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IDOMA Culture of Arts from lower western areas of Benue State, Nigeria, and some found in Cross Rivers State, Enugu State, Kogi State and Nasarawa State in Nigeria.
No full textAn Idoma mask, Nigeria | face with strong features painted with kaolin, scarifications on the temples. These masks were said to be employed by secret dance guilds often associated with headhunting societies.
Face masks are worn by dancers during funerals, typical for them are the specific shapes of scarification, open mouth, and smooth coiffure.https://digitalcommons.pvamu.edu/african-sculptures-and-masks/1020/thumbnail.jp
EKOI Culture of Arts from southeastern region of Nigeria and parts of Cameroon- (Janusform Helmet Mask)
No full textJanusform helmet mask from the Ekoi culture of Nigeria. The Janusform of the mask, crowned with a headdress is worn to celebrate the return of its most recent initiates to village life.https://digitalcommons.pvamu.edu/african-sculptures-and-masks/1021/thumbnail.jp
SONGHAY Culture of Arts from eastern Mali, western Niger, and northern Benin - (Reliquary Guard)
No full textThese figures symbolically evoke the ancestor and guard the relics within. These sculptures may reflect Fang\u27s ideas about death and rebirth in the use of infantile forms such as a high, bulging forehead and shortened limbs combined with more mature characteristics. Spiritually empowered by the bones and relics, these reliquary figures could also be placed in and around the houses of the extended family for protection.https://digitalcommons.pvamu.edu/african-sculptures-and-masks/1032/thumbnail.jp
BAMANA Culture Of Arts in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Senegal - (Seated Maternity Figure)
No full textThe mother and child are seated in positions of honor, wearing and holding tokens of their physical and supernatural powers . Sculptures depicting a seated female figure clasping an infant to her torso are called Gwandusu. Banana\u27s notions of ideal beauty and character are evoked in this figure of a mother and child.https://digitalcommons.pvamu.edu/african-sculptures-and-masks/1047/thumbnail.jp
SONGHAY Culture of Arts from eastern Mali, western Niger, and northern Benin - (Caryatid Stool)
No full textThe main function of the stool was not to serve as a seat, but rather as a receptacle for the chief\u27s spirit. Stools are such powerful emblems of a chief\u27s power and identity that they were often kept secretly in a village different from their possessor\u27s to reduce the risk of theft or desecration. The entire sculpture, carved of a single piece of softwood, is now covered with a lustrous patina, the result of multiple applications of oil to the stool\u27s surface.https://digitalcommons.pvamu.edu/african-sculptures-and-masks/1061/thumbnail.jp
YORUBA Culture Of Arts West African ethnic group that mainly inhabits parts of Nigeria, Benin and Togo that constitute Yorubaland - (Water Spirit Mask)
No full textThis water spirit headdress is used in the masquerades of the Ekine men\u27s society. The headdresses worn in such performances blend the features of humans and aquatic animals. Although they are worn with a cloth and palm costume that covers the entire body, the headdress is the key element that is conceived of as the seat of the masquerade spirit\u27s owner. They constitute a highly appreciated form of entertainment and invoke local water spirits for assistance and guidance. Skilled performers gain status in the community and are also the arbitrators of personal disputes.https://digitalcommons.pvamu.edu/african-sculptures-and-masks/1069/thumbnail.jp
(R1958) On Deferred Statistical Convergence of Fuzzy Variables
Get PDFIn this paper, within framework credibility theory, we examine several notions of convergence and statistical convergence of fuzzy variable sequences. The convergence of fuzzy variable sequences such as the notion of convergence in credibility, convergence in distribution, convergence in mean, and convergence uniformly virtually certainly via postponed Cesàro mean and a regular matrix are researched using fuzzy variables. We investigate the connections between these concepts. Significant results on deferred statistical convergence for fuzzy variable sequences are thoroughly investigated
Association between viral suppression during the third trimester of pregnancy and unintended pregnancy among women on antiretroviral therapy: Results from the 2019 antenatal HIV Sentinel Survey, South Africa
No full textObjectives About half of the pregnancies among women living with HIV (WLWH) receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) in sub-Saharan African countries are reported to be unintended. Unintended pregnancy is associated with late initiation of antenatal care (ANC), and may delay provision of viral load monitoring services, antenatal adherence counselling and support, and other services that promote sustained viral suppression throughout pregnancy. This study examines the association between unsuppressed viral load during the third trimester of pregnancy and unintended pregnancy among women who initiated ART before pregnancy. Methods This was an analysis of data from a national antenatal survey conducted at 1 589 public health facilities in South Africa between 1 October and 15 November 2019. Consenting pregnant women aged 15–49 years attending ANC during the survey period were enrolled. Demographic and clinical data were collected through interview and medical record review. Pregnancy intention was assessed using two questions from the London Measure of Unplanned Pregnancy, and responses were categorized as “unintended,” “undecided,” and “intended.” Blood specimens were collected from all women and tested for HIV; and if positive, a viral load test was performed. A survey domain-based poisson regression model examined the association between unsuppressed viral load during the third trimester of pregnancy and unintended pregnancy among women who initiated ART before pregnancy. Viral suppression was defined as viral load \u3c50 copies/mL. Results Of 10 901 WLWH with viral load data available, 63.3% (95% confidence interval (CI): 62.4%-64.1%) were virally suppressed. Among the 2 681 women (representing 24.1% of all WLWH with viral load data) who initiated ART before pregnancy and were in their third trimester at the time of enrolment, 74.4% (95% CI: 73.0%-75.8%) were virally suppressed. In the same population, the proportion virally suppressed was lower among women whose current pregnancies were unintended (72.1%, 95% CI: 70.1%-74.1%) compared to women whose pregnancies were intended (78.3%, 95% CI: 75.9%-80.5%). In multivariable analyses adjusted for age, gravity, marital status, education, location of facility and syphilis status, unintended pregnancy was associated with unsuppressed viral load during the third trimester (adjusted relative risk: 1.3, 95% CI: 1.1–1.4) among women who initiated ART before pregnancy. Conclusion The identified association between unsuppressed viral load and unintended pregnancy among pregnant women who initiated ART before pregnancy highlights the need to strengthen routine assessment of fertility preferences and provision of contraceptive services to reproductive age WLWH receiving ART
Design And Performance Evaluation Of Noise Resistant Neural Networks For Analog Intelligent Edge Computing
No full textAnalog hardware-implemented deep neural network (DNN) models are promising for computation in energy-constrained systems such as edge computing devices due to their high computational speed and low power consumption. However, the analog nature of the devices and the associated noise sources will cause changes to the value of the weights in the trained DNN models deployed on such devices. These changes can cause significant degradation in the performance of the DNN models during inferencing. Hence, there is a need to design robust DNN models that suer little or no degradation in performance due to noise associated with analog hardware. In this dissertation, a systematic evaluation of the inference performance of trained popular DNN models for image classification deployed on analog devices has been carried out, where additive white Gaussian noise has been added to the weights of the trained models during inference. It is observed that deeper models and models with more redundancy in design, such as VGG, are more robust to the noise in general. In addition, it is also observed that the robustness is also affected by the design philosophy of the model, the detailed structure of the model, the exact machine learning task, as well as the datasets. To further study the DNN model design and hyperparameter choices on the noise-resistant property of DNN models, the impact of batch normalization (BatchNorm) and learning rate are examined. Specically, a comparison study of the impact of L1 BatchNorm, TopK BatchNorm, and L2 BatchNorm on the noise-resistant property of DNN has been performed. The result showed that L1 BatchNorm and TopK BatchNorm has better noise-resistant property than that of L2 BatchNorm, in addition to their lower computational overhead. Furthermore, it is observed that L2 BatchNorm negatively impacts the noise-resistant property of DNN models, especially with increased number of L2 BatchNorm in the model architecture. In order to mitigate this, a novel training philosophy that maintains the delicate balance between superior model inference performance and model noise-resistant property has been proposed, particularly in cases where model training becomes unstable without L2 BatchNorm. The impact of the learning rate, a very critical hyperparameter, on the noise-resistant property of DNN is also studied. The results show that there exists a range of learning rate values that maintain a good balance between model inference performance and model noise-resistant property. Furthermore, this range of values diers from model to model and task to task. A theoretical explanation is also provided based on mathematical justification for the impact of these design choices on the noise-resistant property of DNN models
Exploring The Academic Experiences Of Black Male Doctoral Candidates In All-But-Dissertation Status At Historically Black Colleges And Universities During The Covid-19 Pandemic
No full textThis qualitative dissertation explored the academic experiences of Black male doctoral candidates in All-But-Dissertation (ABD) status at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Historical explorations of the enrollment and persistent patterns among Black male students have shed light on the disparate graduate school completion rates (Lewis et al., 2004; McCaskey et al., 2016; Patterson-Stewart et al., 1997). While previous literature has focused on Black male doctoral students (Davis, 2003; Jackson, 2003; Noguera, 2003; Ogbu, 2003; Scott et al., 2012; Smit, 2012), there has been insufficient literature focused on the academic experiences of Black male doctoral candidates who have completed their coursework, comprehensive examinations, and dissertation proposal hearing, resulting in the All-But-Dissertation (ABD) status ((Jackson, 2003; Maton, & Hrabowski, 2004).
This research investigation is a continuum of the foundational work of Scott and Johnson (2021). Their research explored the intersections of race and gender in the academic experiences of Black male doctoral students at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) that contributed to their delayed terminal degree completion. They found that racialized dynamics experienced by Black male doctoral candidates at PWIs negatively influenced the doctoral students\u27 self-esteem and diminished motivation to complete their doctoral studies. Hence, through their research participants\u27 narratives, three core themes emerged that illustrated the salience of race in the doctoral program experiences of Black males: Underrepresented and Undervalued, Challenging Transitions, and Gendered Racism.
Ultimately, participants in their study described challenging transitions at each stage of their doctoral program, contributing to prolonged ABD status. One of their recommendations was to inquire about the experiences of Black male doctoral students in the ABD status within an HBCU context. Participants in their research offered insights into the institutional policies and procedures that can be implemented to support Black men within campuses owing to the fact that racism is endemic to education. Intentional exploration of the experiences of Black male students enrolled in online doctoral programs, executive programs and other types of programs have emerged (Scott & Johnson, 2021, p. 184). Nevertheless, additional research is needed to provide a holistic understanding of the experiences of Black males in ABD status at HBCUs, HSIs, and other distinct institutional contexts.
Hence, the purpose of this research was to explore how the COVID-19 global pandemic had shaped the progress of Black male doctoral students in All-But-Dissertation status at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. This analysis interrogated the relationships between race, gender, and graduate program outcomes, specifically at the dissertation stage of doctoral education. The theoretical principles of this research were rooted within the tradition of phenomenology. This form of analysis was not limited to the investigation of sense data or realities that are objective in a material sense but rather had as its subject matter the familiar world of conscious experience (Schutz, 1967). These discrete experiences, therefore, constitute and thus have meaning, comprehending and making sense of one\u27s present situation (Seidman et al., 1983).
Simply put, phenomenological inquiry focuses on the question: What is the structure and essence of the experience of a phenomenon for an individual? (Patton, 2002, p. 69). The
phenomenon being experienced may be an emotion-loneliness, jealousy, or anger. The phenomenon may be a relationship, a marriage, a job, a program, an organization, or a culture (Patton, 1990). HBCUs were established to bring relief to African Americans who were systematically excluded from formal education due to slavery, racial segregation, and discrimination (Bonner, 2001). These institutions have maintained a very close identity with the struggle of Blacks for survival, advancement, and equality in American society (Bonner, 2001). However, in recent times, due to the existence of unique student characteristics (such as sexual orientation, political affiliation, and self-identity attributes) in relation to the conceptualization of racial identity, it is advantageous for HBCUs to identify retention and matriculation measures for Black male doctoral candidates within these institutions (Webb et al., 2018).
Thus, this dissertation contributes to the literature by expanding the understanding of the academic experiences of Black male doctoral students with ABD status at HBCUs during the COVID-19 global pandemic crisis. It also focused on the racialized encounters experienced during their graduate study experiences that impacted their ABD status and program attrition. Hence, the study will offer campus administrators and faculty the strategies to consider in extending support structures to promote degree attainment among Black male doctoral students amidst severe global, environmental, and societal crises.
Keywords: Black, males, ABD, doctoral candidates, HBCU, COVID-19 Pandemi