Articles

Background:</b> Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use among adolescents is a growing public health concern, particularly in low-income and Black communities. However, little is known about how social determinants of health shape e-cigarette perceptions in this population. <b>Aims:</b> This study examined social determinants associated with perceptions of e-cigarette safety among Baltimore high school students. <b>Methods:</b> A cross-sectional survey (CEASE Youth: School Survey) was conducted with 604 Baltimore high school students aged 14–20. Participants completed a questionnaire assessing perceptions of e-cigarette safety, as well as parental education, race/ethnicity, parental employment, household composition, and community tobacco use. <b>Results:</b> Higher parental education was associated with lower perceived e-cigarette safety among students. Students in higher grades also reported lower perceived e-cigarette safety. In contrast, male students—particularly those in upper grades—were more likely to perceive e-cigarettes as safe. Race/ethnicity, household composition, parental employment, and community tobacco exposure were not associated with perceived e-cigarette safety. <b>Conclusion:</b> Higher parental education, female gender, and being in higher grades were associated with perceiving e-cigarettes as unsafe. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to address vaping perceptions among youth in urban settings.

<b>Background</b>: Disasters such as typhoons, floods, and earthquakes frequently impact the Philippines, placing nurses at the forefront of response and care. Given these recurring threats, ensuring that nurses possess adequate awareness, knowledge, and skills is crucial to mitigate risks, enhance preparedness, and promote effective disaster management. <b>Aim/Objectives</b>: This study sought to (1) assess the current levels of awareness, knowledge, skills, and involvement of private hospital nurses in Rizal Province across four phases of disaster management—mitigation and prevention, preparedness, response, and rehabilitation and recovery; and (2) propose a contingency and training plan based on identified gaps. <b>Methods</b>: A descriptive correlational design was employed. A total of 350 nurses from Level 1, 2, and 3 hospitals participated by completing a validated questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, and correlation tests to identify differences and relationships among variables. <b>Results</b>: Overall, the nurses reported very high levels of awareness and skills, coupled with a high level of knowledge and significant involvement in disaster-related activities. Nurses in larger (Level 3) hospitals exhibited higher practical readiness and engagement, while those in Level 1 and 2 facilities had comparatively lower scores. Positive correlations emerged between higher levels of awareness, knowledge, and skills and increased engagement in disaster initiatives. <b>Conclusion</b>: Building on these findings, a targeted contingency and training plan was designed using Pucel’s Performance-based Instructional Design, emphasizing hands-on simulations, structured policy briefings, and collaborative efforts with local disaster risk reduction offices. Addressing these specific gaps can bolster hospital preparedness, strengthen community resilience, and ensure more effective disaster response and patient care.

This study aimed to assess the knowledge level of street food vendors on hygiene in the Tamale metropolis in the Northern Region of Ghana. The study employed the health belief model as the theoretical basis. Quantitatively, the study employed a descriptive cross-sectional study design to examine the microbial load of street-cut fruits and assess the knowledge and practice of vendors of cut fruits on personal and food hygiene in the study setting. The population consists of cut and vented pawpaw, watermelon, and street fruit vendors registered with the health directorate in the Tamale Metropolis. A convenient sampling technique was used to select 113 respondents for the study. The Yamane formula was used to determine the sample size to select one hundred and thirteen participants (113) out of one hundred and fifty-eight street fruit vendors in the Tamale Metropolis. The main instrument for data collection was a questionnaire. A questionnaire had close-ended questions which were developed using a 'Yes' and 'No' response, and a four-point Likert-type scale ranging from 1=Strongly Disagree (SD), 2=Disagree (D), 3=Agree (A) and 4= Strongly Agree (SA). The data were analysed using descriptive statistics (frequency, percentages, means and standard deviation). The findings revealed that the overall knowledge level of respondents is low. The findings also indicate that vendors do not control the rate at which their customers touch their vended fruits. It is recommended that Street fruit vendors and handlers be educated on fruit hygiene practices through engagement by the Health Directorate Unit of Tamale Metropolis and the Ministry of Health. To keep consumers safe, the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly must strictly enforce compliance with regulations on operation permits and health clearance certificates. Metropolitan sanitation officers must regularly monitor fruit vendors to ensure compliance with goods.

This paper examines the impact of primary level classroom environments on the acquisition of English as a second language (L2) in Bangladesh, comparing English-medium and Bangla-medium schools. The study investigates how different instructional approaches and early exposure to English influence language proficiency among students. Through a mixed-methods approach, including surveys, interviews, and proficiency tests, the research reveals significant differences in language acquisition outcomes between the two educational settings. Findings indicate that students in English-medium schools, who are exposed to Natural approach methods of language learning and immersive English-speaking environments, demonstrate higher proficiency in speaking and listening skills compared to their Bangla-medium counterparts, who primarily receive grammar-focused instruction. The study highlights the critical role of early exposure to English, with students who begin learning the language at a younger age showing better phonological and syntactic development. Additionally, the integration of technology in language teaching emerges as a valuable tool for enhancing language learning, particularly in contexts with limited classroom exposure. The research suggests that Bangla-medium schools could benefit from adopting more interactive, student-centered teaching methods and integrating digital tools to support practical language use. The study's findings have significant implications for educational policy, advocating for a shift towards more immersive and communicative teaching practices to improve English language acquisition in Bangladesh. This research contributes to the broader understanding of SLA and offers practical recommendations for enhancing language education in similar contexts.

<b>Objective: </b>This study examines racial disparities in educational outcomes—including reading proficiency, grade point average (GPA), school discrimination, and school disciplinary actions—across regions with different levels of educational childhood opportunity index (COI). Our aim is to explore how these racial gaps between Black and White students vary in areas with differing educational opportunities. We hypothesize that higher COI is associated with smaller academic achievement gaps but may also correspond with greater racial bias in unfair school treatment. <b>Methods: </b>Data were drawn from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, which provides comprehensive measures of educational outcomes, cognitive performance, and COI. National COI rankings were used to classify regions into five categories: very high, high, average, low, and very low educational opportunity. We analyzed racial gaps in reading proficiency, and experiences of discrimination and suspension across these COI categories. Multi-group Structural Equation Models (SEM) were used to assess how the relationship between race and educational outcomes varies across COI levels. <b>Results: </b>Our findings confirmed that Black-White gaps in reading proficiency and cognitive test performance (Flanker task) were less pronounced in regions with higher COI. However, racial disparities in school disciplinary actions and experiences of discrimination were more pronounced in higher-opportunity areas. Specifically, the effect of Black race was stronger in regions with the highest COI, where Black students experienced a disproportionately higher rate of unfair school treatment, including both school discrimination and suspensions, compared to their White peers. <b>Conclusion: </b>This exploratory study supports that while higher educational opportunities are associated with smaller academic achievement gaps between Black and White students, they might be linked to increased racial bias in school disciplinary actions and discriminatory treatment. These findings underscore the complexity of educational equity, suggesting that improving access to quality education alone is insufficient to eliminate racial disparities in school experiences. Addressing school-based bias and discrimination must accompany efforts to enhance educational opportunities.

Good academic writing requires a good combination of cohesive ties and coherent features in the text. This study aimed to assess whether paragraph unity and coherence in writing were achieved among students of the Komenda College of Education concerning gender. Lakoff’s Theory underpinned the study. The quantitative approach and a descriptive research design were used in the study. The sample size was 60 (40 males and 20 females). Level 200 students from the Komenda College of Education Department of English were selected using census techniques. The instruments used for data collection were text items and questionnaires. Paragraphs written by the students were analysed using narratives, and quantitative data was analysed using mean, standard deviation and the independent samples t-test. The study revealed that male students have a higher mean score than female students. The study also concluded that there was no significant difference between male and female students regarding achieving paragraph unity and coherence in writing. In other words, gender does not influence how paragraph unity and coherence are achieved in writing – males and females are statistically the same. It is recommended that the principals of the various colleges of education in Ghana encourage the college tutors and the Student Representative Council (SRC) leadership to introduce a programme which engages college students in competitive writing without gender barriers. This programme will ensure that students compete by writing academic papers, demonstrating their knowledge of achieving unity and coherence in writing. This programme can be done every academic year, and an equal number of males and females are presented yearly.

The study examined teachers' perception of inclusive education in the three educational circuits in Tamale Metropolis in the Northern Region of Ghana. Research paradigms underpinning the study are Positivism, Interpretivism, and Pragmatism. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey research design. The study population comprised 81 teachers from the Gumbihini Educational Circuit, 100 from the Hospital Educational Circuit, and 72 from the Salaga Road Educational Circuit. The study population was from a pool of two hundred and fifty-three (253) teachers. The census method was used as a sampling technique for three (3) educational circuits and two hundred and fifty-three (253) teachers. The main instrument for data collection was a questionnaire. The data were analysed with descriptive statistics to determine the frequencies, percentages, mean and standard deviation scores for the response from the questionnaire and hypothesis. On the level of knowledge teachers in Tamale Metropolis have about inclusive education, Even though the study revealed that teachers know how to meet the needs of learners with learning disabilities and use varied learning activities to engage a diverse range of learners, knowledge in meeting the needs of learners who are gifted most teachers do not know to meet the needs of learners with speech and language, or communication disorder. Again, the findings revealed that teachers need to learn about meeting the needs of learners who are seen as having behavioural difficulties. Teachers were also found to not know about meeting the needs of learners who are blind or have low vision. Furthermore, the study revealed that teachers do not know how to assess, test, or evaluate the learning of children with disabilities. In the statistical analysis, special educators were found to possess a higher level of knowledge among primary school teachers who were studied than their general/regular educators' counterparts, even though the difference was not statistically significant. On the level of knowledge teachers in Tamale Metropolis have about inclusive education, regular in-service education and refresher courses will help improve and reorient teachers' knowledge towards performing their duties in inclusive education. The study, therefore, recommends that the Tamale Metropolis Directorate of Ghana Education Service collaborate with bare school heads in assisting teachers through the implementation of professional development/training programmes to employ adaptive instructional strategies to help children with disabilities.

The purpose of this study was to examine the challenges faced by students of Colleges of Education (CoEs) in developing their Information Literacy skills. The study adopted the post-positivism paradigm. Descriptive survey research design used in this study Survey. The population for this study comprised all Level 200 students at Wiawso CoE, Enchi CoE, and Bia Lamplighter CoE in the Western North Region. Purposive, stratified, and convenience sampling techniques were used to select colleges of education and level 200 students. The three (3) colleges of education were stratified and purposively selected while 256 level 200 students were stratified and conveniently sampled. The study employed questionnaires to collect data from the sampled students. Questionnaires (open and closed-ended questions) focused on the challenges faced by the students in developing their<b> </b>Information Literacy (IL) skills. The quantitative data was captured, analysed, and presented in descriptive statistics such as percentages, and frequency tables, to determine the objective of the study. It is recommended that to improve digital literacy and academic pursuits, the college management should improve access to desktop computers and the Internet in the library and computer centre. It is also recommended that Management and librarians of the Colleges of Education ensure that students have access to these devices at the library and can use them to develop their IL skills and help them manage their references more effectively.

Machine learning operations (MLOps) comprises the practices, methods, and tooling that facilitate the deployment of reliable ML models in production environments. While many aspects of cloud data platforms are designed to enable reliability, only some managed ML services support the MLOps goals of continuous integration, continuous delivery, data lineage tracking, associated reproducibility, governance, and security. Furthermore, reliability encompasses not only the fulfillment of service-level objectives, but also systematic monitoring, alerting, and incident response automation. Architectural patterns are proposed to enable reliable deployment in cloud data platforms, focusing on the implementation of continuous integration and testing pipelines for ML models and the formulation of continuous delivery and rollout strategies. Continuous integration pipelines reduce the risk of regressions and ensure sufficient model performance at the time of deployment, while continuous delivery pipelines enable rapid updates to production models within acceptable risk profiles. The landscape of publicly available MLOps frameworks, tools, and services is also examined, emphasizing the pros and cons of established and rising solutions in containerization, orchestration, model serving, and inference. Containerization and orchestration contributes to the building of reliable deployment pipelines in cloud data platforms, whether general-purpose tools (e.g. Docker and Kubernetes) or solutions tailored for ML workloads. Containerized serving frameworks designed for high-throughput, low-latency inference can benefit a wide range of business applications, while auto-scaling and model versioning capabilities enhance the ease of use of cloud-native ML services.

Occupational lead (Pb) exposure continues to be an important public health problem globally, yet data is lacking on the associated risks and resources available for the prevention of Pb related diseases in low middle income countries (LMICs) like The Gambia. In this study, we used a case-control design to compare blood lead levels (BLLs) between the exposed (auto repair workers) and unexposed (healthcare workers) populations in The Greater Banjul Area. The data was analyzed using Chi square test of independence to determine the characteristic factors associated with BLL. Multivariate logistic regression was used to test the relationship between BLLs for auto repair and healthcare workers and their experiences. The results of this study indicated 82.1% of cases had higher BLLs compared to 52.9% of controls. Also, the proportion of workers with elevated BLLs was higher for certain factors including more than 80% of those with greater than 10 of years job experience, more than 70% of those who worked greater than 5 days a week, worked more than 8 hours per day, did not use personal protective equipment (PPE), were illiterate or had no formal education, and smoked or ate at work. The study results have implications for policies and practice in the auto repair industry and related workplaces in The Gambia and other LMICs with similar settings. Based on the findings of this study, it is essential to initiate discussions to establish national occupational health policies in The Gambia aimed at protecting workers and the general population.

Women must be aware of the risk factors of pregnancy complications and the negative maternal and fetal health consequences to take preventative measures and management strategies that will result in a successful pregnancy. This study aimed to assess the Level of Knowledge about obstetric warning signs and the associated factors among pregnant Saudi women attending antenatal care in a tertiary care maternity set-up in Riyadh City. Data for this cross-sectional study were obtained using a structured questionnaire from eligible pregnant women admitted to King Saud Medical City (KSMC) between August 2020 and March 2021. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Out of a minimum estimated sample size of 170, researchers recruited 362 participants. As observed, only 92 people, or 25.4%, had enough knowledge about various educational levels. The majority (91.2%) lived in villages, had no history of chronic disease (74.0%), and said that it took them at least 30 minutes to commute from their home to the hospital (69.3%). Two hundred two (55.7%) lacked appropriate knowledge, although most women (76.2%) had one to four pregnancies. Poor psychological health resulted from 37 people's (10.2%) inadequate Awareness. Even though 139 (38.4%) had spent more than 15 minutes receiving education from medical staff and 200 (61.5%) had attended the prenatal care clinic more than four times, most lacked adequate knowledge. The variables education level (P=0.000), working status (P=0.022), and place of residence (P=0.044) showed a statistically significant association with the knowledge level, also only education level statistically significantly affected the likelihood of knowledge gaps. In conclusion, early identification of obstetric warning signs and associated risk factors of pregnancy complications is integral to prevention.

In this article the investigation of squeezing and statistical properties of light resulting by a non-degenerate three-level laser with the parametric amplifier and coupled to a thermal reservoir have been occurred. With the aid of master equation, stochastic differential equations were obtained. Applying solutions of resulting differential equations, quadrature variance, the mean and variance of photon number, the photon number correlation are calculated. However, the two-mode driving light has no effect on the squeezing properties of the cavity modes. On the other hand, parametric amplifier and thermal reservoir increase the mean and variance of photon number. Furthermore, employing the same solutions, we also obtain anti normally ordered characteristic function defined in the Heisenberg picture. For a linear gain coefficient of (A = 100), for a cavity damping constant of K= 0:8, µ = 0 and for thermal reservoir th = 0, the maximum intra cavity photon entanglement is found at steady state and at threshold to be 60%.

First, based on the many levels and their cycles in geoscience, we research the hypercycle of geoscience. This is the hypercycle as a tool of self-organization applied to geoscience. It may form from a level to other higher levels. These levels influence each other and the co-evolution. Second, we discuss some possible mathematical methods, which include graph, vector, matrix, some equations, similar theories, etc. This method can be developed and perfected. Third, we propose the nonlinear whole geoscience and its three basic laws. Fourth, we discuss thermodynamics of geoscience, and in which possible entropy decrease under some sates, such as evolution and cycles of Earth, etc. Sustainable development of society must study the mode from high entropy to low entropy. Various cycles in geoscience cannot all be entropy increases, and cannot all be originated from the external interactions.

The complexity of manufacturing photolithography has increased significantly. The increase in the level of integration has driven smaller feature-sized integrated circuits (ICs). The evolution in stepper technologies has been geometric. This has enabled the printing of printed ICs with a 45 nm feature size. Improvement in lithographic technology is moving towards 32 nm. This feature-size roadmap poses many challenges to semiconductor manufacturing technology. Advanced photomask synthesis, high-NA steppers, and computational lithography are some examples of the solution space. Optical proximity correction (OPC) and model-based optical proximity correction (MBOPC) are subsets of this solution space. OPC has matured significantly and is the de facto solution for manufacturing photomasks up to the 65 nm node. The OPC technique has been further refined as model-based OPC and has been applied to advanced printing technology of 45 nm. The OPC solution for 45 nm technology has limitations of mask rule check (MRC) and manufacturability restrictions. These restrictions are inevitable in OPC and MBOPC solutions because of the limits in lithographic technology. The technology evolution towards 32 nm has equally challenged the non-linear treatment of wafer-level problems in OPC solutions. PBOPC has limitations in reducing the wafer optical proximity error of the granny's issue, edge placement, mask rule check, etc. PBOPC also has limitations in reducing the mask error enhancement factor. With all these challenges, it is still a formidable solution methodology to address the wafer and mask level issues. Such a formidable solution architecture can result in a limited number of PBOPC solutions. This text looks at the performance of advanced PBOPC features on exposure tuning and the effects of higher-order wafer and aerial image effects. This text also discusses the performance of continuous process correction of masks, lenses, and scanners.

The study sought to examine the socio-economic and cultural factors that affect women’s participation in local level governance in selected districts in the Central Region of Ghana. The qualitative approach was employed for this study, and an interview guide was used to gather data from 11 women assembly members and two of their husbands, making a total of 13 participants. The participants were sampled using purposive, snowball and convenient sampling techniques. The data was analysed thematically. The study identified lack of self-confidence, limited funds, unsupportive family, abuse and harassment, political affiliations in the Assembly and unsupportive religious organizations as the socio-economic and cultural barriers to women participation in local level governance in Agona West, Gomoa West and Gomoa Central Districts in the Central Region of Ghana. The findings showed that despite the barriers, some of the women were able to surmount such challenges and became successful in the District Assembly elections. The study recommended that special fund should be set up by the government to support Assembly women to perform their roles and responsibilities within their communities regularly. Such funds may help them fulfil their campaign promises, which may encourage them to seek re-election in the District Assemblies. Also, female politicians should mentor potential female politicians. The mentors may support them to build the confidence required to engage in local level politics and to aspire higher positions in political office.

<b>Background:</b><b> </b>Currently, the DRL quantity in mammography are evaluated in terms of mean glandular dose (MGD). Since the MGD cannot be measured directly, it can be obtained by calculation using the equation (D=K*g*c*s). In previous studies, the conversion factor g was calculated by Monte Carlo simulation and is not reported from actual measurements. In this study, we focused on the g-factor, which is a conversion factor to the MGD at 50% glandularity, and attempted to measure it using a nanoDot dosimeter to see if it can be used in mammography. <b>Methods: </b>The nanoDot dosimeters were inserted in a PMMA phantom at depths ranging from 0 cm to 6 cm in 1 cm increments, and measurements were made in three HVLs of 0.3 mmAl, 0.35 mmAl, and 0.4 mmAl HVL. The g-factor was calculated from the nanoDot dosimeter values using a conversion equation. <b>Results and Discussion:</b> The measured g-factors for all the HVLs were in close agreement with those of Dance et al. The values of the previous studies did not include the backscatter factor, which may have underestimated the MGD. The difference was smaller for the 0.4 mm Al. Compared to the other HVLs, the 0.4 mm Al was measured without a compression plate, which may have been influenced by the presence or absence of a compression plate. <b>Conclusion:</b> The nanoDot dosimeters were used to calculate g-factors. The results agreed with those of previous studies within uncertainty. This indicates that nanoDot dosimeters can be used in the mammography field.

A three-level laser with an open cavity and a two-mode vacuum reservoir is explored for its quantum properties. Our investigation begins with a normalized order of the noise operators associated with the vacuum reservoir. The master equation and linear operators' equations of motion are used to determine the equations of evolution of the atomic operators' expectation values. The equation of motion answers are then used to calculate the mean photon number, photon number variance, and quadrature variance for single–mode cavity light and two–mode cavity light. As a result, for γ=0, the quadrature variance of light mode <b>a</b> is greater than the mean photon number for two-mode cavity light. As a result, for the two-mode cavity light, the maximum quadrature squeezing is 43.42 percent.

<b>Objective: </b>The study employed a quasi- experimental design of a single group pre-test post-test. The purpose of the study was to assess the locomotor and object control skill development levels of 6-8-year-old basic school pupils in Kwahu Afram Plains South district of Ghana The target population for the study comprised all 6-8 years old primary school pupils in Tease in Kwahu Afram Plains in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Convenient and stratified sampling techniques were used to select 57 pupils made up of thirty-seven (37) boys and twenty (20) girls. The instrument used for this study was Test of Gross Motor development (TGMD-2). Descriptive frequencies were used to analyse the data. The study revealed that pupils demonstrated high level of perfection with reference to their locomotor skills in the various physical activities with most responses on their skill execution mostly ranked between often and always. The study also indicated that pupils were able to perform locomotor skill activities well. The study also concluded that pupils were not really equipped with motor skill and were not able to execute motor skill activities correctly during physical activities with responses on motor skill mostly ranked between rarely and often. It is recommended that lower and upper primary school teachers in Kwahu Afram Plains South district should be equipped with the prerequisite skills to enable them to teach motor skills development effectively. It is also recommended that more qualified physical education personnel should be sent to the basic level in Kwahu Afram Plains South district to teach physical education since motor development and skill acquisition develop the habit of the active lifestyle of individuals.

High levels of occupational noise and vibration remain a problem in all regions of the world. In Nigeria, 12−15% of the workforce are exposed to these hazards by WHO, 2001. This research intends to achieve the following objectives; To assess the noise emitted during the moulding of various types of blocks, to determine the level of vibration induced to workers of block moulders during activities and to determine the effect of noise and vibration on workers. The following materials and equipment were used; QT40B manual block moulding machine, LM2-45 Mobile Block moulding Machine, Lister powered block moulding machine, QTJ4-40 block moulding machine using 9 and 6 inches Plates, Vibrometer and Noise monitor. The workers were exposed to noise levels above 75dB and vibration levels above 5ms-2 set as upper limit values in the Directive 44/EC from 2002 – on the Minimum Health and safety Requirements Regarding to Exposure of Workers to the Risk Arising from Physical Agents Vibration.