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Islamic Political System in Sudan and its National, Regional, and International Impact
Full text linkAnti-Corruption Inspections: A Missing Element of the IMF/World Bank Agenda?
Full text linkThis article draws upon a range of empirical and theoretical literature to advance a theoretical argument that an international treaty is needed to establish international inspectors who would be empowered to conduct independent investigations into allegations of corruption. This type of treaty could serve to deter and reduce the level of corruption in sub-Saharan Africa, thereby promoting the rule of law, good governance, and economic growth in this region. In this view, a change in international law is needed to deter corruption and lay a foundation for good governance that would permit Western assistance to be effective. In contrast, the IMF and World Bank have implemented structural adjustment programs predicated on the assumption that Western assistance, in the form of aid, loans and conditions attached to loans, can be effective when it is channeled through the same dysfunctional domestic institutions that are the source of corruption, poor governance, and poor economic performance. Evidence suggests that IMF and World Bank programs have negative impacts on economic growth rates, implying that suspension of these policies, together with the implementation of an international treaty establishing international inspectors, could have positive effects on economic growth
Leading Schools in the Midst of COVID-19: Experiences of Basic School Leaders of the Komenda Edina Eguafo Abrem District of the Central Region of Ghana
No full textThis qualitative study uses a phenomenological approach to understand the experiences of thirteen Ghanaian head-teachers in suburban and rural areas of the Komenda Edina Eguafo Abrem district during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings revealed that these leaders faced numerous challenges related to pivoting to remote learning for the first time combined with the lack of access to technology. Other challenges pertained to the absence of infrastructure and resources such as books. Despite these challenges, these Ghanaian head-teachers were able to adapt to the crisis and alter their leadership style to educate the children they served. Currently, there is a limited number of qualitative studies exploring the experiences of head-teachers in rural and suburban Ghanaian schools during the global pandemic. This study is significant as it fills an existing gap in the leadership and crisis leadership bodies of literature while also offering some practical suggestions for practitioners and recommendations for policy makers. As the COVID-19 virus may be part of the world’s new normal and we are quickly approaching the deadline for reaching the Sustainable Development Goals, this study provides some answers to the following questions: Which practices should we continue? Which practices should we abandon? What new practices need to be creatively invented
Estimating Disease Transmissions with Assortative Mixing by Vaccination Status
Full text linkMany mathematical models of infectious disease assume the population is well-mixed, meaning every pair of individuals is equally likely to contact each other, potentially spreading the disease. In reality, populations are rarely well-mixed, and an important way in which they are not is assortative mixing, that is, when pairs of individuals who are similar are more likely to contact one another than pairs of individuals who are different. Failing to account for assortative mixing by vaccine status leads to biased estimates of important quantities that characterize disease transmission, including reproduction numbers. We expand on this by developing a model that can overcome this bias using a framework called dynamic survival analysis that studies the epidemic using techniques from survival analysis. Additionally, our model circumvents gaps in the information required. For example, our model works when test times, rather than infection times, are known
Mapping PLN Immunoreactivity within the Thalamic Reticular Nucleus Sectors of the Mouse Brain
No full textCalcium (Ca2+) is a crucial cellular messenger involved in numerous physiological processes, including muscle contraction and synaptic transmission. SERCA2, an intracellular Ca2+ pump, maintains Ca2+ homeostasis by transporting cytosolic Ca2+ into the endoplasmic reticulum. SERCA’s activity is regulated by phospholamban (PLN), a protein that inhibits SERCA2. While the SERCA2/PLN interactions are well established in the heart, recent research has shown that this regulatory mechanism may also play a significant role in the brain—particularly within the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN), which is critical for sensory processing, attentional control, and cognitive function. The TRN is composed of inhibitory neurons and is anatomically divided into sub-sectors responsible for processing specific sensory and limbic stimuli. Our lab has previously shown that PLN is expressed in TRN neurons and that its deletion results in behavioral changes in mice, including hyperactivity and impulsivity. In this honors thesis, we used fluorescent immunohistochemistry and confocal microscopy to map PLN expression across TRN sub- sectors in wild-type mice. We aimed to determine whether PLN is differentially expressed across sensory regions and between sexes. This study provides a detailed spatial map of PLN immunoreactivity in the TRN and offers insights into how the PLN/SERCA2 pathway may contribute to TRN function and associated behaviors
Technology and the Sustainable Implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Through Women’s Integration
No full textThe desire for economic prosperity on the African continent led to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), in line with the vision of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), when it proposed the creation of an African Economic Community (AEC) by 2028. However, sustainable economic development will remain a mirage without inclusivity where no one is left behind, in line with the African Union’s Agenda 2063. This study explores the challenge of restricting women to economic margins in trade agreements under the AfCFTA and how this would undermine its implementation. It subsequently contends that women are integral to Africa’s digital economic transition(s), while proposing the need for gender responsiveness in the styling, configuration, and use of technology to boost intra-African trade
Integrated Advanced Education Supports Future Registered Dietitian Nutritionists’ Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy in Practice
Full text linkObjective: Evaluate the effectiveness of graduate-level breastfeeding and lactation management education that includes didactive and active learning components on future RDNs’ knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy. Design: A pre-and post-test design, utilizing a 41-item pre-intervention survey, learning modules, and a 35-item post-intervention survey. Setting: Three U.S. public universities located in Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas. Participants: Graduate-level dietetic internship students. Intervention: Four advanced education modules (2 didactive; 2 active learning) developed by Registered Dietitian Nutritionists. Main outcome measures: Gains in breastfeeding knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy to assist with breastfeeding education and problem-solving using validated and newly developed survey items. Analysis: Descriptive statistics, correlations, and t-tests were used to describe variables, associations, and evaluate changes following the intervention. Results: Participants (N = 57, 89% female, 79% white) academic exposure relied primarily on lectures (n = 49; 86%). Significant increases in breastfeeding knowledge (Z = -4.20, p = Z = -3.30, p = t-test demonstrated significant increases in all self-efficacy statements (Cohen’s d \u3e.60). Conclusions and Implications: Breastfeeding and lactation management education integrating active learning activities successfully enhanced breastfeeding knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy among future RDNs, preparing them for breastfeeding promotion and support in practice
Voices Raised, Spring 2025
Full text linkNewsletter editor: Gabby Campana
In this issue: Leading with Purpose, by Ajá McMichel Women and Religion: Resistance, Reverence, and Radical Faith, by Meg Cole “One is Not Born, But Rather Becomes, A Woman”: Revisiting The Second Sex, by Nikita Khasgiwale Women\u27s History Month, Spring Semester Events From the Director\u27s Desk, by Leah L. Ward, Ph.D.https://ecommons.udayton.edu/wc_newsletter/1060/thumbnail.jp
An After-School Adaptive Bicycle Program for Children With Disabilities: A Pilot Feasibility Study
Full text linkPurpose/Hypothesis: Cycling has broad health benefits and is therapeutic across many populations. Physical therapists commonly fit children with gross motor delays for adaptive bicycles and assist with training during therapeutic intervention. Limited evidence exists regarding formalized adaptive bicycling programs apart from traditional therapy. The primary aim of this study was to investigate if an after-school adaptive cycling program is feasible in children with motor delay. The secondary aim was to determine if it can improve balance, endurance and functional strength in children with disabilities.
Number of Subjects: Ten children with motor delays, ages 6 to 11 (mean 7.7) years participated. Diagnoses included Dandy-Walker syndrome, TARP syndrome, developmental delay, growth failure, autism, Down syndrome, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, in-toeing gait, and scoliosis.
Materials and Methods: Children participated in an after-school adaptive bicycling program for 30 minutes, once a week, for ten sessions. Pre- and Post- outcome measures included the Pediatric Balance Scale (PBS), 6 Minute Walk Test (6MWT), and Five Times Sit-to-Stand (5STS). Each session, participants biked continuously on AmTryke adaptive tricycles through a variety (spiral, figure 8, speed challenge, circle, and zigzag) of courses for 30 minutes. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Within group change was analyzed using the Wilcoxon Signed Rank test. An a priori power analysis was utilized to establish significance at ɑ ≤ 0.05.
Results: All participants completed the study with an overall attendance of above 90 percent. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed that a once weekly 10-week adaptive cycling program resulted in statistically improved PBS (z=-2.524, p=0.012), 6MWT (z=-2.666, p=0.008), and 5STS (z=-2.521, p=0.012) measures. For the PBS, baseline median changed from 33 (IQR 13.50-41.50) to 46 (IQR 35.00-53.00); for the 6MWT, the baseline median changed from 321.38 (IQR 196.21-375.89) to 388.52 (IQR 338.79-416.05); and for the 5STS the baseline median changed from 32.59 (IQR 16.95-43.86) to 11.99 (IQR 8.89-16.86).
Conclusions: A 30-minute weekly after-school adaptive bicycling program is feasible and resulted in improved balance, walking distance, and functional strength among children with motor delay. The small sample size of this study and lack of a control group limit generalization of these findings. Some participants had difficulty completing the 5STS measure without assistance and a different functional strength assessment is needed in future studies to accurately assess lower extremity functional strength. Further research is needed to determine the efficacy of an after-school bicycling program for children with specific diagnoses.
Clinical Relevance: A short 30 minute after-school adaptive bicycling program has potential to improve balance, endurance and functional strength in children with motor delays.https://ecommons.udayton.edu/dpt_symposium/1050/thumbnail.jp