<p> This study examined the multilevel factors that influence mathematics and English performance on the Primary Leaving Examinations (PLEs) among primary seven pupils (i.e., equivalent to the United States [U.S.] 7^th graders) in Uganda. Existing student state test data from the Wakiso District were obtained. In addition, a newly created Teacher Quality Measure (TQM) was used to collect teacher data from the same district. Pupil data from primary seven (7^th grade) and the TQM data were analyzed via Rasch Analysis, Analysis of Covariance, and Hierarchical Linear Modeling to investigate the following two main objectives: (1) Developing a behavioral frequency measure of teacher quality for Ugandan teachers, (2) Examining the relationship between pupil-, teacher-, and school-level factors on pupil achievement on the PLEs in Uganda.</p><p> Specific to the first objective, it was found that a psychometrically sound measure of teacher quality can be developed. The results rendered a 38-question measure focusing on four domains: (1) Teacher Planning and Preparation, (2) Classroom Environment, (3) Teacher Instruction, and (4) Teacher Professionalism. </p><p> The second objective found that there are no significant differences between boys and girls on English achievement controlling for prior ability in English. However, there were significant differences between the sexes on mathematics achievement, with boys having higher scores. Additionally, the results showed that there is a significant relationship between student SES (i.e., boarding and day schools) and student achievement, with higher SES students (i.e., boarding schools) having higher achievement. It was also found that teacher TQM scores were a significant predictor of student PLE mathematics and English test scores, with higher teacher quality rendering higher student mathematics and English scores. There was also a significant difference between school types (i.e., urban and rural) on student achievement in mathematics, with rural schools (i.e., lower SES schools) having higher means compared to urban schools. </p><p> Future research should continue to define the network of relationships between pupil-, teacher-, and school-level factors and pupil achievement, and maintain the measure revision and validation process of the TQM. Assessment is becoming commonplace in the classroom in Uganda, and the need to examine the influence of the teacher on pupil achievement is in high demand. Results from this study can provide insight into the disparities involving sex, student SES, and school SES that influence pupil achievement in Uganda. The findings also support administrative demands for more efficient ways to monitor teacher quality, and in turn, meet educational standards and increase student achievement. </p>

<p> Small-scale family farming to meet household food and livelihood needs is a central activity for most households in rural Malawi. Food insecurity and malnutrition are persistent problems for these farmers. Conventional agriculture techniques and maize production are the focus of most household farming, government agriculture policy, and agricultural development programs. However, conventional agriculture and maize production are expensive and unreliable in the short term, and environmentally and financially unsustainable in the long term. As an alternative, some NGOs and farmers in Malawi use permaculture, an agroecology design and low external input agriculture system. Previous research and NGO reports have pointed to benefits and constraints to permaculture adoption in Malawi. </p><p> For this dissertation, I investigated the relationships between agriculture practices and food security among smallholder conventional and permaculture farmers in Lilongwe Rural District in Malawi in partnership with two implementing permaculture organizations. Building on political ecology, the anthropology of food, structural violence, and permaculture literatures, I analyzed the impact of permaculture practice on farmers' agricultural practices, diet, and food security. This analysis showed that farmers who used permaculture experienced agricultural, environmental, livelihood, and food and nutrition security benefits in comparison to farmers who solely used conventional agriculture. These benefits were important given the context of structural violence in which farmers face systemic risk to impoverishment, food insecurity, and malnutrition. However, the benefits of permaculture use were constrained by the broader agro-food system, resource entitlements, and other structural constraints. The findings of this study add to our understanding of how smallholder farmers in Malawi can maneuver within the broader agro-food system, while pointing to potential strategies that farmers and organizations can use to try to address existing constraints.</p>

<p> There are studies that have touched on the question of whether sanctions are effective or not. Some argue that sanctions are effective in achieving their goals, while others argue that they are ineffective. Some adopt the opinion that sanctions are effective with other foreign policy tools in specific conditions conducted with them. But there are not many who write about the adverse effects of sanctions on the target country's internal politics after their failure to achieve their goals as a separate subject. </p><p> This study highlights the counterproductivity of sanctions imposed on the authoritarian regimes that aim to pressure them into changing their policies or bring them down. The paper goes beyond the ineffectiveness of sanctions to argue that sanctions that target the authoritarian regimes help to strengthen the position of the authoritarian leaders instead of bringing political change. That happens in two different ways: If the sanctions are smart they either provoke the masses or unite them, which in turn shifts the public opinion in favor of the target regime or the target regime led by its charismatic leader will manipulate and exaggerate their effects for the purposes of furthering his power. If sanctions are comprehensive, however, they cause economic crisis and devastation of socioeconomic structures that hit the whole society and ensure the regime's continuity by limiting the capacity of the public to organize. In both situations the imposition of the sanctions would strengthen the sanctioned authoritarian regime. In this study, Libya and Eritrea were selected to examine the hypothesis on smart sanctions on the authoritarian regime while Iraq was chosen to examine the hypothesis on comprehensive sanctions.</p>

This paper explores the apparent contradiction between Rwanda’s impressive and internationally-recognized development in physical, economic and social conditions largely driven by the Kagame’s administration policies and the pervasive human rights violations also resulting from government policy. The author asks the question whether the nation – two decades removed from the 1994 genocide which resulted in the death of 800,000 people in 100 days – is ready and capable of transitioning to a political system and set of policies that value human rights and economic development equally, and whether that transition would reduce the risk of future unrest and violence.

<p> Sierra Leone was heavily affected by the West African Ebola virus disease (EVD) epidemic from 2013 to 2016. Ongoing EVD transmission during the epidemic was connected to several factors including unsafe traditional burial practices. This phenomenological qualitative study addressed Kono members&rsquo; perceived knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs regarding how burial practices influenced EVD transmission. Rosenstock&rsquo;s health belief model provided the framework for the study. The participants purposefully selected from various religions and professions were interviewed individually and in focus group settings. Similar phrases and comments were identified from the interview responses resulted which resulted in the following 5 main themes: (a) Kono community leaders and public health workers were cognizant of important EVD issues, but there was a knowledge deficit among Konos about EVD and its mode of transmission; (b) although customary burial rituals were temporarily banned from 2014 to 2016, they were practiced among the Konos to promote culture-driven dignity and respect for the dead; (c) many Konos harbored grudges and mistrusted government officials and public health workers; (d) infrastructural deficits were a barrier to health care as private and public sectors lacked training and equipment to mitigate the 2013-2016 EVD outbreak; and (e) participants were willing to adopt safer burial practices if EVD outbreaks were to reemerge. These findings indicated that EVD transmission was connected to unsafe burial practices. Findings may be used to improve community engagement and public health outreach efforts to promote safer burial practices, especially during periods of infectious disease outbreaks.</p><p>

abstract: Illuminating Silent Voices: An African-American Contribution to the Percussion Literature in the Western Art Music Tradition will discuss how Raymond Ridley's original composition, FyrStar (2009), is comparable to other pre-existing percussion works in the literature. Selected compositions for comparison included Darius Milhaud's Concerto for Marimba, Vibraphone and Orchestra, Op. 278 (1949); David Friedman's and Dave Samuels's Carousel (1985); Raymond Helble's Duo Concertante for Vibraphone and Marimba, Op. 54 (2009); Tera de Marez Oyens's Octopus: for Bass Clarinet and one Percussionist (marimba/vibraphone) (1982). In the course of this document, the author will discuss the uniqueness of FyrStar's instrumentation of nine single reed instruments--E-flat clarinet, B-flat clarinet, alto clarinet, bass clarinet, B-flat contrabass clarinet, B-flat soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, and B-flat baritone saxophone, juxtaposing this unique instrumentation to the symbolic relationship between the ensemble, marimba, and vibraphone. / Dissertation/Thesis / FyrStar (2009) Live Recording (DMA Recital) / FyrStar (2009) Full Score / D.M.A. Music 2012

<p> This research study sought to investigate and explain the perceptions and experiences of Ghanaian international students in the American higher education system. Four subjects enrolled at different higher education institutions in the USA participated in the study. The participants were selected based on the following four criteria: (a) they were Ghanaian international students; (b) they were 18 years of age or older; (c) they had successfully completed two years or more of post-secondary education in the USA; (d) and they were proficient in the English language. Three research questions guided the study: What are the perceptions of Ghanaian international students regarding their experiences in a higher educational institution in the USA? What factors influence these perceptions? What are the specific ways that Ghanaian international students negotiate the challenges of the American higher education system? A qualitative methodology and case study research design was utilized to collect data. Critical race theory, phenomenological theory, postcolonial identity theory, and intersectionality theory provided the theoretical framework for the study. Data collected from the 13 in-depth semi-structured interviews, researcher&rsquo;s observations, and a researcher&rsquo;s reflective journal, were coded using both open and axial codes. Thematic analysis was done vertically for each participant and across all participants&rsquo; responses. These codes were then categorized into themes and subthemes. Five themes emerged from the data analysis and these included: acculturation challenges, economic concerns, weak institutional support system, visa issues, and geography. Key influences included nationality, ethnicity, family background, religion, socioeconomic status, personality, and prior foreign travel experiences. Social networking and creating personal support systems appeared to be the most common coping strategies employed by participants. The limitations of this study included the small number of participants and the institutional type, among other factors. The implications and recommendations regarding future research are included. </p><p>

<p> In spite of a decrease globally, the maternal mortality rate (MMR) in Nigeria and its Jigawa State has remained persistently high. Few efforts to address the MMR in Nigeria have been undertaken. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of Jigawa State&rsquo;s Free Maternal and Child Health Program (JSFMCHP), education, employment, and parity of pregnant women on health care utilization (the outcome variable), as measured by antenatal care (ANC) visits. Anderson&rsquo;s behavioral model served as the study&rsquo;s theoretical framework. The sample size included 400 antenatal records of pregnant women who were randomly selected from the state&rsquo;s Health Management and Information data collected between 2011 and 2015. Chi-square tests showed a significant association between those who did not participate in the JSFMCHP, education, employment, with ANC. There was no association between parity and the number of ANC visits. The odds ratio suggested that pregnant women who did not participate in the program were 5.53 times as likely to have 4 or more visits compared to those who participated. Furthermore, the recommended number (4 or more) of ANC visits was predicted by tertiary education and employment. This study&rsquo;s findings indicate the need for a reevaluation of JSFMCHP policy, with a focus on ensuring a minimum recommended number of ANC visits for all program participants. These results can influence positive social change if used by policy makers to strengthen policies that have a beneficial impact on maternal morbidity and mortality in Jigawa State, in particular, and Nigeria, in general.</p><p>

<p> Hepatitis E virus (HEV) has over the last three decades emerged as a cause of outbreaks in displaced populations. Effective deployment of an HEV intervention toolkit that includes HEV vaccines requires epidemiological characterization of HEV trends in vulnerable populations. The study purpose is to describe the epidemiology of HEV and identify factors for severe HEV disease in displaced populations of South Sudan. The agent-host-environment model was used. A nested retrospective cohort study was used with a sample of 14,404 cases for the descriptive case-series and 4,810 cases for the retrospective cohort. Data analyses included cumulative incidence and mortality rates, SatScan^&reg; space-time analysis, correlation and simple linear regression, odds ratio, and logistic regression. Sustained HEV transmission occurred from 2012 to 2017 with rising transmission in the rainy season but no significant correlation between precipitation and HEV cases. The median outbreak duration was 1 year 11 months. The outbreaks were attributed to HEV genotype 1 subtype 1e with the risk of HEV disease and death (as cases and deaths per 10,000) being higher in males (591 versus (vs) 23), adults (18&ndash;59 years) (367 vs 14), and elderly (60+ years) (353 vs 22). The factors associated with severe HEV disease include (a) altered mental status (adjusted Odds Ratio [a<i> OR</i>] = 640.24, 95% CI: 209.35&ndash; 1958.02), (b) death (a<i>OR</i> 28.06, 95% CI: 14.77&ndash;53.29), (c) pregnancy (a<i> OR</i> 16.90, 95% CI: 9.54&ndash;29.94), (d) illness onset in rainy season (a<i>OR</i> 0.33, 95% CI: 0.23&ndash;0.46). The implications for positive social change entail using present findings to guide clinical screening of HEV cases and to inform the effective deployment of the HEV intervention toolkit, including HEV vaccines that reduce the impact of HEV in displaced populations.</p><p>

<p> High blood pressure (HBP) is a worldwide concern in many countries (Keamey, et al., 2005). HBP is likely to be higher in underdeveloped countries, specifically in Africa (Addo, Smeeth, &amp; Leon, 2007; Kearney, et al.,2005; World Health Organization [WHO], 2015). The prevalence of HBP in South Africa is 21%, which is about 6 million individuals (Steyn, Gaziano, Bradshaw, Laubscher, &amp; Fourier, 2001). The purpose of the study is to examine the predictive factors of HBP among older adults in South Africa. This cross-sectional study used secondary data from the World Health Organization (WHO &amp; Phaswana-Mafaya, 2008). The total number of participants included in this sample was 2,145 adults age 60 and over, of which females comprise 59%. The average age was 69.50 years (<i>SD= 7.63</i>). The prevalence of reporting HBP among respondents was 37%. The multivariate analysis shows that, when other factors are controlled, being female, having a larger waist circumference, having a diagnosis of diabetes and depression, and urban residence significantly predicted HBP among older South Africans. When comparing men and women, the results of the logistic regression shows that the decrease of odds of having HBP among men who have diabetes and depression is less than the decrease of odds of having HBP among women who have diabetes and depression. These findings indicate that the risk factors, diabetes and depression, have a bigger effect on females compared to males. The results of the study will help to implement primary HBP prevention targeting South African older adult females who have been diagnosed with diabetes, depression, and who live in urban areas.</p><p>