47 research outputs found
Retraction notice to “MPPT efficiency enhancement of a grid connected solar PV system using Finite Control set model predictive controller” [Heliyon 10 (2024) e27663]
No full textThis article has been retracted: please see Elsevier policy on article withdrawal (https://www.elsevier.com/about/policies-and-standards/article-withdrawal).This article has been retracted at the request of the Editor-In-Chief.An investigation conducted on behalf of the journal by Elsevier's Research Integrity & Publishing Ethics team found a significant increase of citations to papers published by the author, Ayodeji Olalekan Salau, between the original submission and the revised version of this article. In summary, zero papers by the author were cited in the original version of the article. This increased to ten papers in the revised version of the article. The investigation also found phrases that make some passages in the article difficult to parse. The authors were requested to explain the use of these passages of text but were unable to do so. The Editor has lost confidence in the findings of the article and has determined that it should be retracted.The authors disagree with the retraction and dispute the grounds for it
A global study on job and career satisfaction of early-career pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists
No full textBackground: Job and career satisfaction of early-career pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists is imperative to ensure a motivated and effective workforce, and a secure future for pharmacy practice. In turn, this enables planning, deployment and long term implementation of global imperatives, through universal pharmacy coverage. // Objectives: This study used data from a global survey to determine the level of job and career satisfaction and identify factors that are most significant in determining satisfaction in early-career professionals. // Methods: A cross-sectional survey was distributed to members of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) Young Pharmacists Group (YPG) via email and social media platforms from November 2019 to May 2020. A previously validated questionnaire using 5-point Likert scales was used. Data were analysed by exploratory factor analysis, using principal component analysis, oblique rotation, and reliability testing of identified components, followed by a comparative statistical analysis. // Results: A total of 1014 respondents from 92 countries participated in this study. Regions of domicile significantly affected job satisfaction (p = 0.004) and career satisfaction (p < 0.0001) scores. Pharmacists working in community pharmacies perceived lower job satisfaction measures compared to those who work in academic institutions (p < 0.0001) and industry sector (p = 0.012). There is a negative association between career expectations and job satisfaction and career satisfaction scores. The workplace climate is related to education and training opportunities, lower reported workloads, greater autonomy, and more remuneration. // Conclusion: This was an international study of early career pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists. Enhancing factors associated with job and career satisfaction is essential to support early-career pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists in obtaining fulfilment and esteem in their chosen careers. Developing and implementing a well-framed system that provides a conducive working environment, remuneration, and greater autonomy could improve job and career satisfaction. This study provides evidence to support investment in early-career training, stated in the FIP Development Goal 2
Effect of the school principal in creating an inclusive school culture during times of change and challenge, The
No full textThis qualitative case study examined the leadership styles that five selected school principals in southwestern Manitoba, Canada, utilize to encourage and sustain an inclusive school culture. These principals found ways to successfully embrace difficult issues and challenging people while sustaining a positive culture and building a school community that supported diversity and embraced change. The framework that undergirded this study—the critical, inclusive praxis—reinforced that the school principal was charged with the responsibility of transforming the school through reflective, critical, and dialogical action. The author engaged in an interaction (i.e., interview) with these principals to learn about their lived experiences, particularly their patterns of behaviour related to their leadership approaches within a critical inclusive praxis. The study’s conclusions confirmed that through collaboration and dialogue, by building positive relationships in safe and caring environments where there is concern for others and a supportive approach, all the while still adopting a growth mindset, these school principals built positive cultures where stakeholders felt valued, safe, respected, and included. This research deepens our collective understanding of how principals negotiate the political dynamics within their schools and vary leadership styles to encourage and sustain an inclusive school culture.Includes bibliographical references (pages 183-194).
"Master's thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education.
Effect of impression material, tray space and attachment on cast accuracy
No full textAt King Saud University's College of Dentistry, final impressions for removable partial dentures are made using polysulfide rubber, fast-set and regular set irreversible hydrocolloid impression materials. Custom trays used are either single-spaced or double spaced. Further, impression material attachment to the tray could be through tray perforations or the use of adhesives. Literature to support each one of these methods separately to obtain an "accurate impression" is available. There is, however, a dearth on literature reporting on the influence of these combined variables. The purpose of this investigation was to simultaneously study the influence of impression material type, tray space and method of tray attachment on the accuracy of the resulting cast dimensions. A factorial experimental design was used. One master model representing a Kennedy Class 111 Modification 2 partial edentulous arch was used. Three reference points A, B, and C were placed on the master cast and reproduced on all experimental casts. Ten combined variables of tray space (2), impression material (3), and method of tray attachment (2) were usedCorresponding Author:
Dr. Ayodeji Idowu, College of
Dentistry, King Saud University, PO Box 60169, Riyadh, 11545, K.S.A
A Feminist Evaluation of Lola Shoneyin’s The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives
No full textFeminism came into use in English Language as a concept for evaluating the politics of equal rights for women in 1890’s. Ogundipe-Leslie (222) notes that the word feminism is derived from the Latin word ‘femina’, which means all things that are related to ‘woman’. Before 1890’s however; there had been occasions of feminist protests in some places in Europe, for example, the 18th century document by Mary Astell ‘Some Reflections upon Marriage’ (1700) and Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) are written documents of feminist protests. What can actually be regarded as feminist literary criticism, however, started in the West in late nineteenth century with the works of writers and critics such as Virginia Woolf who wrote A Room of One’s Own (1929), Simon de Beauvoir, Second Sex (1974), Elaine Showalter, A Literature of Their Own. British Women Novelists from Bronte to Lessing (1977), Eva Figes, Patriarchal Attitudes (1970), Kate Millett, Sexual Politics (1969), Betty Friedan, The Feminine Mystique (1963), Germaine Greer, The Female Eunuch (1970).
It took a long time for feminist criticism to take root in Africa. It actually started emerging in the 1980s and flourished in the 1990s. A few feminist critics from the West had written about the works of Flora Nwapa and Buchi Emecheta, who are among the first generation of female writers. Such Western feminist critics include: Sabine Jell Bahlsen, The Concept of mammy water in Flora Nwapa’s Novels (1995), Brenda F. Berrian, The Reinvention of Woman through Conversation and Humour in Flora Nwapa’s One is Enough (1990), Katherine Frank, Women without Men (1987), Kenneth Little, The Sociology of Urban Woman’s Image in African Literature (1980). It was however, not until African women critics, most of whom were Nigerians, came into the field of criticism that the women writers received the attention they deserved. Among the prominent feminist critics that changed the face of Nigerian literary criticism in the 20th century by analysing the works of women writers were Chikwenye Okonjo-Ogunyemi author of African Wo/man Palava, (1995), Helen Chukwuma, editor of Feminism in African Literature, (1994), Molara Ogundipe, author of Recreating ourselves, African Women and Critical Transformations, (1994), Catherine Acholonu, author of Motherism: The Afrocentric Alternative to Feminism, (1995), Akachi Ezeigbo, author of Gender Issues in Nigeria: a Feminist Perspective (1996), Mary E. Modupe Kolawole, author of Womanism and African Consciousness (1997), Mabel Evwierhoma, author of Female Empowerment and Dramatic Creativity in Nigeria (2000), Obioma Nnaemeka, author of “Nego-Feminism: Theorizing, Practicing and Pruning Africa’s Way” (2004). The challenge of putting women writers on the platform of criticism was taken up by these critics. Some of the women writers whose works have been critiqued by feminist scholars include Flora Nwapa (Efuru, 1966), Buchi Emecheta (The Joys of Motherhood, 1979), Tess Onwueme (The Reign of Wazobia,1988), Zaynab Alkali (The Stillborn, 1984), Ifeoma Okoye (Behind the Cloud, 1982).
This study examines Lola Shoneyin’s debut novel, The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives, using Akachi Ezeigbo’s snail-sense feminism, a recent model of indigenous feminist theory as a viable model for solving women’s problems orchestrated by patriarchy. Snail-sense feminism complements other contemporary African feminist variants that deemphasise the controversies that have deterred the progress of improvement in the integrity of the woman. According to Maduka (109), each feminist writer has used literary work to expose, and analyse the significance of the ‘quest for female identity in Nigeria/Africa’
Comparing the effectiveness of hand hygiene techniques in reducing the microbial load and covering hand surfaces in healthcare workers: updated systematic review
No full textBackground: This review, commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO), examined the effectiveness of the WHO 6-step hand hygiene (HH) technique in reducing microbial load on hands and covering hand surfaces, and compared its effectiveness to other techniques. Methods: Medline, CINAHL, ProQuest, Web of Science, Mednar, and Google Scholar were searched for primary studies, published in English (1978-February 2021), evaluating the microbiological effectiveness or hand surface coverage of HH techniques in healthcare workers. Reviewers independently performed quality assessment using Cochrane tools. The protocol for the narrative review was registered (PROSPERO 2021: CRD42021236138). Results: Nine studies were included. Evidence demonstrated that the WHO technique reduced microbial load on hands. One study found the WHO technique more effective than the 3-step technique (P = .02), while another found no difference between these 2 techniques (P = .08). An adapted 3-step technique was more effective than the WHO technique in laboratory settings (P = .021), but not in clinical practice (P =. 629). One study demonstrated that an adapted 6-step technique was more effective than the WHO technique (P = .001). Evidence was heterogeneous in application time, product, and volume. All studies were high risk of bias. Conclusions: Eight studies found that the WHO 6-step technique reduced microbial load on healthcare workers’ hands; but the studies were heterogeneous and further research is required to identify the most effective, yet feasible technique.</p
Interventions to improve the review of antibiotic therapy in acute care hospitals: a systematic review and narrative synthesis
No full textObjectives:To synthesize current evidence for the effectiveness of interventions to ensure the timely review of antibiotics in acute care hospitals.Methods:Five databases were searched from 1 January 2015 to 8 March 2019 for studies in English, focused on the timely review of antibiotics in acute care hospitals. Randomized controlled trials, non-randomized studies, case–control and cohort study designs were eligible. Intervention strategies were categorized according to the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care taxonomy of health interventions, then mapped to the intervention functions of the behaviour change wheel.Results:Fourteen studies were included. Most studies (11 out of 14) were conducted in single sites. Nine out of 14 reported intervention delivery by more than one healthcare professional. Physicians were the main targets of interventions in all studies. Thirteen out of 14 studies tested interventions comprising more than one strategy. The three most commonly utilized strategies within interventions were clinical practice guidelines, audit and feedback, and educational materials. Only one study employed theory in intervention evaluation. Reported interventions led to timely review and switch of IV antibiotic therapy, and shortened durations of overall antibiotic therapy.Conclusions:Interventions to improve the review of antibiotics were found to be effective in the short to medium term, with limited evidence of long-term sustainability in multiple sites. Future research may benefit from the application of theory to intervention design and detailed specifications of interventions to aid their easy replication and implementation in different contexts
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the antimicrobial stewardship workforce in Scottish acute care hospitals-a qualitative study.
No full textBACKGROUND: Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programmes seek to reduce the risk of antimicrobial resistance by minimizing inappropriate antimicrobial use. The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic was characterized by initial widespread use of antimicrobials in patients with COVID-19, with potential negative effects on AMS efforts. OBJECTIVE: To explore the impact of the pandemic on the AMS workforce in Scottish acute care hospitals. METHOD: Individual, semi-structured online interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of clinical staff who had an AMS focused role in Scottish Health Boards. Interviews explored staff experiences of facilitating AMS during the pandemic. Data were analysed using inductive content analysis. RESULTS: Thirteen staff from seven of 15 Scotland Health Boards participated. The data revealed negative (including staff redeployment and shortages) and positive effects (including improved working relationships and use of technology) on the AMS workforce. Notably, greater appreciation of the work of the AMS team was a positive outcome. CONCLUSIONS: The robust qualitative methods applied in this original study have generated greater understanding of factors that impeded AMS services in Scotland during the pandemic. These findings may resonate internationally. Adaptation to technology and investment in the workforce are recommended to improve the resilience of AMS services in future crises
Art Forms in Crisis: The Role of Songs and Visual Artworks Created in Response to the #EndSARS Protests in Nigeria
No full textThis article identifies the place, role and relevance of art during the #EndSARS protests in Nigeria in 2020 and seeks to embark on a critical analysis of selected songs and visual artworks that were created either as a form of solidarity with the movement or as alternative means of expressing the demands of the #EndSARS protesters. The basic assumption here is that conflicts have a broad degree of influence on the overall psyche of a community, leading to significant social changes and global effects. The article looks at the role of art in a variety of crisis situations connected to the #EndSARS protests. Based on several sampling systems, the author selected songs and visual artworks from nationally and internationally notable artists from Nigeria and the diaspora, such as Chike, Dice Ailes, Laolu Senbanjo, and Ayodeji Adegoroye to show how these artists and their work have shaped the socio-political climate of Nigeria and to analyze what psychological and creative impact this art has had on individuals during and after the protests. This article identifies the place, role and relevance of art during the #EndSARS protests in Nigeria in 2020 and seeks to embark on a critical analysis of selected songs and visual artworks that were created either as a form of solidarity with the movement or as alternative means of expressing the demands of the #EndSARS protesters. The basic assumption here is that conflicts have a broad degree of influence on the overall psyche of a community, leading to significant social changes and global effects. The article looks at the role of art in a variety of crisis situations connected to the #EndSARS protests. Based on several sampling systems, the author selected songs and visual artworks from nationally and internationally notable artists from Nigeria and the diaspora, such as Chike, Dice Ailes, Laolu Senbanjo, and Ayodeji Adegoroye to show how these artists and their work have shaped the socio-political climate of Nigeria and to analyze what psychological and creative impact this art has had on individuals during and after the protests.This article identifies the place, role and relevance of art during the #EndSARS protests in Nigeria in 2020 and seeks to embark on a critical analysis of selected songs and visual artworks that were created either as a form of solidarity with the movement or as alternative means of expressing the demands of the #EndSARS protesters. The basic assumption here is that conflicts have a broad degree of influence on the overall psyche of a community, leading to significant social changes and global effects. The article looks at the role of art in a variety of crisis situations connected to the #EndSARS protests. Based on several sampling systems, the author selected songs and visual artworks from nationally and internationally notable artists from Nigeria and the diaspora, such as Chike, Dice Ailes, Laolu Senbanjo, and Ayodeji Adegoroye to show how these artists and their work have shaped the socio-political climate of Nigeria and to analyze what psychological and creative impact this art has had on individuals during and after the protests. This article identifies the place, role and relevance of art during the #EndSARS protests in Nigeria in 2020 and seeks to embark on a critical analysis of selected songs and visual artworks that were created either as a form of solidarity with the movement or as alternative means of expressing the demands of the #EndSARS protesters. The basic assumption here is that conflicts have a broad degree of influence on the overall psyche of a community, leading to significant social changes and global effects. The article looks at the role of art in a variety of crisis situations connected to the #EndSARS protests. Based on several sampling systems, the author selected songs and visual artworks from nationally and internationally notable artists from Nigeria and the diaspora, such as Chike, Dice Ailes, Laolu Senbanjo, and Ayodeji Adegoroye to show how these artists and their work have shaped the socio-political climate of Nigeria and to analyze what psychological and creative impact this art has had on individuals during and after the protests
