November 2023

Work-life balance can be defined as maintaining equilibrium between work and non-work activities. A great concern facing any organization regardless of its size or purpose is its ability to achieve the desired objectives. An imperative factor that has the power to enhance or hinder this ability is the performance of its employees. Human resource management faces a critical issue that deeply threatens the performance of employees and that is work life balance. Work life balance has become a popular term that describes the increased need to achieve equilibrium between all facets of life. The trend of combining a career, marriage and parenthood has become increasingly prevalent due to financial pressure on families. This multi-faceted life has given rise to the concept of work life balance and the significance it has on the performance of an individual. An individual’s inability to balance work and personal life domains has the potential to severely impede their performance at both work and personal lives (Poulose and Sudarsan, 2014). Although time is limited, healthcare workers are expected to perform various professional activities that are work related as well as non-work related, as such it is important to ensure that individuals have the ability to satisfy responsibilities from both domains and aspects. The individual’s inability to satisfy the responsibilities from both domains adversely affect the performance at work. The study investigated the impact of work life balance on healthcare professionals’ performance in selected primary healthcare facilities in Lagos State Nigeria. Three specific objectives were stated, and research hypotheses were constructed to guide the study. A cross-sectional research design, and a combination of convenience and snowball sampling was adopted for data collection. Hard copies and online questionnaires of structured questions were given out and mailed to healthcare professionals working in the six health care facilities in the State. Out of the 500 copies of questionnaire sent out, through random sampling technique. 462 (four hundred and sixty-two) questionnaires were returned. A response rate of 93% was obtained which was found adequate and used for the study. The study employed the use of primary data to examine the impact of work life balance on performance of the healthcare workers. Regression analysis using Statistical Product and Service Solution (SPSS) for windows and Microsoft excel computer program enabled data coding, editing and entry, plus data analysis and testing of hypotheses. Upon the successful analysis of the data collected for this study, the findings revealed that work flexibility, career development and long working hours are moderate predictors of healthcare workers’ performance (R = 0.500). A unit increase in these variables led to 50% increase in employee performance of workers and the relationship depicted in this study is significant at 95% confidence interval. In addition, the finding revealed that, career development is found to be the most dominant relational dimension (β = 0.445) in determining the variation in employee performance. The study recommended that the management of healthcare facilities should set up work-life policies and programs that would support their employees in fulfilling both their official duties at the workplace and their individual responsibilities outside the workplace as well. In addition, efforts to improve career development in workplaces can be put in place to promote, provide training, and evaluate work performance so that employees who have high potential and competence can develop their career.

Objective: to research scientific evidence on the association between physical fitness components and academic performance in adolescents. Method: survey of studies published between July 2016 and August 10, 2019, available in electronic databases (PsychInfo; Psychology and Behavioral Science; ERIC; Sport Discus; CINHAL and PubMed), which related the concepts of physical condition and academic performance in adolescents. Of the 54 studies chosen, fifteen were reviewed. Results: It was found that most of the studies consulted follow a cross-sectional study methodology. The independent extraction of articles was carried out by two authors, using pre-defined data fields. Conclusions: from the fifteen studies, seven report a positive association between the components of physical fitness and academic performance and seven do not find a statistically significant relationship between physical fitness and academic performance. One study is not clear on this approach.

This academic paper investigates electrification in Europe, with a focus on heat pumps and electric vehicles (EVs), crucial to the transition towards net-zero. Amidst the Ukraine conflict, electrification emerges as a vital investment trend, essential for climate stabilization through the transformation of the building and transportation sectors. The research explores two questions: the trends and barriers in deploying heat pumps within European buildings, and the feasibility of the EU’s goal of adding 30 million heat pumps by 2030. This exploration reveals the market dynamics, technological advancements, policy, and economic factors influencing the adoption of heat pumps, crucial for the transition from fossil-based heating solutions. Secondly, the paper scrutinizes the dynamics, progress, and challenges in EV adoption in Europe, essential for understanding the expected acceleration in EV sales due to the 2035 ban on carbon-emitting vehicles. Through a review of literature, market reports, and policy documents, the paper extracts data on sales trends, technological advancements, policy incentives, barriers, and forecasts for both heat pumps and EVs in Europe. With accelerated sales of heat pumps, notably in Germany, and an uptick in EV sales bolstered by stringent policies, the paper integrates recent research efforts to understand the adoption barriers and drivers for heat pumps and EVs, crafting a narrative outlining their progress and challenges. The paper illuminates Europe's electrification path, offering insights for academia, policymakers, and industry participants navigating electrification's twin pillars.

It's hard to continue believing that women aren't competent, just as it's absurd to hold the argument that all women are eternally incapable or unconcerned about the need to get involved in order to contribute to political governance. So, it's not uncommon to hear it said that women's low presence and participation in decision-making bodies, including political ones, is due to their unwillingness to get involved. The main argument, as we know, is intrinsically linked to the conscious or unconscious desire of men to maintain their symbolic dominance over women, to preserve a balance of power that protects their interests. This permanent struggle is maintained on a daily basis by men and women alike, in a social environment that is quick to preserve the heavy social straitjacket that enables social reproduction in a relationship of intergenerational continuity. Through education, women also play a front-line role in the construction of inequalities in gender relations between girls and boys. This is why, in observing the unequal gender relations that persist in the political sphere in the G5 Sahel countries, we qualify this state of tolerance of the indecent gap.

Preconception health care is the medical care a person receives from heath team members for better outcome in pregnancy. The objective of prenatal diagnosis and counselling is to reduce complications by identifying the risk factors early. Through proper prenatal diagnosis helps to reduce maternal and fetal mortality and morbidity rate. Prenatal diagnosis helps the couple to take prompt treatment to avoid complications in pregnancy. Couples have to be educate about the importance of antenatal visit and different measures for identify risk factors. Preconception care can significantly improve maternal and infant outcomes, and thus optimise intergenerational health. The aims of this scoping review are to (1) provide an up-to-date summary of preconception health and care strategies, policies, guidelines, frameworks and recommendations across the UK and Ireland and (2) explore preconception health and care services and interventions in Northern Ireland as a case study.1Preconception health and health care focus on things you can do before and between pregnancies to increase the chances of having a healthy baby. For some people, getting their bodies ready for pregnancy takes a few months.2. Some parents have increased risk of having a baby with a genetic disorder or other problem. They may want to consider one of these tests. Knowing about problems before the baby is born may help parents. They may be able to make better decisions about health care for their infant. Certain problems can be treated before the baby is born. Other problems may need special treatment right after delivery. In some cases, parents may even decide not to continue the pregnancy.4The main benefit of CVS is it can be done earlier in the pregnancy. It’s very accurate in detecting genetic abnormalities. But it does not detect some things that amniocentesis like Neural tube defects Birth defects incompatibility Amniocentesis might be the best option if previous history of a neural tube defect. The results of other tests during your pregnancy have been abnormal.

Language is a powerful tool for information sharing, catalysing students to evolve into adept global communicators. Learning a new language helps us understand different cultures and ways of life in far-off places. English is a very important language because it's used a lot, and it's like a window that lets us see the whole world. If you're good at speaking English, you can also find more jobs. But sometimes, it's hard for students to take charge of their learning and work well with others. In the past, teachers used to do most of the teaching when it came to English. But now, some teachers are helping students learn on their own. This change was sped up by the pandemic, which brought new tools like ELSA, MePro, and BBC Learn English, as well as websites where you can learn by yourself. In light of these developments, this research paper endeavours to shed light on the realm of independent English language learning, offering valuable insights into this evolving landscape.

This study estimates the technical, allocative and economic efficiency of maize-producing farms in Benin and identifies the determining factors of these efficiencies in a context of adaptation to climate change. To achieve this, data was collected from a sample of 402 corn farmers randomly selected from the municipalities most vulnerable to the effects of climate change and located within the Okpara watershed perimeters. The parametric stochastic frontier approach was adopted to estimate a seedling-log stochastic frontier and a dual cost function of corn farms using the Frontier program of Stata 13 software. The Tobit regression model was used in order to identify the factors determining the efficiency of producers. The results show that the operators are all technically efficient and have significant random effects. However, the results from the cost frontier show the presence of allocative inefficiency within production units. The estimated technical, allocative and economic efficiencies are respectively on average 0,94, 0,60 and 0,57. Finally, estimation of the determinants of efficiency has shown that, the supply of mineral manure, experience in maize production, crop rotation as well as the level of education are the main determinants of efficiency.

Aim: To determine the demographics and clinical presentation of patients with primary spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage (PSICH) referred for neurosurgical management. Patients and Methods: Consecutive patients (45) with a Computed Tomography (CT) scan confirmed diagnosis of PSICH over a 6-month were recruited for the study. Results: The patients were 13 (28.89%) females and 32 (71.11%) males. The mean age was 52 ± 11.44 yrs. There were 32 (71.11%) black patients, 8 (17.78%) Whites, 4 (8.89%) Coloured and 1 (2.22%) Indian. Collapse [19 (42.22%)] and weakness [18 (40%)] were the most common symptoms. The Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) of patients was mild (GCS 13 – 15) in 19 (42.22%), severe (GCS 3 – 8) in 16 (35.56%) and moderate (GCS 9 – 12) in 10 (22.22%). The ICH Score of patients was 0 in 11 (24.44%), 1 in 12 (26.67%), 2 in 8 (17.78%), 3 in 6 (13.33%) and 4 in 8 (17.78%). No ICH Score of 5 or 6 were documented. Conclusion: Our study has shown that SICH presents a common clinical problem in our environment with a male preponderance. Our patients are younger than in studies in developed nations. Collapse and decreased GCS were the most common forms of presentation.

Designing the geographical landscape and transforming it into a place that makes a symbolic, religious, or political statement and connects between landscape, culture and politics is known as "landscape reading". Landscapes etched in a person's memory often take on meanings that go beyond the realistic depictions of the landscape itself. The memory experience depends on the age of the individual or on a particular event that communicates the landscape and is imprinted upon the artist’s individual or collective memory. Deciphering the symbols embodied in the description of a landscape may reflect the artist’s political or religious identity or both. In describing the landscapes of their childhood, Palestinian artists choose to depict both the utopia of the past and the reality of the present. Palestinian art is often preoccupied with the natural or urban landscape and the manner in which political factors determine how the landscape is treated, appropriated and broken down. Within the landscape, are cherished ideological concepts related to land, place, and homeland, as well as to memory, whether real or imagined. Dealing with the landscape is not always a free choice and is sometimes forced for political or social reasons. Geographical and cultural research studies in recent years have involved landscape reading. In this article, I discuss a number of works of art that reflect this theory.