Journal articles on the topic 'Department of Education in Port Moresby'

Of the six species of marine turtle in Papua New Guinea, the green turtle Chelonia mydas and the hawksbill turtle Eretmochelys imbricata are the most common and the most utilized in the Port Moresby region. This paper describes a study carried out in 1989, which monitored the trade in green turtles in the country's main market and the sale of tortoiseshell in a major shopping centre. The price of turtle meat was higher than that of some common reef fish, but cost less when fish was abundant. The commercial trade in tortoiseshell appeared to be negligible. As the urban population increases it is likely that demand for turtle meat will also increase. If this food resource is to be managed sustainably the size of the turtle population needs to be determined. The University of Papua New Guinea is supporting marine turtle field studies and a sea turtle education programme, but more needs to be done to ensure the survival of PNG's marine turtles.

SummaryA survey of 673 consecutive Papua New Guinean parturients at the Port Moresby General Hospital, in May and June 1990, showed that 28% had ever used a family planning (FP) method, chiefly a hormonal method (93% of ever-users). Only seventeen of 239 (7·1%) nulliparae had ever used an FP method, compared with 170 of 434 (39·2%) parous subjects. Education of mother and of husband were independently and significantly associated with FP ever-use. Seventeen (4·9%) of 347 women who had a surviving child, had not breast-fed the child. The interval between the birth of the surviving child and the start of the index pregnancy was significantly associated with the duration of breast-feeding; the longer the duration of breast-feeding, the longer the inter birth interval.

Taro, Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott (Araceae) is a monocot grown as a starchy root crop in much of the tropics and subtropics. It is subject to a number of fungal, bacterial, and viral diseases. Viral diseases have inhibited the cultivation of taro in parts of New Guinea and the Solomon Islands where taro is an integral part of the culture. Two different viruses, a Rhabdovirus, the Large Bacilliform Particle (LBP), and a smaller bacilliform virus, are the cause. Dasheen Mosaic Virus, a Potyvirus, has been found wherever taro is cultivated and produces a leaf mottle but is not lethal to plants.Colocasia esculenta cv K268 corms, infected with virus, were obtained from Michael Pearson, Department of Botany, University of Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby, New Guinea. Upon planting some of the corms produced leaves with virus symptoms. Others were symptomless but symptoms could be induced by stress.

Abstract 22 Breast cancer is increasing at an alarming rate amongst young women in developing countries. In Papua New Guinea, the incidence of breast cancer is the second highest after cervical cancer and is the top five cause of mortality due to cancer. A prospective audit was done to assess the changing trend of women who presents with breast lumps to the surgical clinic at the only tertiary (level 7) hospital in Papua New Guinea. The number of breast cancer has been shown to increase at a rate of 60% per year over the last eight (8) years. Infections, ulcers and benign breast lumps can mimic breast cancer on clinical presentation. However, more than half (about 59%) of breast cancers patients presents initially to the surgical clinic with breast lumps, and the commonest histological diagnosis is lobular carcinoma. Despite improvement in surgical care, most patients' outcomes are poor and often high mortality. The late clinical presentation, poor oncology and supporting care, high rate of treatment failures and defaulters are major causes of poor outcom es. There is a greater need for effective and efficient management of breast cancer patient at the tertiary health care centre in Papua New Guinea. AUTHORS' DISCLOSURES OF POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: No COIs from the authors.

Women across the world migrate for a wide range of reasons. Some gravitate to urban centres in their own countries seeking safety, education, health care, and employment opportunities. Others travel across national boundaries seeking reprieve from the atrocities of war and extreme poverty. Migration within countries is on the rise, as people move in response to adverse conditions such as lack of resources, services and education, and employment opportunities. In addition they may want to escape from violence or natural disasters. This movement of people from rural to urban areas has resulted in an explosive growth of cities around the globe. This paper draws on a research case study undertaken with the Kewapi language group in Port Moresby and the Batri Villages of the Southern Highlands in Papua New Guinea. It seeks to highlight the perspectives of women traveling vast distances from their home communities in order to seek education and health care. It explores the implications for developing effective service user focused health care systems designed to meet the needs of mobile and vulnerable women. The study suggests that if women and their families from remote rural communities are encouraged and facilitated in participating in health promoting initiatives they can dramatically improve their life and health experiences and that of their community.

Pacific Journalism Review has consistently, at a good standard, honoured its 1994 founding goal: to be a credible peer-reviewed journal in the Asia-Pacific region, probing developments in journalism and media, and supporting journalism education. Global, it considers new media and social movements; ‘regional’, it promotes vernacular media, human freedoms and sustainable development. Asking how it developed, the method for this article was to research the archive, noting authors, subject matter, themes. The article concludes that one answer is the journal’s collegiate approach; hundreds of academics, journalists and others, have been invited to contribute. Second has been the dedication of its one principal editor, Professor David Robie, always somehow providing resources—at Port Moresby, Suva, and now Auckland—with a consistent editorial stance. Eclectic, not partisan, it has nevertheless been vigilant over rights, such as monitoring the Fiji coups d’etat. Watching through a media lens, it follows a ‘Pacific way’, handling hard information through understanding and consensus. It has 237 subscriptions indexed to seven databases. Open source, it receives more than 1000 site visits weekly. With ‘clientele’ mostly in Australia, New Zealand and ‘Oceania’, it extends much further afield. From 1994 to 2014, 701 articles and reviews were published, now more than 24 scholarly articles each year.

Development until the late 1980s and early 1990s on embodied the initiative of a typical science as the study of Papua titled Papuanistiecs as a course of study at the Department of Southeast Asia and Oceania, Faculty of Arts, University of Leiden-The Netherlands, while Melanesianology lead anthropology has been developed since 1896 when Boas carry out research works in the region of South Pacific and the Southwest Pacific. When Papuanistiecs sounds as a specific branch of the broader Melanesianology include anthropology, the course is not closed for any other specific subject areas, especially on the natural environment as physical nature (tangible) as well as the philosophy as the inner nature (intangible). A concept of intangible or philosophy of Papua-Melanesian on Socio-Cultural structure is what being proposed in this writing work as a "hidden-structure” or ‘covered structures'. The term or this formula was by the author uses to accommodate referrals various scholars who call the social structure of Papua-Melanesian as "loosely structure" or a missing structure and also as "confusing diversity" or as confuse or chaos diverse. That, "hidden structure" is said to be so because it is hidden to those outside the system which understanding as ethics while looking for people in the system who view of understanding the relationship of emics accused loose or off and confuse or confusing is very well lightly acknowledge. Melanesianology and Papuanistiecs very well coordinated by the Sydney University and the Australian National University in Canberra by enabling the University of Papua New Guinea/UPNG in Port Moresby PNG and the University of the South Pacific/USP, in Suva-Fiji. In addition to its general purpose by making Papuanistiecs and Melanesianology as a discipline of area regional study, the special purpose of the author also is about to raise these matters in connection with the State University of Cenderawasih who have declared itself as Anthropological Study Base, then the function of Papuanistiec and Melanesianology may be of the major studies take precedence in all disciplines.

This study examined the gender disparity towards students’ enrollment in technical education in Rivers State. A sample of 403 students (362 Male and 41 Female) was selected through simple random sampling technique from Rivers State University (RIVSU) and Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUOE), Port Harcourt from the Department of Technical Education. Three research questions were posed to guide the study and two Null hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significant. Structured questionnaire was used to collect data. A reliability coefficient of 0.83 was established through Cronbach Alpha using test-retest method. Data were analyzed using mean and standard deviation for research questions and hypotheses were tested using the independent sample t-test. The study revealed amongst others that poverty, preference of male child, cultural and religious beliefs were causes of female folks low enrollment into technical education programmes in Rivers State. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended amongst others that; allowances, scholarships, employment opportunities should be given to female students in order to enhance their enrolments into technical education programmmes in Rivers State.

This study was aimed to investigate the Maritime English learning materials needed by the students of nautical department of Maritime Academy in Indonesia based in STCW’2010 curriculum. The participants of the research were the seafarers, the port authorities, the shipping business employees, the English lecturers, and the cadets of Maritime Academy. They were totally about 48 participants. They were selected by using purposive random sampling technique. There were three types of instruments for collecting data those were questionaire, documentary sheet, and interview. The results of the study shows that 1) there were three basic leaning materials categories of Maritime English namely a) the nautical contents, b) language skills, and c) languistic features and 2) the level of needs of those materials were different from categories to another categories and within categories.

The goal of Finger Print Based Attendance system is to take attendance of the student in a faster and efficient way. The attendance has been taken by calling out students name in the class which will be time consuming. After taking attendance the list will be sent to the department. Its ability is to uniquely identify each person based on their FINGER PRINT reader. In real time application capability of taking attendances will be more accurate by using Finger Print. Using an USB port or MAX 232 an attendance will be stored inside the database. Using an 8051 microcontroller data can be transferred to MAX 232.Thus the speed and security provided by Finger Print makes it valuable in the education field.

The study focused attention on the effectiveness of Computer Aided Instructions (CAI) on students’ performance in basic electricity in technical colleges in Rivers State. The study adopted the pretest posttest quasi experimental design method. The population of the study comprises of all the vocational I basic electricity students in the five technical colleges in Rivers State. They comprised of 93 students. Purposive sampling technique was used to select two Government Technical Colleges and a sample size of 60 students was randomly selected for the study. This sample size comprised of 30 males and 30 females. The research instrument used for the study was the Basic Electricity Test (BET). The instrument was validated by two lecturers from technical education department of IgnatusAjuru University of Education Port Harcourt. The reliability of the instrument was done using test-re-test method and Pearson’s product moment correlation was used to obtain a coefficient of 0.65. Two research questions were drawn and two hypotheses were formulated for the study at 0.05 level of significance. The data for the study were analyzed using Mean and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). The result indicated that students taught using Computer Aided Instructions (CAI) performed significantly better than those taught using conventional method. Also, there was no significant difference in the post test performance scores of male and female students. Some recommendations were made from the findings.

The study investigated the Influence of Web 2.0 Tools on the Group Cohesion of Pre-service teachers in cooperative learning classroom. It adopted the two-group post-test only quasi experimental design. Task and social cohesion were the two dimensions of Group Cohesion that were studied. The sample was seventy (70) fourth year students from the Department of Educational Management, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. The sample size was seventy (70) fourth year students from one teaching option (Economics) in the Department of Educational Management who offered the course Computer in Education during the 2013/2014 session. It was an intact class. The technique used for selecting this sample was purposive sampling. The instrument for data collection was Group Cohesion Questionnaire designed by Carless and De Paola (2000). The internal consistency of the Group Cohesion Questionnaire was determined by the authors. Using a sample of students outside the study sample, the researcher used the split-half method to determine the reliability of the instrument. Cronbachs coefficient alpha was reported at .680. Research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation while hypotheses were analysed using Z-test. The results showed that there was no significant difference in the task and social cohesion of students who used web 2.0 technologies and those who did not. Though, the major findings showed that web 2.0 technologies did not significantly affect students task and social cohesion, incidental findings showed that students communication and information literacy skills were improved as they worked online. Thus, the researchers recommended that Web 2.0 technologies should be adopted in higher institutions.

Introduction. Idiopathic macular hole (IMH) is a frequent disorder of the posterior segment of the eye that impacts on visual functions leading to the reduction of visual acuity and the manifestation of metamorphopsia. In the majority of cases the basic treatment technique for IMH is a three-port transconjunctival guillotine vitrectomy. In the key of the further development of vitrectomy the latest and most interesting is the use of ultrasonic energy for vitreous fragmentation. Members of staff of the Department of Ophthalmology with the Course of Additional Professional Education of Bashkir State Medical University jointly with the Department of Microsurgical Equipment of CJSC Optimedservice have built a 25G ultrasonic vitrectomy system with the mechanism of action that turns the vitreous body into easy-to-remove emulsion with the use of ultrasound.Materials and methods. This paper presents a clinical case of idiopathic macular hole successfully treated with the method of 25G subtotal ultrasonic vitrectomy.Results and discussion. The data obtained through comprehensive ophthalmological examination and supported by fundus-camera, OCT and OCTA images made it possible to make a diagnosis of vitreomacular traction syndrome, idiopathic macular hole, J. D. Gass stage 3. 25G subtotal ultrasonic vitrectomy was performed on the universal ophthalmic surgery system Optimed Profi (Optimedservice, Russia) with intraoperative OCT-controlled internal limiting membrane staining and peeling, and apposition of the macular hole edges with gas tamponade. A good outcome, both anatomical and functional, was achieved; IMH has closed and a positive visual acuity dynamic has been recorded.Conclusion. We can thus conclude that 25G subtotal ultrasonic vitrectomy with ILM peeling and gas tamponade is an effective IMH treatment method that ensures high visual functions.

ABSTRACTObjective: Because most bioterrorist disease agents are zoonotic, veterinarians are important partners in preparedness. New York State is a prime port of entry and has a network of health and emergency management agencies for response. However, knowledge and participation by veterinarians has not yet been assessed.Methods: A 25-question survey was mailed out to approximately half (1832) of the veterinarians licensed in New York State. Participants were asked about past emergency preparedness training, likelihood of participating in future training, preferred training topics, and their relationship with their local health department (LHD).Results: Completed questionnaires were received from 529 veterinarians (29%). Most (83%) reported that they were likely to participate in emergency preparedness training, but in the past 2 years, only 14% received training in zoonotic disease outbreaks and 12% in emergency preparedness. Only 21% reported having a relationship with their LHD, but 48% were interested in having one. Lack of time was the biggest obstacle to involvement with the LHD (40%). Most (69%) of those responding to the survey said they would participate in training once per year or more often.Conclusions: Inducements, such as earning continuing education credits, or the development of active networks of preparedness organizations, state and local health departments, and veterinary schools are needed to deliver emergency preparedness training and information efficiently to veterinarians.(Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2010;4:300-305)

This study examined trado-modern communication strategies for effective implementation of community development programmes in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Two objectives and two research questions guided the study. The study adopted descriptive survey and exploratory research designs. 405 respondents were adopted as sample size through total enumeration sampling. A structured questionnaire titled “Trado-Modern Communication Strategies for Effective Implementation of Community Development Programmes” (QT-MCSIECDP) with r = 0.82 was used for data collection. The instrument was validated by experts from the Department of Adult and Non-Formal Education in the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Data were analysed using frequency, percentage and mean statistics. Results show that traditional rulers, groups, town-criers, face-to-face interaction and village squares are the available trado-modern communication channels for effective implementation of community development programmes in Bayelsa State; trado-modern communication keeps the communities up-to-date and enables individuals to react knowledgeably and intelligently to the environment, communicates feelings, creates acceptable changes in behaviour, boosts information, shows ways to solve problems and further growth for effective implementation of community development programmes in Bayelsa State. The study recommended among others that traditional rulers, town-criers, groups, village square and face-to-face interaction should always be used to inform, convince and motivate the community citizens for effective implementation of community development programmes.

Uwadiae Jacob Egharevba was born in 1893 to a descendant of Ohenmwen, the Iyase of Benin Kingdom during the reign of Osemwende, ca. 1816 to ca. 1848, and Okunzuwa, a granddaughter of an Ibadan chief. Jacob's parents were long-distance traders, and he claimed to have traveled with them in the Benin and Yoruba regions until his father's death in 1902. The brief sojourn in the Yoruba country afforded him the opportunity of attending school for a year in 1899, at a time when there was no such facility in Benin because of the reluctance of the traditional elite to send their children to school. Jacob was impressed by the written word and became interested in education, although it was not until 1911 that he returned to school at Akure. He demonstrated brilliance, although his education here was terminated by relocation. On his return to Benin in 1914, he became a domestic help to Black Shaw, a senior European staff of the Public Works Department, while at the same time enrolling at St. Matthews C.M.S. school. In 1915 he converted to Christianity and, with the encouragement of Shaw and others, he was able to complete his primary education in 1916.Between 1916 and 1921, he worked in lowly paid jobs in Warri, Port Harcourt, and Okigwe. His failure to secure any lucrative government position pushed him to trading. His writing career began in 1921 when he drafted his now famous classic, Ekhere Vb'Itan Edo. Ironically, it was this successful book that exposed his writing inadequacies. To improve his skills, he enrolled in 1926 in a five-year correspondence course with the Institute of Rationalistic Press in London. In 1933 the C.M.S. published the Ekhere Vb'Itan, which attained an instant success. It was reprinted the following year and translated as A Short History of Benin.

Background: Patient satisfaction is one of the essential indicators for assessing the quality of healthcare services being delivered, including pharmacy ambulatory care service, as it determines the practicability and sustainability of the service provided. As such, pharmaceutical care services provided during medication therapy adherence clinic (MTAC) sessions need to be assessed to maximise its effectiveness and benefits to the patients. Objective: This study aimed to assess the association between patient satisfaction and socio-demographic characteristics, as well as the predictors for patient satisfaction. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at the medical outpatient department in Hospital Port Dickson from January until October 2019. Convenience sampling method was used to recruit potential study participants. Patient satisfaction was measured using Validated Patient Satisfaction with Pharmacist Services Questionnaire (PSPSQ2.0), consisted of quality of care and interpersonal relationship between pharmacist and patient domains. Descriptive data were presented as mean and standard deviation or numbers and percentages, while Independent Sample t-test, ANOVA and post-hoc analysis, and multiple linear regression were used for inferential data analysis. Results: There were 37 (25%) diabetes MTAC, 36 (24.3%) respiratory MTAC, and 75 (50.7%) warfarin MTAC patients recruited. On average, the mean overall satisfaction score was 3.30(SD=0.43). The mean satisfaction score in the interpersonal relationship domain [3.35(SD=0.44)] was higher than the quality of care domain [3.26(SD=0.45)]. There was a significant association between gender, education level, and patient satisfaction towards pharmaceutical care service (p<0.05). Gender and education level statistically predicted respondents' satisfaction with MTAC services (p<0.001). Conclusions: The overall patient satisfaction towards MTAC services in this setting was high. Gender and education level were significant predictors for patient satisfaction. These findings could potentially contribute to the planning of MTAC services in the future.

The study examined the effect of concept mapping in the teaching of physic in senior secondary school in port Harcourt local government area Rivers state. The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of concept mapping on the teaching of physics. The study also found the difference in the academic achievement of students taught physics with concept mapping and conventional teaching method. Eighty-four SS3 physics students were used for the study. Forty-three 43 comprised of the experimental group and fortyone in the control group. The study adopted pre-test post test quasi experimental design. The instrument used for the study was Physics achievement test (PAT).The instrument contained 25 multiple choice questions, in which each of the questions 2 marks. The instrument was validated by two experts in the department of science education in Rivers State University. Pearson product moment correlation coefficient was used to ascertain the instrument’s level of reliability, which resulted to r value of 0.62. findings of the study shows that students taught Physics with concept mapping significantly better than those taught with conventional method. Also the study found that there was no significant difference between male and female students taught Physics with concept mapping. The study recommended that teachers should imbibe concept mapping method in the teaching of Physics so as to enhance students’ comprehension, identification of relationships that exits between concepts and creativity.

Introduction. Socio-political disciplines are an important component of the Humanities of the Soviet period of Russian history. Scientific communism, introduced as a compulsory subject in all Higher education institutions of the USSR in the last 30 years of the state's existence, was considered as the final expression of all the theoretical propositions of Marxism-Leninism. The article attempts to consider Scientific communism as a speculative speculative construction that, on the one hand, reproduces the terminological, logical, semantic and operational regulations of classical philosophical systems, and on the other hand, is a privileged mechanism of discursive production. As a typical example of how and through what tools the doctrine is legitimized, the texts of the work of A. K. Belykh, who for almost 30 years headed the Department of the theory of scientific communism at the faculty of philosophy of LSU (now SPBU).Methodology and sources. Methodologically, the work is based on a philosophical analysis of texts representative of the epoch (D. de Tracy, grammar of Port Royal, Soviet Russian philosophers who worked in the Marxist-Leninist tradition, monographs by A. K. Belykh), included in the approved canonical corpus of Marxism-Leninism.Results and discussion. Scientific communism, now virtually removed from historical memory, was an interesting example of how social thought evolved during the Soviet period of Russian history. The corpus of socio-political disciplines, which included Marxist-Leninist philosophy (dialectical materialism and historical materialism), political economy, history of the Communist party of the Soviet Union, and scientific communism, was a single complex of speculative doctrine. All these disciplines, positioned as scientific knowledge, can be fully evaluated only in the context of the main trends in the development of social and philosophical knowledge of the New time, set by the Enlightenment era. Symbolic points of reference here can be considered projects of ”universal grammar” (Port Royal) and ”ideology” (Destute de Tracy).Conclusion. Scientific communism is not an accidental, but characteristic of Russian thought, intellectual construct. Collective, i. e. a large number of people are involved in its implementation, which means it can be considered as a well-formed direction of social thought. Among the historical analogs that use the same strategic and tactical Arsenal of means of expression and discursive fixation, it can be compared and likened to the wellknown speculative constructs of a theological nature: high scholasticism.

Abstract Background Positive peripheral blood culture results are essential in guiding antimicrobial therapy in patients with bacteremia. However, false-positive results may frequently pose diagnostic issues in interpreting the test. These results can lead to increased costs and patient harm through the administration of unnecessary antibiotics and prolongation of hospital stay. The maximum acceptable contamination rate for peripheral blood cultures as suggested by the College of American Pathologists is 3%. Methods We initiated a longitudinal quality improvement project to monitor peripheral blood contamination rates at our children’s hospital in Brooklyn, NY. We reviewed positive blood culture results on a monthly basis and assessed whether they represented true infections vs. contamination based on review of patient charts. Residents and nurses in the pediatric emergency department (ED), neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), inpatient unit, and newborn nursery were educated on proper skin sterilization techniques using video demonstration; the importance of avoiding palpating the venipuncture site after sterilization and the importance of cleaning the port on the blood culture bottle were reinforced. Results The pediatric ED and the PICU had the highest contamination rates in 2018 at 4.38% and 3.82%, respectively. The newborn nursery had the lowest contamination rate, at 0%. The NICU and pediatric inpatient units had contamination rates that met the goal as well, at 1.25% and 0.72%, respectively. Conclusion The departments in need of targeted interventions are the pediatric ED and the PICU, both of which had contamination rates greater than the 3% goal rate set for our project. Future interventions currently being considered include re-education of nursing and resident staff as well as the creation of equipment bundles to facilitate adequate skin preparation prior to venipuncture. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

The hunter-gatherer tribes of Andaman and Nicobar Islands with negrito physical features had drawn attention of researchers and administrators because of their unique bio-cultural identity and their migration to the present habitat. Until 1950s, the Onge were sparsely distributed and exploited natural biotic resources of whole Little Andaman Island. Population decrease among them was the major factor for resettlement of this tribe at Dugong creek (1976–1977) and at South Bay (1980) of Little Andaman Island. The then Administration’s attempts to protect Onge was in line with the Government of India’s policy towards tribal societies. Often described as ‘Nehru-Elwin’ tribal policy. After resettlement, supply of ‘free ration’ was introduced which is continuing till date. The whole economy of the Onge has undergone a change. Their physical stamina seems to be ‘greatly reduced’ and the incidence of ‘overweight’ has increased in both men and women. ‘Underweight’ is reported more among men (60%) than women (33%). Longevity of male and female Onge is moderate. 10% of Onge male and female are 50 years and above. Four males and two female Onge are aged 60 years and above. 34% of Onge in the age group of 21–40 years are employed in electricity, education and forest department of Andaman and Nicobar administration, Port Blair. The present generation is more interested in ‘cash economy’ and demands facilities such as housing, electricity, piped water, bicycles and medicines. Challenge for administrators and policy makers lies in the changing socio-cultural attitudes of the present day Onge. Skills such as preparation of baskets, boats and paintings over the body are hardly seen among younger generation. Auxiliary Nursing Midwifery (ANMs) at Dugong creek settlement are instructed to visit Onge families daily to distribute allopathic medicines and also observe/wait until medicine are actually consumed. The authors in the paper discuss the present status of the Onge at Little Andaman Island from the point of view of biological attributes such as demography, nutritional status of adults and Growth and development of Onge children, they opine that ‘survival of Onge’ as bio-cultural ethnic group with certain caveats has been achieved. In conclusion we can state that although many National and International critics seem to think that the pristine cultural has been affected, ‘Survival of Onge’ itself has been the biggest success of this resettlement.

Background: Suicide has been a major community concern in Esperance, a geographically isolated port on the south coast of Western Australia. Aims: To evaluate the effect of three evidence-based initiatives for the primary prevention of suicide: (i) providing suicide awareness sessions for staff members in health, education and social services; (ii) limiting the sale of over the counter analgesics (aspirin and paracetamol) to packets containing less than the minimum lethal dose; and (iii) implementing Commonwealth media guidelines in the reporting of suicides by media. Methods: Changes in knowledge, awareness, attitudes, comfort and use, before and after each intervention were assessed using standardized instruments and pro forma derived from previous work, such as the Youth Suicide Prevention Training Manual and Suicide Intervention Beliefs Scale. Percentage changes in the number of retail outlets selling over the counter analgesics to less than potentially lethal quantities (less than 8 g of paracetamol or aspirin) were also measured. Media representatives were interviewed to gain their perceptions of Commonwealth Guidelines for the reporting of suicide, and encouraged to consult the project team before reporting suicide related issues. Results: The baseline survey illustrated that mental health staff and general practitioners were more aware of suicide issues, risk factors for suicide and awareness of professional and ethical responses than staff from other services, and were more willing to raise the issue with a person at risk. Thirty-three subjects participated in suicide awareness training of whom 21 (66%) returned questionnaires. There were significant increases in awareness of suiciderelated issues and risk factors, as well as reported levels of knowledge of professional and ethical responses and comfort, competence and confidence levels when assisting a person at risk. Only three media representatives were aware of the Commonwealth Health Department Guidelines for reporting suicide and only one believed that the guidelines influenced their reporting. The local newspapers subsequently contacted the researchers to check that their reporting met the guidelines. As regards access to analgesics, one out of seven retailers agreed to implement the strategy (pending agreement from other retailers), another claimed increased awareness of the danger of analgesics, and three maintained that they would attempt to monitor excessive amounts sold to one individual. Conclusions: Local initiatives can improve the awareness and knowledge of staff in the assessment of suicide risk, as well as of local media. These need to be complemented by initiatives at State or Commonwealth level to produce change in statewide media, or sales of over the counter analgesics.

After 25 years with the Australian Journal of Chemistry, our editor, Dr Jan R. Zdysiewicz (known far and wide as John Z.), has recently retired. During his initial ten year period with the journal, John served as assistant editor under Bob Schoenfeld who, like John, was also very widely known throughout the Australian and New Zealand chemistry community. In 1985, John took up the editorship and under his editorial management the journal has continued to prosper. John has been an exceptionally talented editor who, despite increasing pressures over more recent times, has managed to maintain the journal’s very high editorial standard – a task aided by his wide understanding of chemistry and his truly exceptional knowledge of English usage. John had an eventful early life – details of which may be of interest to his many friends and acquaintances. He was born in Laukischken in East Prussia to parents from Mosty in eastern Poland. His parents had been taken to Germany during World War II for forced labour. After the war, the family was transferred, endlessly it seemed, from DP (displaced persons) camp to DP camp in Germany, until final acceptance for migration to Australia. After a long sea voyage on the Skaugum, the family arrived at Port Melbourne in December 1950. Then followed being shuffled between widely spread immigration holding centres in South-East Australia, finally ending up in Adelaide, where the family settled. After some difficulty in gaining enrolment, John attended Adelaide Boys High School. In 1962 at age 19, he lost his alien status and became an Australian citizen. Even during this early period, John Z. made a name for himself. He became somewhat of a celebrity for his virtuosity in playing the accordion. In 1961, he became Grand Australian Accordion Champion. On occasions, he still plays for friends and private audiences. John Z. obtained his tertiary education at the University of Adelaide. His Ph.D. research in the Department of Physical and Inorganic Chemistry was concerned with physical chemical studies on naturally occurring and synthetic polymers. He then held Post Doctoral appointments in England at the University of Lancaster (preparation and e.s.r. characterisation of radical anions), Australia at the Division of Protein Chemistry, CSIRO, Parkville (on the interactions of fluorescent compounds with protein components by photophysical techniques) and Canada at the University of Western Ontario (construction of a microsecond flash photolysis apparatus in connection with photochemical reactions involving radical ions). In 1975 he returned to Australia as the assistant editor of Aust. J. Chem. John Z. has served as the national representative on IUPAC’s Commission III.2 (on Physical Organic Chemistry) and is currently an associate member of this commission. In 1998, the Royal Australian Chemical Institute awarded him a citation for his contributions to the promotion of Australian chemistry nationally and internationally, principally through his role as editor of the journal. Finally, John is of a distinctly independent nature – perhaps a reflection of his Polish antecedents? While his management style might be said to be unique, it has always been characterised by an overriding commitment to quality. Clearly, John Zdysiewicz ranks as an exceptional individual. On behalf of my fellow advisory committee members and, indeed, also for the wider chemistry community, I thank John for a job exceedingly well done. We wish him well in his retirement.

This 68th issue of the journal Cuadernos de Administración corresponds to the September-December 2020 period and gives closure to volume 36 on its 44th year. Twenty-twenty was a different year in many respects and with regards to past editorial processes, as it was faced with limitation and challenges associated with situation-specific constraints, new issues, and problems to be addressed, such as research in the sciences of administration, among other areas of the knowledge.As with past issues, the 16 papers published in issue 68 come from the previous months’ call, whose authors - from several countries and different regions of Colombia - entrusted their manuscripts to our editorial process. I thank our peer reviewers who supported us through their experience and expertise in assessing each paper for what we believe is an objectivity-based academic dialogue that seeks to recognize the quality of the scientific output proposed for each issue of Cuadernos de Administración. The first three papers in this issue are “Development of typical vacuum-packed and frozen Boyaca soups”, “Territorial Governance: A bibliometric analysis” and “University reports in Colombia: a contribution to accountability” The first paper’s authors study gastronomy and tourism in the department of Boyacá, Colombia, and their production processes to facilitate product handling and increase their offer to tourists. The second one is a bibliometric literature study analyzing territorial governance by analyzing papers from the Web of Science. The third paper presents the current state of accountability in Colombian public universities through research carried out analyzing university reports using the content analysis method.The second group of papers includes those entitled “The effect of human resource management practices and innovation: Colombian small and medium-sized enterprises”, “Quality Assessment in the Context of Banking Services” and “Performance appraisal: an experience between recognition and contempt” The first paper of that group accounts for the research carried with SME 492 managers in Cali, Bogotá, and Medellín on human resources management practices and their innovation effect. The second paper uses theoretical systematization to approach the quality assessment of services, banking services in this case, from a critical standpoint. The third article is a case study that uses qualitative interviews on a group of workers from a Colombian company in the energy generation and distribution sector. It examined the recognition or contempt experienced by and evidenced in the workers’ discourse after undergoing a performance appraisal designed under the Strategic Human Resources Management (SHRM) logic. The third group of articles consists of those entitled “A comprehensive tax reform under OECD parameters for Colombia”, “Updating the strategic framework for the Spanish port system using a SWOT analysis” and “Correlating affective commitment with prosocial behavior: Does it matter to perceive that work has meaning?” The first one studies tax reforms in Colombia, the orientation of these, and identifies structuring-related problems. The second paper uses the SWOT analysis and benchmarking to analyze the Spanish port system. Finally, in the third paper, a study was conducted on 144 professional employees across various Colombian industries to analyze their prosocial behavior and attitudes in different organizational environments and under varying management practices, which may or may not promote prosocial behavior.“Absenteeism at work, remuneration, and equity: a confusing relationship”, “The role of family dynamics and culture in the psychological ownership of family shareholders in family businesses” and “Prospective and its valuation in public policy of two regional development strategies in Chile” are the papers that follow in this number. The first paper presents the results of a study conducted in a higher education institution that analyzes the relationship between absenteeism, workers’ compensation, and equity variables using statistical methods and based on 840 inputs. The second article studies 14 cases of Colombian and 5 Finns shareholders using qualitative and exploratory methods to analyze the role of family dynamics and culture in developing psychological ownership in family shareholders. The third article studies Chilean public officials’ perception of prospective from a qualitative approach, which is considered a tool for public policies in two regional development strategies. The following two papers are “Social commitment in organizations: a look at Universidad del Valle“ and “Current Challenges of the Social Function of Accounting” The first of the aforementioned papers’ authors study social commitment in a case study applied to the Universidad del Valle through interviews with officials and using content analysis on the Outreach Office’s management reports and the University’s Strategic Development Plans. The second article aims to determine potential social costs and financial statements’ models for social accounting.The last group of articles includes “Strengths and opportunities of sustainable entrepreneurship in Colombia” and “Institutional isomorphism in IPSAS adoption” The first case is an analysis of the strengths and opportunities of sustainable entrepreneurship in Colombia based on the review of papers published in the Colombian context, as available in the primary databases (national journals and university repositories were also included). The last article presents the results of a systematic literature review to study institutional isomorphism in governments’ implementation of IPSAS into their accounting model.The publication of Universidad del Valle’s Faculty of Administration’s 68th issue of Cuadernos de Administración consolidates us as a means of dissemination for scientific knowledge in that area. Twenty twenty-one will see our 45th year of publication, for which there will be a thematic issue on Circular Economy, with the support of HEC Montreal and the ITESM. In that anniversary framework, the first issue will present an analysis of these 45 years’ publications, among other activities. Once again, we thank each of the authors of these 16 papers and the peer reviewers who supported our editorial process, always bearing in mind that each article’s content is its authors’ responsibility. We hope that this issue will contribute to our readers’ academic work and that it will drive our research, reflections, or reviews in the sciences of administration.

Knowing the relationship of the self-concept with the aesthetic preference with drawing among the students of the Art Education And the research community is (236), (82) males and (154) females, while the research sample (100) students. The research adopted two tools: testing the self-concept consisting of (25) paragraphs. and a test of aesthetic preference consists of 20 paragraphs. The search results were: The research sample showed a concept with a degree (acceptable) and in favor of females, as the average percentages for the sample as a whole (50,98). The research sample showed an aesthetic preference for a moderate degree, as the average percentages for the sample as a whole (62,6) were in favor of females. There were differences in the concept of self and in favor of females. The average percentages for females (53,65) and among males (48,32). There were also differences in aesthetic preference in favor of females, as the average percentages of females (64.9) and males (60.4). There is a significant positive correlative relationship between the aesthetic preference and the concept of the self. The correlation coefficient of the sample is all (0,86) and is more positive for females than for males.

The research is determined by principals, teachers and educational supervisors in the schools of the Department of Taji and Tarmiyah Education within the Directorate General of Education Baghdad Al-Karkh 3 during 2017- 2018 and aimed to Learn about the role of parents councils and teachers in reducing bullying among middle school students from the point of view of principals, teachers and educational counselors, Paragraph (2) in first field obtained the physical bullying Paragraph (9) in the second area: verbal bullying ranked first in the weighted average 2.74 . the third area: psychological bullying ranked first in the center weighted 2.60

Abstract Background The SDG target for maternal mortality is less than 70 per 100,000 live births; in Papua New Guinea, it is estimated to be 145. PNG will require significant resources and strong leadership to meet the 2030 target. The PNG Midwifery Leadership Buddy Program (Buddy Program), funded and coordinated by Rotary, offers an innovative model to improve maternal health, which may be transferable to other low-middle-income countries. Objectives The Buddy Program aims to build midwifery leadership resulting in improved outcomes in PNG. As partners, midwives from PNG and Australia undertake leadership training in Port Moresby and enter a reciprocal peer support relationship. Over 12 months, they support each other in their professional roles and progress a quality improvement project. Results Three cohorts of midwives (18 from each country), have participated in the leadership training and the first group has completed 12 months of peer support. Participants have reported increased confidence for leadership, action and advocacy. There has been some communication challenges and variation in expectations, predominately due to cultural differences. The Buddy Program has resulted in a number of tangible projects including the introduction of family planning education at a local school and University, introduction of respectful care in pregnancy charter and increased surveillance and treatment of pregnant women with anaemia. Interestingly, a number of participants have continued to support each other beyond the initial 12-month commitment. Conclusions Supportive partnerships that grow midwifery leadership hold significant potential to increase the quality of maternity care and reduce preventable maternal deaths in low-middle-income countries. Key messages Midwifery leadership plays a vital role in addressing the SDG targets for maternal health. The Buddy Program offers an innovative model to progress the agenda for universal access to quality maternity care.

Background: Patient perception and satisfaction is an indicator used to evaluate the quality of healthcare. This study aimed to assess patients’/caregivers’ perception and satisfaction with outpatient HIV services. Methodology: This was a cross sectional study carried out at the Paediatric HIV clinic of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Purposive and convenient sampling methods were used to recruit 152 out patients just before they exit the outpatient department (OPD). Exit interviews were conducted with a three-point Likert scale using a Pretested self-administered questionnaire. Participation was voluntary and consent was obtained from all participants. Obtained data was analysed using epi info version 7, Chi-square test was used to test the association between the overall satisfaction level and sociodemographic characteristics of the patients. Statistical significance for the chi-square test was set at p< 0 .05. Results: A total of 152 caregivers/patients participated in the study, only 31 (20.4%) were patients, aged 15-18years, 77 (50.7%) were aged from 26 and 41 years, 111(73%) were females, 99 (65.1%) were married and 76(50.0% had secondary level of education. Majority of the patients (130, 85.53%) were satisfied with the provider interpersonal skills followed by the physical environment at the OPD (118, 77.63%). However, only 53.29% were satisfied with the waiting and consulting time. The overall satisfaction rate was 73. 68% based on the three domains measured. The results showed a statistically significant association between the overall level of satisfaction and the female gender (X2= 4.67, p = 0.0306) and those with tertiary educational level (X2= 14.48, p= 0.0001) of the patients/caregivers. Conclusion: The level of satisfaction with outpatient HIV services at the UPTH is high. Program managers review of patients’ appointment time and use of electronic consultation tool will reduce the consulting and waiting time and further improve patient’s satisfaction.

Despite improving medical care worldwide, vast healthcare disparities remain in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). In Haiti, the under-5 mortality rate is more than double the rate of the Dominican Republic on the other side of the island. Through a partnership with St. Damien and Hospital Bernard Mevs in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, and the Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School, healthcare providers have collaborated to improve pediatric emergency care and outcomes by teaching American Heart Association (AHA) courses in Haiti. Due to COVID-19, many global health initiatives, including through the University of Minnesota, have been postponed indefinitely. In efforts to continue working toward improved delivery of care, we sought to pilot a remote AHA Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) course in Haiti. We delivered a complete AHA PALS course through videoconferencing, with participants engaging in hands-on procedures and simulations. We surveyed participants’ confidence in relevant skills and knowledge pre- and post-course. Results showed significantly improved ratings in 12 of the 18 surveyed items (p<0.05). Participant satisfaction in the video-based delivery of the course indicated that videoconferencing may be an effective method of course delivery. Videoconferencing shows promise as a successful tool to continue global health education.

Aims: To assess the demographic characteristics and referral pattern of patients with glaucoma presenting at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital. Study Design: A hospital-based cross- sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: The Ophthalmology department, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital between November 2018 and January 2019. Methodology: Ninety-four (94) consenting consecutive Primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) patients above 18 years attending the glaucoma clinic of the Ophthalmology department of the hospital were recruited. All patients had a comprehensive eye examination and were diagnosed as POAG patients and were receiving treatment. Patients with secondary glaucoma were excluded from the study. A questionnaire was used to retrieve information on sources of referral, and distance travelled to assess care. Data analysis employed the Epi Info Version 7.1.4. Significant differences in the comparison of means were determined by independent t-test while the difference in proportions was determined using Chi square statistics. Statistical significance was set at p=.05 Results: A total of 94 glaucoma patients on treatment at our facility were involved in the study. Mean age was 48.49±11.46years. Age range was 25-78years with M: F ratio =1.6:1. 36.2% had secondary education. Majority of referrals (36.3%) were by fellow patients, and most patients (42.6%) travelled less than an hour to access care. 68.1% had prior awareness of glaucoma before visit to clinic. Majority of patients had advanced glaucoma (45.7%) at presentation. Conclusion: A large proportion of POAG patients presenting in our facility had advanced glaucoma and most referrals were from patients already accessing care and media. Advocacy to improve awareness and prompt referral of affected patients will help to reduce the problems associated with glaucoma in our environment

Aim: Paediatric testing for HIV in low-income and middle-income countries is poor and must be raved up as this is important for treatment and survival among this disease-prone demographic area. This study was carried out to detect the presence of HIV-1 and -2 antibodies among children receiving health care service in the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. It also aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, perceptions and practices of their parents on HIV/AIDS in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, between August 2012 and July 2015. Methods: One hundred subjects (58 males and 42 females) were used in this study. Blood samples were collected randomly from children in the outpatient department of the hospital. HIV-1/2 was detected using Gen ScreenTM ULTRA HIV Ag-Ab Kit (BIO-RAD), an ELISA based test kit following the manufacturer's instructions. Results: The overall prevalence was found to be 5.0%. The gender-specific infection rate shows that males had a higher infection rate (5.2%) for HIV infection than their female counterparts (4.8%). The age-specific prevalence showed that the children in age groups 8-10 years had a higher prevalence (6.7%) than those 2-4 years (4.5%) and 5-7 years (4.2%). None appeared to be significantly associated (P>0.05) with HIV-1/2 antibodies prevalence among the children population. The knowledge, attitude, perceptions and practices of parents of the children indicate that 100.0% of them believed HIV/AIDS is real and children live with it; 62.0% have been screened for HIV before while 38.0% have not; 77.0% believe HIV cannot be cured while 19.0% believe it can; 66.0% know that it can be transmitted from mother to child whereas 16.0% believe it cannot and 70.0% confirmed they share sharp objects. Conclusion: This study however further confirmed the presence of HIV-1 and 2 antibodies among Children in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. HIV can affect all age groups, both males and females. Health education campaigns and training on HIV prevention and control is recommended.

To determine mother’s perception and management of fever in their children. It was a descriptive cross-sectional study, carried out at the children outpatient clinic of the department of Paediatrics, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, over a one-year period, January to December, 2012. Every mother who presented with her child to the children outpatient clinic was recruited and interviewed using a structured questionnaire after obtaining written informed consent, as they presented their children to the children outpatient clinic of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital until we recruited 324mothers, whose children aged between 0-16 years into the study. A little over half of these mothers had completed secondary education. The thermometer was used by 209(64.50%) mothers and the preferred route was by mouth 135(41.67%). 175(54.01%) mothers reported temperature <35ºC as fever. 49.07% of the mothers were worried about the consequences of the fever. 43(13.3%) would give paracetamol. 24(7.4%) would tepid sponge. 15(4.6%) would give a cold bath. 6(1.9%) expose the child to air with reduced clothing. 4(1.2%), wrap the child with warm and thick cloth. 2(0.6%) gave antibiotics. 11 (3.4%) gave antimalaria. 6(1.9%) gave teething drugs. 1 (0.3%) gave nothing. Most mothers got their information on knowledge of fever management from doctors and nurses-164(50.62%). Paracetamol was the most commonly used drug by mothers for the treatment of fever at home-217 (67%). 87(26.852%) would take the child to hospital if fever persisted. This study found a significant association between using physical methods such as giving cold bath to reduce fever, and tepid sponging to reduce fever with no formal education P < 0.0001 and P< 0.0165 respectively. Data was analyzed using Epi-info version 7. Mothers awareness of fever in Port Harcourt is low and Paracetamol is commonly given to children with fever.

This study examines the effect of Creative Game Approach on Academic Achievement in the teaching of SS1 Geometry in Port Harcourt Local Government Area of River state. A sample size of 160 SS1 students was used for the study. Three research questions were asked while three hypotheses were formulated and tested. Geometry Achievement Test (GAT), a 40-item instrument was developed by the researcher. The instrument was validated by experts in Mathematics education, and measurement and evaluation department of University of Port Harcourt, while the reliability was established using test-retest and co-efficient index of 0.86 was determined using Pearson product moment correlation. Mean and Standard deviation was used to answer the research questions while Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the hypotheses formulated at 0.05 level of significance. The result revealed a significant difference in the achievement mean scores of students taught geometry using creative game approach and those taught using conventional method. It equally showed a significant difference in the Mathematics ability of students taught using creative game approach, also showed no significant difference in the achievement mean scores of male and female students. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that Mathematics teachers be effectively trained to use different educational creative activities, like games and so on when teaching Mathematics concepts for problem-solving, communication, reasoning and connection skills which are necessary for the attainment of better academic achievement in the subject.

Introduction: The World Health Organization had recommended a multi-prong approach for the prevention and control of COVID-19, which has risen into a major global public health challenge. Government of nations are to disseminate information on these protective measures to the general public to mitigate the spread of the disease. However, people’s adherence to these preventive strategies is essential to guarantee success. Objective: To appraise the perception and practice of recommended measures for the prevention and control of COVID-19 by caregivers of children attending the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital. Methodology: This descriptive cross-sectional study was done among parents/caregivers of children attending the Children’s Out Patient clinics, wards and emergency room of the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, between August and September 2020. Information obtained using a structured investigator-administered questionnaire included bio data and perception about COVID-19 while practice of its preventive measures was observed. Data were analysed using SPSS version 25. Results: All participants (161) have heard about COVID-19, mainly through the television and radio. The majority of them (n=141, 87.6%) knew that a combination of measures is needed for its prevention. More than half of participants (59%) washed their hands with water and soap provided, 89% of them had a facemask, a lesser proportion (58%) wore the mask and an even lesser proportion (28.6%) of them wore it properly. There was no significant difference between level of education or occupation of caregivers and proper wearing of the facemask. Conclusion: Though the awareness of COVID-19 was high, there was a gap between perception and practice of its preventive measures. Health education and innovative local strategies are recommended, to help improve the people’s acceptance of, and compliance to the stipulated multi-prong preventive measures.

Background: The concerted effort of government and donor agencies to limit fertility by the use of contraceptives has been reported in some studies to predispose to urinary tract infection (UTI). Similar studies have not been conducted in the General Outpatient Department (GOPD) of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH). Objectives: This study was aimed at assessing the role of contraceptives in the development of UTI amongst adult females attending the GOPD of UPTH.Method: A case control study in which contraceptive users who attended the GOPD of the UPTH in four months, and an equal number of age-matched controls, were screened for UTI. The information obtained from them was entered into a specially designed pre-tested questionnaire for analysis. The results were analysed using SPSS version 14.Results: A total of 150 contraceptive users and controls were evaluated. Their age range was 18–50 years, with a mean of 27.8 ± 5.3 years. Most of the participants belonged to the lower socioeconomic classes. The combined prevalence of UTI amongst the contraceptive users and the controls was 23.7%, with the contraceptive users at 35.3% and the controls at 12.0%. The association of UTI with contraceptive use was statistically significant, with McNemar’s χ2 = 16.28, p = 0.000, odds ratio (OR) = 2.9, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.7 – 5.3, attributable risk (AR) = 23.3, population attributable risk (PAR) = 11.7. The users of barrier contraceptives were more predisposed to UTI (OR = 17.30, 95% CI = 7.49 -39.96).Conclusion: Contraceptive use is a significant risk factor for acquiring urinary tract infection, with the barrier methods being more predisposing. Health education for the hygienic and safe use of family planning methods will prevent long-term complications.

Aim: To analyse the potential risk of hydrocarbon polluted surficial soil, from a heavy-duty generator plant at Delta Campus, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Study Design: Conceptual site model (CSM). Methodology: A CSM was designed and applied prior to sample collection in order to screen for heavy metals and other chemicals of concern (COCs) from three different high-risk points. The CSM showed a credible source-pathway-receptor chain at three high-risk points. Risk assessment associated with the heavy metals was significantly reduced based on the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) – Environmental Guidelines and Standards for the Petroleum Industry In Nigeria (EGASPIN) values after 28 days of bioremediation study. Results: The hazard quotient of the target (COCs) namely Arsenic, Cadmium, Chromium and Lead was less than one (< 1). This suggests that the study area does not pose significant risk on both Adults and children. Conclusion: The evaluation is essential for the formulation of remedial actions and risk-based management plans geared toward risk reduction. In other words, it is an approach to the determination of imminent risk posed by a pollutant to the environmental proxies. Poor education and sensitization of the public on the causal effect of pollution have been identified as a leading cause of indiscriminate pollution of the environment.

Background: The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) aims to promote, protect and support optimal infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices among all women, irrespective of their employment status. Consequently the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), a Baby Friendly Hospital, has provided free Crèche services since 1996 to enable working mothers breastfeed their babies while at work, as they resume after 4 months of maternity leave. Aims: To appraise attendance and use of the Crèche by health workers for the promotion, protection and support of breastfeeding at the UPTH. Study Design: Retrospective study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Paediatrics, UPTH, Nigeria. Methodology: Personal data and data on Crèche attendance were extracted from the Registers of children cared for at the Crèche between November 2006 and October 2016, entered into Excel Spreadsheet and analysed with SPSS version 20. Simple statistics were used to analyse and present data. Results: One thousand and sixty-two children utilised the Crèche during the 10 years review period with total of 10,490 attendances. The children consisted of 604(57%) males and 458(43%) females, aged 6 weeks to 48 months (mean-6.44±2.54 months). An average of 93.6 children were cared for each month, with attendance showing a declining trend and they spent 2 to 9.5(mean-4.68) hours daily. The children attended the Crèche for 1 to 22(mean-7.35) days each month, while 32% of them attended only 1-3 days a month. Mothers from all clinical and non-clinical departments utilised the Crèche with nurses constituting 37%. Conclusion: Utilisation of the Crèche services was sub-optimal. Its provision alone is insufficient to promote and support optimal IYCF practices among working women. User education and support for optimal IYCF practices are required. Access to Crèche services in all shifts and on all days should be guaranteed. Improved record keeping is required.

AbstractThe purpose of this study is to produce a battery charging device on an electric bicycle automatically using a boost-converter. Then a comparison is made to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of the devices made with the previous charging method, which uses an inverter and a 48V battery charger. The stages include: (1) needs analysis, (2) design, (3) manufacturing, and (4) testing. The design consists of designing a control chain with an Arduino microcontroller, designing a power circuit with Boost-Converter, and box design. The test was conducted at the Department of Electrical Engineering Education Faculty of Engineering UNY. The results of this study in the form of a battery charging device on an electric bicycle automatically with a boost-converter. After testing and comparison with a charging system that uses a 48V inverter and battery charger, the advantages and disadvantages can be known. The disadvantage lies in the reading of sensors that are less stable, relatively lower efficiency, which is an average of 72.15% compared to systems that use Inverters and 48V battery chargers at 84.57%. The advantage is that discharging using a boost converter is relatively longer at 43 minutes, has a control circuit that works automatically, so the energy received by a 12V battery will be effectively channeled to a 48V battery without having to be controlled by the operator. Also available is an external charging port to anticipate if the electrical energy from solar panels is less than optimal.Keywords: boost-converter, microcontroller, electric bicycle AbstrakTujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk menghasilkan alat pengisian baterai pada sepeda listrik secara otomatis menggunakan boost-converter. Selanjutnya dilakukan perbandingan untuk mengetahui kefektifan dan efisiensi dari alat yang dibuat dengan metode pengisian sebelumnya yaitu yang menggunakan Inverter dan charger baterai 48V. Adapun tahapannya meliputi : (1) analisis kebutuhan, (2) perancangan, (3) pembuatan, dan (4) pengujian. Perancangan terdiri dari perancangan rangkain kendali dengan microcontroller Arduino, perancangan rangkaian daya dengan Boost-Converter dan perancangan box. Pengujian dilakukan di Jurusan Pendidikan Teknik Elektro, FT, UNY. Hasil dari penelitian ini berupa sebuah alat pengisian baterai pada sepeda listrik secara otomatis dengan boost-converter. Setelah dilakukan pengujian dan perbandingan dengan sistem pengisian yang menggunakan Inverter dan charger baterai 48V, dapat diketahui kelebihan dan kelemahannya. Kelemahannya terletak pada pembacaan sensor-sensor yang kurang stabil, Efisiensi yang relatif lebih rendah yaitu rata-rata sebesar 72,15% dari pada sistem yang menggunakan Inverter dan charger baterai 48V sebesar 84,57%. Adapun kelebihannya yaitu pengosongan menggunakan boost-converter relatif lebih lama yaitu sebesar 43 menit, memiliki rangkaian kendali yang bekerja secara otomatis, sehingga energi yang diterima baterai 12V akan secara efektif disalurkan ke baterai 48V tanpa harus dikendalikan oleh operator. Selain itu tersedia port pengisian eksternal untuk antisipasi jika energi listrik dari panel surya kurang maksimal.Kata kunci: boost-converter, microcontroller, sepeda listrik

Aim: This study was aimed at evaluating the impact of Coenzyme Q10 on hormonal profile in male Sprague-Dawley rat exposed to sub-chronic concentrations of Cypermethrin. Experimental Design: A completely randomized experimental design using standard methods for analysis. Hormonal assay was carried out by Microplate Enzyme Immunoassay using their respective test kits. Including AccuBindTM Microplate EIA Test system from Monobind Inc. Lake Forest CA 92630 USA while statistical analysis was carried out using one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA); where significant differences were found, Pair-wise comparisons conducted with Tukey test using SPSS 20 software. Location and Duration of Study: This study was carried out in the Department of Biology, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education Rumuolumeni, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. GPS 4o48ʹ14ʹʹ N 6o59ʹ12ʹʹ E. The study lasted for 28days. Methodology: Thirty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to five groups, A-E(n=6/group).Group A was given cool clean water and standard rat pellet ad libitum. Group B,C and D were administered Cypermethrin @ 10mg/kg/bw,20mg/kg/bw,30mg/kg/bw respectively along with 10mg/kg/bw of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). Group E received 30mg/kg/bw of cypermethrin only without Coenzyme Q10. All animals were allowed access to cool clean water and standard rat pellet ad libitum. Bodyweight of the animals were taken twice a week and recorded in grams. Twenty-four hours before the animals were euthanized with ethyl ether inhalation, feed was withdrawn from the animals. Blood samples were collected by cardiac puncture between the hours of 7:00 and 9:00am into plain sample tubes according to the approved protocol of blood collection techniques. Analysis for the quantitative determination of all androgens was by Microplate Enzyme Immunoassay using the AccuBindTM Microplate EIA Test system from Monobind Inc. Lake Forest CA 92630 USA and expressed as their respective units. The animals were latter dissected and the vital organs harvested and weighed. The values were subjected to statistical analysis using SPSS software 20. Results: Results showed that there was no significant difference between the bodyweight and organ weight of animals in the treatment group compared with the control. Also, treatment with Cypermethrin only in group E, reduced the level of all the androgens considered in exposed animals. However, with concurrent administration of coenzyme Q10, the production of all androgens especially the production of Follicle Stimulating Hormone, Luteinizing Hormone and Progesterone in groups B,C,D and Estrogen in group B were significantly (P=.05) increased to values higher than the control. Conclusion: This elevation indicates the role of Coenzyme Q10 as an effective antioxidant to boost hormonal level production especially the level of androgens.

IntroductionAs a visual artist it seems to me that the ideal relationship between government and cultural producers is a coalitional one; an “alliance for combined action of distinct parties, persons or states without permanent incorporation into one body” (Oxford English Dictionary). The word “coalition”, however, is entirely absent from the document that forms the basis of the analysis of this paper, Creating Value: An Arts and Culture Sector Policy Framework 2010-2014, from the Government of Western Australia’s Department of Culture and the Arts. Released in March 2010, Creating Value has been introduced by the DCA’s Deputy Director General Jacqui Allen as the “first arts policy in Australia to adopt a public value approach” (DCA, New Policy Framework) whereby "the Department of Culture and the Arts is charged with delivering public value to the Western Australian community through our partnership with the culture and arts sector." As indicated in Allen’s press release, this document achieves its aim of providing “clarity in [the DCA’s] relationships with the culture and arts sector”. As an artist, cultural worker, or someone generally interested in the cultural wellbeing of Australian communities it would seem timely to consider just how this new and influential policy framework envisages the specific working relationships that make up the “partnerships across the culture and arts sector, government, the public and private sector” (DCA, Creating Value 2).In this brief paper it is my intention to interrogate the idea of “coalition” in relation to the evidence provided in the DCA’s Policy Framework, Creating Value, in order to examine the extent to which this State’s involvement in culture and arts may indeed be considered coalitional. In approaching the notion of the coalitional I take the position that there are two key elements to this idea, the first being the notion of an “alliance for combined action” and the second being that the distinct parties involved are not incorporated into one body. What is difficult, at this intersection between the strategic advances of governance and the more organic development of culture, is to distinguish between levels at which the interests of both parties in a coalition or partnership are served by the alliance. As I will argue later in this paper, there is an important distinction to be made between working under temporary contract to specifications (in which one party’s design is realised through a primarily economic exchange with those providing the requisite goods and services) and the kind of negotiated relationship between means and ends that is required to support the genuine development of culture. The question is whether the artist (or other cultural producer), receiving funding to produce cultural work according to “public value” criteria, is able to develop culture or merely able to reproduce an understanding of culture given by the funding brief and assessment panel? It seems to me that significant cultural development is only possible where the public value of the outcomes of cultural production is subject to continuous negotiation and debate – surely it is in the coalitional outcomes (the alliance of distinct parties for combined action) of such discussion that a meaningful identification with culture occurs?In the following discussion around Creating Value my approach is to focus upon some aspects of the policy framework that provide particular evidence of the kind of “combined action” of government and the culture and arts sector that the DCA is proposing in this document. When seen against a more cultural understanding of the “action” of making art and the dynamic processes of producing and identifying with culture, it becomes clear why it may be considered that the DCA and many Western Australian cultural producers may not be engaged in the same project at all, let alone be in effective partnership or coalition.“Public Value” and the Specifications of Cultural ProductionEliseo Vivas observes that in the process of creatively applying symbolic order and understanding to the physical world, humanity acquires culture and an ability to better exploit the world. He also notes that in this process “of constituting the world, [human-kind’s] merely physiological needs are complicated by new needs” (129); new systems of cultural values that assume no less importance in human activity than our more basic bodily needs. Vivas pertinently states, however, that more often than not in human society within a complex and existing symbolic order these cultural needs simply become an aspect of our practical functioning (an extension of survival), and we tend to inhibit our capacity to constitute the world through creative and symbolic endeavours. This depiction of cultural production as an activity that is constitutive of the world is particularly significant in relation to the DCA’s Creating Value. Despite noting that “it is through creative people that we better understand our world” (DCA, Creating Value 8), which echoes with Vivas’s contention that “the poet is needed to give the practical man his stage” (Vivas 129) the policy framework seems rather to exemplify the inhibiting of culturally constitutive activities (production) in favour of “practical functioning” (reproduction).What can be observed particularly well in the DCA’s policy framework is how effectively ideas associated with creative and cultural production have been co-opted to the cause of “practical functioning”. Looking for instance at the notion of “creativity” within Creating Value we discover that “creativity is the driving force of the arts and culture sector” (DCA, Creating Value 5) and that “creativity” is one of the “priority public value principles” for the policy framework, along with “engagement”. Reading more closely one understands that creativity is seen as producing the “distinctive” and the “unique”, a brand that is recognised as Western Australian and which, through such “recognition” and “significance” and through its “enriching” and “transforming” capacities (7), is seen to “add to a sense of place and belonging” (11) for the WA community. This in turn makes WA a “better place to live, work and visit” and ultimately delivers “economic and social outcomes that encourage and support growth” (2). The DCA’s strategies appear to have little to do with a dynamic conception of culture in which new worlds and systems of values may be constituted, but is focussed upon the optimisation and rationalisation of economic outcomes under the guise of “public value”.My contention is that, as difficult as the notion may be to entertain, a department of culture and the arts ought to understand that creative and cultural production are part of a dynamic system that continually engages in a process of tentatively constituting the world. The arts and culture sector undeniably has an important role to play in the formation of and identification with a national cultural identity, which can manifest in international prestige, tourist dollars and other forms of economic growth (Abbing 246; Chaney 166-67). Western Australian culture is not, however, as the DCA seems to perceive, a static and monumental edifice that acts as a singular landmark for Western Australia in local, national and international contexts. The DCA’s arts and culture policy framework talks of its strategies “reflecting the DCA’s vision, values and strategic objectives” (DCA, Creating Value 13) and in a number of places suggests that it will “respond to changing needs” (2, 5, 8). Surely an approach that was interested in the specific value that creative and cultural production has to offer to the community would recognise that it is not in a singular vision but in the world creatively renegotiated and reconstituted by different people and groups of people that such a value and identification is to be found? Furthermore, if Vivas is right, then the support and promotion of culture ought to be as much about cultural needs not yet anticipated, for cultural products whose significance is not currently recognised, as it is about being responsive and catering to the demands of those whom the DCA identifies as the present consumers and stake-holders in WA arts and culture. What is missing from the partnership, as conceived by the DCA between itself and the culture and arts sector, is an adequate mechanism by which “public value” is recognised as a system of constantly changing values in which the culture and arts sector play an important role in developing, extending and negotiating through their creative and cultural production.As Jürgen Habermas suggests, to approach culture strategically in terms of outcomes and deployment is to compromise the internal development that actually provides arts and cultural work with its meaning and significance (Habermas 71). Culture becomes not a distinctive composite of differing and changing world views linked by the “living” process of their “nature-like” coexistence and development, but a monolithic identity or brand with representative products (no matter how diverse those products may be).This policy framework document would suggest not a coalitional “alliance for combined action” but more accurately a process of putting the various strategic goals and cultural aspirations (with “public value” specifications) of the DCA up for tender in much the same way that another Government department might seek tenders for the construction of a bridge or building. It is perhaps telling that Creating Value is described as a “road map to help the Department achieve its vision” (DCA, Creating Value 2).“Engagement” and the Use Value of FreedomCreating Value states that “there is a complex relationship between creativity and engagement, which are the principles driving the delivery of public value outcomes” (DCA, Creating Value 5). The policy framework goes on to suggest that the conception of “engagement” that informs the document is geared towards notions of participation, access and interaction in response to the demands of society for “more than passive enjoyment of cultural experiences” (5). Ultimately, as the “Framework Measurements” (15) in Creating Value suggest, the public values associated with engagement are about quantifying access and participation in arts and culture, and polling audiences and the public regarding “their satisfaction with their level of engagement” (15). I have been arguing that the public value of creative and cultural production is the result of engagement, but I do not think that it follows that the cultural value of such engagement can be assumed to be the correlative of high attendance numbers or measures that indicate a high level of consumer satisfaction. Nor can one assume that the “impact” or “reach” of a cultural or creative experience can be assessed adequately while the box office is open and the door counter is operational, let alone prior to a project being granted funding.Some of the genuine complexity in the relationship between creativity and engagement and its bearing upon public value can be seen in George Steiner’s writing on the nature of “creation”. Steiner suggests on the one hand that the act of creation is “irresponsible” (Steiner 43); that the work of artists occurs at one remove from world of material consequence. On the other hand Steiner notes that external resistance to artistic production has the effect of reinforcing the necessity and significance of artists’ work, freeing them from “justifying [art’s] vital functions and dignifying its motivations” (189). In this understanding of the value of creativity, it seems to me, there is a delicate balance to be struck between “freedom” and “consequence” in artistic and cultural production. The cultural producer is most able to constitute the world in new or innovative ways when he/she is able to work irresponsibly, however, such culturally constitutive actions are most significant and valuable when access to a freedom sought is denied or challenged and the motivations and mores of our cultural institutions are brought under question.Herbert Marcuse wrote in One Dimensional Man that the high culture of the past, “free from socially necessary labour,” was “the appearance of the realm of freedom: the refusal to behave” (Marcuse 71) but he also suggests that in advanced technological societies such as our own, the “good life” of administered society “reduces the use-value of freedom” (49). Marcuse claims that the achievements of rational society have transcended those of the “culture heroes and half-gods” (56) and, given that rational society appears to be steadily advancing towards the best of all possible worlds (or at least the best of the existing alternatives), the inclination to “hope” and to look beyond our own world and for other means of advance has been lost. Here again there is a sense in which the creative activities of culturally constituting the world have lost significant ground to the administrative concerns of “practical functioning”. What is interesting, however, is that it is possible to see the residual traces of the importance of the concept of “freedom”, however illusory, to the notion of the public value of creative and cultural production, even in Creating Value.In Creating Value, the valuable conception of “freedom” occurs obliquely in the insistence that the policy framework supports and encourages artistic risk taking (DCA, Creating Value 5, 8). A closer examination of Creating Value and the DCA’s Arts Grants Handbook 2010 reveals that “artistic risk” (DCA, Arts Grants 17) is understood as a strength in a proposal that is indicative of artistic merit and quality, and quality, understood in the public value terms of the policy framework, is measured by “the distinctive, innovative and significant elements of the creative experience” (DCA, Creating Value 15). The value of risk-taking in the pursuit of innovation is a recurring theme of some of the literature concerning the creative industries over the past decade. Concepts such as the “no-collar workplace” (Florida) and the “artscience lab” (Edwards) have the appearance of promoting a relatively unfettered space apart in which creativity is unhindered by practical obstacles and institutional barriers. However, the concept becomes problematic as soon as there is an expectation that such a space apart will be “productive” in an economic or any other existing sense. Steiner’s notion of “irresponsible” creation, importantly suggests a creativity that defines its own productivity, in which the consequences of artistic or cultural production are contained within the context of the creative space apart. The greatest risk in a creative project is at the point of engagement, where it is met by consequence, where the public value of the work becomes available for negotiation and debate. The process required in applying for a DCA grant is actually a process of modelling, anticipating and containing the risks associated with artistic or cultural production. The conspicuous absence of genuine consequence in this schema suggests that the DCA seeks to manage the “engagement” to produce its own series of desired outcomes. Yet active control of the relationship between funding organisation and the funded artists may inhibit the production of arts and culture. What is required instead is a coalition of interests and aspirations that has the potential to produce (rather than merely reproduce) culture. In such a circumstance the coalitional relationship will be one where meaning, significance and identification are established in a negotiation between diverse entities and interests. In a realm of cultural values the capacity for these “combined actions” to be meaningful and significant (to possess genuine public value) seems to be compromised by the dominance of the authoritative vision of the Department. ConclusionThe coalitional premise that underpins this paper is predicated on the notion that the “combined action” that is the motivation for the partnership between the Department of Culture and the Arts and the culture and arts sector is to enrich the Western Australian community through “unique and transforming culture and arts experiences” (DCA, Creating Value 1), as stated in the DCA’s strategic charter. What my brief engagement with the DCA’s 2010 policy framework, Creating Value, suggests, however, is that the DCA’s vision is not conceived in terms of the coalitional development of culture, in which culture is acknowledged as a collective work in progress, but rather as a strategic project with instrumental aims. The concept of “public value” that is at the core of Creating Value is not ultimately the product of, or productive of, an ongoing discourse or debate into which cultural producers contribute their various creative outputs. Instead it is presented as a static set of assessment criteria designed to channel creativity into economic growth and to contain the risks associated with cultural production. The ideal of the “coalitional” should inform the concept of public value, as the ongoing work of “combined action” in which creative and cultural producers (through their production), Government (through venues and funding) and the public (through attendance and participation) are engaged in a dialogue whose outcomes provide an indication of public value in a dynamic cultural sphere.George Walden writes:Democratic peoples must be more creative than non-democratic ones, if only because the idea that the opposite might be the case is intolerable. Whatever the merits of the contention that repressive or authoritarian regimes have produced the finest literature or most brilliant artistic movements, it would be a bold politician who took the next logical step in the argument… Like health care or education, art is a public good, a commodity whose provision must be officially guaranteed and overseen. (Walden qtd. in Timms 68)Artistic and cultural freedom, according to this observation, is not actually a freedom at all, but rather a political imperative for welfare states such as ours, which in turn makes the support for creative and cultural production a “socially necessary labour”, that performs instrumental and political functions (Timms 68; Abbing 239) that are at least as important as the cultural wellbeing that seems to be promoted. In contrast Pierre Bourdieu suggests that ultimately the state is the “official guarantor” of “everything that pertains to the universal – that is, to the general interest” (Bourdieu & Haacke 72). If culture is to maintain a critical perspective, he argues, “we should expect (and even demand) from the state the instruments of freedom from economic and political powers – that is from the state itself” (71). Somewhere between “socially necessary labour” and “critical distance”, Charles Esche posits the idea of an “engaged autonomy” for creative and cultural projects operating unavoidably within the economic hegemony of capitalism, whereby they work in “tolerated cultural enclosure called ‘art’, able to act according to different rules,” but “still totally inside the system” (Esche 11). Or perhaps, as Tony Moore suggests:A new cultural renaissance will not be built by bureaucrats subsidising elitism or “picking winners”… but by entrepreneurs and public institutions bold enough to harness the diverse creative energy in the community from suburban garages to inner city garrets. (Moore 122)Ultimately the issue of state interests, support and patronage for the arts is the same balancing act between creativity and engagement, or freedom and consequence, that I introduced referencing Steiner earlier in the paper. The point is, however, that creative irresponsibility brought into an effective engagement ought to lead to a negotiation that allows for the dynamic processes of culture to develop around a debate on public value. Creative and cultural producers should be amongst the coalitional co-creators of contemporary Western Australian culture rather than the contractors brought in to make the DCA’s vision of culture a reality.References Abbing, Hans. Why Are Artists Poor?: The Exceptional Economy of the Arts. Amsterdam: Amsterdam UP, 2008.Bourdieu, Pierre, and Hans Haacke. Free Exchange. Trans. Johnson, Randal and Hans Haacke. Cambridge: Polity P, 1995.Chaney, David. “Cosmopolitan Art and Cultural Citizenship.” Theory, Culture & Society 19.1-2 (2002): 157-74.Department of Culture and the Arts (DCA). Arts Grants Handbook 2010. Government of Western Australia, 2010.———. Creating Value: An Arts and Culture Sector Policy Framework, 2010-2014. Government of Western Australia, 2010.———. New Policy Framework Creates Value for WA Artists. 2010. ‹http://www.dca.wa.gov.au/news/stories/front_page_items/new_policy_framework_creates_value_for_wa_artists>.Edwards, David. Artscience: Creativity in the Post-Google Generation, Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard UP, 2008.Esche, Charles. “The Possibility Forum – Institutional Change and Modest Proposals.” Artlink 22.4 (2002): 11-13.Florida, R. The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It's Transforming Work, Leisure, Community and Everyday Life. New York: Basic Books, 2002.Habermas, Jürgen. Legitimation Crisis, Trans. McCarthy, Thomas. Boston: Beacon P, 1975.Marcuse, Herbert. One Dimensional Man: Studies in the Ideology of Advanced Industrial Society. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1964.Moore, Tony. “The Art of Risk in an Age of Anxiety or in Praise of the Long Lunch.” Making Meaning, Making Money: Directions for the Arts and Cultural Industries in the Creative Age. Eds. Lisa Anderson and Kate Oakley. Newcastle Upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2008. 111-125.Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1989.Steiner, George. Grammars of Creation: Originating in the Gifford Lectures for 1990. London: Faber and Faber, 2002.Timms, Peter. What’s Wrong with Contemporary Art? Sydney: UNSWP, 2004.Vivas, Eliseo. “What Is a Poem?” Creation and Discovery: Essays in Criticism and Aesthetics. Gateway Editions, Chicago: Henry Regnery, 1954. 111-41.

“As the old technologies become automatic and invisible, we find ourselves more concerned with fighting or embracing what’s new”—Dennis Baron, From Pencils to Pixels: The Stage of Literacy Technologies What constitutes a computer, as we have come to expect it? Are they necessarily monolithic “beige boxes”, connected to computer monitors, sitting on computer desks, located in computer rooms or computer labs? In order for a device to be considered a true computer, does it need to have a keyboard and mouse? If this were 1991 or earlier, our collective perception of what computers are and are not would largely be framed by this “beige box” model: computers are stationary, slab-like, and heavy, and their natural habitats must be in rooms specifically designated for that purpose. In 1992, when Apple introduced the first PowerBook, our perception began to change. Certainly there had been other portable computers prior to that, such as the Osborne 1, but these were more luggable than portable, weighing just slightly less than a typical sewing machine. The PowerBook and subsequent waves of laptops, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and so-called smart phones from numerous other companies have steadily forced us to rethink and redefine what a computer is and is not, how we interact with them, and the manner in which these tools might be used in the classroom. However, this reconceptualization of computers is far from over, and is in fact steadily evolving as new devices are introduced, adopted, and subsequently adapted for uses beyond of their original purpose. Pat Crowe’s Book Reader project, for example, has morphed Nintendo’s GameBoy and GameBoy Advance into a viable electronic book platform, complete with images, sound, and multi-language support. (Crowe, 2003) His goal was to take this existing technology previously framed only within the context of proprietary adolescent entertainment, and repurpose it for open, flexible uses typically associated with learning and literacy. Similar efforts are underway to repurpose Microsoft’s Xbox, perhaps the ultimate symbol of “closed” technology given Microsoft’s propensity for proprietary code, in order to make it a viable platform for Open Source Software (OSS). However, these efforts are not forgone conclusions, and are in fact typical of the ongoing battle over who controls the technology we own in our homes, and how open source solutions are often at odds with a largely proprietary world. In late 2001, Microsoft launched the Xbox with a multimillion dollar publicity drive featuring events, commercials, live models, and statements claiming this new console gaming platform would “change video games the way MTV changed music”. (Chan, 2001) The Xbox launched with the following technical specifications: 733mhz Pentium III 64mb RAM, 8 or 10gb internal hard disk drive CD/DVD ROM drive (speed unknown) Nvidia graphics processor, with HDTV support 4 USB 1.1 ports (adapter required), AC3 audio 10/100 ethernet port, Optional 56k modem (TechTV, 2001) While current computers dwarf these specifications in virtually all areas now, for 2001 these were roughly on par with many desktop systems. The retail price at the time was $299, but steadily dropped to nearly half that with additional price cuts anticipated. Based on these features, the preponderance of “off the shelf” parts and components used, and the relatively reasonable price, numerous programmers quickly became interested in seeing it if was possible to run Linux and additional OSS on the Xbox. In each case, the goal has been similar: exceed the original purpose of the Xbox, to determine if and how well it might be used for basic computing tasks. If these attempts prove to be successful, the Xbox could allow institutions to dramatically increase the student-to-computer ratio in select environments, or allow individuals who could not otherwise afford a computer to instead buy and Xbox, download and install Linux, and use this new device to write, create, and innovate . This drive to literally and metaphorically “open” the Xbox comes from many directions. Such efforts include Andrew Huang’s self-published “Hacking the Xbox” book in which, under the auspices of reverse engineering, Huang analyzes the architecture of the Xbox, detailing step-by-step instructions for flashing the ROM, upgrading the hard drive and/or RAM, and generally prepping the device for use as an information appliance. Additional initiatives include Lindows CEO Michael Robertson’s $200,000 prize to encourage Linux development on the Xbox, and the Xbox Linux Project at SourceForge. What is Linux? Linux is an alternative operating system initially developed in 1991 by Linus Benedict Torvalds. Linux was based off a derivative of the MINIX operating system, which in turn was a derivative of UNIX. (Hasan 2003) Linux is currently available for Intel-based systems that would normally run versions of Windows, PowerPC-based systems that would normally run Apple’s Mac OS, and a host of other handheld, cell phone, or so-called “embedded” systems. Linux distributions are based almost exclusively on open source software, graphic user interfaces, and middleware components. While there are commercial Linux distributions available, these mainly just package the freely available operating system with bundled technical support, manuals, some exclusive or proprietary commercial applications, and related services. Anyone can still download and install numerous Linux distributions at no cost, provided they do not need technical support beyond the community / enthusiast level. Typical Linux distributions come with open source web browsers, word processors and related productivity applications (such as those found in OpenOffice.org), and related tools for accessing email, organizing schedules and contacts, etc. Certain Linux distributions are more or less designed for network administrators, system engineers, and similar “power users” somewhat distanced from that of our students. However, several distributions including Lycoris, Mandrake, LindowsOS, and other are specifically tailored as regular, desktop operating systems, with regular, everyday computer users in mind. As Linux has no draconian “product activation key” method of authentication, or digital rights management-laden features associated with installation and implementation on typical desktop and laptop systems, Linux is becoming an ideal choice both individually and institutionally. It still faces an uphill battle in terms of achieving widespread acceptance as a desktop operating system. As Finnie points out in Desktop Linux Edges Into The Mainstream: “to attract users, you need ease of installation, ease of device configuration, and intuitive, full-featured desktop user controls. It’s all coming, but slowly. With each new version, desktop Linux comes closer to entering the mainstream. It’s anyone’s guess as to when critical mass will be reached, but you can feel the inevitability: There’s pent-up demand for something different.” (Finnie 2003) Linux is already spreading rapidly in numerous capacities, in numerous countries. Linux has “taken hold wherever computer users desire freedom, and wherever there is demand for inexpensive software.” Reports from technology research company IDG indicate that roughly a third of computers in Central and South America run Linux. Several countries, including Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina, have all but mandated that state-owned institutions adopt open source software whenever possible to “give their people the tools and education to compete with the rest of the world.” (Hills 2001) The Goal Less than a year after Microsoft introduced the The Xbox, the Xbox Linux project formed. The Xbox Linux Project has a goal of developing and distributing Linux for the Xbox gaming console, “so that it can be used for many tasks that Microsoft don’t want you to be able to do. ...as a desktop computer, for email and browsing the web from your TV, as a (web) server” (Xbox Linux Project 2002). Since the Linux operating system is open source, meaning it can freely be tinkered with and distributed, those who opt to download and install Linux on their Xbox can do so with relatively little overhead in terms of cost or time. Additionally, Linux itself looks very “windows-like”, making for fairly low learning curve. To help increase overall awareness of this project and assist in diffusing it, the Xbox Linux Project offers step-by-step installation instructions, with the end result being a system capable of using common peripherals such as a keyboard and mouse, scanner, printer, a “webcam and a DVD burner, connected to a VGA monitor; 100% compatible with a standard Linux PC, all PC (USB) hardware and PC software that works with Linux.” (Xbox Linux Project 2002) Such a system could have tremendous potential for technology literacy. Pairing an Xbox with Linux and OpenOffice.org, for example, would provide our students essentially the same capability any of them would expect from a regular desktop computer. They could send and receive email, communicate using instant messaging IRC, or newsgroup clients, and browse Internet sites just as they normally would. In fact, the overall browsing experience for Linux users is substantially better than that for most Windows users. Internet Explorer, the default browser on all systems running Windows-base operating systems, lacks basic features standard in virtually all competing browsers. Native blocking of “pop-up” advertisements is still not yet possible in Internet Explorer without the aid of a third-party utility. Tabbed browsing, which involves the ability to easily open and sort through multiple Web pages in the same window, often with a single mouse click, is also missing from Internet Explorer. The same can be said for a robust download manager, “find as you type”, and a variety of additional features. Mozilla, Netscape, Firefox, Konqueror, and essentially all other OSS browsers for Linux have these features. Of course, most of these browsers are also available for Windows, but Internet Explorer is still considered the standard browser for the platform. If the Xbox Linux Project becomes widely diffused, our students could edit and save Microsoft Word files in OpenOffice.org’s Writer program, and do the same with PowerPoint and Excel files in similar OpenOffice.org components. They could access instructor comments originally created in Microsoft Word documents, and in turn could add their own comments and send the documents back to their instructors. They could even perform many functions not yet capable in Microsoft Office, including saving files in PDF or Flash format without needing Adobe’s Acrobat product or Macromedia’s Flash Studio MX. Additionally, by way of this project, the Xbox can also serve as “a Linux server for HTTP/FTP/SMB/NFS, serving data such as MP3/MPEG4/DivX, or a router, or both; without a monitor or keyboard or mouse connected.” (Xbox Linux Project 2003) In a very real sense, our students could use these inexpensive systems previously framed only within the context of entertainment, for educational purposes typically associated with computer-mediated learning. Problems: Control and Access The existing rhetoric of technological control surrounding current and emerging technologies appears to be stifling many of these efforts before they can even be brought to the public. This rhetoric of control is largely typified by overly-restrictive digital rights management (DRM) schemes antithetical to education, and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Combined,both are currently being used as technical and legal clubs against these efforts. Microsoft, for example, has taken a dim view of any efforts to adapt the Xbox to Linux. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who has repeatedly referred to Linux as a cancer and has equated OSS as being un-American, stated, “Given the way the economic model works - and that is a subsidy followed, essentially, by fees for every piece of software sold - our license framework has to do that.” (Becker 2003) Since the Xbox is based on a subsidy model, meaning that Microsoft actually sells the hardware at a loss and instead generates revenue off software sales, Ballmer launched a series of concerted legal attacks against the Xbox Linux Project and similar efforts. In 2002, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft simultaneously sued Lik Sang, Inc., a Hong Kong-based company that produces programmable cartridges and “mod chips” for the PlayStation II, Xbox, and Game Cube. Nintendo states that its company alone loses over $650 million each year due to piracy of their console gaming titles, which typically originate in China, Paraguay, and Mexico. (GameIndustry.biz) Currently, many attempts to “mod” the Xbox required the use of such chips. As Lik Sang is one of the only suppliers, initial efforts to adapt the Xbox to Linux slowed considerably. Despite that fact that such chips can still be ordered and shipped here by less conventional means, it does not change that fact that the chips themselves would be illegal in the U.S. due to the anticircumvention clause in the DMCA itself, which is designed specifically to protect any DRM-wrapped content, regardless of context. The Xbox Linux Project then attempted to get Microsoft to officially sanction their efforts. They were not only rebuffed, but Microsoft then opted to hire programmers specifically to create technological countermeasures for the Xbox, to defeat additional attempts at installing OSS on it. Undeterred, the Xbox Linux Project eventually arrived at a method of installing and booting Linux without the use of mod chips, and have taken a more defiant tone now with Microsoft regarding their circumvention efforts. (Lettice 2002) They state that “Microsoft does not want you to use the Xbox as a Linux computer, therefore it has some anti-Linux-protection built in, but it can be circumvented easily, so that an Xbox can be used as what it is: an IBM PC.” (Xbox Linux Project 2003) Problems: Learning Curves and Usability In spite of the difficulties imposed by the combined technological and legal attacks on this project, it has succeeded at infiltrating this closed system with OSS. It has done so beyond the mere prototype level, too, as evidenced by the Xbox Linux Project now having both complete, step-by-step instructions available for users to modify their own Xbox systems, and an alternate plan catering to those who have the interest in modifying their systems, but not the time or technical inclinations. Specifically, this option involves users mailing their Xbox systems to community volunteers within the Xbox Linux Project, and basically having these volunteers perform the necessary software preparation or actually do the full Linux installation for them, free of charge (presumably not including shipping). This particular aspect of the project, dubbed “Users Help Users”, appears to be fairly new. Yet, it already lists over sixty volunteers capable and willing to perform this service, since “Many users don’t have the possibility, expertise or hardware” to perform these modifications. Amazingly enough, in some cases these volunteers are barely out of junior high school. One such volunteer stipulates that those seeking his assistance keep in mind that he is “just 14” and that when performing these modifications he “...will not always be finished by the next day”. (Steil 2003) In addition to this interesting if somewhat unusual level of community-driven support, there are currently several Linux-based options available for the Xbox. The two that are perhaps the most developed are GentooX, which is based of the popular Gentoo Linux distribution, and Ed’s Debian, based off the Debian GNU / Linux distribution. Both Gentoo and Debian are “seasoned” distributions that have been available for some time now, though Daniel Robbins, Chief Architect of Gentoo, refers to the product as actually being a “metadistribution” of Linux, due to its high degree of adaptability and configurability. (Gentoo 2004) Specifically, the Robbins asserts that Gentoo is capable of being “customized for just about any application or need. ...an ideal secure server, development workstation, professional desktop, gaming system, embedded solution or something else—whatever you need it to be.” (Robbins 2004) He further states that the whole point of Gentoo is to provide a better, more usable Linux experience than that found in many other distributions. Robbins states that: “The goal of Gentoo is to design tools and systems that allow a user to do their work pleasantly and efficiently as possible, as they see fit. Our tools should be a joy to use, and should help the user to appreciate the richness of the Linux and free software community, and the flexibility of free software. ...Put another way, the Gentoo philosophy is to create better tools. When a tool is doing its job perfectly, you might not even be very aware of its presence, because it does not interfere and make its presence known, nor does it force you to interact with it when you don’t want it to. The tool serves the user rather than the user serving the tool.” (Robbins 2004) There is also a so-called “live CD” Linux distribution suitable for the Xbox, called dyne:bolic, and an in-progress release of Slackware Linux, as well. According to the Xbox Linux Project, the only difference between the standard releases of these distributions and their Xbox counterparts is that “...the install process – and naturally the bootloader, the kernel and the kernel modules – are all customized for the Xbox.” (Xbox Linux Project, 2003) Of course, even if Gentoo is as user-friendly as Robbins purports, even if the Linux kernel itself has become significantly more robust and efficient, and even if Microsoft again drops the retail price of the Xbox, is this really a feasible solution in the classroom? Does the Xbox Linux Project have an army of 14 year olds willing to modify dozens, perhaps hundreds of these systems for use in secondary schools and higher education? Of course not. If such an institutional rollout were to be undertaken, it would require significant support from not only faculty, but Department Chairs, Deans, IT staff, and quite possible Chief Information Officers. Disk images would need to be customized for each institution to reflect their respective needs, ranging from setting specific home pages on web browsers, to bookmarks, to custom back-up and / or disk re-imaging scripts, to network authentication. This would be no small task. Yet, the steps mentioned above are essentially no different than what would be required of any IT staff when creating a new disk image for a computer lab, be it one for a Windows-based system or a Mac OS X-based one. The primary difference would be Linux itself—nothing more, nothing less. The institutional difficulties in undertaking such an effort would likely be encountered prior to even purchasing a single Xbox, in that they would involve the same difficulties associated with any new hardware or software initiative: staffing, budget, and support. If the institutional in question is either unwilling or unable to address these three factors, it would not matter if the Xbox itself was as free as Linux. An Open Future, or a Closed one? It is unclear how far the Xbox Linux Project will be allowed to go in their efforts to invade an essentially a proprietary system with OSS. Unlike Sony, which has made deliberate steps to commercialize similar efforts for their PlayStation 2 console, Microsoft appears resolute in fighting OSS on the Xbox by any means necessary. They will continue to crack down on any companies selling so-called mod chips, and will continue to employ technological protections to keep the Xbox “closed”. Despite clear evidence to the contrary, in all likelihood Microsoft continue to equate any OSS efforts directed at the Xbox with piracy-related motivations. Additionally, Microsoft’s successor to the Xbox would likely include additional anticircumvention technologies incorporated into it that could set the Xbox Linux Project back by months, years, or could stop it cold. Of course, it is difficult to say with any degree of certainty how this “Xbox 2” (perhaps a more appropriate name might be “Nextbox”) will impact this project. Regardless of how this device evolves, there can be little doubt of the value of Linux, OpenOffice.org, and other OSS to teaching and learning with technology. This value exists not only in terms of price, but in increased freedom from policies and technologies of control. New Linux distributions from Gentoo, Mandrake, Lycoris, Lindows, and other companies are just now starting to focus their efforts on Linux as user-friendly, easy to use desktop operating systems, rather than just server or “techno-geek” environments suitable for advanced programmers and computer operators. While metaphorically opening the Xbox may not be for everyone, and may not be a suitable computing solution for all, I believe we as educators must promote and encourage such efforts whenever possible. I suggest this because I believe we need to exercise our professional influence and ultimately shape the future of technology literacy, either individually as faculty and collectively as departments, colleges, or institutions. Moran and Fitzsimmons-Hunter argue this very point in Writing Teachers, Schools, Access, and Change. One of their fundamental provisions they use to define “access” asserts that there must be a willingness for teachers and students to “fight for the technologies that they need to pursue their goals for their own teaching and learning.” (Taylor / Ward 160) Regardless of whether or not this debate is grounded in the “beige boxes” of the past, or the Xboxes of the present, much is at stake. Private corporations should not be in a position to control the manner in which we use legally-purchased technologies, regardless of whether or not these technologies are then repurposed for literacy uses. I believe the exigency associated with this control, and the ongoing evolution of what is and is not a computer, dictates that we assert ourselves more actively into this discussion. We must take steps to provide our students with the best possible computer-mediated learning experience, however seemingly unorthodox the technological means might be, so that they may think critically, communicate effectively, and participate actively in society and in their future careers. About the Author Paul Cesarini is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Visual Communication & Technology Education, Bowling Green State University, Ohio Email: pcesari@bgnet.bgsu.edu Works Cited http://xbox-linux.sourceforge.net/docs/debian.php>.Baron, Denis. “From Pencils to Pixels: The Stages of Literacy Technologies.” Passions Pedagogies and 21st Century Technologies. Hawisher, Gail E., and Cynthia L. Selfe, Eds. Utah: Utah State University Press, 1999. 15 – 33. Becker, David. “Ballmer: Mod Chips Threaten Xbox”. News.com. 21 Oct 2002. http://news.com.com/2100-1040-962797.php>. http://news.com.com/2100-1040-978957.html?tag=nl>. http://archive.infoworld.com/articles/hn/xml/02/08/13/020813hnchina.xml>. http://www.neoseeker.com/news/story/1062/>. http://www.bookreader.co.uk>.Finni, Scott. “Desktop Linux Edges Into The Mainstream”. TechWeb. 8 Apr 2003. http://www.techweb.com/tech/software/20030408_software. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/29439.html http://gentoox.shallax.com/. http://ragib.hypermart.net/linux/. http://www.itworld.com/Comp/2362/LWD010424latinlinux/pfindex.html. http://www.xbox-linux.sourceforge.net. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/27487.html. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/26078.html. http://www.us.playstation.com/peripherals.aspx?id=SCPH-97047. http://www.techtv.com/extendedplay/reviews/story/0,24330,3356862,00.html. http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,61984,00.html. http://www.gentoo.org/main/en/about.xml http://www.gentoo.org/main/en/philosophy.xml http://techupdate.zdnet.com/techupdate/stories/main/0,14179,2869075,00.html. http://xbox-linux.sourceforge.net/docs/usershelpusers.html http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/fun.games/12/16/gamers.liksang/. Citation reference for this article MLA Style Cesarini, Paul. "“Opening” the Xbox" M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture <http://www.media-culture.org.au/0406/08_Cesarini.php>. APA Style Cesarini, P. (2004, Jul1). “Opening” the Xbox. M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture, 7, <http://www.media-culture.org.au/0406/08_Cesarini.php>