Asian Journal of Advanced Research and Reports

Monetary and Macroprudential Policies in a Volatile Global Era: A Conceptual Review of Systemic Resilience

Ashot V. Mardoyan, Hayk A. Sargsyan — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This conceptual review examines how monetary and macroprudential policies can be coordinated to strengthen systemic resilience during periods of global volatility. It focuses on the institutional quality of macroprudential strategies, inter-agency coordination, policy transmission, and the integration of regulatory instruments across selected jurisdictions. The study applies a comparative institutional mapping approach to 30 jurisdictions over 2014–2023 and uses the Macroprudential Strategy Quality Index to assess transparency, legal mandates, and decision-making processes. The review indicates that formal, transparent, and predictable policy frameworks are associated with stronger institutional preparedness for financial shocks. It also shows that countercyclical capital buffers, borrower-based measures, and coordinated policy toolkits may moderate credit-cycle vulnerabilities and support monetary policy transmission. Particular attention is given to non-bank financial intermediation, where system-wide supervision, proportionality, ex ante resilience, adaptive flexibility, and international cooperation are important for limiting the amplification of risk. The analysis further considers recent capital-buffer adjustments and macroeconomic pressures across EBRD regions. Overall, the review suggests that macroprudential policy is most effective when it operates as a complement to monetary policy within a clearly defined governance framework in both advanced and emerging market economies. However, the findings remain conceptual and should be tested through empirical models using granular financial and institutional data.

Collaborative Learning and Students’ Performance in Mensuration: The Moderating Role of Motivation in SHSs in Kpando Municipality

Semanu Mottey, Evelyn Adzo Azumah, Alex Owusu, Moses Koomson — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study examined the moderating role of students’ motivation in the relationship between collaborative learning and performance in mensuration among Senior High School students in the Kpando Municipality. The study adopted a quantitative experimental design involving 304 SHS 3 students selected from two schools. Participants were assigned to treatment and control conditions, with the treatment group receiving instruction through collaborative learning and the control group receiving traditional teaching. Data were collected using a questionnaire and an achievement test developed with reference to the SHS mathematics curriculum and relevant past examination items. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, regression analysis, and structural equation modelling were used to analyse the data. The descriptive results showed moderate motivation among students and moderate achievement in mensuration. The correlation results indicated a positive relationship between motivation and achievement, while the relationship between collaborative learning and achievement required further interpretation in relation to the regression and moderation analyses. Regression analysis showed that collaborative learning explained a proportion of the variation in achievement in mensuration. The moderation analysis indicated that collaborative learning, motivation, and their interaction had statistically significant effects on students’ achievement. The simple slope results further suggested that the effect of collaborative learning on achievement was stronger among students with high motivation, whereas the effect was weaker or negative among students with low motivation. The findings suggest that motivation plays an important role in determining how effectively students benefit from collaborative learning in mensuration. The study recommends that teachers integrate motivational strategies into collaborative learning activities to support active participation and improve learning outcomes.

Monetary Policy Transmission in Digital-changing Landscapes: The Intersection of Interest Rates and Financial Stability

Ashot V. Mardoyan, Hayk A. Sargsyan — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study examines how monetary policy transmission is changing as central banks move from the synchronised tightening of 2022–2023 towards increasingly divergent policy settings. A systematic comparative policy analysis is applied to institutional and macroeconomic evidence from 14 jurisdictions, drawing on central bank interest-rate dynamics, fiscal projections, regional forecasts, and indicators of financial stability. The analysis distinguishes structural supply-side shocks from market-driven volatility and assesses whether institutional digital readiness affects the speed and reliability of policy pass-through. The findings indicate that economies with greater digital banking integration may transmit policy-rate changes more rapidly to retail credit conditions. However, this transmission can be weakened by geopolitical instability, elevated public debt, limited fiscal space, and institutional constraints. Comparative evidence from the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, and selected developed and emerging economies also shows that central banks are no longer operating within a uniform global policy cycle. Instead, monetary authorities face a volatility channel in which local financial structures and external shocks alter the effects of interest-rate decisions. The study concludes that interest-rate policy alone is insufficient for sustaining financial stability in a digitally transforming financial system. A more integrated framework is required, combining adaptable monetary communication, institutional digital readiness, and robust macroprudential capital standards to strengthen resilience and support stable economic adjustment.

Factors Influencing the Adoption of Environmental Sustainability Practices in Selected Petroleum Industries in Southeastern Nigeria

Napoleon-Ekeh, Nwadiuto Konyere, Ogunbanwo, Babatunde Michael — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study examined the organisational and regulatory factors influencing the adoption of environmental sustainability practices in selected petroleum industries in Southeast Nigeria. The petroleum sector remains economically important, but its operations are associated with environmental concerns that require stronger sustainability responses. A cross-sectional survey research design and quantitative approach were adopted. Primary data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to employees and management personnel in selected oil and gas companies. A total of 420 questionnaires were distributed, 392 were retrieved, and 384 valid responses were used for analysis, representing a valid completion rate of 91.4%. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, including frequencies, percentages, mean scores and standard deviation, as well as multiple regression analysis. The findings showed high agreement with organisational factors, regulatory factors and environmental sustainability adoption, with mean scores of 4.23, 4.07 and 3.95, respectively. The regression results indicated that organisational factors had a significant positive effect on environmental sustainability adoption (β = 0.45, t = 9.62, p < 0.05). Regulatory factors also had a significant positive influence on adoption (β = 0.37, t = 7.88, p < 0.05). The model explained 58.0% of the variation in environmental sustainability adoption. The study concludes that internal organisational support and consistent regulatory oversight are important for improving sustainability practices in petroleum firms.

Quality of Community-Based Essential Care for Children Under-Five in Mali's Koulikoro Region (Kati and Kangaba Districts): A Cross-sectional Analytical Study

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Aims: This study evaluated the quality of community-based essential care services provided to children aged 0–59 months by community health workers (CHWs) in Mali's Koulikoro region. It examined CHW performance, motivation, stakeholder satisfaction, and maternal practices.

Study Design: A cross-sectional analytical study.

Place and Duration of Study: Kati and Kangaba health districts, Koulikoro region, Mali, from September to December 2024.

Methodology: Data were collected from 23 CHWs, 41 mothers of sick children, 36 mothers of newborns, 51 sick children aged 2–59 months, 36 newborns aged 0–2 months, 270 child health records, and 62 institutional stakeholders using structured questionnaires, observation checklists, and document reviews. Performance, motivation, and satisfaction were assessed using composite scores. Bivariate and multivariable analyses were performed using R software (version 4.2.1).

Results: CHWs demonstrated satisfactory clinical competence, with task-completion rates exceeding 96% for fever assessment, danger-sign identification, treatment, and counselling. However, substantial gaps were identified in cough assessment (3.9%) and diarrhoea assessment (72.5%). Global motivation was low (mean score: 3.78/8; 47.3%). Financial incentives were reported by 13.0% of CHWs, while 73.9% reported receiving supervision. Maternal satisfaction was high among all surveyed mothers. Supervision was associated with CHW performance (OR = 1.89, 95% CI: 1.12–3.18, P = .017); however, given the small CHW sample (n = 23), this finding should be interpreted cautiously and regarded as exploratory. Good reception, appropriate counselling, and perceived care quality were the main reasons reported for maternal satisfaction.

Newborn care showed 100% completion of danger-sign assessment; however, chlorhexidine application was observed in only 19.4% of cases. Cluster analysis identified three CHW profiles: high performers (35%), average performers (43%), and low performers (22%).

Conclusion: Although CHWs demonstrated strong clinical skills and community trust, systemic challenges, including low motivation, inadequate supervision, material shortages, and inconsistent selected newborn-care practices, may constrain service quality. Strengthening supervision systems, establishing regular performance-based incentives, and providing targeted clinical training are needed to optimise community-based child health programmes.

Food Image Calorie Estimation Using Deep Learning Based Pre-Trained Image Detection Architecture and Machine Learning Algorithms

Bassey Chibuike KALU, Torty Kalu-Ulu — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Food-image calorie estimation is an emerging application of computer vision and machine learning that can support automated dietary assessment. This study examined the use of a pre-trained deep-learning object-detection architecture and machine-learning regression models to estimate food volume and calorie content from food images. The ECUST food image dataset was used because it includes food images with calibration objects and related volume and nutritional information. A Faster R-CNN model with an Inception V2 feature extractor was applied to detect food items and calibration objects. Information extracted from the detection process, including food dimensions, calibration-object dimensions, foreground-pixel measures, density and energy values, was used to construct a dataset for volume and calorie estimation. Three machine-learning models were compared: Decision Tree, Random Forest and Support Vector Machine. The dataset was cleaned, transformed, normalised and divided into training and testing subsets before model fitting and evaluation. The object-detection stage identified food items with confidence scores ranging from 51% to 98% across selected food classes. The regression results showed that the Random Forest model performed best among the three models for both volume and calorie estimation, followed by the Decision Tree model, whereas the Support Vector Machine model showed the weakest overall performance. The Random Forest model achieved a higher correlation with actual calorie values than the Decision Tree and Support Vector Machine models. The findings suggest that combining deep-learning-based food detection with ensemble machine-learning regression can support food-image calorie estimation. However, further validation using stronger detection metrics, larger datasets and real-world food images is needed before practical deployment.

Design and Prototype of a Low-Cost Arduino-Based Intruder Detection System for Distribution Substations

C. Bassey KALU — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study presents the design, construction and testing of an Arduino-based intruder detection and alarm system intended for basic security monitoring in a distribution substation environment. The prototype was developed using an Arduino Uno microcontroller, two SW420 vibration sensor modules, a relay, buzzer, LEDs, jumper wires, breadboard, Vero board, battery supply and packaging enclosure. The system was designed to detect vibration associated with possible intrusion and to provide an immediate audible and visual alert. The hardware components were first assembled and tested on a breadboard before being transferred to a Vero board for permanent connection and packaging. The Arduino microcontroller was used to process sensor signals and activate the relay, buzzer and indicator LEDs when vibration was detected. Testing was conducted in pre-coupling, coupling and post-coupling phases to confirm component functionality and system response. The completed system showed a stable green indicator under normal conditions and activated both the red LED and buzzer when vibration was detected. Evaluation at different distances showed successful detection at short range, with the system responding reliably within the effective range reported during testing. The total component cost was less than USD 100, indicating that the prototype can be produced at relatively low cost using readily available electronic components. The study demonstrates that an Arduino-based vibration-detection system can provide a simple and affordable alarm mechanism for small-scale security applications. Further improvement is required to enhance sensitivity, reduce false alarms, improve portability and integrate additional features such as camera monitoring and location reporting.

Influence of Teacher Competence and Perceived Parental Involvement on Schooling Readiness among Kindergarten to Grade 1 Learners

Jesa H. Ompoc — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Schooling readiness is shaped by conditions in both home and school environments. This study examined the relationships and predictive contributions of teacher competence and perceived parental involvement to schooling readiness among Kindergarten and Grade 1 learners in the West and East Buhangin Districts of Davao City, Philippines. A quantitative correlational design was used. Data were obtained from 104 public-school teachers selected through stratified random sampling using questionnaires measuring teacher competence, perceived parental involvement, and schooling readiness. Descriptive statistics, Pearson product-moment correlation, and multiple linear regression were applied. Teacher competence had a mean of 3.69, perceived parental involvement had a mean of 3.47, and schooling readiness had a mean of 3.40; all were interpreted as very high. Teacher competence was positively correlated with schooling readiness (r = .330, p = .001), while perceived parental involvement showed a stronger positive correlation (r = .529, p < .001). The regression model was significant, F(2, 101) = 20.720, p < .001, and explained 29.1% of the variance in schooling readiness. Perceived parental involvement independently predicted schooling readiness (B = .439, β = .476, p < .001), whereas teacher competence did not (B = .152, β = .119, p = .208). These findings indicate that constructive parental involvement is a particularly important correlate of readiness in the surveyed setting, while teacher competence remains positively associated with readiness. Strengthening coordinated home-school engagement may support learners’ preparation for formal schooling.

Effect of Occupational Stress and Work Burn-Out on Safety Behaviour and Performance of Oil Workers in Niger-Delta

Odunze, Chimezie Edwin, Eucharia Oluchi Nwaichi, Ejikeme Ugwoha — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Background and Aim: Occupational stress and work burnout may influence how workers participate in and comply with workplace safety practices. This study examined their effects on safety behaviour and safety performance among oil workers in selected oil and gas companies in the Niger Delta, Nigeria.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey design was used. The study population comprised 6,112 workers from six selected companies, and 400 questionnaires were administered; 385 valid responses were analysed. Occupational stress and work burnout were assessed through work-related stressors and symptoms, while safety behaviour was measured using safety participation and safety compliance. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation, regression, and structural equation modelling.

Results: Respondents reported high occupational stress (weighted mean score [WMS] = 3.26) and work burnout (WMS = 3.62). They also reported positive safety participation (WMS = 3.67) and safety compliance (WMS = 3.73). The analyses indicated that occupational stress and work burnout were negatively associated with safety behaviour and safety performance. Increased stress was linked to reduced safety participation, which may increase the likelihood of near-miss incidents and accidents.

Conclusion: Occupational stress and work burnout remain important concerns in the selected oil and gas companies. Management attention to workload, organisational stressors, employee support, and consistent safety practices may help protect worker well-being and sustain safety performance.

Occupational Health, Safety, and Environmental Impacts in Key Industrial Sectors of Sierra Leone: A Cross-sectoral Mixed-methods Study of Mining, Manufacturing, and Construction

Tunkara Ibrahim, Youyi Wu, Peter Makieu, Sahr Stephen Newah, Neo Kebaswele — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Background: Mining, manufacturing, and construction are important to Sierra Leone’s economy, but workers and nearby communities may face substantial occupational health, safety, and environmental risks.

Aims: This study assessed OHSE practices, health outcomes, environmental impacts, regulatory conditions, and community engagement across the three sectors.

Methods: A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was adopted. Quantitative data were collected through structured surveys of 500 stakeholders (workers, health and safety officers, management, representatives of ministries and civil society organisations, and community households) across seven districts. Qualitative data were obtained through key informant interviews and focus group discussions. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression were used for quantitative analysis; qualitative data were analysed thematically and triangulated with the survey findings.

Results: The three sectors exhibited substantial occupational health, safety, and environmental deficiencies. Musculoskeletal pain was present in 45.0% of all workers (60.0% in construction), respiratory symptoms were highest in mining (35.0%), and hearing impairment was reported by 25.0% of miners. Binary logistic regression identified safety training (coefficient = 1.924, p = 0.005) and supervisor enforcement (coefficient = 1.567, p = 0.008) as the most significant predictors of compliance with personal protective equipment requirements. Lack of safety budgets (mean rank = 1.56), lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) (mean rank = 2.08), and lack of training (mean rank = 2.65) emerged as the top systemic barriers.

Conclusions: Weak governance and inadequate resource allocation across the three sectors adversely affect workers' productivity, well-being, and environmental health. To develop a lasting safety culture in Sierra Leone's industrial sectors, mandatory safety training, increased occupational health, safety, and environmental budget allocations, stricter regulatory enforcement, and meaningful community involvement are necessary.

Impact of Electronic Gadgets Usage on Behaviour and Academic Performance among Secondary School Students after COVID–19: An Observational Study

Channamma Modi, Vijayalaxmi Benakatti, Doulabi Choudhari, Mallamma Biradar — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Background: Rapid technological advancement has significantly increased the use of electronic gadgets, particularly among secondary school students. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, screen time increased considerably because of online learning and greater reliance on digital devices. Excessive gadget use has been associated with behavioural problems, reduced attention, and poorer academic performance.

Aims: This study assessed electronic-gadget use and its association with behavioural changes and academic performance among secondary school students in the post-COVID-19 period.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 84 secondary school students who met the inclusion criteria. Data were collected using a structured, closed-ended questionnaire and a valid Behavioural Problem Scale. Descriptive statistics and the McNemar–Bowker test were used to compare responses before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, with p < 0.05 considered statistically significant.

Results: Smartphone use increased after COVID-19 and smartphones were the most commonly used electronic gadgets. Screen-use duration also increased significantly (p = 0.027). Significant behavioural changes were observed in sadness (p = 0.026), feeling that life was not worth living (p = 0.001), crying or irritability (p = 0.022), feeling unwell with headache or pain (p = 0.048), lying, cheating, or breaking rules (p = 0.003), stealing (p = 0.002), and fighting or using abusive language (p = 0.005). Descriptive patterns indicated greater difficulty concentrating and a decline in academic performance after COVID-19, although these changes were not statistically significant.

Conclusions: Electronic-gadget use, particularly smartphone use, and screen time increased after the COVID-19 pandemic. Increased screen exposure coincided with significant behavioural changes among secondary school students, whereas academic performance showed a declining trend without statistical significance. These findings highlight the need to promote healthy digital habits and appropriate supervision of gadget use among secondary school students.