Archives-December 2011

The study was conducted to investigate the relationship between the identified five dimensions of emotional intelligence, namely self-awareness, emotional management, self motivation, empathy, interpersonal skills and academic performance. This study aims to identify whether the five dimensions of emotional intelligence have been able to contribute to academic performance. Statistical inference of the Pearson-r and multiple regression is used to analyze the data. The results showed that the significant relationship between self awareness (r = 0.21), emotional management (r = 0.21) and empathy (r = 0.21) at the level of p <0.05 with academic performance. Findings from multiple regression analysis (stepwise) showed that only three dimensions of emotional intelligence which is self-awareness (ß = 0261), self motivation (ß =- 0182) and empathy (ß = 0167) accounted for 8.7% of variation in criterion (academic performance). Research also presented a model designed to reflect the relationship between the dimensions of emotional intelligence and academic performance. These studies imply that the level of emotional intelligence contributes to and enhances the cognitive abilities in student. Thus, in increasing student academic performance. The stability of the emotional intelligence of a student will help to produce a competent generation and successful country in line with the philosophy of education.

The concept of Frequency Response Analysis (FRA) has been successfully used as a diagnostic technique to detect winding deformation, core and clamping structure for power transformers. The main problem about FRA techniques is to interpret the observed evolution of the frequency response in order to identify failures. Transformer high frequency computer modeling is proposed in this work to be used with the practical FRA measurements. The physical meaning of the model parameters allows the identification of the problem inside the transformer. Two high frequency transformer models based on lumped and distributed parameters approaches are investigated. A comparison of both models is conducted using their transfer function plots, and hence based on the amount of information revealed from the plots, a distributed model is chosen for further analysis. The model validation is carried out through the comparison of the simulation and field results. Mechanical and short circuit faults are simulated into the model to compare the differences in the frequency response of healthy and deformed transformer signatures. The advantage of this technique is that the FRA measurements can be obtained from meaningful parameters that can aid interpretation and classification of FRA signatures.

Agriculture is the backbone of Kenya and employs the highest proportion of the population, accounts for approximately a quarter of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and close to two-thirds of total exports, hence its importance in poverty alleviation. Despite the importance of the sector, about four-fifths of the country’s land area is arid and semi-arid (ASAL), making rain fed agriculture largely unviable. As such, livestock and dryland farming are elevated to the highest among livelihood options for resident communities who are largely nomadic pastoralists and agro-pastoralists. While weather patterns are largely responsible for low crop yields and therefore food insecurity, there are other factors that come into play to escalate want in these areas including socio-cultural dynamics and institutional bottlenecks. This paper looks at the challenges of dryland farming in semi-arid areas of Kenya and henceforth points at possible research gaps that need to be bridged to alleviate food insecurity and enhance national development and the achievement of the UN Millennium Development Goal 1 of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger.

There has been an ongoing debate about the importance of the English language. Employers are lamenting that new graduates these days lack communicative proficiency in English. The purpose of this study is to determine the factors which contribute to English proficiency in Chinese students in Johor Bahru. Investigating the factors that contribute to English proficiency might partially explain the occurrence of underachievement in the learning English. The study was conducted with a self-reported questionnaire as an instrument. Data was collected from a sample of 119 students from Southern College, a Chinese community run college based in Johor Bahru. Data was analyzed using the SPSS version 11.5. Descriptive statistics showed that respondents have interest in the language but lack confidence and motivation in using English. The independent variables which were hypothesized factors were correlated with the dependent variables. Findings showed that although parents and close significant others do have influence on the respondents’ attitude and perception towards the English language, their English proficiency grades were not influenced by them. In conclusion, socializing factors such as family members and significant others are not significant contributors to English proficiency in Chinese students in Johor Bahru but they do contribute to the positive attitude and perception towards English that many of the respondents have.

Inclusive education is burning issue of the present world and inclusive education is in its initial stage in Pakistan. This study was conducted to know the perception of mainstream school education teachers on different (psychological, social, academic, and general) and comparison of rural and urban areas mainstream teachers’ perception towards inclusive education. Total 90 teachers were the participants of this study. Data were collected personally by researcher on self-developed questionnaire on four domain; Psychological aspect, social aspects, academic aspects and general aspect. The collected information were analyzed through percentage, mean, SD, and t-test. The overall results of the study indicated that the majority of teachers have positive perception towards inclusive education, but it is necessary for proper preparation, training and facilities for better implementation.

In this study the tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon subjected to lead nitrate toxicity under three sublethal concentrations (1.66,3.33 and 6.60 mg/L )for 24 hrs, 48 hrs 72 hrs and 96 hrs . The vital organs Muscle and Hepatopancreas were dissected from tiger shrimp and processed for biochemical assay .The results of Lead nitrate treated Shrimp shows a decrease in the level of Protein, Carbohydrate and Lipid comparing to the control Shrimp. The depletion results of Protein in Muscle from 65.22 to 60.45 percent ,Carbohydrate from 15.10 to12.10 percent and Lipid from 09.00 to 06.60 percent, similarly the hapatopancreas shows depletion of protein from57.48 to50.50 percent ,Carbohydrate from 18.57 to 14.42 percent and Lipid shows from 19.20 to 15.86 percent This shows depletion of three biochemical components due to the impact of Lead nitrate toxicity . Impact of Lead nitrate leads to active depletion of biochemical components of protein carbohydrate and Lipid resulting in accelerated metabolism.

Ecological industry is to realize the harmonious development between economy and environment by planning industrial systems according to material cycle as in the natural ecological system. This paper first discusses the properties of ecological industries, such as industrial ecology is operating and managing traditional industries based on the principles of ecological economics, the core of industrial ecology is the construction and integration of industrial ecosystem. The eco-industry coordinates discrete enterprises and industries and integrates them into optimized industrial ecology chains which establish the “resources - products - renewable resources” of the circular economy mode, industrial ecology helps companies become more competitive by improving their environmental performance and strategic planning; it minimizes energy and materials usage, conserves and restores ecosystem health and maintaining biodiversity. The application of industrial ecology is the practice of eco-industry parks, which are communities of manufacturing and service businesses located together on a common property. The paper further does investigation on strategies for industry ecology system (IES) construction, which include establishing and improving the legal system and industrial policies to promote industrial ecology, collecting more comprehensive information on waste stream from all users, as well as the government should play a key role in coordinating and maintaining the security and stability for the industrial symbiosis network.

This paper introduces the notion of the Generalization of Cartesian Product on Intuitionistic L-fuzzy H-ideals of BF-algebra and deals some simple but interesting results.

An isocratic reversed phase stability-indicating high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) assay method was developed and validated for quantitative determination of Nicardipine hydrochloride in bulk drugs and the degradation products generated from forced decomposition. An isocratic, reversed phase HPLC method was developed to separate the drug from the degradation products, using an Waters Symmetry shield C18 (250 x 4.6)mm,5u column and the mobile phase containing the of mixture of triethylamine-phosphoric acid buffer (pH-3.5 by orthophosphoric acid, acetonitrile (35:65,v/v). The detection was carried out at wavelength 353 nm. The Nicardipine hydrochloride was subjected to stress conditions of hydrolysis (acid, base), oxidation (50 % H2O2).The degradation was observed for buclizine hydrochloride in base and negligible degradation observed 50 % H2O2. The mass balance was close to 100 in all the stress conditions. The degraded products were well resolved from main peak. The developed method was validated with respect to linearity, accuracy (recovery), precision, system suitability, selectivity, robustness and forced degradation studies prove the stability indicating ability of the method.

The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between employees’ perceptions of authentic leadership and employee engagement. Study was conducted in one of the multinational manufacturing companies that based in North Malaysia. A total of 118 employees working in the company provided responses to the scales to assess the perceptions of the authentic leadership and employee engagement. The result indicated a significant positive relationship between employees’ perceptions of authentic leadership and employee engagement. Interventions in developing authentic leadership among supervisors and managers and limitations of the study are also being discussed in the study.