scholarly journals Role of Agricultural Education Farm Workshop in Development of Students’ Skills in Indigenous Mechanized Technology for Self-Reliance in Rivers State

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-74
Author(s):  
Aleru P.D. ◽  
Lazarus S.T.
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Education ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Mean Value ◽  
Statistical Tool ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
Self Reliance ◽  
Education Workshop ◽  
Rivers State ◽  
Development Of Students

The study examined the role of agricultural education farm workshops in development of students’ skills in indigenous mechanized technology for self-reliance in Rivers State. Two research questions and two hypotheses were formulated for the study. The study adopted a descriptive research design. The sample size for the study was 293 respondents (278 students and 15 agricultural education lecturers) in the study area. The instrument for data collection was a self-structured questionnaire designed in a 4-point rating scale of agreement. The reliability of the instrument was established using the test-retest method which yielded 0.82. Data was analyzed using mean and standard deviation with a criterion mean value of 2.50 and above while a z-test statistical tool was used to test the null hypotheses at a significance level of 0.05. Findings from the study revealed that agricultural education workshop gives students access to hands-on-experience on the production of indigenous mechanized technologies for farming activities, improves students’ skills in construction and installation of agricultural indigenous mechanized tools. The study also revealed that agricultural education farm workshops inculcate students with the required skills in maintenance of indigenous mechanized farm equipment and aid students access to industrial workshop activities. Based on the findings, the study recommends that government at all levels should provide well-equipped farm workshops for agricultural education programmes to train and inculcate students with the necessary skills that will enhance the fabrication of agricultural indigenous mechanized technology.

scholarly journals The Role of Coconut Oil in Treating Patients Affected by Plaque-Induced Gingivitis: A Pilot Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (04) ◽  
pp. 558-565
Author(s):  
Francesca Ripari ◽  
Federica Filippone ◽  
Giulia Zumbo ◽  
Francesco Covello ◽  
Francesca Zara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coconut Oil ◽  
Mean Value ◽  
Plaque Formation ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Study Group ◽  
Clinical Parameters ◽  
Significant Drop ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
Student’S T

Abstract Objectives The aim of the study was to evaluate the coconut oil pulling efficacy as adjuvant in reducing plaque formation and in treating plaque-induced gingivitis. Materials and Methods A sample of 20 patients was divided into two groups: a study and a control group. In the study group, coconut oil, in form of mouthwash, was administered to a sample of patients affected by gingivitis, aged between 18 and 35. The protocol established a daily application of the product for 30 days, where clinical parameters for plaque formation and gingivitis—plaque index (PI), bleeding index (BI)—will be evaluated during the recalls on a specific periodontal chart. The control group did not associate a coadjuvant to the normal daily oral health procedures and the same clinical parameters were evaluated at t0 and after 30 days (t1). The data were statistically analyzed using Student’s t-test, establishing the significance level as p < 0.05. Results PI and BI decreased in both groups, with a more relevant and significant drop in the study group, from a mean value of PI of 58.0 to 19.3 and a mean value of BI of 33.5 to 5.0. In the control group, the values decreased, respectively, from 53.9 to 29.1 for PI, and from 33.5 to 16.2. Furthermore, no significant side effect was reported during coconut oil pulling therapy. Conclusions The collected data showed significant and promising improvements in reducing plaque formation and gingivitis. However, further researches have to be performed to have more consistent and statistically significant data on larger samples and to fully understand the mechanisms of action and effectiveness.

scholarly journals The Place of Skills Acquisition in Resolving the Social Problems of Unemployment in Rivers State. A Case Study of Rivers State Ministry of Women Affairs Skills Acquisition Graduates

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (7) ◽  
pp. 5548-5552
Author(s):  
Sw. Uranta Daniel ◽  
Adele B.N Biola
Keyword(s):  
Random Sampling ◽  
Social Problems ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Skills Acquisition ◽  
Statistical Tool ◽  
The People ◽  
The Social ◽  
Rivers State

The study investigated the role of skills acquisition in resolving the social problems of unemployment in Rivers State. The population of the study consists of all skills acquisition graduates of Rivers State ministry of women affairs, a sample of 50 skills acquisition graduates in the ministry was sampled using stratified random sampling technique. The questionnaire was structured in the likert scale of four (4) points, ranging from strongly agreed to strongly disagreed. The simple percentage statistical tool was employed for data analysis. The result of the findings showed that majority of the people had a positive opinion towards skills acquisition and it was recommended that government should carry out proper sensitization programmes in order to re-orientate the minds of the youths towards skills acquisition programmes.

scholarly journals Role of Agricultural Journalism on the Adoption of Agricultural Innovation among Farmers in Etche Local Government Area Rivers State

2020 ◽  
pp. 111-118
Author(s):  
N. S. Amadi ◽  
W. I. Raji
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Local Government Area ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Statistical Tool ◽  
Agricultural Innovation ◽  
Small Scale Farmers ◽  
Rivers State ◽  
Agricultural Journalism

The study examined the role of Agricultural Journalism on the adoption of agricultural innovation among farmers in Etche local Government Area Rivers State. The population of the study comprised all registered small scale farmers and extension workers in Etche Local Government area. The sample size of the study was 105 small scale farmers and 32 extension workers selected using simple random sampling techniques. The instrument used was a self-structured questionnaire title “Role of Agricultural Journalism on the Adoption of Agricultural Innovation among small scale farmers. The validation of the instrument was done by two experts and the reliability of the instrument was established using Cronbach Alpha reliability coefficient. However, the reliability index obtained was 0.86, which is acceptable for instrument consistency. Mean and the standard deviation were used to analyze the responses on each item. Items ≥ 2.50 were accepted, otherwise were rejected. Z-test statistical tool was employed to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study established that creating awareness on modern farming methods, providing information on the effectiveness of crop varieties, establishing the procedure of input combination, communicating the impacts and accomplishment of the innovation, disseminating agricultural research findings to farmers are roles of agricultural journalism on the adoption of agricultural innovation among farmers in Etche. The study recommends that agricultural research institutes should also utilize agricultural journalism to educate farmers on their new development. Agricultural journals should contain detailed information about the use of innovation.

Long-term dynamics and destruction of marsh vegetation in the Kolokolkova Bay of the Barents Sea

2012 ◽  
pp. 66-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. A. Lavrinenko ◽  
O. V. Lavrinenko ◽  
D. V. Dobrynin
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
Mean Value ◽  
Marsh Vegetation ◽  
Composition And Structure ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Species Composition And Structure

The satellite images show that the area of marshes in the Kolokolkova bay was notstable during the period from 1973 up to 2011. Until 2010 it varied from 357 to 636 ha. After a severe storm happened on July 24–25, 2010 the total area of marshes was reduced up to 43–50 ha. The mean value of NDVI for studied marshes, reflecting the green biomass, varied from 0.13 to 0.32 before the storm in 2010, after the storm the NDVI decreased to 0.10, in 2011 — 0.03. A comparative analysis of species composition and structure of plant communities described in 2002 and 2011, allowed to evaluate the vegetation changes of marshes of the different topographic levels. They are fol­lowing: a total destruction of plant communities of the ass. Puccinellietum phryganodis and ass. Caricetum subspathaceae on low and middle marches; increasing role of halophytic species in plant communities of the ass. Caricetum glareosae vic. Calamagrostis deschampsioides subass. typicum on middle marches; some changes in species composition and structure of plant communities of the ass. Caricetum glareosae vic. Calamagrostis deschampsioides subass. festucetosum rubrae on high marches and ass. Parnassio palustris–Salicetum reptantis in transition zone between marches and tundra without changes of their syntaxonomy; a death of moss cover in plant communities of the ass. Caricetum mackenziei var. Warnstorfia exannulata on brackish coastal bogs. The possible reasons of dramatic vegetation dynamics are discussed. The dating of the storm makes it possible to observe the directions and rates of the succession of marches vegetation.

Seasonal trends in the stable isotopic composition of snow and meltwater runoff in a subarctic catchment at Okstindan, Norway

2004 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.D. Gurney ◽  
D.S.L. Lawrence
Keyword(s):  
Isotopic Composition ◽  
Mean Value ◽  
Mean Values ◽  
Stable Isotopic Composition ◽  
Meltwater Runoff ◽  
Stable Isotopic ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Δ18o And Δd

Seasonal variations in the stable isotopic composition of snow and meltwater were investigated in a sub-arctic, mountainous, but non-glacial, catchment at Okstindan in northern Norway based on analyses of δ18O and δD. Samples were collected during four field periods (August 1998; April 1999; June 1999 and August 1999) at three sites lying on an altitudinal transect (740–970 m a.s.l.). Snowpack data display an increase in the mean values of δ18O (increasing from a mean value of −13.51 to −11.49‰ between April and August), as well as a decrease in variability through the melt period. Comparison with a regional meteoric water line indicates that the slope of the δ18O–δD line for the snowpacks decreases over the same period, dropping from 7.49 to approximately 6.2.This change points to the role of evaporation in snowpack ablation and is confirmed by the vertical profile of deuterium excess. Snowpack seepage data, although limited, also suggest reduced values of δD, as might be associated with local evaporation during meltwater generation. In general, meltwaters were depleted in δ18O relative to the source snowpack at the peak of the melt (June), but later in the year (August) the difference between the two was not statistically significant. The diurnal pattern of isotopic composition indicates that the most depleted meltwaters coincide with the peak in temperature and, hence, meltwater production.

The SORS Decision-Making Support System: A statistical tool for better policy making in the Republic of Serbia

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Miladin Kovačević ◽  
Katarina Stančić
Keyword(s):  
Policy Making ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
Public Debate ◽  
Statistical Tool ◽  
The Public ◽  
System A ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Trusted Data

Modern society is witnessing a data revolution which necessarily entails changes to the overall behavior of citizens, governments and companies. This is a big challenge and an opportunity for National Statistics Offices (NSOs). Especially after the outbreak of COVID-19, when the public debate about the number of mortalities and tested and infected persons escalated, trusted data is required more than ever. Which data can modern society trust? Are modern societies being subjected to opinion rather than fact? This paper introduces a new statistical tool to facilitate policy-making based on trusted statistics. Using economic indicators to illustrate implementation, the new statistical tool is shown to be a flexible instrument for analysis, monitoring and evaluation of the economic situation in the Republic of Serbia. By taking a role in public policy management, the tool can be used to transform the NSO’s role in the statistical system into an active participant in public debate in contrast to the previous traditional, usually passive role of collecting, processing and publishing data. The tool supports the integration of statistics into public policies and connects the knowledge and expertise of official statisticians on one side with political decision makers on the other.

scholarly journals The epigenetic etiology of cardiovascular disease in a longitudinal Swedish twin study

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xueying Qin ◽  
Ida K. Karlsson ◽  
Yunzhang Wang ◽  
Xia Li ◽  
Nancy Pedersen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Cvd Risk ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
Latent Trajectory ◽  
Lagged Effects ◽  
The Cross ◽  
Level 2 ◽  
Cardiometabolic Traits

Abstract Background Studies on DNA methylation have the potential to discover mechanisms of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. However, the role of DNA methylation in CVD etiology remains unclear. Results We performed an epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) on CVD in a longitudinal sample of Swedish twins (535 individuals). We selected CpGs reaching the Bonferroni-corrected significance level (2 $$\times$$ ×  10–7) or the top-ranked 20 CpGs with the lowest P values if they did not reach this significance level in EWAS analysis associated with non-stroke CVD, overall stroke, and ischemic stroke, respectively. We further applied a bivariate autoregressive latent trajectory model with structured residuals (ALT-SR) to evaluate the cross-lagged effect between DNA methylation of these CpGs and cardiometabolic traits (blood lipids, blood pressure, and body mass index). Furthermore, mediation analysis was performed to evaluate whether the cross-lagged effects had causal impacts on CVD. In the EWAS models, none of the CpGs we selected reached the Bonferroni-corrected significance level. The ALT-SR model showed that DNA methylation levels were more likely to predict the subsequent level of cardiometabolic traits rather than the other way around (numbers of significant cross-lagged paths of methylation → trait/trait → methylation were 84/4, 45/6, 66/1 for the identified three CpG sets, respectively). Finally, we demonstrated significant indirect effects from DNA methylation on CVD mediated by cardiometabolic traits. Conclusions We present evidence for a directional association from DNA methylation on cardiometabolic traits and CVD, rather than the opposite, highlighting the role of epigenetics in CVD development.

scholarly journals Selecting a Model for Forecasting

Econometrics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 26
Author(s):  
Jennifer L. Castle ◽  
Jurgen A. Doornik ◽  
David F. Hendry
Keyword(s):  
Structural Breaks ◽  
Simulation Experiment ◽  
Structural Break ◽  
Static Model ◽  
Forecast Period ◽  
Forecast Performance ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
Forecasting Models ◽  
Theoretical Results

We investigate forecasting in models that condition on variables for which future values are unknown. We consider the role of the significance level because it guides the binary decisions whether to include or exclude variables. The analysis is extended by allowing for a structural break, either in the first forecast period or just before. Theoretical results are derived for a three-variable static model, but generalized to include dynamics and many more variables in the simulation experiment. The results show that the trade-off for selecting variables in forecasting models in a stationary world, namely that variables should be retained if their noncentralities exceed unity, still applies in settings with structural breaks. This provides support for model selection at looser than conventional settings, albeit with many additional features explaining the forecast performance, and with the caveat that retaining irrelevant variables that are subject to location shifts can worsen forecast performance.

Social and Emotional Development: The Role of Authenticity in the Psychosocial Development of Students With Gifts and Talents

2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-114
Author(s):  
Tracy L. Cross
Keyword(s):  
Identity Formation ◽  
Psychosocial Development ◽  
Emotional Development ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social And Emotional Development ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
Development Of Students

This column explores the concept of authenticity in the psychosocial development of students with gifts and talents. The author describes how authenticity is critical to students’ psychological well-being, particularly as it relates to their identity formation.

The Relationship Between Virtues and Personality Traits of Chinese College Students

2011 ◽  
Vol 39 (10) ◽  
pp. 1379-1385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shou-Kuan Mu
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
Emotional Stability ◽  
Personality Factors ◽  
Chinese College Students ◽  
Psychological Concept ◽  
Self Reliance ◽  
The Relationship

Many researchers agree that virtue is an important psychological concept in contemporary psychology. The main purpose in this study was to investigate the relationship between virtues and the personality traits of college students in mainland China. Participants (N = 426) completed the Chinese Virtue Adjectives Rating Scale (CVARS; Mu, 2007) and the Chinese 16PF (Zhu & Dai, 1988). The results indicated that the 16 personality factors most closely related to the virtue factors were emotional stability, dominance, liveliness, rule-consciousness, social boldness, sensitivity, vigilance, abstractedness, apprehension, self-reliance, perfectionism, and tension. Second-order factors of the 16PF most strongly related to the virtue factors were anxiety, extraversion, tough-mindedness, and independence.

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