Rivers State University of Science and Technology

About: Rivers State University of Science and Technology is a education organization based out in Port Harcourt, Rivers, Nigeria. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Threatened species. The organization has 1826 authors who have published 1833 publications receiving 15183 citations.

Why Students in Secondary Schools Choose not to do Physics? Implications For Policy and Practice in Developing Countries

Abstract: This study investigated the low popularity of physics among secondary school students in Rivers State, Nigeria. One outcome of this situation is concern and interest in effective teaching and learning in the subject in Nigeria. A mixed methods research design was adopted for the study. The study found that teachers’ qualities and resource availability and utilization significantly influence students’ physics enrolment. Also, there was no significant difference in the correlations of teacher and resource factors with enrolment by gender. To boost students’ interest in physics, the study recommended amongst others, that teachers present content in ways that connect physics ideas to the everyday experiences of students and that, policy makers should consider making the study of science compulsory in all classes in secondary schools with the introduction of ‘science for arts’ for the nonscience oriented students.

Impact of demographic and psychosocial factors on hysterosalpingography pain and discomfort

Abstract: Background: Hysterosalpingography (HSG) is an important diagnostic procedure in the investigation of infertility. It is the radiographic delineation of uterine and tubal cavities and is part of the diagnostic evaluation of conjugal infertility. This diagnostic procedure is associated with high levels of anxiety, pain and stress from various causes. This study was designed to investigate the impact of demographic and psychosocial factors on HSG pain and discomfort. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the impact of demographic and psychosocial factors on hysterosalpingography pain and discomfort. Method: One hundred hysterosalpingography referrals were recruited for this study. Verbal detector scales were used to assess pain perception, Likert scales were used to assess the psychosocial variables, while visual analogue scales were used to assess discomfort. Pearson’s correlations were conducted. Tests were two-tailed, with p < 0.05 indicating statistical signifcance. Results: Some of the patients (34%) indicated that the administration of analgesics prior to the procedure reduced the pain and discomfort associated with the procedure. Mean ± standard deviation of pain and discomfort were 2.82 ± 0.77 and 6.36 ± 2.19 respectively. Age correlated signifcantly with pain perception (r = -0.22, P < 0.05), while pain correlated signifcantly with perception of discomfort (r = -0.46, P < 0.05). Conclusion: Age signifcantly correlated with pain. This is a factor that could be harnessed for clinical use.

Laboratory Investigation of Behavioural Changes in Tensile Strength of Bituminous Concrete Mixes Subjected to Differential Loading Temperature

Abstract: This paper presents a laboratory investigation of the behaviour of bituminous concretemixtures when subjected to differential loadings in temperature with respect to tensilestrength. The study became necessary because previous works have revealed that bitumenwhich is the binding agent in bituminous concrete can easily flow or flush under increasedtemperature causing separation from aggregates. For the present study, laboratory specimensof bituminous concretes were prepared in accordance with specified standards and twoindirect tensile testing methods (split cylinder and double punch tests) were used to evaluatethe behavioural changes in tensile strength that occurred. The laboratory procedure involvedtesting the specimens under increasing temperature of loading between 20°C - 60°C withincremental loadings of 10°C. The study was carried out for three categories of traffic –Light, Medium and Heavy traffic categories respectively. The results obtained revealed thatincrease in mix temperature of asphalt/bituminous concretes from 20°C - 60°C adverselyaffected the tensile strength behaviour of the concrete under external traffic loading.Furthermore, results of tensile strength from the double punch test were better than thosefrom split cylinder test for all categories of traffic under varying temperature between 20°C -60°C.

Assessing Variations in Ijo Migrant Fishermen Architecture Through Spatial Classification

Abstract: This article focuses on identifying variations in the base camp dwellings of Ijo migrant fishermen in Nigeria and Cameroon. Migrant fishermen in diasporas learn the techniques of the fishing trade and the skills required for building their vernacular dwellings by cultural transmission methods. This includes obtaining instructions by oral tradition and hands-on practice while they serve as apprentices under parents, master fishermen, or elders. The designs of the dwellings were patterned after the mental blueprints obtained from similar dwellings in their ethnic homeland in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. As a result of cultural dynamism, changes may have occurred in the design of migrant fishermen’s dwellings in diasporas over time. The accumulation of such changes may have constituted significant variations in the design of these vernacular dwellings. The variations in these designs have been analyzed using a spatial classification method, and this article bears some of the findings of the study.

Modeling Void Ratio Influences on Shigella Transport in Heterogeneous Grave Depositions

Abstract: The reaction from 1996 Amendments on Safe Drinking Water Act, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) that are the developer of Ground-Water Rule (GWR). This will always protect users of public ground-water supplies from viral contamination [1-6]. Due the fact that total coliform bacteria are normally applied an indicator of the possibility or probable existence of pathogenic contamination from microbial pathogens, several groundwater suppliers applied the absence of coliform as justification for not disinfecting source water. Despite the inherent complications related with the identification of viruses in water, disease epidemics have been attributed to specific episodes of viral pollution in ground water [3-7]. There has been a suggestion as viral indicators. Coliphages are a bacterial virus that is known to infect the coliform bacterial group. Most of these coliphages that are superficially similar to the enteric viruses, they are known to share symmetrical structures, morphologies, and sizes, they also have similar half-lives in natural waters [8-10]. Some coliphages, precisely infect “male” strains of Escherichia coli (E. coli), or “malespecific” coliphages, they are normally found in human feces, this has been identified in huge numbers in human wastewater [11].