National Social Investment Programmes in Nigeria:A Descriptive Analysis of the Socio-Economic Contributions of N-Power Programme in Benue State

This study analysed the socio-economic contributions of N-Power programme amongst the beneficiaries of the scheme in Benue State.Prior to the introduction of N-Power programme,successive administrations in Nigeria have made concerted efforts towards improving the standard of living of the citizenry through the execution of various welfare or social intervention programmes,but not much successes were recorded.Learning from the mistakes of the past regimes,and by way of deliberate state policy,the Buhari’s government initiated a multi-pronged social investment policy,one of which is the N-power programme that came onboard in 2016,which also doubles as the subject of this study.To achieve the goal of this study,a combination of desktop research and survey design was employed.Questionnaires were administered to 390 respondents through a combination of stratified and random sampling techniques.The results of the survey were matched with that of the secondary data obtained through online websites and other related sources.The result indicated that N-Power made positive contributions to the socio-economic life of the beneficiaries in Benue State:specifically,the scheme contributed in poverty eradication,employment generation,skills acquisitions and capacity building.However,some aspect of our findings revealed that the programme has a number of challenges such as:inadequate cash support,delay in monthly cash transfer to beneficiaries,distance participants had to move to their work stations,absence of posting in N-Teach scheme,and lack of adequate working tools amongst others.To salvage this problem the paper recommended the following solutions:expansion of the scheme to cover N-Teach and other aspects,increment in the monthly cash transfer to cushion the high rate of inflation,support for the participants/beneficiaries in transportation and logistics,enrolment of more youth into the various schemes,proper monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the schemes amongst others.

Research on Chinese Medical History from a Global Perspective:Theory,Method,and Historical Materials

1 Research on the History of Chinese Medicine The years 2020 to 2023 are etched in stone for most of the world’s population,an era to feel the world with the body’s sense of pain,a prevail for a time knowledge of the pandemic,and a time when physical responses will decide politics.Since the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020,academic exchanges between countries have been hampered;there are signs that globalization is getting to an end.

Socio-Economic and Technical Characteristics of Beef Cattle Breeding in Ndé Division, West Region of Cameroon

Insight is here provided into the socio-economic and technical characteristics of cattle production in the Ndé Division (West Cameroon region). Using a semi-structured questionnaire, information on the activity was assessed following onsite visits and interviewing breeders. Through a random sampling scheme, 110 breeders in the four subdivisions of the Ndé Division were shadowed. The majority (98.18%) of breeders were men aged 20 to 40 and married (91.82%). They belong to the Mbororo ethnic group, having cumulated more than 10 years in the activity. Most respondents (50.91%) did not attend school and earn their living mainly from livestock (78.18%). Cattle were raised for sale and to feed the breeder’s family (77.27%). The main mode of acquisition of animals was through inheritance (81.82%). The cattle breeds were mostly made up of white Fulani (70%), living in private farms using a combination of stake and barbed wires (67.27%) as fences. The combination of natural fodder and cooking salt was used by most breeders (59.09%) as a daily ration. Reproduction was by natural mating (97.07%). Parasites (internal and external) and foot-and-mouth disease were the main diseases reported by the majority of farmers. Self-treatment (50%) was the main prophylactic measure taken by farmers in case of disease symptoms. Cattle herders faced several challenges, such as insufficient pasture (67.27%), agro-pastoral conflicts (76.36%) and diseases (90.91%). Cattle breeding was rather a widespread activity with no particular restriction.

Socio-Economic Characteristics of Three Artisanal Fisheries Communities in the Northern Sudanese Red Sea Coast

Socio-economic characteristics related to fishing gears and boats from three selected small-scale fishers’ communities (Oseif, Dungonab and Mohammed Qol) in the northern part of the Sudanese Red Sea coast were studied. The study was designed to provide base line data and information on the current socio-economic situation, factors that determine the use of fishing gear, types of boats and fishing equipment, challenges facing fishers and the extent to which fishing gear and boats are related with the socio-economic characteristics of the fishers community in the study sites. Fieldwork was carried out during 2016. The study methods included a series of interviews based on questionnaires, field observations and focus group discussions. The results of the study showed that the most common fishing gears are handlines, cast nets and gillnets. The two types of boats used at the study sites are motorized fiberglass and houri (motorized and paddled) with a V-shaped hull. Boat ownership varies among fishers. Each fisher can have several types of gears in different numbers. Target fish species, season, efficiency of gear and fishing location were the main factors determining the use of fishing gear at study sites, respectively. All fishers are men and most have families of at least four people. The majority of fishers are between 21 and 50 years old and work mainly in fishing. They inherited fishing knowledge within the family, and most of them have been working in artisanal fishing for more than 10 years. Fishers have relatively good net incomes compared to other government employers in the study sites. Most fishers work full time in fishing. A small number of fishers work part-time with the possibility of undertaking other income-generating activities such as animal husbandry and seasonal agriculture. The main challenges identified by fishers at the study sites were fish prices, sea surface roughness and high cost of fishing materials, respectively. Most fishers perceived a recent decline in both catch size and abundance.

Comparison of brain functions between healthy participants and methamphetamine users with various addiction histories:Data analysis based on EEG and fNIRS

The electroencephalogram(EEG)rhythm and functional near-infrared spectroscopy(fNIRS)activation levels have not been compared between a healthy control group(HCG)and methamphetamine user group(MUG)with different addiction histories.This study used 64-electrode EEG and fNIRS to conduct an experiment that analyzed the resting and craving states.The EEG and fNIRS data of 56 participants were collected,including 14 healthy participants,14 methamphetamine users with an addiction history of 0.5–5 years,14 users with an addiction history of 5–10 years,and 14 users with an addiction history of 10–15 years.Isolated effective coherence(iCoh)within the brain network was used to process the EEG data.Statistical analysis was performed to compare differences in iCoh among the delta,theta,alpha,beta,and gamma bands and explore oxyhemoglobin activation levels in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex,dorsolateral prefrontal cortex,orbitofrontal cortex,and frontopolar prefrontal cortex(FPC)of the control group.Finally,the Kmeans,Gaussian mixed model(GMM),linear discriminant analysis(LDA),support vector machine(SVM),Bayes,and convolutional neural networks(CNN)algorithms were used to classify methamphetamine users based on drug and neutral images.A 3-class accuracy was achieved.Changes in EEG and fNIRS activation levels of HCG and MUG with varied addiction histories were demonstrated.

Editorial Commentary:The History of Controlling and Treating Infectious Diseases in Ancient China

I recently read the article by LIU et all entitled The History of Controlling and Treating Infectious Diseases in Ancient China with great interest.The paper comprehensively summarizes ancient Chinese approaches to combat epidemics,elucidating them through the lens of three key elements of infectious diseases.Summarizing thousands of years of records detailing major infectious disease occurrences across various dynasties is no small feat.

Correlation of personality with individual reproductive success in shrub-nesting birds depends on their life history style

Two questions in the research of animal personality—whether there is a correlation between a personality trait and individual reproductive success,and what is the genetic basis underlying a personality trait—remain unresolved.We addressed these two questions in three shrub-nesting birds,the Azure-winged Magpie(Cyanopica cyanus,AM),White-collared Blackbird(Turdus albocinctus,WB),and Brown-cheeked Laughingthrush(Trochalopteron henrici,BL).The personality type of an individual was first identified according to its response to a territorial intruder.Then,we compared the fleeing distance,breeding parameters,and differential expressed genes(DEGs) in the brain transcriptome between bold and shy breeders.In the three species,bold breeders exhibited more aggressiveness towards an intruder of their territory than did shy breeders.The reproductive success of bold breeders was significantly higher than that of shy breeders in AM but not in WB and BL.The three species shared one DEG,crabp1,which was up-regulated in bold relative to in shy individuals.By regulating the expression of corticotropin-releasing hormone,higher crabp1 gene expression can decrease cellular response to retinoic acid.Therefore,bold individuals are insensitive to external stresses and able to exhibit more aggressiveness to intruders than their shier counterparts.Aggressiveness is beneficial to bold individuals in AM but not in WB and BL because the former could evoke neighbors to make the same response of defending against intruders but the latter could not.Although a personality trait may have the same genetic basis across species,its correlation with reproductive success depends largely on the life history style of a species.

Across two phylogeographic breaks: Quaternary evolutionary history of a mountain aspen (Populus rotundifolia) in the Hengduan Mountains

Biogeographical barriers to gene flow are central to plant phylogeography.In East Asia,plant distribution is greatly influenced by two phylogeographic breaks,the Mekong-Salween Divide and Tanaka-Kaiyong Line,however,few studies have investigated how these barriers affect the genetic diversity of species that are distributed across both.Here we used 14 microsatellite loci and four chloroplast DNA fragments to examine genetic diversity and distribution patterns of 49 populations of Populus rotundifolia,a species that spans both the Mekong-Salween Divide and the Tanaka-Kaiyong Line in southwestern China.Demographic and migration hypotheses were tested using coalescent-based approaches.Limited historical gene flow was observed between the western and eastern groups of P.rotundifolia,but substantial flow occurred across both the Mekong-Salween Divide and Tanaka-Kaiyong Line,manifesting in clear admixture and high genetic diversity in the central group.Wind-borne pollen and seeds may have facilitated the dispersal of P.rotundifolia following prevalent northwest winds in the spring.We also found that the Hengduan Mountains,where multiple genetic barriers were detected,acted on the whole as a barrier between the western and eastern groups of P.rotundifolia.Ecological niche modeling suggested that P.rotundifolia has undergone range expansion since the last glacial maximum,and demographic reconstruction indicated an earlier population expansion around 600 Ka.The phylogeographic pattern of P.rotundifolia reflects the interplay of biological traits,wind patterns,barriers,niche differentiation,and Quaternary climate history.This study emphasizes the need for multiple lines of evidence in understanding the Quaternary evolution of plants in topographically complex areas.

Apatite Fission Track Thermochronology of Granite from the Xiazhuang Uranium Ore Field,South China:Implications for Exhumation History and Ore Preservation

Xiazhuang uranium ore field,located in the southern part of the Nanling Metallogenic Belt,is considered one of the largest granite-related U regions in South China.In this paper,we contribute new apatite fission track data and thermal history modeling to constrain the exhumation history and evaluate preservation potential of the Xiazhuang Uranium ore field.Nine Triassic outcrop granite samples collected from different locations of Xiazhuang Uranium ore field yield AFT ages ranging from 43 to 24 Ma with similar mean confined fission track lengths ranging from 11.8±2.0 to 12.9±1.9μm and Dpar values between 1.01 and 1.51μm.The robustness time-temperature reconstructions of samples from the hanging wall of Huangpi fault show that the Xiazhuang Uranium ore field experienced a time of monotonous and slow cooling starting from middle Paleocene to middle Miocene(~60-10 Ma),followed by relatively rapid exhumation in the late Miocene(~10-5 Ma)and nearly thermal stability in the Pliocene-Quaternary(~5-0 Ma).The amount of exhumation after U mineralization since the Middle Paleogene was estimated as~4.3±1.8 km according to the integrated thermal history model.Previous studies indicate that the ore-forming ages of U deposits in the Xiazhuang ore field are mainly before Middle Paleocene and the mineralization depths are more than 4.4±1.2 km.Therefore,the exhumation history since middle Paleocene plays important roles in the preservation of the Xiazhuang Uranium ore field.

Genetic analyses of ancient tea trees provide insights into the breeding history and dissemination of Chinese Assam tea(Camellia sinensis var.assamica)

Chinese Assam tea(Camellia sinensis var.assamica)is an important tea crop with a long history of cultivation in Yunnan,China.Despite its potential value as a genetic resource,its genetic diversity and domestication/breeding history remain unclear.To address this issue,we genotyped 469 ancient tea plant trees representing 26 C.sinensis var.assamica populations,plus two of its wild relatives(six and three populations of C.taliensis and C.crassicolumna,respectively)using 16 nuclear microsatellite loci.Results showed that Chinese Assam tea has a relatively high,but comparatively lower gene diversity(H_(S)=0.638)than the wild relative C.crassicolumna(H_S=0.658).Clustering in STRUCTURE indicated that Chinese Assam tea and its two wild relatives formed distinct genetic groups,with considerable interspecific introgression.The Chinese Assam tea accessions clustered into three gene pools,corresponding well with their geographic distribution.However,New Hybrids analysis indicated that 68.48%of ancient Chinese Assam tea plants from Xishuangbanna were genetic intermediates between the Puer and Lincang gene pools.In addition,10%of the ancient Chinese Assam tea individuals were found to be hybrids between Chinese Assam tea and C.taliensis.Our results suggest that Chinese Assam tea was domesticated separately in three gene pools(Puer,Lincang and Xishuangbanna)in the Mekong River valley and that the hybrids were subsequently selected during the domestication process.Although the domestication history of Chinese Assam tea in southwestern Yunnan remains complex,our results will help to identify valuable genetic resources that may be useful in future tea breeding programs.

Research on Improving Artistry of Exhibitions in History Museums in China

Chinese civilization,with its long and continuous history and rich cultural heritage,plays a central role in China’s dialogue with other civilizations.Therefore,it is necessary to collect and refine the defining symbols and best elements of Chinese culture and showcase them to the world;develop discourse and narrative systems with Chinese characteristics,better tell China’s stories,and make China’s voice heard.This effort can help Chinese civilization shine globally,interact with other civilizations,and promote its communication and influence worldwide.In China,history museums,as physical carriers of Chinese civilization,are an important component in developing Chinese discourse and narrative systems and an important channel to better tell China’s stories and make China’s voice heard.Improving the artistry of museum exhibitions caters to the public’s growing demand for a more enriching cultural experience and substantially promotes Chinese culture on a global scale.With the communication of Chinese civilization as the main focal point,this study investigated the current issues related to the artistry of history museum exhibitions in China and defined the artistry of history museum exhibitions and their connotations.Based on an in-depth analysis of the artistry of historical museum exhibitions within China,this paper enumerated the areas where improvements could be made to enhance exhibition artistry,intending to promote the communication of Chinese civilization.

The Islamic Religion in Course Curriculums of High School History Textbooks in the Republic of Macedonia

History textbooks can and primarily should contribute to the strengthening of students’awareness of universal human values.However,history textbooks can also deepen the divisions,prejudices,and uncritical attitudes,contrary to the goals of education.The youth population,which is still building and creating their point of view towards the world is the main group in the education process.The learning period,in the elementary,as well as in the secondary education is of utmost importance for the development of every human.To that end,history,through the contents of the past largely shapes our perceptions of every individual,ourselves,and the others.Since we are living in a multiethnic and multi-confessional society,I have decided to conduct an analysis of the teaching contents of high school textbooks related to religion.Another reason for the analysis is the role of religion in the formation of Balkan nations,which have made it one of the key elements of their national identities.It is often given the role of raising and strengthening the national awareness,patriotism,as well as the country homogeneity,which most often leads to forming prejudices,divisions,and discrimination towards people of minority religions.The large volume of content related to the religion,and also the mere fact that Muslims are the second largest religion group in the population,I have decided to analyze the contents which are related only to the Islamic religion.The goal is to look for both the positive and negative sides of those contents in history textbooks in secondary schools,which are backed by state institutions that are supposed to take care of the development of competitive,creative,progressive,and ethically formed human potential.The critical review will give an additional impulse to the efforts of eliminating those parts of the teaching contents that create divisions and prejudices,especially in history textbooks,so that its studying can become the key factor in the building of trust between people of different religions.

A Case Study of Periodical Terminologies’Mis-translations in History of Chinese Journalism by Ko Kung-chen under Analysis-Synthesis Translation Mode

From the perspective of analysis-synthesis translation mode,this paper discusses the translator’s responsibility and the translator’s role in the translation of historiography,based on the case of Ko Kung-chen’s History of Chinese Journalism.Missionary J.S.Roberts believed that translation is the logical combination of two processes of analysis and synthesis.The analysis process is characterized by understanding,emphasizing accurate understanding and professional analysis of the source text,while the synthesis process focuses on the transformation of language and culture.The two processes are dependent,forming the whole process of translation altogether.As the indisputable subject of translation,the translator should assume his own subjective responsibility in the two processes.The translator should be responsible for the fact and professional academics in the analysis process,and language and culture and translation itself in the synthesis process,playing the role of a reviewer,disseminator and translator to ensure that the translation text would be correct,accurate and professional so as to realize the value of himself and translation.

Analysis of the Innovative Path of History Teaching from an Artistic Perspective

This paper discusses the innovative ways of history teaching in depth from the unique perspective of art.By analyzing how artistic elements can effectively enrich teaching means and contents,it reveals the important value of art in history teaching for the improvement of students’comprehensive literacy and further explores the role of art in promoting the modern transformation of history education.At the same time,the article also focuses on the challenges faced in practice,such as the lack of artistic qualities among teachers,the difficulties in integrating art and history,and the differences in students’acceptance.To cope with these challenges,the article proposes specific implementation strategies,including the integration of diversified art resources,innovative teaching methods and approaches,and the construction of a scientific and reasonable evaluation mechanism,aiming to comprehensively optimize the effectiveness of history teaching and further stimulate students’potential for all-round development.

Analysis of the Teaching of Ancient Chinese History in the Heritage Conservation Technology Major

Ancient Chinese history is an important part of the curriculum of the Heritage Conservation Technology major.Students can better understand the history of cultural relics and improve their humanistic literacy,which will help them in restoring cultural relics.At present,there are numerous challenges in teaching ancient Chinese history in the Heritage Conservation Technology major.These challenges necessitate the development of effective teaching reform strategies.This paper outlines these challenges and explores effective teaching reform strategies to provide a reference for educators.

Historical retrospects and evolutionary characteristics of paleogenomic science and technology

Paleogenomics is a discipline in which the extraction and analysis of DNA from ancient biological remains are studied to understand the evolutionary history of past organisms.Research on this topic has revealed the evolutionary history of humans and other species,traced human migrations and genetic changes,and investigated ancient diseases and environmental influences due to its uniqueness.This paper reviews the scientific and technological history of the development of paleogenomics,including the molecular cloning era,the polymerase chain reaction(PCR)technique era,the genomics era,and the bio-data analysis era.This field explores the key technological development processes and effects of significant scientific discoveries,ranging from gene cloning technology and sequencing technology to breakthroughs and applications in big data analysis,addressing challenges such as sample contamination and trace collection analysis in paleogenomics research.

Integration of Mathematics History into Junior Middle School Education: A Pedagogical Approach to Enhance Mathematical Literacy

The integration of the history of mathematics into junior middle school mathematics education represents a significant focus of international research in mathematics and education.The mathematics curriculum standards for compulsory education have emphasized the importance of incorporating the history of mathematics,aiming to gradually integrate it into the mathematics classroom.However,in the practical implementation of junior middle school mathematics education,the effective combination of the history of mathematics with teaching methodologies remains largely unexplored.This article explores the integration of junior middle school mathematics education and the history of mathematics,aiming to provide classroom teaching recommendations for teachers and promote the formation of students’mathematical literacy.

An analysis of the interaction mechanism between the social history of medicine research and health communication from the perspective of mass communication

The mass communication model and interactive ritual chain theory,which serve as communication paradigms in the new media era,facilitate and enhance the synergy between the fields of social history of medicine and health communication.This study employs a comprehensive framework based on the five elements of the mass communication model:information source,communication subject,communication object,message content,and post-communication feedback.Additionally,it incorporates the interactive ritual chain theory to examine the evolving dynamics and developmental trajectory of research in the social history of medicine during the new media era.Conclusively,this paper acknowledges the existing interaction gaps in the interaction between health communication and the social history of medicine research while outlining the challenges for fostering collaboration and proposing strategic optimizations for effective integration.

Research progress of socio-economic water cycle in China

China has made great progress in the study of socio-economic water cycle. She has completed national water resources appraisement and medium to long-term water supply planning. She has been engaging in study on water-deficient regions in North China and Northwest China for about half a century. For solving water shortage problem in northern China, she has put forward the famous South-to-North Water Transferring Projects, which has been set as one of the four biggest national projects in the Tenth Five-Year-Plan period although there are still debates. For promoting water use efficiency, China has been reforming her water management system, including water right system and water price system. There has already been a case of water right purchase. China has also done a lot of research on the interaction between human activity, water and ecosystem. For meeting the need of sustainability and coordinating water resources development and environmental protection, the study of ecological water requirement became very hot in recent years. There are three focuses of socio-economic water cycle study now in China: water transfer projects from the south to the north, water resources management and ecological water requirement.

Influence of Climate and Socio-Economic Factors on the Spatio-Temporal Variability of Soil Organic Matter: A Case Study of Central Heilongjiang Province, China

For the scientific management of farmland, it is significant to understand the spatio-temporal variability of soil organic matter and to study the influences of related factors. Using geostatistical theory, GIS spatial analysis, trend analysis and a Geographically Weighted Regression （GWR） model, this study analyzed the response of soil organic matter to climate and socio-economic factors in central Heilongjiang Province during the past 25 years. Second soil survey data of China for 1979-1985, 2005 field sampling data, climate observations and socio-economic data for 1980-2005 were analyzed. First, soil organic matter in 2005 was spatially interpolated using the Co-Kriging method along with auxiliary data sets of soil type and pH. The spatio-temporal variability was then studied by comparison with the 1980s second soil census data. Next, the temporal trends in climate and socio-economic factors over the past 25 years were investigated. Finally, we examined the variation of the response of soil organic matter to climate and socio-economic factors using the GWR model spatially and temporally. The model showed that 53.82% area of the organic matter content remained constant and 29.39% has decreased during the past 25 years. The impact of precipitation on organic matter content is mainly negative, with increasing absolute values of the regression coefficient. The absolute value of regression coefficient of annual average temperature has decreased, and more areas are now under its negative effects. In addition, the areas of positive regression coefficient of annual sunshine hours have northward shifted, with the increasing absolute value of positive coefficient and decreasing absolute value of negative coefficient. The areas of positive regression coefficient of mechanized farming as a socio-economic factor have westward shifted, with the increasing absolute value of negative coefficient and decreasing absolute value of positive coefficient. The area of regions with the positive regression coefficient of irrigation has expanded. The regions with positive regression coefficient of fertilizer use have shrinked. The positive regression coefficient of mulch film consumption has significantly increased. The regression coefficient of pesticide consumption was mainly positive in the west of the study area, while it was negative to the east. Generally, GWR model is capable to investigate the influence of both climatic and socio-economic factors, avoided the insufficiency of other research based on the single perspective of climatic or socio-economic factors. Therefore, we can conclude that GWR model could provide methodological support for global change research and serve as basic reference for cultivated land quality improvement and agricultural decision making.