Volume 13, Issue 8, August 2025 Edition - GSJ Journal Publication

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TEACHERS’ AUTONOMY AND THEIR WELL-BEING OF DON CARLOS II DISTRICT []


This study examined the relationship between teacher autonomy and well-being among 107 elementary teachers in Don Carlos II District, Division of Bukidnon, for the School Year 2024–2025, focusing on autonomy in classroom observation, teaching competence, and workplace condition, as well as well-being in terms of family life, work motivation, and mental health. Respondents, mostly female, aged 30–39, with 6–10 years of experience, Master’s degrees, and holding Teacher I positions, reported very high levels of autonomy in their classroom practices. Findings revealed that teacher well-being was positively influenced by maturity, experience, and social support, and that all dimensions of autonomy were significantly linked with well-being, though only partial differences were observed when grouped by demographic pro-file. The study concluded that strengthening autonomy through supportive classroom observations, clear feedback, shared decision-making, and conducive workplace conditions can boost teacher morale, retention, and effectiveness, with implications for school leaders, policymakers, and professional development planners to foster growth and promote mentally healthy, motivated, and effective teaching professionals. Keywords: autonomy, well-being

Effect of in-service Comprehensive Training Program in Knowledge of Appointed Midwives towards prevention of hepatitis B virus in Gezira state–Sudan (2018) []


Abstract Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a viral infection that causes HBV disease, which infects the liver and can lead to chronic liver diseases like cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Objectives: To assess the effect of in-service comprehensive training program in knowledge of appointed midwives towards prevention of hepatitis B virus in Gezira state–Sudan (2018) Methods: A pre and post test (quasi experiment) design was used in the present study. Data about prevention of was collected via pre and post intervention at selected localities for 168 midwives in Gezira State. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. Results: The overall knowledge of midwives regarding prevention of HBV indicated that the good knowledge was significantly increased from pre intervention from 39% to 61% after post in service training program. The study depicted that in service training program is highly effective on ‬midwives ‬knowledge‬ regarding prevention of viral hepatitis B indicated by high significant difference in times of pre-test and post-test at p-value=0.004. There was significant relationship between work place and overall post knowledge of midwives regarding prevention of HBV, p=.002. Midwives who work at health facility were significantly having high good knowledge (1.189). Conclusion: The study confirms that the in service training program on midwives study group is significant. There were statistical differences between workplace and midwives overall post knowledge. In service training program was proved efficiency increased knowledge of midwives regarding prevention of HBV. For this reason GMOH should recommends for all localities of Gezira in order to raise knowledge regarding prevention of HBV. Key words: In-service Comprehensive Training Program, HBV, Gezira State

ASSESSMENT OF WASTE-SCAVENGING ACTIVITIES IN THE FEDERAL CAPITAL CITY OF ABUJA, NIGERIA []


The function and actions of waste scavengers in Abuja's urban waste management environment are examined in this study. Even though they are informal and frequently ignored, waste scavengers play a vital role in recycling initiatives and lessen the strain on the city's official waste disposal systems. They are still left out of the main frameworks for waste policy and urban planning, despite their significance. The study uses a mixed-methods approach, integrating qualitative information from oral interviews and field surveys with quantitative data from structured questionnaires. The study distributes questionnaires to 100 scavengers, 20 waste dealers, and one AEPB official in key areas of Abuja, such as Jabi, Deidei, Zuba, Apo, Lugbe, Mpape, Nyanya, Gwarimpa, Karmajiji, and Lokogoma. The results are intended to shed light on waste scavengers' socioeconomic circumstances, means of subsistence, and environmental contributions. As important participants in the urban waste ecosystem, scavengers must be acknowledged and supported by inclusive waste management policies, according to the research. In order to lessen stigma, attract investment, and establish scavenging as a valid urban economic activity, it suggests formalising it through government regulations. In addition to better access to credit, training, and business support, the establishment of specific locations and warehouses for waste collection and sorting can boost the sector's expansion. Scavengers can be further incorporated into sustainable urban development through tax-based inclusion, regulatory oversight, and workshops on waste-to-wealth opportunities. In order to fully realise the potential of Abuja's informal waste sector for both environmental and economic transformation, the study recommends strategic intervention.

Alkaloids and phyto-phenolic contents of Moringa oleifera and Alchornea cordifolia methanol leaf extracts and antioxidant effects []


The alkaloid, phyto-phenolic and antioxidant contents of Moringa oleifera and Alchornea cordifolia methanol leaf extracts and their antioxidant effects were investigated. The samples were first dried at room temperature to constant weight, ground into powder and 100 g of each sample was soaked in 200 ml methanol for 24 hours to obtain the methanol soluble fraction. The alkaloid, phyto-phenolic profile, antioxidant vitamins and their an-tioxidant activities were evaluated using standard methods. M. oleifera and A. cordifolia methanol leaf extracts were nutritionally rich in phytochemicals, and antioxidants enzymes and vitamins. M. oleifera and A. cordifolia methanol leaf extracts should be employed in the management of sickle cell disease and other related diseases like anaemia and thalassemia. Keywords: Alchornea cordifolia, Alkaloids, antioxidant enzymes, antioxidant vitamins, Moringa oleifera, Phyto-phenolic compounds, Sickle cell disease.

Alchornea cordifolia and Moringa oleifera methanol leaf extracts on Fe2+/Fe3+ ratio, HbSS polymerization and red blood cell lactate dehydrogenase activity []


The Alchornea cordifolia and Moringa oleifera methanol leaf extracts were investigated to ascertain their potency on red blood cell (RBC) Fe2+/Fe3+ ratio, HbSS polymerization and RBC lactate dehy-drogenase activity. The samples were first dried at room temperature to constant weight, ground into powder and 100 g soaked in methanol for 24 hours to obtain the methanol soluble fraction. The samples were concentrated at different concentrations of 100, 200 and 400mg/dose for polymeriza-tion inhibition activities and 1000µg/ml, 2000µg/ml and 4000µg/ml doses for the lactate dehydro-genase activities. Blood samples were collected from confirmed HbSS patients. The results showed that Alchornea cordifolia and Moringa oleifera methanol leaf extracts at various concentrations of 100mg, 200mg and 400mg/dose improved Fe2+/Fe3+ ratio and inhibited sickle cell polymerization. The different concentrations of Alchornea cordifolia and Moringa oleifera leaf methanol extracts and their combination were able to reduce the RBC lactate dehydrogenase activity significantly when compared to the control and standard (CiklavitTM). Keywords: Alchornea cordifolia, Fe2+/Fe3+ ratio, HbSS polymerization, Haemoglobin, lactate dehydrogenase, Moringa oleifera, sickle cell disease,

Nutrient benefits of Alchornea cordifolia and Moringa oleifera leaves used in ethnomedicine to treat sickle cell disease []


The nutrient benefits of Alchornea cordifolia and Moringa oleifera leaves use in ethnomedicine were investi-gated. Their proximate composition, amino acid contents, mineral contents and their effects on the liver and kidneys were investigated. The samples were air-dried at room temperature (28oC) to constant weight and ground into powder. The proximate composition, amino acid contents, mineral contents and their effects on the liver and kidneys were carried out using standard methods. The observed results showed the potency of both plants in the treatment of various diseases including the management of sickle cell disease, justifying the use of these plants in ethnomedicine. Keywords: Alchornea cordifolia, amino acids, ethnomedicine, mineral content, Moringa oleifera, Sickle cell disease

Problematic of Sexuality in Churches in Africa: Case of Revival Churches in Lubumbashi/DRC []


In a context marked by the rapid growth of these so-called "revival" churches, their influence on daily life, morals, and social relations has become unavoidable. These churches position themselves not only as places of worship, but also as moral and social authorities, seeking to redefine sexuality in light of Scripture and prophetic revelations. Historically, man has always sought to understand and channel his sexuality. In Africa, this quest takes on a particular dimension: between traditional customs, modern pressures, and religious teaching, individuals, young and old, are confronted with sometimes contradictory injunctions. Revival churches in Lubumbashi, in particular, often adopt a rigid and militant interpretation of sexuality: strict prohibition of sexual relations outside of marriage, condemnation of homosexuality, call for virginity until marriage, rejection of modern contraception, etc. But this position, often based on a literal interpretation of the Bible, clashes with social reality: poverty, unemployment, the strong sexualization of the media, early sexual intercourse, and the growing presence of demands for sexual and reproductive rights. The Church then finds itself in a position of tension, torn between maintaining the norm and adapting to the experiences of the faithful. This work seeks to understand the dynamics between neo-Pentecostal Christian faith and sexuality, in an urban African context marked by profound social and cultural changes.

Electrochemical Optimization of MnO₂ Thin Film Electrodes Through Controlled SILAR Deposition for Supercapacitor Applications []


Manganese dioxide (MnO₂) thin films were synthesized via the Successive Ionic Layer Adsorption and Reaction (SILAR) technique and evaluated for their suitability as supercapacitor electrode materials. Films were deposited on stainless steel and fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrates over 40 to 70 deposition cycles. Structural characterization by X-ray diffraction confirmed the amorphous nature of the films, while scanning electron microscopy revealed a morphological evolution from a porous, nanostructured surface to a compact, aggregated film with increasing cycles. Electrochemical performance was assessed using cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge–discharge (GCD), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The MnO₂ film deposited at 50 cycles exhibited optimal performance, achieving a peak specific capacitance of 0.7943 F/g at 5 mV/s. GCD analysis at 1000 mA/g showed a charge capacitance of 7.786 F/g and discharge capacitance of 2.389 F/g at 60 cycles, suggesting transient structural activation. However, films subjected to higher cycle counts showed capacity fade, attributed to reduced surface area and increased internal resistance. Impedance modeling revealed a sharp decrease in bulk resistance from 1 kΩ at 40 cycles to 1.75 Ω at 50 cycles, indicating enhanced ion transport. Optical bandgap analysis showed a reduction from 1.68 eV to 1.25 eV across the cycle range, associated with improved electrical conductivity due to increased Mn³⁺ content. These findings demonstrate that tuning the deposition cycle number is critical for optimizing the electrochemical and structural properties of MnO₂ films. The 50-cycle configuration shows the greatest promise for integration into high-performance energy storage systems.

Repurposing Personnel for Effective and Efficiency Service Delivery during Crisis while considering Sustainability and Business Continuity []


Abstract Introduction Malawi with a population of 19,129,952 is situated in Southeastern Africa and considered one of the poorest countries in the world. It has a well-defined health and population ministry that operates a Health Service Strategic Plan. The HIV department is responsible for HIV/Aids programing. Problem statement Does repurposing of personnel during crisis improved efficiency and effectiveness of routine work and maintained sustainability and business continuity? Repurposing Personnel Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision program for HIV prevention was considered a non-essential service during COVID-19. Personnel in the program were repurposed to HIV care and treatment that was essential. Theoretical Framework Ministry of health developed a framework to guide HIV health service delivery during COVID-19 pandemic. The framework heavily relayed on 4Ps concepts of crisis management namely: Perimeters (Indicators), Phase, People and Plan. Crisis Management This paper borrowed heavily from Burnett’s model of crisis management and focused on Identification, confrontation and Configuration. The six steps of goal formation, environment analysis, strategy formulation, evaluation, and implementation were included in the design. Results Four hundred and twenty five (425) personnel whose prime work and responsibilities was VMMC service delivery successfully repurposed to HIV care and treatment. Conclusion The repurposed personnel improved efficient in the areas they were assigned that led to effective program implementation towards sustainability and business continuity during COVID-19 pandemic. HIV patients were able to continue with HIV treatment with minimal negative effects.

5 new species and 25 new records from Bangladesh []


Elaeocarpus zeus MRDA was described and illustrated (Fig-1) as a new species from the district of Bogura, Latitude: 24.843559, Longitude: 89.370108, Bangladesh. It belongs to the Rudraksha family. However, the Rudraksha fruit is a blue marble and rounded seed-shell/stone. This new species is deeply sculpted similar to Rudraksha seed. But not round shaped. It was lance-shaped with pointed tips. Elaeocarpus is a genus of nearly five hundred species of flowering plants in the family Elaeocarpaceae native to the Western Indian Ocean, Tropical and Subtropical Asia. The genus Elaeocarpus was first formally described in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus (Linnaeus, Carl (1753). Zephyranthes octothreada B.Uddin, S.Uddin & Z.Nasrin, was described and illustrated as a new species from the district of Bogura, Latitude: 24.843559, Longitude: 89.370108, Bangladesh from Amaryllidaceae family. Amaryllidaceae J.St.-Hil. First published in Expos. Fam. Nat. 1: 134. 1805 [Feb-Apr 1805] (1805). Zephyranthes Herb. First published in Appendix: 36 (1821), nom. cons. Zephyranthes carinata Herb. First published in Bot. Mag. 52: t. 2594 (1825). Zephyranthes minuta (Kunth) D.Dietr. First published in Syn. Plant. 2: 1176 (1840). Zephyranthes rosea Lindl. Amaryllidaceae first published in Bot. Reg. 10: t. 821 (1824). The family, which was originally created in 1805, now contains about 1600 species, divided into 71 genera, 17 tribes and three subfamilies. their common name refers to their habit of blooming soon after a heavy rainfall. Artemisia kholabaria Zabber & Zinia was described and illustrated as a new species from the district of Bogura, Latitude: 24.843559, Longitude: 89.370108, Bangladesh from Asreraceae. First published in Prir. Rostlin 254. 1820 [Jan-Apr 1820] (1820) nom. cons. family. Hind, D. J. N. (2007). Asteraceae (Compositae). In: V. H. Heywood, R. K. Brummitt, A. Culham & O. Seberg (eds), Flowering Plant Families of the World, pp. 46–52. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Artemisia L. First published in Sp. Pl.: 845 (1753). K. Bremer, Asteraceae Clad. & Class.: 458 (1994). Asteraceae is a large family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Alpinia rda Zinia & F.H.Khan is described and illustrated as a new species from the district of Bogura, Bangladesh Zingiberaceae family contains First published in Tekhno-Bot. Slovar 682. 1820 [3 Aug 1820] (as "Zinziberaceae") (1820) nom. cons. Alpinia Roxb. First published in Asiat. Res. 11: 350 (1810), nom. cons. Alpinia mutica Roxb. First published in Asiat. Res. 11: 354 (1810). Baksh-Comeau, Y., Maharaj, S.S., Adams, C.D., Harris, S.A., Filer, D.L. & Hawthorne, W.D. (2016). An annotated checklist of the vascular plants of Trinidad and Tobago with analysis of vegetation types and botanical 'hotspots'. Phytotaxa 250: 1-431. Alpinia malaccensis (Burm.f.) Roscoe First published in Trans. Linn. Soc. London 8: 345 (1807). Govaerts, R. (1995). World Checklist of Seed Plants 1(1, 2): 1-483, 1-529. MIM, Deurne. Alpinia nutans (L.) Roscoe. First published in J.E.Smith, Exot. Bot. 2: 93 (1806). Larsen, K. (1996). A prelimanary checklist of the Zingiberaceae of Thailand. Helianthus bangladeshinensis Zinia from Asteraceae family was described and illustrated as a new species from the district of Bogura, Latitude: 24.843559, Longitude: 89.370108, Bangladesh. First published in Prir. Rostlin 254. 1820 [Jan-Apr 1820] (1820) nom. cons. family. Hind, D. J. N. (2007). Asteraceae (Compositae). In: V. H. Heywood, R. K. Brummitt, A. Culham & O. Seberg (eds), Flowering Plant Families of the World, pp. 46–52. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. First published in Sp. Pl.: 845 (1753). K. Bremer, Asteraceae Clad. & Class.: 458 (1994). Asteraceae is a large family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Asteraceae Bercht. & J.Presl. First published in Prir. Rostlin 254. 1820 [Jan-Apr 1820] (1820) nom. cons. Helianthus L. First published in Sp. Pl.: 904 (1753). Roskov Y. & al. (eds.) (2018). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life Naturalis, Leiden, the Netherlands. Helianthus debilis Nutt. First published in Trans.

Expressions and Functions of Positive Emotions in Urdu Poetry: Linguistic, Cultural, and Computational Perspectives []


This study explores the expression and function of positive emotions such as love, hope, serenity,gratitude, and pride within Urdu poetry, emphasizing its linguistic artistry, cultural significance,and psychological impact. It examines major poetic forms including ghazal, nazm, qasida, marsiya, and rubaiyat, highlighting how structural features like meter, rhyme, and rhythm interact with lexical choices, metaphor, symbolism, and syntactic patterns to convey nuanced affective states. The analysis integrates theoretical frameworks from systemic functional linguistics, appraisal theory, affect theory, and psycholinguistics to elucidate how emotions are inscribed and invoked through poetic language and performance. Attention is given to the historical development of Urdu poetry, its hybrid lexicon influenced by Persian, Arabic, and Indic traditions, and its role in shaping cultural identity, social bonds, and moral values. The study also addresses computational approaches including manual annotation, sentiment analysis, and emotion classification models, discussing challenges posed by linguistic complexity and figurative language. Applications in education, digital humanities, computational creativity, and social media dissemination are considered, illustrating how Urdu poetry continues to serve as a medium for emotional communication, empathy, and resilience across diverse contexts and audiences

ASSESSING THE COST EFFECTIVENESS OF COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS IN PRIMARY CARE DELIVERY ACROSS SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA []


Community Health Workers (CHWs) have emerged as a vital and cost-effective solution to healthcare workforce shortages, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This review critically assesses the economic value of CHWs in delivering primary healthcare, focusing on cost-effectiveness relative to conventional facility-based care. Through a narrative review of fourteen peer-reviewed and grey literature from 2000 to 2025, the study synthesized findings across various health domains, including maternal and child health, HIV, malaria, and non-communicable disease screening. Results reveal strong evidence of cost-effectiveness in TB, HIV, and malaria interventions, while maternal health outcomes were mixed. The analysis also highlights methodological inconsistencies, limited reporting of cost-effectiveness ratios, and gaps in long-term economic sustainability assessments. By identifying both cost-saving and cost-incurring elements, this review informs policymakers and stakeholders about the financial viability of CHW programs and supports evidence-based decisions for scaling and integrating CHWs into national health systems to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Keywords: Community Health Workers (CHWs), Cost-Effectiveness, Primary Healthcare, Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), Health Economics, Healthcare Delivery Models