP producing greater grain yields. This shows that application of TPR in powder form can improve phosphorus availability as water-soluble DAP with positive impact on grain yield. The study provides useful information on P sorption characteristics of TPR amendment in the Sahel.

The demand for cowhide (ponmo) is currently very high, particularly in Nigeria, due to rising commodity prices, including animal proteins, which has forced a larger percentage of the population who cannot afford meat, chicken, turkey or eggs to rely on other meat products such as “ponmo,” “kundi,” and “tinko” as an alternative source of protein. This research aims to identify microorganisms associated with ponmo, determine the antibiogram of the isolates, and assess the nutritional value of ponmo marketed in Ilishan-Remo central market. Six ponmo vendors were sampled for Dry White Ponmo (DWP), Wet White Ponmo (WWP), Wet Brown Ponmo (WBP) and Brown Ponmo Water (BPW) and transported in sterile containers to the Laboratory for analysis to determine the microbial load, sensitivity, and proximate analysis using standardized methods. For microbiological analysis, samples were tested in triplicate. All samples analyzed had a high microbial load count (from 1.1 x 106 to 1.4 x 107). The organisms isolated were Escherichia coli (34.21 %), Staphylococcus aureus (26.31 %), Klebsiella spp. (18.42 %), Pseudomonas spp. (13.15 %) and Coagulase-negative staphylococci (7.89 %). All the isolates were multidrug-resistant (MDR). Septrin had the highest resistivity (86.84 %) while gentamicin had the lowest resistance (7.89 %). Pefloxacin sensitivity was observed in 37 of the 38 isolates (97.37 % sensitivity). Ciprofloxacin and gentamicin came second and third (84.2 % and 73.68 % sensitivity) respectively. According to the proximate analysis, the WWP has more protein, fat, and fiber, whereas the WBP has more moisture. Food handlers should follow Good Hygiene Practices and take a Food Handlers Test regularly.

Kofi Boamah Mensah,1 Adwoa Bemah Boamah Mensah,2 Peter Yamoah,3 Jennifer Manfo,4 Richmond Amo,5 Ebenezer Wiafe,6 Neelaveni Padayachee,7 Varsha Bangalee8 1Department of Pharmacy Practice, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana; 2Department of Nursing, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana; 3Department of Pharmacy Practice, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Kumasi, Ghana; 4Pharmacy Department, Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana; 5Internal Medicine & Department of Herbal Medicine, University Hospital & Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana; 6Pharmacy Department, Ho Teaching Hospital, Ho, Ghana; 7Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; 8Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South AfricaCorrespondence: Kofi Boamah Mensah, Email kofimensah227@yahoo.co.ukIntroduction: The World Health Organization has reported a rise in cervical cancer in Ghana. Ghanaian women predominantly undergo opportunistic Pap smear screening for cervical cancer. Numerous studies have documented differences in the sociodemographic traits of participants undergoing Pap smear testing or screening, which correlates with their screening habits. This study aims to assess sociodemographic variables, including others that determine Pap test utilization at a single center in Ghana.Methods: A single-center survey was conducted by extracting data from the records of women who walked in for Pap smear testing. A telephone survey was also conducted among these women to document their barriers to utilizing the center. For data analysis, descriptive statistics and chi-square were utilized.Results: A total of 197 participants’ records were retrieved for the study. Most participants were market women (69.4%) and uneducated (71.4%). Their Pap smear screening records indicate that the majority (86%) had no history of cervical cancer screening, and only 3% tested positive for Pap smear test. Educational level, occupation and family history of cancer significantly correlated with participants’ Pap smear history (p< 0.05). However, most sociodemographic factors were not significant with the Pap test results of the participants (p> 0.05). The perceived barrier identified by most participants was the need for more information (67.40%) on the test.Conclusion: This study revealed that sociodemographic and gynaecological factors do not correlate with Pap test results. However, education level, occupation, and family history of cancer were significantly associated with the history of Pap smear uptake. The most significant barrier hindering Pap smear services was the need for more information.Keywords: pap smear, cervical cancer, sociodemographic factors, gynaecological factors, screening, women, Ghana

Abstract Soil erosion is a severe soil degradation problem that endangers the actualization of Sustainable Development Goals. It affects agricultural production by reducing soil fertility via topsoil translocation, leading to soil quality deterioration. A review of soil erosion modeling using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model shows that Nigeria lags behind other developing countries like Ethiopia despite the massive improvements provided by remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) technologies. Fewer than 50 articles were found on the Google Scholar search engine that used the RUSLE model for empirical studies on soil erosion. Only four research articles were found on the ScienceDirect website. Additionally, there were differences in the findings from studies across Nigeria. Such disparities were due to differences in the approaches used to estimate key factors in the RUSLE model. Therefore, we recommend that the Ministries of Agriculture and Environment take soil erosion research seriously by adopting proactive soil conservation and management measures. Ensemble models can be used including machine learning approaches rather than focusing mainly on structural intervention. In addition, there should be a harmonized look‐up table for the cover management factor and conservation practices factor that fairly represent the various ecoclimatic regions. The limitations to the model's use are highlighted, and a way forward is suggested.

We investigate the influence of professional development and attitudes towards the teaching profession on teaching effectiveness among primary school teachers in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Despite the recognized importance of teacher professional development, limited research has examined its specific impact on teaching effectiveness in this context. We address this gap using a sequential explanatory mixed-method research design. Quantitative data were collected from 230 primary school teachers through surveys, employing the Teachers’ Professional Development Scale (TPD), Attitude Towards Teaching Profession Scale (TAP), and Teaching Effectiveness Scale (TES). Qualitative data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with selected participants. Our results revealed that professional development significantly enhances teaching effectiveness (β = 0.194, p

AbstractThe purpose of this study is to determine how corporate social responsibility (CSR) promotes the financial performance of the telecom industry in Ghana. The study developed the role of mediating and moderating variables such as corporate reputation (CR) and customers’ purchasing intention (CPI). This study uses cross-sectional data from the telecom industry in Ghana. The structural equation model was employed through Smart PLS to explain the relationships between CSR and the firm’s financial performance. The findings indicate a positive and significant impact of CSR on firms’ financial performance. This implies that CSR has a direct relationship with a firm’s performance. The study has also revealed that CSR has a positive and significant effect on a firm’s performance through the mediating role of CPI. The finding again indicates that CR does not mediate the relationship between CSR and FP. The finding further shows that CPI does not play any moderating role between CSR and a firm’s financial performance. This study has added to empirical research to the body of knowledge on CSR and firms’ performance in the telecom industry. Entrepreneurs and senior management might use the study’s findings to improve a company’s success. A valuable contribution to this study is the mediating and moderating impact of CR and CPI, which can be reinforced further in future studies.

In consonance with the universal quest for sustainable development, the United Nations (UN) declared 17 global goals in 2015 known as the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Scholarly literature has highlighted the relevance of trees and forests (TFs) to this quest from various perspectives. However, the perspectives appear elitist, as they tend to exclude those of some seemingly ordinary but actually crucial actors whose activities directly affect the growth, health, and population of TFs, namely small-scale farmers, chainsaw operators, and artisanal miners operating particularly in rural areas in developing countries. The study examined the excluded perspectives of the said actors in selected rural comminutes in Ghana on the relevance of TFs to SD. The study was guided by the SDGs in its data collection, analysis, and reporting approach. Focus group discussions were held with the farmers and miners, while in-depth interviews were held with the chainsaw operators. The actors‘ perspectives generally indicated that TFs were relevant to seven, not relevant to six, and somehow relevant to four of the 17 SDGs. Although the actors saw TFs as important for SD, they (actors) were not favourably disposed to tree-planting for purposes of land restoration because they saw TFs as renewable resources with natural regenerative capacity. Stronger advocacy and more intensive sensitization by the central and local governments, forestry commission, and other pro-environmental organisations, institutions, and agencies on the importance of growing, nurturing, and conserving TFS for SD are recommended. Furthermore, the government should enforce regulations to stop the destruction of TFs by the actors to ensure a sustainable green environment for sustainable development.

Teaching and learning processes in Nigeria primary schools are worth a continuous assessment, monitoring and evaluation, as it is imperative that teachers and learners be abreast of the outcomes of their teaching-learning outcomes. This paper x-rayed the imports of assessment, monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning processes in primary schools in Nigeria; and the many challenges militating against their successful implementation at the level. The implications of these challenges especially for teachers were itemized. The paper concludes that for improved, effective, and sustainable teaching-learning interventions, regular, effective and efficient assessment, monitoring, and evaluation practices should be implemented and sustained in all primary schools; while the challenges militating against the assessment, monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning in Nigeria primary schools be fully addressed.

The occurrence of variations in building construction contracts is a subject that needs some attention in public sector projects. They are, almost all the time, detrimental rather than beneficial variations. The paper aimed to identify the nature of variations in government-initiated building projects over fourteen years, from 2000 to 2014, in the Central Region and their impacts. Preliminary counts of documents revealed that a total of 348 projects were executed over the period. The data collection process started by first sorting out files, contract documents, and payment certificates for the period under consideration. These documents were scrutinised one after the other to detect possible variations. The inclusion criterion for selecting a project was if a project had any form of variation(s) recorded. After thoroughly examining these 348 project documents, 84 were found to have variations. The study identified additional works and substitutions as the most inherent variations in public building projects in the Central Region. About 85 % of the variations found in the 84 projects with various forms of variations were additional works and substitutions. It was revealed that the cost of multiple variations was higher than single variations. Projects with multiple variations had high percentage variation and durations than others. Percentage variation in some instances was 400 %. The study identified that multiple variations were more costly than single variations. The highest variation cost identified was (USD 211 864.41 or EUR 183 150.18) for one project. The study identified the nature of variations that usually occurred in government building projects and their association with both cost and time. The study asserts that the presence of multiple change orders has substantial financial significance and should be diligently avoided through efficient project initiation and planning.

Organic agriculture (OA) claims to have the potential to address future ecological challenges in food production. However, there is a need to scale up OA in order to meet increasing consumer demand for organic foods. Against this background, this study examined the factors driving farmers to adopt organic vegetable production (OVP) and how much acreage they commit to it. We used structured questionnaires to gather data from 400 farmers in the northern regions of Ghana. To analyze the data, we used Heckman selection model in comparison to Cragg’s double hurdle regression and standard Tobit regression models. The results show that sex, age, education, extension visits, farmer association membership, the timing of production, and access to marketing information are the key factors influencing farmers to adopt OVP. The farmer's age, land ownership, economic status, and farmer association membership are the key factors influencing how much acreage farmers commit to OVP. In order to expand OVP adoption and the organic share of total cropland, strategies are needed to support farmer associations and encourage farmer participation.

Background: Nigeria is among the top five countries that have the highest gap between people reported as diagnosed and estimated to have developed tuberculosis (TB). To bridge this gap, there is a need for innovative approaches to identify geographical areas at high risk of TB transmission and targeted active case finding (ACF) interventions. Leveraging community-level data together with granular sociodemographic contextual information can unmask local hotspots that could be otherwise missed. This work evaluated whether this approach helps to reach communities with higher numbers of undiagnosed TB. Methodology: A retrospective analysis of the data generated from an ACF intervention program in four southwestern states in Nigeria was conducted. Wards (the smallest administrative level in Nigeria) were further subdivided into smaller population clusters. ACF sites and their respective TB screening outputs were mapped to these population clusters. This data were then combined with open-source high-resolution contextual data to train a Bayesian inference model. The model predicted TB positivity rates on the community level (population cluster level), and these were visualised on a customised geoportal for use by the local teams to identify communities at high risk of TB transmission and plan ACF interventions. The TB positivity yield (proportion) observed at model-predicted hotspots was compared with the yield obtained at other sites identified based on aggregated notification data. Results: The yield in population clusters that were predicted to have high TB positivity rates by the model was at least 1.75 times higher (p-value < 0.001) than the yield in other locations in all four states. Conclusions: The community-level Bayesian predictive model has the potential to guide ACF implementers to high-TB-positivity areas for finding undiagnosed TB in the communities, thus improving the efficiency of interventions.

With the adoption of the 2015–2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the United Nations (UN) Member States pledged to ensure that no one would be left behind. This article highlights the essentials (meaning, importance, history, framework, pillars, related key studies, and role of key actors) in respect of the ‘Leaving No One Behind’ (LNOB) pledge. The review shows that the LNOB pledge has three-pronged strategic development imperatives: (i) to end poverty in all its forms, (ii) to stop the discrimination and inequality that have resulted in unequal outcomes for the disadvantaged population, and (iii) to reach the furthest behind first. The framework for achieving the ambition is anchored on implementing the SDGs, ‘empowering the left-behind by ensuring their meaningful participation in decision-making; and enforcing equity-focused policies, and interventions with a dedicated budget to support rights-holders and duty-bearers to address the deprivations of the people left behind. The UN, Governments, Businesses, Civil Society Organisations and other actors should collaborate to translate the mantra into reality by addressing the pervasive societal issues of poverty, inequality, and discrimination. Germane to achieving the LNOB ambition are reliable disaggregated people-centered data, research, and stakeholder/actor commitment to the pledge.

Abstract One of the most important sources of water supply is groundwater. However, the groundwater level (GWL) is significantly impacted by the global climate change. Therefore, under these more severe climate change conditions, the accurate and simple forecast of farmland GWL is a crucial component of agricultural water management. A hybrid model (HM) of Bayesian random forest (BRF), Bayesian support vector machine (BSVM), and Bayesian artificial neural network (BANN) is built in this study. The HM is made up of a Bayesian model averaging (BMA) and three machine learning models: random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), and artificial neural network. These three HMs are employed to help automate logical inference and decision‐making in business intelligence for groundwater management. For this purpose, data on 8 separate climatic factors that impact GWL changes in the study area were acquired. Nine distinct farming communities' GWL change data were utilised as the dependent variables for each model fit (community data). The effectiveness of the HM techniques was assessed using the evaluation metrics of mean absolute error (MAE), coefficient of determination (R2), mean absolute percent error (MAPE), and root mean square error (RMSE). The model fit in Suhum had the greatest performance with the highest accuracy (R2 varied from 0.9051 to 0.9679) and the lowest error scores (RMSE ranged from 0.0653 to 0.0727, and MAE ranged from 0.0121 to 0.0541), according to the models' evaluation results. The BRF delivered the greatest results when compared to the two independent HMs, the BSVM and BANN. Future GWL and climatic variable data may be trained using the trained HM techniques to determine the effects of climate change. Farmers, businesses, and civil society organisations might benefit from continuous monitoring of GWL data and education on climate change to help control and prevent excessive deteriorations of global climate change on GWL.

Due to the negative impacts of poor environmental sanitation (ES) on the environment, economy, public health, and livelihoods, various efforts are constantly being made in countries all over the world, particularly by their governments, to regulate public behaviour to conform to acceptable sanitation standards. However, public compliance with sanitation regulations is low in Ghana, culminating in the lowering of the country’s international image in recent years as far as sanitation is concerned. The study examined the phenomenon of low public compliance with ES regulations in Ghana. Qualitative data were collected from purposively selected experts and key informants in ES management, using in-depth interviews. Data were analysed using the thematic technique. The findings revealed that the low compliance phenomenon was due to ineffective law enforcement, inadequate public education and sanitation infrastructure, low capacity of implementing institutions, lenient penalties, and poor sanitation culture. Compliance management seemed linear in theory, as it appeared the government could simply compel everyone to comply; but in practice, it was a complex problem that required a multi-dimensional solution. The government and its implementing agencies should commit to strict law enforcement, provide adequate ES facilities, undertake intensive public education on sanitation, provide adequate funding, and build the capacity of the implementing institutions to enforce compliance. There was the need to strategically combine coercive and catalytic approaches to ensure compliance with the regulations. The study contributes to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6 — access to water, sanitation, and hygiene — in Ghana.

Modern day computer vision tasks requires efficient solution to problems such as image recognition, natural language processing, object detection, object segmentation and language translation. Symbolic Artificial Intelligence with its hard coding rules is incapable of solving these complex problems resulting in the introduction of Deep Learning (DL) models such as Recurrent Neural Networks and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN). However, CNNs require lots of training data and are incapable of recognizing pose and deformation of objects leading to the introduction of Capsule Networks. Capsule Networks are the new sensation in Deep Learning. They have lived to this expectation as their performance in relation to the above problems has been better than Convolutional Neural Networks. Even with this promise in performance, lack of architectural knowledge and inner workings of Capsules serves as a hindrance for researchers to take full advantage of this breakthrough. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive review of the state of the art architectures, tools and methodologies in existing implementations of capsule networks. We highlight the successes, failures and opportunities for further research to serve as a motivation to researchers and industry players to exploit the full potential of this new field. The main contribution of this survey article is that it explains and summarizes significant current state of the art Capsule Network architectures and implementations.

We obtain symmetries of a family of difference equations and we prove a relationship between these symmetries and similarity variables. We proceed with reduction and eventually derive formula solutions of the difference equations. Furthermore, we discuss the periodic nature of the solutions and analyze the stability of the fixed points. We use Lie point symmetry analysis as our tool in obtaining the solutions. Though we have analyzed a specific family of difference equations in this paper, the algorithmic techniques presented can be utilized to tackle many other difference equations.

Factors influencing intrapersonal and interpersonal abuse, neglect, and quality of life have not received much attention from scholars. Few studies on intrapersonal and interpersonal abuse and neglect have focused on employees in organisations without addressing the problem from children or students' points of view. In light of this knowledge, the current study used a socio-ecological perspective to illustrate the factors that influence both intrapersonal and interpersonal abuse and neglect. These factors can be attributed to family structure, individual factors, macrosystem factors, contextual factors, quality of life, and emotional abuse.

The invariance method, known as Lie analysis, consists of finding a group of transformations that leave a difference equation invariant. This powerful tool permits one to lower the order, linearize and more importantly, obtain analytical solutions of difference and differential equations. In this study, we obtain the solutions and periodic solutions for some family of difference equations. We achieve this by performing an invariance analysis of this family. Eventually, symmetries are derived and used to construct canonical coordinates required for the derivation of the solutions. Moreover, periodic aspects of these solutions and the stability character of the equilibrium points are investigated.

We conducted a multiancestry genome-wide association study of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in 296,754 men (211,342 European ancestry, 58,236 African ancestry, 23,546 Hispanic/Latino and 3,630 Asian ancestry; 96.5% of participants were from the Million Veteran Program). We identified 318 independent genome-wide significant (P ≤ 5 × 10-8) variants, 184 of which were novel. Most demonstrated evidence of replication in an independent cohort (n = 95,768). Meta-analyzing discovery and replication (n = 392,522) identified 447 variants, of which a further 111 were novel. Out-of-sample variance in PSA explained by our genome-wide polygenic risk scores ranged from 11.6% to 16.6% for European ancestry, 5.5% to 9.5% for African ancestry, 13.5% to 18.2% for Hispanic/Latino and 8.6% to 15.3% for Asian ancestry and decreased with increasing age. Midlife genetically adjusted PSA levels were more strongly associated with overall and aggressive prostate cancer than unadjusted PSA levels. Our study highlights how including proportionally more participants from underrepresented populations improves genetic prediction of PSA levels, offering potential to personalize prostate cancer screening.

Michael Fokuo Ofori,1,* Emma E Kploanyi,1 Benedicta A Mensah,2 Emmanuel K Dickson,1 Eric Kyei-Baafour,1 Sampson Gyabaa,3 Mary Tetteh,4 Kwadwo A Koram,2 Benjamin K Abuaku,2,* Anita Ghansah1,5,* 1Immunology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana; 2Epidemiology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research,University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana; 3Ewim Polyclinic, Ghana Health Service, Cape Coast, Ghana; 4Begoro District Hospital, Ghana Health Service, Begoro, Ghana; 5Parasitology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Michael Fokuo OforiImmunology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Post Office Box LG581, Legon, GhanaTel +233 244 715975Fax +233 302 502182Email mofori@noguchi.ug.edu.ghPurpose: Malaria continues to be a major health issue globally with almost 85% of the global burden and deaths borne by sub-Saharan Africa and India. Although the current artemisinin derived combination therapies in Ghana are still efficacious against the Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) parasite, compounding evidence of artemisinin and amodiaquine resistance establish the need for a full, up-to-date understanding and monitoring of antimalarial resistance to provide evidence for planning control strategies.Materials and Methods: The study was cross-sectional and was conducted during the peak malaria transmission seasons of 2015, 2016, and 2017 in two ecological zones of Ghana. Study participants included children aged 6 months to 14 years. Using ex vivo 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) drug sensitivity assay, 330 Pf isolates were used to investigate susceptibility to five antimalarial drugs: chloroquine (CQ), amodiaquine (AMD) dihydroartemisinin (DHA), artesunate (ART) and mefloquine (MFQ).Results: The pooled geometric mean IC50S (GMIC50) of the five drugs against the parasites from Cape Coast and Begoro were 15.5, 42.4, 18.9, 4.6 and 27.3nM for CQ, AMD, DHA, ART, and MFQ, respectively. The GMIC50 values for CQ (p< 0.001), ART (p< 0.011) and DHA (p< 0.018) were significantly higher for Cape Coast isolates as compared to Begoro isolates. However, GMIC50 estimates for MFQ (p< 0.022) were significantly higher for Begoro isolates. Positive correlations were found between each pair of drugs with the weakest found between MFQ and DHA (r = 0.34;p< 0.001), and the strongest between ART and DHA (r =0.66; p< 0.001).Conclusion: The parasites showed reduced sensitivities to three (AMD, DHA and MFQ) out of the five drugs assessed. The study also demonstrated the continual return of chloroquine-sensitive parasites after 13 years of its withdrawal as the first-line drug for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria in Ghana. The ex vivo DAPI assay is a reliable method for assessing antimalarial drug sensitivities of Pf field isolates under field settings.Keywords: malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, anti-malarial drugs, field isolates, DAPI, uncomplicated malaria

Chung-Shien Lee,1,2 Sandhya Sharma,3 Emily Miao,4 Cheryl Mensah,5 Kevin Sullivan,2 Nagashree Seetharamu2 1Department of Clinical Health Professions, St. John’s University, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Queens, NY 11439, USA; 2Division of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Northwell Health Cancer Institute, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Lake Success, NY 11042, USA; 3Department of Hematology and Oncology, Denver Health, Denver, CO 80204, USA; 4Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; 5Weil Cornell School of Medicine, Department of Hematology and Oncology, Weill Cornell of Medicine, New York, NY, USACorrespondence: Nagashree SeetharamuDivision of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Northwell Health Cancer Institute, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, 450 Lakeville Road, Lake Success, NY 11042, USATel +1 516-734-8855Email nseetharamu@northwell.eduAbstract: Mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) are common amongst those with non-small cell lung cancer and represent a major factor in treatment decisions, most notably in the advanced stages. Small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) that target the EGFR, such as erlotinib, gefitinib, icotinib, afatinib, dacomitinib and osimertinib, have all shown to be effective in this setting. Osimertinib, a third-generation EGFR TKI, is a favorable option, but almost all patients develop resistance at some time point. There are no effective treatment options for patients who progress on osimertinib, but ongoing trials will hopefully address this unmet need. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive review of the data with EGFR TKIs, management of the toxicities and the ongoing trials with this class of agents.Keywords: non-small cell lung cancer, epidermal growth factor receptor, tyrosine kinase inhibitor

Research on Teachers of Color and Indigenous Teachers (TOCIT) has gained traction in recent years in educational scholarship. Yet very few studies have evaluated teacher education programs that prepare TOCIT within the U.S. context or have focused on the promising pedagogical practices used to prepare TOCIT. The challenge of doing program evaluation resides in the different institutional contexts and the limited time teacher education researchers have to look holistically and systematically at program design and evaluation. However, we can talk about exemplary practices that have been supportive in preparing TOCIT. This article describes various teacher education pedagogical and theoretical practices that have been used in the preparation of TOCIT within different types of teacher education programs. We discuss two common types of teacher education programs--traditional and alternative. We also discuss the policy landscape for these teacher education program types, focusing on practices used in TOCIT preparation. Recommendations are suggested for policymakers to work intentionally toward creating a diverse teacher workforce and providing support--resources and financial--throughout teachers' careers.

This article reports on a study conducted to assess the carbon storage potential of Bambusa vulgaris, the predominant bamboo species in Ghana. The study aimed to fill a knowledge gap on the potential of bamboo to sequester carbon for climate change mitigation in Ghana. Unlike previous studies that only focused on aboveground biomass, this study assessed belowground, litter, and coarse wood carbon pools. Allometric parameters and models were used to measure the aboveground biomass, while other carbon pools were directly measured. The results showed that the aboveground biomass of B. vulgaris had a carbon stock of 42.85 ± 9.32 Mg C ha−1, which was 73% of the total biomass carbon stock. The carbon stocks of belowground, coarse wood and litter were 8.57, 3.02, and 4.25 Mg C ha−1, respectively. The study also found that B. vulgaris had a high carbon dioxide sequestration potential of 215.39 Mg CO2e ha−1 compared to 147–275 Mg CO2e ha−1 for trees in general. The findings suggest that B. vulgaris could contribute to Ghana's transition to a low-carbon economy through carbon stock monitoring, reporting, and policy development to minimise the impact of climate change. Moreover, the inclusion of relevant carbon pools, including coarse wood and litter, in forest carbon estimates should be encouraged to provide a comprehensive understanding of the plant carbon cycle.

Acute toxicity of raw and treated greywater towards Daphnia magna was assessed in this study. Treatment was performed with exposure of greywater to the fly-lime mixture After 48 h of exposure, 100 % mortality of D. magna was recorded when testing the following volumetric fractions of the raw greywater streams in the tested liquid medium (%; v/v): 10 % for kitchen greywater, 5 – 10 % for bathroom greywater and 1.25 – 10 % for laundry greywater. After greywater treatment with the fly-ash-lime mixture with pH adjustment to 7.0, 80 % of neonates of D. magna survived after exposure to treated laundry greywater in all dilutions at 48 h. At the same time, 100 % of neonates survived exposure to treated bathroom and kitchen greywater at all volumetric fractions. Therefore greywater had acute toxicity to D. magna, i.e. greywater treatment was required before its discharge or reuse. Values of the Pearson’s correlation coefficient between the chemical components of the raw greywater and treated greywater and the survival of D. magna indicated a lack of statistically significant correlation at 5 % level of significance (p-value > 0.05 in all cases), i.e. the survival of D. magna was independent of the concentration of chemical constituents in greywater samples tested. Further studies will have to be conducted on the chronic toxicity of the greywater effluent after treatment with the fly-lime mixture. Experiments from this study will have to be re-run for the fully scaled-up version of the fly-lime mixture-based greywater treatment systems.

Fermented foods are becoming more popular due to their purported links to metabolic health and the gut microbiome. However, direct clinical evidence for the health claims is lacking. Here, we describe an eight-week clinical trial that explored the effects of a four-week kombucha supplement in healthy individuals consuming a Western diet, randomized into the kombucha (n = 16) or control (n = 8) group. We collected longitudinal stool and blood samples to profile the human microbiome and inflammation markers. We did not observe significant changes in either biochemical parameters or levels of circulating markers of inflammation across the entire cohort. However, paired analysis between baseline and end of intervention time points within kombucha or control groups revealed increases in fasting insulin and in HOMA-IR in the kombucha group whereas reductions in HDL cholesterol were associated with the control group. Shotgun metagenomic analysis revealed the relative abundance of Weizmannia, a kombucha-enriched probiotic and several SCFA producing taxa to be overrepresented in consumers at the end of the intervention. Collectively, in our healthy cohort consuming a Western diet, a short-term kombucha intervention induced modest impacts on human gut microbiome composition and biochemical parameters, which may be attributed to relatively small number of participants and the extensive inter-participant variability.

BACKGROUND: Early and delayed puberty are both associated with adverse health and psychosocial outcomes. OBJECTIVES: We assessed the impact of provision of small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplement (SQ-LNS) to mothers during pregnancy and 6 mo postpartum and to their children aged 6-18 mo, on pubertal status. METHODS: This study was a follow-up to a partially double-blind randomized controlled trial. At ≤20 wk, 1320 females were randomly assigned to receive daily: iron and folic acid during pregnancy and placebo 0-6 mo postpartum; or multiple micronutrients during pregnancy and 0-6 mo postpartum; or SQ-LNS during pregnancy and 0-6 mo postpartum and to their children from 6 to 18 mo. We re-enrolled 966 and 919 children at 9-11 y and 11-13 y, respectively. We calculated a total pubertal status score based on the Petersen Pubertal Development Scale (PDS) to assess growth spurt, skin changes, body hair, facial hair, voice break, breast development, and menstruation. Pubertal status was regressed on childs age to generate age-adjusted PDS z-scores (aPDSZ); we performed interaction and mediation analyses. RESULTS: Mean ± standard deviation aPDSZ did not differ between the SQ-LNS and non-LNS groups at 9-11 y (0.01 ± 0.95 compared with -0.01 ± 0.98; P = 0.958) but was more advanced in the SQ-LNS group at 11-13 y (0.07 ± 1.04 compared with -0.04 ± 0.98; P = 0.049) in the adjusted model. The effect of SQ-LNS varied by sex (P-interaction = 0.003) and household asset index z-score (P-interaction = 0.002): Puberty was more advanced in the SQ-LNS compared with non-LNS group among females (P = 0.007) but not males (P = 0.877), and within lower (P = 0.002) than average (P = 0.436) and higher (P = 0.332) socioeconomic households. CONCLUSION: Provision of SQ-LNS during the first 1000 d of life advanced pubertal status among females. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00970866 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/record/NCT00970866).