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Occurrence of Fumonisins in Some Maize Meal Marketed to Consumers in Harare, Zimbabwe
Get PDFMycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites secreted by filamentous fungi which affect animals, plants and humanscausing a lot of diseases. Fumonisins are the types that mostly affect cereal grains. The prevalence of fumonisins in Harare marketed maize meal was investigated in 72 randomly selected samples. Fumonisin B1 and Fumonisin B2 were extracted from maize meal with methanol-water (3:1, v/v) using ultrasonic extraction. They were injected into an LC-MS system following centrifugation. A survey was also conducted to determine the measures taken by 5 major Harare millers to mitigate fumonisin contamination in the maize meal. Fumonisin B1 (FB1) was detected in all analysed samples at mean concentrations ranging between 61.45 and 265.79 µg/kg. Fumonisin B2 (FB2) was detected in only 56.9 % of the samples analysed, with a range between 13.72 µg/kg and 76.93 µg/kg. The highest total fumonisin mean concentration (FB1+FB2) was detected in maize meal with maize bran added to it (342.72 µg/kg), while the least total fumonisin mean concentration was detected in maize meal with wheat bran added to it (61.45 µg/kg). All the samples analysed were within the maximum tolerable limit (MTL) of 1000 µg/kg. However, the average probable daily intake (APDI) of fumonisins ranged between 0.82 and 4.57 µg/kg body weight/day. Maize meal with maize bran added and Roller meal had PDMI above the regulatory limit of 2 µg/kg body weight/day recommended by the World Health Organisation. The high frequency of fumonisins consumed daily in these two types of maize meal could be posing some health risks to consumers
The Relationship between Teachers’ Turnover Rate and Career Decision in South Korea: A Study of Private Educational Academies
Get PDFSouth Korea is one of the most popular destinations for foreign language teachers wanting to start developing a career. Due to the rapid development and demands of foreign language teachers, the human resources department of the educational system is facing challenges. Many schools, including the private educational academies, always recruit language teachers for their afterschool preparational programs. However, the turnover rates for these teachers is significantly high for various reasons. This study employed the lens of the Model of Retention, Turnover, and Attrition for the exploration of 55 foreign language teachers who decided to leave their teaching position after the completion of their first-year contract. The results indicated that all participants had an unpleasant or negative experience in their social atmosphere and school environment stemming from discriminations, negative managerial styles from school administrators, and impolite practices from parents and students. Researchers, school leaders, parents, students, human resource professionals, policymakers, and government agencies should take this opportunity to reform and improve the educational environment and human resource management in South Korea
The Performance of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the Fight against Corruption in Nigeria: A Critical Appraisal
Get PDFThis very article is essentially geared towards evaluating the performance of the EFCC as an anti-graft agency in Nigeria. The benchmark for this evaluation is a few selected functions of the agency as enumerated in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act 2004 (section 6). Based on the sensitivity of the topic, secondary analysis is strictly used. The data generated for the study are both quantitative and quantitative. The study revealed, with pictorial evidence as well as names of culprits and properties confiscated, that the EFCC is actually carrying out its functions as mandated by the parliamentary Act of its establishment. However contrariwise, the findings revealed that the commission is yet to be fully independent in the discharge of its assignment. It is also yet to effectively reduce crime rate in the country. The study recommended among other things that the independence of the Commission should not be compromised; that is, it should not be used by any government in power as a ridiculing, incapacitating machine against the opposition
Income Disparity and Kuznets Hypothesis: The Case of Nigeria
Get PDFMixed results have been produced from empirical studies on income disparity and expansion of the economic. Using current data, this work examines the existence of a Kuznets sort trade-off linking economic growth and income disparity in Nigeria for the period1980-2018 by employing Fully Modified Ordinary Least Square (FMOLS) procedure. The time series characteristics evaluation indicated that the variables are integrated of order one, I(1) and cointegrated which justifies deployment of the FMOLS. The summary of the FMOLS outcome is that Kuznets genre trade-off connecting economic expansion and income disparity in Nigeria does not exist in the long run. The paper further analyzed a variety of socioeconomic variables on Nigeria’s Gini coefficient and the results of the FMOLS multivariate regression indicates that income variation is propelled by inherent reasons like age, tax policy trade gross national expenditure and trade openness. However, public policy should be put in place that could possibly bring to bear a categorical impact on minimizing income disparity via economic measures that encourage broad pension coverage, appropriate tax policy, trade openness, and gross national expenditure
Taxation and the Growth of Small and Medium Enterprises in Nigeria
Get PDFThis study examines the impact of taxation on the growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria from 2007 to 2019. Data was gathered from the Central Bank of Nigeria Statistical Bulletin and Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN). The study adopted the co-integration and error correction modelling as its technique of analysis. While Company Income Tax (CIT) and Value Added Tax (VAT) were found to have significant impact on the growth of SMEs in Nigeria, Custom and Excise Duty (CEDT) was found to have insignificant impact on their growth. As expected however, the three variables, CIT, VAT and CEDT were found to be inversely related with SMEs growth. The study therefore recommends among others, that for taxation to grow the SMEs, tax policies especially those relating to CIT and VAT should be properly formulated and carefully administered in such a way that such policies directly promote the growth of SMEs. In particular, the government should consider a downward review of the current VAT rate of 7.5%. In addition to reducing tax rates for the SMEs, other incentives, reliefs and allowances such as loss reliefs, pioneer status, tax holidays, capital allowance etc. should be specially packaged for SMEs to enhance their productivity and growth
The Effect of Personality on EPL Self-Efficacy and Outcome Expectations among Graduates in Nigerian Universities
Get PDFThe study tests the big five personality traits on entrepreneurial, professional and leadership (EPL) self-efficacies, job and entrepreneurial outcome expectation. It also examined the influence of these efficacies on their corresponding outcome expectations. The study design was cross-sectional and used a sample of 363 new graduates from Nigeria’s tertiary institutions. We used a regression path analysis to determine the causal model tested in this study. Results showed that extraversion, openness and agreeableness significantly lead to concurrently high EPL self-efficacies, neuroticism inversely related to professional and leadership self-efficacies, but conscientiousness did not relate with any of the self-efficacies. Second, agreeableness, neuroticism, and conscientiousness led to job and entrepreneurial outcome expectations. Third, only leadership self-efficacy led to both job and entrepreneurial outcome expectations. These findings deepen our understanding of how entrepreneurial, professional and career mindset can be achieved in an individual
Improving Student’s Factual Knowledge with Concrete Media through Observing Activities in Scientific Approaches in Elementary Schools
Get PDFThe current conditions in Indonesia show that student activities in the learning process tend to be passive which impacts factual knowledge. This study aims to analyze the effectiveness of concrete media in improving students' factual knowledge through observing activities. This study was quasi-experimental, designed in a non-equivalent post with only a control group. The population examined where the 4th-grade elementary school students in the 2013 curriculum pioneer school, Buleleng Regency. A total of 353 students were randomly sampled, and a group of 56 students was identified to take part. Data were collected on students' factual knowledge using objective tests. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, namely modus, median, mean, and inferential statistics, i.e., the t-test. The results of the t-test analysis with t-count were greater than the t-table, 5.46 > 2.00. Thus, it can be concluded that observing learning activities assisted by concrete media has a positive effect on students' factual knowledge in an elementary school. This finding will have implications that will lead to an increase in the factual knowledge of students in elementary schools by using concrete media through observing activities
Investigation of the Motivational Persistence Levels of the Students Studying at the Faculty of Sport Sciences According to Some Demographic Characteristics
Get PDFThis study was carried out to investigate the motivational persistence levels of students who received sports education and examine in terms of some demographic variables. In the study, the “Motivational Persistence Scale” consisting of long-term purposes pursuing, current purposes pursuing, recurrence of unattained purposes sub-dimensions was used to measure motivational permanence of the students. The research group consisted of 347 students who voluntarily participated from Faculty of Sport Sciences of Mugla Sitki Kocman University. The data were analyzed through the statistical package program SPSS 22.0. The demographic information of the students was determined with descriptive statistics. Independent T-test was used to compare the subscale scores by gender, and One Way ANOVA analysis was used to compare the age groups and overall academic grade averages. The results of the analyzes showed that the motivational persistence levels of the students of the faculty of sport sciences are medium and close to high. In addition, there was no significant difference in terms of the age variable, but it was found that students aged 25 and over were more motivated. Further, it has been observed that the students whose academic grade average was 1.00 to 1.99 were higher than the students whose grade average was between 3.00–4.00
Efficiency Predictive Factors for Professional Ability of Ramkhamhaeng University Lecturers for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community
Get PDFThis study aims to investigate the relationship between the use of information technology for retrieval and communication ability; intercultural learning ability; English ability and interpersonal ability with professional ability of Ramkhamhaeng University (RU) lecturers for ASEAN socio-cultural community (ASCC); and study the efficiency predictive factors of professional ability of RU lecturers for ASCC. The sample population consisting of 295 RU lecturers. The instrument of research was a five-rating scale questionnaire eliciting data concerning the predictive factors of professional ability of RU lecturers for ASCC. The questionnaires were tested for content validity index and the reliability by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient were .91, .95, .85, .95 and .96 respectively. Data were analyzed by frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, Person product moment correlation and stepwise multiple regression analysis. Findings: 1. Interpersonal ability; English ability; intercultural learning ability; and the use of information technology for retrieval and communication ability were a positive moderate correlation and the professional ability with statistical significance at the level of .01. (r=338, .415, .449 and .444) 2. The use of information technology for retrieval and communication ability (X1); intercultural learning ability (X2) and English ability (X3 ) were to predicted professional ability of RU lecturers for ASCC account to 52.70 percent (Adjusted R2 =.527). The predicted in row score equation as follows: Y’ = 1.068 + .332(X1) + .244(X2) + .194(X3) The predicted in standardized equation as follows: Zy’ = .359(Zx1) + .279(Zx2) + .244(Zx3)
Development of an Attitude Scale of Mathematics and Science Teachers towards Mistake and Instant Feedback to the Mistake: A Validity and Reliability Study
Get PDFThe purpose of the research is to develop a valid and reliable attitude scale that can measure the attitudes of math and science teachers (315) and teacher candidates (105) towards mistakes and instant feedback. In the validity studies, the exploratory factor analysis was made with the SPS1S 8.0 package program after that the confirmatory factor analysis was made with Lisrel 8.8 software. To develop the scale; 1. Creation of Item Pool 2. Obtaining Expert Opinion, 3. Creation of Pre-Trial Form 4. Factor Analysis is made. According to factor analysis; Kaiser Meyer Olkin (KMO) rate; .808; Bartlett test result: 2148,354; Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient for the whole scale: .829. According to confirmatory factor analysis: Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) .022 (<.05); p-Value for Test of Close Fit .00 (<.05), standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) .014, Goodness of Fit Index (GFI) .75, Adjusted Goodness of Fit Index (AGFI) .69; Normed Fit Index (NFI) .91; Relative Fit Index (RFI) .78; Incremental Fix Index (IFI): .83; Parsimony Goodness of Fit Index (PGFI): .62; Degrees of Freedom: 760; Root Mean Square Residual (RMR): 2.07 and NonNormed Fit Index (NNFI): .88. According to research findings, attitude scale is valid and reliable so it can be used to determine math and science teachers and teacher candidates positive and negative attitudes toward mistake and giving instant feedback to mistake